Podcast Episodes

Brains of a feather

Birds do the darnedest things. They fly, of course. They sing. They hunt in pitch darkness. They hide their food and remember where they put it. They use tools and migrate over astonishingly vast dis…

Published on 2 hours ago

How nature restores the mind

One afternoon you decide to snub your responsibilities and go for a hike. You spend a few hours in the woods or the mountains. You study the bark of trees, you bathe in birdsong, you let your eyes r…

Published on 2 weeks ago

From the archive: Revisiting the dawn of human cognition

Hi friends!

We're taking a much-needed summer pause—we'll have new episodes for you later in September. In the meanwhile, enjoy this pick from our archives!

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[originally aired June 1, 2023]

Th…

Published on 2 weeks, 6 days ago

From the archive: Of molecules and memories

Hi friends!

We're taking a much-needed August pause—we'll have new episodes for you in September. In the meanwhile, enjoy this pick from our archives!

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[originally aired February 8, 2024]

Where …

Published on 1 month ago

From the archive: Consider the spider

Hi friends!

We're taking a much-needed August pause—we'll have new episodes for you in September. In the meanwhile, enjoy this pick from our archives!

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[originally aired May 30, 2024]

Maybe your…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

The shaman with a thousand faces

When you hear the word "shaman," I'm guessing a web of associations starts to form in your mind. Perhaps you imagine strange ceremonies and strong substances; maybe you think of an earlier time when …

Published on 2 months ago

Varieties of childhood

Childhood is a special time, a strange time. Children are adored and catered to—they're given their own menus and bedrooms. They're considered delicate and precious, and so we cushion them from every…

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago

Science, AI, and illusions of understanding

AI will fundamentally transform science. It will supercharge the research process, making it faster and more efficient and broader in scope. It will make scientists themselves vastly more productive,…

Published on 2 months, 4 weeks ago

The primeval soil of play

Puppies wrestling and mock-biting each other. Toddlers playing hide and seek. Kittens pouncing—repeatedly—on a toy mouse. You've no doubt looked on at scenes like this with amusement. And you've no d…

Published on 3 months, 1 week ago

The big five and beyond

If you've heard anything about the study of human personality, you've probably heard about the “big five.” This is a framework that attempts to characterize human personality in terms of five broad f…

Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago