Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Super proud of this paper with @apvelilla.bsky.social and @babeheim.bsky.social, now out in Psych Review.

Non-paywalled version (preprint) here: osf.io/preprints/so...

New episode!! 🎙️🎉

A chat w/ @pbrakes.bsky.social about animal cultures and animal conservation.

Culture was once thought to be uniquely human. No longer. We now know culture is found throughout the natural world. How does this complicate conservation?

Listen: disi.org/the-value-of...

🚨Job Alert plz RT!

Johns Hopkins Psych & Brain Sciences is looking for a new colleague using behavioral or computational approaches to study cognition!

We are excited about many areas of (esp higher) cognition in human adults, children, or nonhuman animals

Open-rank

apply.interfolio.com/178146

YouTube video by Global News Cameras capture BC sea wolf raiding crab traps in first possible ‘tool use’

Apparent case of learned tool use by wolves.

https://youtu.be/SiuQF68tdWI?si=k7DWNrI0y5jASt-o

#EvoBio #HPBio

YouTube video by LSE Philosophy Mazviita Chirimuuta (University of Edinburgh): Apocalyptic Technology: AI and the Limits of Science

🎥 Watch the Lakatos Award Lecture 2025 by Mazviita Chirimuuta on "Apocalyptic Technology: #AI and the Limits of #Science"

Mazviita Chirimuuta received the award for her book “The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KkX...

The sound of your uncle's laugh; an ice cream cone you had ten years ago. Why do we hold on to memories like these? Are they more than mere mental clutter?

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @aliboyle.bsky.social & @jomahr.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/what-is-memo...

New episode!! 🎉🎙️

A conversation with @aliboyle.bsky.social & @jomahr.bsky.social about the functions of memory.

We may not immediately think of memory as an evolutionary puzzle. But in certain respects—and from certain angles—it is quite puzzling indeed.

Listen: disi.org/what-is-memo...

I’m recruiting PhD students at NYU (start Sept 2026).
Focus: cultural evolution, innovation & cooperation, AI & society, progress studies & development.

Deadline to apply is Dec 1- very soon.

I’ll share more about the move & new work soon.

Please share with students & retweet!

The social origins of consciousness | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences We present the social origins of consciousness hypothesis, according to which the ability to coordinate with group members was the original adaptive function of consciousness. We offer three arguments...

Loved this paper by @kristinandrews.bsky.social and Noam Miller. A very convincing argument for the function of consciousness.

Have wild wolves learned to use tools? Video captures a lone female pulling crab traps out of the water, but does it count as tool use?

A female wolf has been doing something unusual on the Central Coast of British Columbia. She's learned to pull crab traps up from the water, yanking on a rope to bring it to the surface. But is it tool use? Very fun story from @phiejacobs.bsky.social for @science.org

My main takeaway from this one:

Dog domestication is a singular "natural experiment" in brain evolution, one that we're just starting to understand. It's a bit bonkers more neuroscientists aren't working on it.

It was long thought that domestication leads to reductions in brain size. But as we understand dog brains better, the truth is proving more complicated—and more interesting.

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @erinhecht.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/of-breeds-an...

New episode!! 🎙️🎉

A conversation w/ @erinhecht.bsky.social about the diversity and evolution of canine brains.

We've lived and worked with dogs for 15,000+ years, sculpting their brains and bodies along the way. What can we learn from their singular story?

Listen: disi.org/of-breeds-an...

Varieties of childhood Podcast Episode · Many Minds · 10/07/2025 · 1h 29m

Really enjoyed this podcast with @sheinalew.bsky.social and @dorsaamir.bsky.social on evolution and childhood. Super-smart people talking about a super-interesting topic

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

How have monsters changed over history? Do they morph with shifting cultural anxieties? Or do they mostly stay the same, sprung from primal, timeless fears?

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social & Natalie Lawrence!

Listen: disi.org/monsters-and...

New episode!! 🎉😱

A conversation with @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social & Natalie Lawrence about monsters of all kinds.

Monsters seem to be everywhere—our myths, our maps, our children's books, our political discourse. What do these creatures tell us about ourselves?

Listen: disi.org/monsters-and...

Digital lovers, robot caretakers, chatbot teachers—to many this sounds utterly dystopian. But is there an optimistic scenario for the future of social AI? What would that look like?

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ Dr. Henry Shevlin!

Listen: disi.org/the-age-of-s...

Many fear that AI companions will lead to widespread social "deskilling," particularly in young people. But could we harness these bots for "upskilling" instead?

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ Dr. Henry Shevlin!

Listen: disi.org/the-age-of-s...

New episode!! 🎙️🎉

A conversation with Dr. Henry Shevlin about the emerging world of "social AI."

Digital lovers. AI coaches and tutors. Griefbots and artificial friends. What will this mean for our relationships, our social skills, and our society as a whole?

Listen: disi.org/the-age-of-s...

Incorporating AI into scientific research may well boost productivity. But it could also leave scientists vulnerable to illusions.

Just one of the topics discussed in our recent episode, w/ @mjcrockett.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/science-ai-a...

Bird brains aren't the same as mammal brains. They took their own twisty evolutionary path. So what can they teach us about brains in general?

A lot, it turns out.

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @evoneuro.bsky.social & Georg Striedter!

Listen: disi.org/brains-of-a-...

New episode!! 🎉🎙️

A chat w/ @evoneuro.bsky.social & Georg Striedter about their new book, 'Bird Brains and Behavior.'

Birds do some astonishing things. They sing, fly, migrate, cache food, and hunt in total darkness. How do their brains make all this possible?

Listen: disi.org/brains-of-a-...

Nature is good for us. It can lift our spirits, reset our attention, even help us heal. But what is it—specifically—about nature that does this? Can we isolate the active ingredients?

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, with Dr. Marc Berman!

Listen: disi.org/how-nature-r...

Why do we smile?

What makes pulling back the lip corners a fundamentally positive act? Why don’t we beam out good vibes by blinking our eyes or wrinkling our noses?

From our archive, @kensycoop.bsky.social's essay about the (murky) origins of the smile: disi.org/dawn-of-the-...

New episode!! 🎉🎉

A chat w/ Dr. Marc Berman about the emerging field of "environmental neuroscience."

Spending time in nature often leaves us feeling replenished. But why? What aspects of nature are most restorative? And what is it, really, that's being restored?

Listen: disi.org/how-nature-r...

You've heard of the human "cognitive revolution" around 40 kya—a moment when our species suddenly became "behaviorally modern." Have you also heard that this story is wrong?

From the archive, our episode w/ @elliescerri.bsky.social & @manuelwill.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/revisiting-t...

A new academic year is ramping up. Have you considered adding us to your syllabus?

Podcasts episodes are a great way to add variety & boost engagement, and they offer a launchpad for exploration. A number of instructors have used our episodes to good effect!

(Let us know if you're among them!)

Where are memories stored in the brain? The textbook answer is that memories live in the synaptic connections between neurons. But there's long been a dissenting view, and it's showing signs of revival.

From the archive, our interview with @gershbrain.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/of-molecules...

Consider the spider - Many Minds podcast Exploring our world's diverse forms of mind—human, animal, machine—from diverse perspectives.

Spiders have a mixed reputation in popular culture. But through their extraordinary sensory systems, their silken structures, and their sheer diversity, they offer an astounding model for the cognitive sciences.

From the archive, an all-time listener-favorite episode! disi.org/consider-the...