Dr. Doolittle

08/14/18 • 56 min

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Today we tackle the age-old question: what if animals could talk? Or, more precisely, what if we could actually understand what animals are saying?

Guests:

Con Slobodchikoff, professor at Northern Arizona University, CEO of Zoolingua, and author of Chasing Dr. Doolittle: Learning the Language of Animals.

Irene Pepperberg, professor of psychology Harvard University, author of Alex and Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence-and formed a Deep Bond in the Process

Alexandra Horowitz, professor at Barnard, head of dog cognition lab, author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Ashley Shew, professor at Virginia Tech, author of Animal Constructions and Technological Knowledge

Keri Cronin, professor at Brock University, author of Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1875-1914

Further Reading:

The “Clever Hans Phenomenon” revisited

Lost in Translation: Koko the gorilla and language research

The Alex studies: cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrot

Reddit AMA: I am Dr. Irene Pepperberg, research associate at Harvard in the field of avian cognition...ask me anything

Animal language studies: What happened?

Learn to sniff like a dog.

“‘Can’t You Talk?’: Voice and Visual Culture in Early Animal Welfare

(more reading at Flash Forward's main site)

Learn more about Twenty Thousand Hertz here

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~~~~ TAKE THE SURVEY! (Please) ~~~~

Today we tackle the age-old question: what if animals could talk? Or, more precisely, what if we could actually understand what animals are saying?

Guests:

Con Slobodchikoff, professor at Northern Arizona University, CEO of Zoolingua, and author of Chasing Dr. Doolittle: Learning the Language of Animals.

Alexandra Horowitz, professor at Barnard, head of dog cognition lab, author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Ashley Shew, professor at Virginia Tech, author of Animal Constructions and Technological Knowledge

Keri Cronin, professor at Brock University, author of Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1875-1914

Previous Episode

Under The Sea

In the 1960's, the United States spent millions of dollars exploring two different realms: outer space, and the deep oceans. But today, only one of those programs is still around. Why do space colonies seem more likely than underwater cities? And what does it take to build a settlement on the sea floor?

Guests:

Ben Hellwarth, journalist and author of SEALAB: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor

Jim Fourqurean, professor of Marine Science at Florida International University and the director of the Center for Coastal Oceans Research

Roger Garcia, operations director at Aquarius Reef Base

Katherine Sammler, assistant professor at California State University Maritime in the department of Global Studies & Maritime Affairs

Further Reading/Watching:

The Silent World

JFK's Moon Shot speech

JFK 1961 remarks on the ocean

JFK Address at the Anniversary Convocation of the National Academy of Sciences, 22 October 1963

SEALAB: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor

To Tell The Truth featuring Bob Barth

I have lived underwater

Medina Aquarius Program

From the Ocean’s Abyss to the Vacuum of Space: Privatization in the Vertical Commons

National Governance Of Ocean Volumes

Subsuming the Submerged: Producing Seabeds as Political Territories.

Knowing the Abyss: Seeking Geographies of Ocean Space.

The Deep Pacific: Island Governance and Seabed Mineral Development.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Credits:

Produced by me, Rose Eveleth.

The intro music: Asura

Outtro music: Hussalonia.

Voices of the future this episode: Stephen Granade and Andrea Klunder.

Episode art: Matt Lubchansky.

Get in touch at [email protected].

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Rate & review on Apple Podcasts.

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Next Episode

Spawn of Sponcon

On today’s episode we travel to the near-future of advertising. Welcome to a future in which you can sign up to be a brand ambassador, and get paid for every time you mention a product in conversation. Simply download the app, and your phone will listen to your every word waiting to hear brand names, and pay you some money every time you mention one.

Guests:

Deborah Dahl, speech technology expert and principal of Conversational Technologies

Lee Tien, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Lindsey Webber, writer, editor and cohost of the podcast Who? Weekly

Bobby Finger, writer at Jezebel and cohost of the podcast Who? Weekly

Kristen Strader, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s Commerical Alert program

🚀 Further reading and source notes can be found here 🚀

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