https://www.melaniechallenger.com/broadcast/#etpenNatureCopyright Melanie Challengerhttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4f97dc5aa58078aa6e2ff727b4d52c36.jpghttps://www.melaniechallenger.com/broadcast/#etpSun, 24 Nov 2024 12:10:21 +0000Melanie ChallengerMelanie Challengerfeeds@spreaker.comWhat is it like to be an octopus or an elephant? What kinds of minds and perceptions do they have and how can we understand these other worlds? Why do living beings behave so differently to the material world that surrounds them? And how did all this...falseserialhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/origins-of-purpose--53613645Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin. He blogs at Wiring the Brain and Tweets at: @WiringtheBrain.
Books include INNATE – How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are (2018) and Free Agents: How Evolution Gave us Free Will (2023).]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53613645Sat, 22 Apr 2023 11:49:20 +0000Melanie ChallengerJoin Melanie in conversation with neurobiologist, Kevin Mitchell, as they discuss how animals came to behave in intelligent, purposeful ways, and why this matters. Kevin is Associate Professor of https://www.tcd.ie/Genetics/ and...Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin. He blogs at Wiring the Brain and Tweets at: @WiringtheBrain.
Books include INNATE – How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are (2018) and Free Agents: How Evolution Gave us Free Will (2023).]]>3029consciousness,ethics,freewill,intelligence,minds,nature,neuroscience,philosophy,sciencefalse11fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/green-intelligencies--53613679 MINT (Minimal Intelligence) lab and a leading figure in the philosophy of plant behavior and signalling (plant neurobiology). He is also a philosopher concerned with issues at the intersection of plant biology and cognitive science. He is the author of the book Planta Sapiens: Unmasking Plant Intelligence (2022).]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53613679Sat, 22 Apr 2023 11:49:29 +0000Melanie ChallengerThis week, Melanie is joined by plant scientist Paco Calvo to discuss the intelligence of the greenery that surrounds us. Are plants intelligent and how can we understand or study this? Paco is the head of... MINT (Minimal Intelligence) lab and a leading figure in the philosophy of plant behavior and signalling (plant neurobiology). He is also a philosopher concerned with issues at the intersection of plant biology and cognitive science. He is the author of the book Planta Sapiens: Unmasking Plant Intelligence (2022).]]>3163consciousness,intelligence,minds,nature,philosophy,plants,sciencefalse12fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cognition-all-the-way-down--53613714Tufts University, and read about their ideas on Cognition All the Way Down here.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53613714Sat, 22 Apr 2023 11:49:34 +0000Melanie ChallengerTogether with world-renowned philosopher, Daniel Dennett, and biologist, Michael Levin, Melanie discusses the idea that the intelligence and agency of a living being may be better understood as distributed or present throughout the body of an...Tufts University, and read about their ideas on Cognition All the Way Down here.]]>2472false13fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/mind-molding--53684558here.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53684558Sat, 29 Apr 2023 06:45:54 +0000Melanie ChallengerHow smart is a slime mould? In this episode, Melanie is joined by Nirosha Murugan to discuss the weird and wonderful lives of slime moulds. Nirosha is Assistant Professor in the Health Sciences department at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, where...here.]]>2025animals,cognition,consciousness,environment,intelligence,nature,psychology,science,wildlifefalse14fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/out-of-the-blue--53764927Other Minds and Metazoa. You can read more about his work here: https://petergodfreysmith.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53764927Sun, 07 May 2023 13:53:24 +0000Melanie ChallengerA discussion on the intelligence of octopuses and cuttlefish, and on the origins of consciousness, with celebrated writer and philosopher, Peter Godfrey-Smith. Peter is Professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of...Other Minds and Metazoa. You can read more about his work here: https://petergodfreysmith.com/]]>1849cephalopods,consciousness,history,nature,octopuses,philosophy,sciencefalse14fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/pigs-might-fly--53765018https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53765018Sun, 07 May 2023 13:57:00 +0000Melanie ChallengerIn this episode, Melanie discusses animal minds and animal ethics with Professor Francoise Wemelsfelder. Francoise is Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Scotland's Rural College. She pioneered a methodology for the study of animal...3118animalrights,animals,animalwelfare,cognition,ethics,history,minds,nature,philosophy,sciencefalse16fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/group-think--53929355https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53929355Fri, 19 May 2023 13:09:51 +0000Melanie ChallengerMelanie discusses group psychology and the psychological bases of racism with psychologist Steven Roberts. Roberts is Associate Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. You can find out more about his work here: https://profiles.stanford.edu/1770912619nature,psychology,sciencefalse17fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/neanderthal-neurons--53929492https://api.spreaker.com/episode/53929492Fri, 19 May 2023 14:36:12 +0000Melanie ChallengerBestselling author and self-confessed flint-knapping nerd, Rebecca Wragg-Sykes discusses her research on neanderthals with Melanie. Why were our fellow humans dismissed as a brute, dumb creature for so long, and what can recent research tell us about...3119archaeology,history,minds,nature,neanderthals,philosophy,psychology,sciencefalse18fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/self-in-mind--54063049https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54063049Thu, 01 Jun 2023 08:46:21 +0000Melanie ChallengerRenowned neuroscientist Anil Seth discusses his work on selfhood and the emergence of consciousness. Melanie and Anil consider whether consciousness is solely a human phenomenon or whether new science suggests that consciousness is widespread among...3301cognition,consciousness,mind,nature,sciencefalse19fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/animal-personhood--54063211https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54063211Thu, 01 Jun 2023 09:12:05 +0000Melanie ChallengerMelanie discusses the idea of personhood in non-human animals with science writer Brandon Keim. How can we recognize personhood in other species, and what does