Show for Jan 29, 2012: Pulling the Wool Over Our Own Eyes—Robert Trivers on the Evolution of Self-Deception
Robert Trivers is a widely influential evolutionary thinker (as these tributes from Steven Pinker et. al. attest). His theoretical work on the genetic trade-offs underlying altruism, parent-child relationships and other social interactions are a cornerstone of behavioral ecology and evolutionary psychology. His new book, The Folly of Fools, applies an evolutionary framework to another set of behaviors: deception and especially self-deception. Subjects discussed in our interview include: self-deception in nature, our capacity to simultaneously know and blind ourselves to the truth, the field formerly known as sociobiology, and Robert’s own life and career, including his friendship with the late Black Panther leader Huey Newton.
Click the Play arrow above to listen to the show, or you can download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)
Show for Oct. 30, 2011. Cognitive Psychologist Steven Pinker on the Decline of Violence
Steven Pinker, celebrated for his books on language and the workings of the mind, ventures into big history with his latest volume, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. He presents a truckload of evidence to argue that humans have been getting more peaceful, more cooperative and less murderous, on scales large and small, for quite some time. Among the reasons: civilization really has made us more civil. That might seem a surprising conclusion for a card-carrying evolutionary psychologist, but Pinker hasn’t gone all liberal artsy on us. Historicity has a role to play, he says, but so do biology and game theory.
You can download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)
Show for Oct. 9, 2011. Evolutionary Biologist Marlene Zuk on Bugs and Us
We love biologists who can entertain as well as they explain, and Marlene Zuk is great at both. Last time we had her on the show, the subject was parasites (you can listen or download the mp3 here). This time, it’s insects, and what they do or don’t have in common with human beings. Our conversation took some fun and interesting turns into areas such as anthropomorphism and sexual politics in entomology.
Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)
Marlene Zuk’s latest book, Sex on Six Legs.
Show for July 17, 2011. The Machinery of Life.
Harry Noller has been doing molecular biology since before it was even called that, and he’s been doing it very well. His work has helped illumine some of the fundamental processes on which all life (at least all earthly life) depends. He speaks about his fascinating career and research on today’s show. We’ll hear about his meetings with remarkable scientists, his own brush with Nobel laureate-hood and the dizzying intricacies of his pet research subject, the microscopic machines known as ribosomes.
Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here (if using a Mac, control-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” If using a PC, right-click and choose Save Target As…”)
Harry’s lab has put together some ribosome animations, which you can view here. Have patience: some of these take a while to download. Here’s another ribosome movie (very simplified), with music you can dance to:
Show for June 12, 2011. Carl Zimmer and Planet of Viruses
The last time we had science writer Carl Zimmer on the show, it was to discuss E Coli, the subject of his book Microcosm. The book is an eye-opener for anyone who would dismiss bacteria as rudimentary bugs. As Carl explained, E Coli have a social life, sex of a sort, seem to learn and may even be said to lie and cheat. Now he’s moved a notch down the biological yardstick, revealing the richness of life on the smallest scales. We talked about his latest book, A Planet of Viruses, and the huge role viruses play in human history, in the evolution of life on earth, the ecology and even the world’s climate.
Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the show, or download the MP3 here.
Show for March 27, 2011: Re-Creating the Creation (from 2009)
How life may have begun on Earth, with a little help from outer space. I talk to biochemist and astrobiologist Dave Deamer about the hypothetical origins of life. Also, attempts to conjure life in the lab, and music from DNA.
Photo: Deamer believes a key step on the way to life may have been the formation of membrane-like fatty bubbles in the warm freshwater ponds of early Earth. Here, he tries to simulate those conditions in the volcanically active Kamchatka region of Russia.
Click the “play” arrow above to listen to the interview, or download the MP3 here.
Show for Dec. 5, 2010: Saving Animals, Cell by Cell
San Diego’s “Frozen Zoo” is one of the world’s largest collections of living animal tissue, gathered from hundreds of species for research, conservation and even cloning. We talked to geneticist Oliver Ryder, one of the scientists who manage the Frozen Zoo. Also, a conversation with David Haussler, coordinator of the Genome 10K Project, which is using samples from the Frozen Zoo and other sources to map the genomes of 10,000 species.
You can download the MP3 here.
Show for Oct. 24, 2010: Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin on Musicality and Evolution
The best-selling author of This is Your Brain on Music returns to our show. Neuroscientist, musician and record producer Dan Levitin discusses his most recent book, The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature. Levitin contends that music played a key role in human evolution. (Interview originally boradcast in 2008.)
Click the “play” arrow above to listen, or download the MP3 here.
Show for Sept. 26, 2010. Felix Warneken and Robert Sapolsky on the Nicer Side of Primates
Science has done a lot to expose the darker side of human behavior, and that of our primate relatives, so we thought it was time to highlight some more encouraging studies. In part one of the show, developmental psychologist Felix Warneken looks for and finds evidence of instinctive altruism in young humans and chimps. In part two, neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky discovers that even baboons—long believed to be incorrigibly bellicose—can change their ways and make nice.
Felix Warneken Robert Sapolsky and colleague
To hear the whole show, click the play arrow above, or download the MP3 here.
Check out Robert Sapolsky’s wonderful book, A Primate’s Memoir, about his years studying baboons in Kenya. The book covers the period leading up to the discoveries Robert described on our show.
Children and Chimps: Good for Goodness Sake?
On our Sept 26, 2010 show, we talked to developmental psychologist Felix Warneken about his search for the roots of altruism in humans and apes. He’s conducted experiments showing naturally helpful behavior in both young children and chimpanzees. Time after time, toddlers and chimps go out of their way to help others with no apparent expectation of reward. Skeptical? Check out the videos.
Show for May 9, 2010. The Philosophical Baby: an Interview with Alison Gopnik
Well, we wanted to dish up something new on Mother’s Day this
year, but stuff happened. So instead: a second helping of a show from last year—one we’re pretty sure moms will like. Developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik has spent decades studying the minds of infants and young children. Her conclusion: babies are smarter, more aware and more caring than scientists previously realized. Also, inventor Joshua Klein on the surprising intelligence of crows.
Click the arrow above to listen to the show. If you don’t have Flash player or have other playback problems, click this link for the MP3.
Sho
w for Nov 1, 2009. Geoffrey West: Life by the Numbers
Physicist Geoffrey West of the Santa Fe Institute searches for the universal laws of life. He describes some simple mathematical rules that he says may explain everything from the length of our lives to the health of our cities.
