It was long thought that domestication leads to reductions in brain size. But as we understand dog brains better, the truth is proving more complicated—and more interesting. Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @erinhecht.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/of-breeds-an...

New episode!! 🎙️🎉 A conversation w/ @erinhecht.bsky.social about the diversity and evolution of canine brains. We've lived and worked with dogs for 15,000+ years, sculpting their brains and bodies along the way. What can we learn from their singular story? Listen: disi.org/of-breeds-an...

Really enjoyed this podcast with @sheinalew.bsky.social and @dorsaamir.bsky.social on evolution and childhood. Super-smart people talking about a super-interesting topic podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

How have monsters changed over history? Do they morph with shifting cultural anxieties? Or do they mostly stay the same, sprung from primal, timeless fears? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social & Natalie Lawrence! Listen: disi.org/monsters-and...

New episode!! 🎉😱 A conversation with @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social & Natalie Lawrence about monsters of all kinds. Monsters seem to be everywhere—our myths, our maps, our children's books, our political discourse. What do these creatures tell us about ourselves? Listen: disi.org/monsters-and...

Digital lovers, robot caretakers, chatbot teachers—to many this sounds utterly dystopian. But is there an optimistic scenario for the future of social AI? What would that look like? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ Dr. Henry Shevlin! Listen: disi.org/the-age-of-s...

Many fear that AI companions will lead to widespread social "deskilling," particularly in young people. But could we harness these bots for "upskilling" instead? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ Dr. Henry Shevlin! Listen: disi.org/the-age-of-s...

New episode!! 🎙️🎉 A conversation with Dr. Henry Shevlin about the emerging world of "social AI." Digital lovers. AI coaches and tutors. Griefbots and artificial friends. What will this mean for our relationships, our social skills, and our society as a whole? Listen: disi.org/the-age-of-s...

Incorporating AI into scientific research may well boost productivity. But it could also leave scientists vulnerable to illusions. Just one of the topics discussed in our recent episode, w/ @mjcrockett.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/science-ai-a...

Bird brains aren't the same as mammal brains. They took their own twisty evolutionary path. So what can they teach us about brains in general? A lot, it turns out. Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @evoneuro.bsky.social & Georg Striedter! Listen: disi.org/brains-of-a-...

New episode!! 🎉🎙️ A chat w/ @evoneuro.bsky.social & Georg Striedter about their new book, 'Bird Brains and Behavior.' Birds do some astonishing things. They sing, fly, migrate, cache food, and hunt in total darkness. How do their brains make all this possible? Listen: disi.org/brains-of-a-...

Nature is good for us. It can lift our spirits, reset our attention, even help us heal. But what is it—specifically—about nature that does this? Can we isolate the active ingredients? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, with Dr. Marc Berman! Listen: disi.org/how-nature-r...

Why do we smile? What makes pulling back the lip corners a fundamentally positive act? Why don’t we beam out good vibes by blinking our eyes or wrinkling our noses? From our archive, @kensycoop.bsky.social's essay about the (murky) origins of the smile: disi.org/dawn-of-the-...

New episode!! 🎉🎉 A chat w/ Dr. Marc Berman about the emerging field of "environmental neuroscience." Spending time in nature often leaves us feeling replenished. But why? What aspects of nature are most restorative? And what is it, really, that's being restored? Listen: disi.org/how-nature-r...

You've heard of the human "cognitive revolution" around 40 kya—a moment when our species suddenly became "behaviorally modern." Have you also heard that this story is wrong? From the archive, our episode w/ @elliescerri.bsky.social & @manuelwill.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/revisiting-t...

A new academic year is ramping up. Have you considered adding us to your syllabus? Podcasts episodes are a great way to add variety & boost engagement, and they offer a launchpad for exploration. A number of instructors have used our episodes to good effect! (Let us know if you're among them!)

Where are memories stored in the brain? The textbook answer is that memories live in the synaptic connections between neurons. But there's long been a dissenting view, and it's showing signs of revival. From the archive, our interview with @gershbrain.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/of-molecules...

Spiders have a mixed reputation in popular culture. But through their extraordinary sensory systems, their silken structures, and their sheer diversity, they offer an astounding model for the cognitive sciences. From the archive, an all-time listener-favorite episode! disi.org/consider-the...

Super fun having @manvir.bsky.social on the podcast (again)! I strongly recommend his new book—especially if you like your non-fiction laced with personal narrative, quirky characters, & history of ideas.

We often treat religion and shamanism as fundamentally different. But the two are deeply enmeshed, and a push and pull between them has played out repeatedly across history. Just one of the topics discussed in latest episode, with @manvir.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/the-shaman-w...

Thinking a/b an AI-enriched world that actually benefits humans & how it'll help us explore, not just get tube-fed by algorithms. Here's my talk from @divintelligence.bsky.social on how complex systems science & game design inspired me to imagine this future: michaelgarfield.substack.com/p/foraging

Thank you, @kensycoop.bsky.social, for having me on! We had a great conversation about shamanism—its cognitive foundations, place in Paleolithic societies, role in Abrahamic religions, manifestations in industrialized societies (including hedge wizards), and much more.

New episode!! 🎙️📣 A conversation with @manvir.bsky.social about the many faces of shamanism. Shamanism is not a relic of the past or a curio from far-off lands—it's alive and well, all around the world. The roots of shamanism, after all, lie within us. Listen: disi.org/the-shaman-w...

Applications are open for SFI's 2026 Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships If you’ve recently earned a Ph.D. in any scientific field and want to pursue independent, transdisciplinary research, consider applying. Deadline: October 1, 2025 Apply here: santafe.edu/sfifellowship

Children are often cast as passive vessels into which we pour culture. But children create cultures of their own—vibrant ones with special properties. Just one of the topics discussed in our recent episode with @dorsaamir.bsky.social & @sheinalew.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/varieties-of...