this mean for their moral considerability?2492animals,cognition,ethics,nature,neuroscience,philosophyfalse110fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/out-of-this-world--54332730https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54332730Tue, 13 Jun 2023 09:34:55 +0000Melanie ChallengerAvi Loeb discusses the possibilities of alien intelligences with Melanie. Have other intelligences already contacted us and would we know how to read the signals if they had? Why is alien intelligence associated with crank science, and what are the...2493aliens,astrophysics,consciousness,intelligence,minds,nature,sciencefalse111fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-whale-of-a-mind--54333744https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54333744Tue, 13 Jun 2023 09:51:08 +0000Melanie ChallengerNeuroscientist and animal advocate Lori Marino discusses the intelligence of cetaceans with Melanie, and the consequences of captivity on these extraordinary minds. Why are whales and dolphins some of the smartest animals around, and how could we...2211animals,consciousness,ethics,intelligence,nature,neuroscience,philosophy,psychologyfalse112fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fabled-minds--54337008https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54337008Tue, 13 Jun 2023 10:58:54 +0000Melanie ChallengerScience writer Jo Wimpenny takes us into the world of animal fables, discussing with Melanie what these old, mythical intuitions have to tell us about animal minds.2295animals,art,history,intelligence,nature,neuroscience,psychology,sciencefalse113fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/something-fishy--54337013https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54337013Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:01:00 +0000Melanie ChallengerCalum Brown is a pioneer researcher on fish cognition. He brings Melanie up to speed on the latest research on the diverse intelligences of fishes, the prejudices that still hold us back from acknowledging the mental attributes of sea creatures, and...2221animals,cognition,ethics,fish,nature,neuroscience,philosophy,science,welfarefalse114fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/creaturely-connections--54337011https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54337011Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:02:59 +0000Melanie ChallengerBest-selling science writer Sy Montgomery discusses the idea of the psychosphere with Melanie. Sy has written about the minds and intelligence of a diverse range of animals from octopuses to goshawks. Do we need new paradigms for our understanding of...1864animals,climatechange,ethics,mind,nature,philosophy,psychology,sciencefalse115fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/beyond-words--54337009https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54337009Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:04:46 +0000Melanie ChallengerWell-known scientist and animal advocate Carl Safina discusses his work on animal cultures with Melanie. Carl makes a case for why humans aren't the only species with cultures. Are the cultures of other species overlooked in conservation? What would...1985cognition,conservation,environment,ethics,nature,neuroscience,psychology,sciencefalse116fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/mind-myths--54342813https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54342813Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:27:36 +0000Melanie ChallengerScience writer Philip Ball discusses his writing life and his work on diverse kinds of minds and on the biological studies of agency in nature.2419ai,biology,cognition,intelligence,minds,nature,neuroscience,psychology,sciencefalse117fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/animal-personhood--54342825https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54342825Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:29:03 +0000Melanie ChallengerIn this episode, Brandon Keim and Melanie talk about the new science on animal personhood. How do other animals relate to one another as subjects, and how do we relate to them as intelligent beings?2492animals,ethics,intelligence,minds,nature,sciencefalse118fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hearing-voices--54342817https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54342817Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:31:07 +0000Melanie ChallengerNovelist and psychologist Charles Fernyhough discusses his fascinating research on the phenomena of hearing voices. Some people have a "voice in their head" and others don't. Some people "hear voices" other than their own and don't view it as a...2170cognition,minds,neuroscience,psychology,research,sciencefalse119fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/minds-in-miniature--54342815https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54342815Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:33:48 +0000Melanie ChallengerDo honeybees dream? When bees perform their famous waggle dance, is it a form of swarm intelligence? Is it a kind of language? In this episode, Melanie discusses insect intelligence with pioneer and veteran researcher Randolf Menzel. Honey will taste...2614cognition,ethology,insects,intelligence,minds,nature,sciencefalse120fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/something-to-crow-about--54342814https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54342814Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:35:19 +0000Melanie ChallengerCambridge University professor Nicky Clayton discusses her pioneering work on the minds of crows and other corvids. Melanie and Nicky even get round to discussing the possibility of jackdaws performing magic tricks...2113animals,cognition,crows,intelligence,minds,nature,neuroscience,sciencefalse121fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/demystifying-consciousness--54342816https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54342816Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:37:02 +0000Melanie ChallengerSo where did all this intelligence and agency come from in the first place? How did consciousness emerge on our planet and is it only a human property? Melanie gets into these ideas with researcher Todd Feinberg. Is it possible that the we exist in a...2345agency,ai,cognition,consciousness,intelligence,mind,psychology,sciencefalse122fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/agency-in-nature--54342819https://api.spreaker.com/episode/54342819Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:40:00 +0000Melanie ChallengerA special finale episode with groundbreaking philosophers, Alan Love, Denis Walsh, John Dupre and Helen Steward. Melanie hosts a roundtable discussion on the new science of agency in nature. How did all this intelligence emerge in the first place and...5324agency,biology,cognition,history,intelligence,minds,philosophy,sciencefalse123full