biology

#1034 Elise Zipkin: Population Dynamics, Biodiversity, and Climate Change

Dec 19, 2024

Dr. Elise Zipkin is Red Cedar Distinguished Professor and Director of the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program in the Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University. She is a quantitative ecologist who connects the complexities of natural communities with the precision of mathematics to shine light on mysteries in ecology and conservation. Dr. Zipkin and her team develop analytical frameworks to address grand challenges in the study of biodiversity loss and the effects of anthropogenic activities, such as climate change. More»
#1033 Michael Levin: Self, Collective Intelligence, Cognition, Life after Death, & More

Dec 16, 2024

Dr. Michael Levin is Distinguished Professor in the Biology Department and Vannevar Bush Chair, as well as director of the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology at Tufts University. His work is focused on understanding the biophysical mechanisms that implement decision-making during complex pattern regulation, and harnessing endogenous bioelectric dynamics toward rational control of growth and form. More»
#1023 Francesca Bellazzi: Biochemical Kinds and Functions, Genes, and Virtue Ethics

Nov 22, 2024

Dr. Francesca Bellazzi is Postdoctoral Researcher in the ERC project Assembling Life at the Centre for Philosophy and the Sciences (CPS) in the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History, Art and Ideas (UiO) at the University of Oslo, Teaching Fellow in Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham, Honorary Research Fellow in Philosophy at the Department of Science and Technology at UCL, and Honorary Visiting Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Bristol. She is interested in the complexity of the interactions between different entities. In particular, she is fascinated by the interface between chemistry and biology. She also has several side projects that consider the ethical aspects of science, in particular focusing on virtue ethics and epistemic injustice. More»
#1017 Erica Cartmill: The Evolution of Ape Gestures and Human Language

Nov 8, 2024

Dr. Erica Cartmill is Professor of Cognitive Science, Anthropology, and Animal Behavior at Indiana University. She studies the acquisition and evolution of human language. Her work bridges the biological and linguistic subfields and involves both comparative and developmental approaches to communication. She is interested in how the multimodal aspects of communication contribute to and constrain the construction of meaning in spontaneous interaction. She is particularly interested in whether gesture played a role in the origins of human language. More»
#991 Kostas Kampourakis - Ancestry Reimagined: Dismantling the Myth of Genetic Ethnicities

Sep 9, 2024

Dr. Kostas Kampourakis is author and editor of several books about science. He works at the Teacher Training Institute and the Section of Biology at the University of Geneva. At the Section of Biology, he teaches the courses “Biologie et Société” and “Comprendre l’évolution”. He is the author of several books, the latest one being Ancestry Reimagined: Dismantling the Myth of Genetic Ethnicities. He is also the Editor of the book series Understanding Life, published by Cambridge University Press. More»
#986 Sofia Forss: Neophobia, Curiosity, Intelligence, and Creativity in Apes and Humans

Aug 29, 2024

Dr. Sofia Forss is Ambizione Group Leader in the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich. Her research interests include animal behavior, comparative cognition, behavioral ecology, animal curiosity and innovativeness, social learning in animals, the captivity effect on animal cognition, developmental influences on cognitive development, and the effects of urbanization on animal behavior. Her research focuses on what makes animals explorative and creative and thereby increase their cognitive potential. In doing so, she studies the development of intelligence and how variation during ontogeny influence curiosity and thereupon following cognitive processes and skill learning. More»
#985 Philip Ball - How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology

Aug 26, 2024

Dr. Philip Ball is a freelance science writer, with a BA in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Physics from the University of Bristol. He was an editor at Nature for over 20 years. He is the author of many popular books on science, the latest one being How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology. More»
#982 Joseph LeDoux - The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human

Aug 19, 2024

Dr. Joseph LeDoux is the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science, Professor of Neural Science, Professor of Psychiatry, and Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University. His work is focused on the brain mechanisms of emotion and memory. He’s the author of many books, the most recent one being The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human. More»
#975 Gregory Retallack: Paleopedology, and the Link Between Life and the Soil

Aug 2, 2024

Dr. Gregory Retallack is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon. His research has examined the fossil record of soils through major events in Earth history, extending back some 4.6 billion years. He is the author of books like “Soils of the past: an introduction to paleopedology”, and “Soil grown tall: the epic saga of life from earth”. More»
#953 Cat Bohannon - Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

Jun 13, 2024

Dr. Cat Bohannon is a researcher and author with a Ph.D. from Columbia University in the evolution of narrative and cognition. Her essays and poems have appeared in Scientific American, Mind, Science Magazine, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Georgia Review, The Story Collider, and Poets Against the War. She is the author of Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution. More»