Call for Abstracts Extended! 🌟 Join us this September in Sheffield for 'Nature of Intelligence: Bridging Animal & Artificial Intelligence', an ASAB Interdisciplinary Workshop. @asab.org @sheffielduni.bsky.social #ArtificialIntelligence #AnimalCognition #Neuroscience I #AcademicWorkshop #ASAB

Such a pleasure to attend the Diverse Intelligences Summit in St Andrews. Making new friends, chatting with academic heroes, brainstorming Big Team Science & outreach, hanging out with old and new @divintelligence.bsky.social fellows, and basically having an epic week. My heart and brain are full.

A fascinating podcast with Sheina Lew-Levy and Dorsa Amir about childhood across cultures, very insightful ideas about how contemporary Western parents could learn from forager childhoods, especially the importance of peer culture (read the Opies!). podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/v...

My sound track for Bristol➡️St Andrews is all sorted! 🎧 @manymindspod.bsky.social was the obvious choice, given that I’m joining the @divintelligence.bsky.social and wider Diverse Intelligence gang for their annual summit 🙌 🧠

New episode!! 🎙️📣 A chat w/ @sheinalew.bsky.social & @dorsaamir.bsky.social about childhood across cultures. Humans everywhere go through childhood—a time of learning, growth, and play. But this universal stage of life can look very different in different places. Listen: disi.org/varieties-of...

Grateful to be taking part in #DISI2025 — and in such a beautiful setting! Also lucky enough to spot some horses on the beach on #WorldHorseDay 🐎🌊

one week of @divintelligence.bsky.social down and two to go!

Having a blast in St Andrews, collectively foraging for new ideas with the many minds of @divintelligence.bsky.social ! Image 1: tide pool creations Image 2: several of thousands of baby squid found at the tide line Image 3: fog rolls in on the coastal cliffs

New episode!! 🎙️🎙️ A conversation w/ @mjcrockett.bsky.social about AI and science! We're in the midst of a major transformation, with AI reshaping the entire research pipeline. These changes may well boost scientific productivity. Will they also boost understanding? Listen: disi.org/science-ai-a...

Heading to St Andrews this Sunday for the @divintelligence.bsky.social ! Three weeks with researchers and artists exploring what intelligence is and how it evolves. Really excited and grateful for this chance to learn, share, and connect. 🐳 👾 🐝 🌱

New episode!! 🎙️📣 A conversation w/ Dr. Gordon Burghardt about play across the tree of life. It's not just kids, apes, and dogs that play. Play abounds—often in unexpected places. It takes different forms, has different functions, and still presents puzzles. Listen: disi.org/the-primeval...

My new installation Alaka’i 1777, which imagines the lost song culture of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, debuts in NYC 6/21-22! Come hear real-time simulations of extinct birdsongs in 24-channel spatial audio 🦜 Made possible by @cornellbirds.bsky.social @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social @divintelligence.bsky.social

As people age, their personalities shift in predictable directions—to the point that it makes sense to speak of "personality age." But what drives these changes? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, a conversation w/ @renemottus.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/the-big-five...

If I weren't committed to living in Edinburgh, I'd jump at the chance to apply to this. A rare environment for genuinely interdisciplinary research, and with with extraordinarily cool people. (deadline 15th June)

I talked about this with @kathrynnave.bsky.social at @divintelligence.bsky.social last year, and it was one of the most fascinating topics I've heard about in 2024!

New episode!! 📣🎙️ A conversation w/ @renemottus.bsky.social about the science of human personality. The "Big Five" model of human personality has been enormously generative and influential. But what does it miss? What does it mask? Where should the field go next? Listen: disi.org/the-big-five...

New postdoc positions at the (DISI-affiliated) Center for Possible Minds at Indiana University. Looking for scholars interested in interdisciplinary research on the nature of biological, artificial, and collective intelligence. Please share widely! indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/29547

New postdoc positions at the (DISI-affiliated) Center for Possible Minds at Indiana University. Looking for scholars interested in interdisciplinary research on the nature of biological, artificial, and collective intelligence. Please share widely! indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/29547

Psychedelics seem to reduce people's fear of death. But how do they do this, exactly? Is it in part by offering a "comforting delusion"? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, a conversation w/ Dr. Chris Letheby! Listen: disi.org/philosophers...

New episode!! 🎙️ A conversation w/ Dr. Chris Letheby about the philosophy of psychedelics. Psychedelics open up new questions—questions about the mind, belief, the self, moral enhancement, and the ethics of transformative experience. Philosophers have taken note. Listen: disi.org/philosophers...

Cuttlefish are known for dynamic, kaleidoscopic displays—and yet they seem to be colorblind. How does an animal that can't see color project color out onto its skin? Just one of the enigmas discussed in our latest episode, w/ @tessamontague.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/the-cuttlefi...

New episode!! 🎙️📣 A conversation w/ @tessamontague.bsky.social about cephalopod camouflage. Cuttlefish and other cephalopods can change their appearance—color, pattern, texture—with lightning speed. What's going on in their skin and brains that makes this possible? Link: disi.org/the-cuttlefi...

In the two decades since it was first introduced, the "free energy principle" has had enormous influence. But is the central idea really so new? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @kathrynnave.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/life-free-en...

so excited to finally be going to @divintelligence.bsky.social this year! 3 weeks of learning from and working with researchers from tons of fields 🌱🧠💻🐒 + seminars from amazing faculty: disi.org/category/fac... @rdhawkins.bsky.social @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social @dhananjayj.bsky.social + many more!!