“It’s interesting that we became enthusiastic about ASL in the process of teaching it to a population that couldn’t benefit from it.” Mike tells Sarah about a very special ape and the very problematic humans around her. Digressions include video dating, "Biography" and the terrible terrible inventor of the telephone. We start with a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT abo ... Show More
Apr 14
The Great American Spelling Bee with Gabe Henry
Can you use the word in a sentence? For this episode, Spelling Correspondent Gabe Henry takes Sarah through the surprisingly rampageous (r-a-m-p-a-g-e-o-u-s) history of the Spelling Bee, a uniquely American phenomenon. From the earliest examples of late night “spelling matches,” ... Show More
1h 26m
Mar 17
How to Deprogram a Guy in 10 Days with Endless Thread
Free yourself. What does it take to get someone to leave a cult? What happens if the cult is all around us? In this episode, Ben Brock Johnson & Amory Sivertson of NPR’s Endless Thread podcast join Sarah for a discussion about the cultier aspects of our culture, politics, and his ... Show More
1h 24m
Jun 2020
When the Monkeys Met the Chimps
Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by Dr Jane Goodall DBE, comedian Bill Bailey and primatologist Dr Cat Hobaiter to find out what we've learnt in the 60 years since Jane first discovered the chimpanzees of Gombe. From tool use, to language and even to culture, her revolutionary ... Show More
50m 39s
May 2023
How Do Great Apes Go Wild? with Dr. Laura Simone Lewis
Chimpanzees and bonobos know how to live it up. They hang out with their friends, they take self-care breaks, they eat fresh fruit, and when it’s raining they fashion umbrellas out of leaves. Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is back on the show this week to tell us all about the social liv ... Show More
1h 18m
Jun 2022
Gorillaology (GORILLAS) with Tara Stoinski
<p>Gorillas. These chest-beating, salad-munching, communal living, thick-furred beauties have so many surprises for you. Gorillaologist (IT’S A WORD) Dr. Tara Stoinski has been a gorilla scientist for nearly 3 decades and dishes on everything from fieldwork in cloudy mountains to ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 2013
Episode 33: Monkeys, Smurfs, and Human Conformity (With Laurie Santos)
<p>Special guest Laurie Santos (Psychology, Yale) joins us to talk about what animal cognition can tell us about human nature. Why are other primates better at resisting the misleading influence of others than humans? Is conformity a byproduct of our sophisticated cultural learni ... Show More
57m 10s
Oct 2021
Scary Story Time: "Go-Away Monkey" (Ep. 86)
For the spooky month of October, I'm reading my short horror story, "Go-Away Monkey" from my collection The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales. It's set in an older Japan in a small village that has been ravaged by smallpox. If you remember Episode 4 (Monkeys and Monkey Lore), you'll ... Show More
59m 54s
<p>Aujourd'hui, direction la <strong>Tanzanie</strong> à la rencontre du <strong>chimpanzé</strong> !</p><p>Cette fois-ci, <strong>nous voyageons</strong> dans l'espace mais aussi dans le temps afin de suivre une femme extraordinaire dans ses <strong>aventures</strong> : <strong> ... Show More
