“Birdbrain” may be an insult, but birds are far smarter than they’re often given credit for. Irene Pepperberg, PhD, talks about her five decades of research with gray parrots, how she teaches parrots to communicate with English words, how birds’ mathematical and other abilities compare with young children, how the field of animal cognition has evolved over t ... Show More
Yesterday
Multisensory perception: How sight, sound and touch shape what we taste, with Charles Spence, PhD
Why does seafood taste better at the beach? Why are so many snacks crunchy? Can the color of a room or the music in the background change the way we experience what we eat and drink? Charles Spence, PhD, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford, disc ... Show More
41m 17s
Jun 10
Why midlife may be your prime time, with Margie Lachman, PhD
For many adults, midlife is a time of competing responsibilities: raising children, helping parents and managing careers, all while confronting their own aging. Yet psychologists increasingly see these years not as a period of crisis or decline but one of growth and opportunity. ... Show More
31m 10s
Jun 3
How children learn culture — and create it, with Dorsa Amir, PhD
Which aspects of human cognition are universal and which are shaped by the culture we grow up in? Dorsa Amir, PhD, director of the Mind & Culture Lab at Duke University, talks about how children learn cultural norms around things like sharing, risk-taking and cooperation; what sh ... Show More
42m 47s
Dec 2024
Brainy Birds: Crows, Ravens, and Parrots
Did you know that some birds are super smart? In this episode, we’ll explore how crows, ravens, and parrots use their brains in amazing ways. These birds can solve tricky puzzles, make tools to get food, and even remember things for a long time. Parrots can copy human speech, and ... Show More
9m 37s
Feb 2022
Birds of a Feather Learn Together
Mindy and Guy Raz are dropping off Reggie at the University of Clever Birds, where they learn about a new class all about opening... trash cans?! Discover how the Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo can break into any trash can! It's the who, what, when, where, why, how and WOW of Bird Beaks ... Show More
22m 54s