Feather Knows Best

Podcast Episode Summary

Encore Presentation

Can animals think? Merely asking the question was once thought ridiculous. But studies that range from chimps to birds to sea creatures have prompted scientists to reassess the cognitive capabilities of our animal friends. These results challenge not only our idea of intelligence, but man’s unequivocal perch at the top.

Learn the secret communication between camouflaging cuttlefish… how the smarts of Alex the parrot turned “birdbrain” into a compliment… and why brawn sometimes trumps brains in evolution.

Plus, why – after billions of years of evolution – our brains just barely work!

Guests

• Irene Pepperberg – teaches animal cognition at Harvard University, and author of Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence—and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
• Roger Hanlon – senior scientist at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts
• Gary Marcus – psychologist at New York University and
  author of Kluge: The Haphazard Evolution of the Human Mind
• Jonathan Payne – assistant professor of geological and environmental science at Stanford University

Descripción en español