Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World

by Kristin Ohlson
@kristinohlson

What if Nature is more cooperative, and less competitive, than we think? 

A follow-up to Kristin Ohlson’s previous book, The Soil Will Save Us (Rodale 2014), Sweet in Tooth and Claw extends the concept of cooperation in nature to the life-affirming connections among microbes, plants, fungi, insects, birds, and animals – including humans—in ecosystems around the globe.

For centuries, people have debated whether nature is mostly competitive — as Darwin theorized and the poet Tennyson described as “red in tooth and claw”—or innately cooperative, as many ancient and indigenous peoples believed. In the last 100 or so years, a growing gang of scientists have studied the mutually beneficial interactions that are believed to benefit every species on earth. This book is full of stories of generosity – not competition — in nature. It is a testament to the importance of a healthy biodiversity, and dispels the widely accepted premise of survival of the fittest.

Interview with the Author

Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria 
Sweet in Tooth and Claw w/ Kristin Ohlson
2/20/23             68 min

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Books On Pod with Trey Elling 
#283 – Kristin Ohlson on SWEET IN TOOTH AND CLAW
9/15/22           47 min

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