All posts by thelabwithbradbarton

Ep 235: Elephants, their big brains and handy faces

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Elephants, their big brains and handy faces

The largest animal on land also has the largest brain. With complex social lives, cooperative problem solving, self-awareness and tool use, the elephants also have brains that have three times the number of neurons that our brains do. Join us as we take a look at elephants.
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Ep 234: Seals and sea otters

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Seals and sea otters

Last time we talked about the whales, and how some of them turn out to be rather clever. The whales and dolphins aren’t the only mammals who have returned to the sea. We’ve also got things like seals and sea otters. Some of them are rather clever as well. In fact the sea otter is a tool user. Does going back to the ocean make a species smarter?
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Ep 233: Whales, songs and cerebrum

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Whales, songs and cerebrum

The largest creatures on the planet also have some good-sized brains. Why? What do they do with such large brains and how did they get them in the first place?
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Ep 232: Octo smarts!

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Octo smarts!

It’s a rough life. With no shell, octopuses are a delicious boneless morsel, just waiting for some big something or another to gobble them up. This bite-size snack uses its ability to hide, squeeze into the tiniest of hiding places, and its brains to find something to eat, and avoid being someone’s dinner. Join us as we consider the octopus, along with its relatives the squid and cuttlefish; their intelligence; and where they came from.
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Ep 231: Intelligent insects?

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Intelligent insects?

Building homes, farming crops, herding animals for milk and meat, and using tools—some of the insects do some impressively clever things. Join us as we examine the smartest of the bugs, and what might have made them that way.
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Ep 230: In search of intelligent animals

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In search of intelligent animals

We spent nine months looking at the human brain, and one episode looking at the cognitive abilities of plants. Today, we try and figure out how to figure out whether or not an animal is intelligent.
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Ep 229: Can plants remember?

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Can plants remember?

It was a throw away question from Phil, something he said in the middle of an episode as a joke. Obviously plants have no memory—how could they when they have no central nervous system, no brain with which to learn. However, a bit of digging and the answer turns out to be a bit stranger than expected. Join us as we talk about plant communication and memory.
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Ep 228: A few final bits of brain business

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A few final bits of brain business

We’ve been talking about the brain for over nine months now. It’s time to play with some other subjects. Join us as we wrap up our look at the various bits and pieces of the brain, and consider what we’ll dive into next. We reserve the right to return to the brain and/or the mind at any time, for any reason, or no reason at all.
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Ep 227: Will you remember this episode?

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Will you remember this episode?

Your hippocampus, brain cells, molecules mind and memory. From your entire brain and all your senses, to specific areas of your brain, to braincells, to synapses, to a little dance of molecules to form the memory, and even your DNA to help make the memories last, remembering isn’t simple.
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Ep 226: How your brain feels

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How your brain feels

We’re not talking about your brain’s squishy texture; we’re talking about emotion. Join us as we investigate the link between what your brain is doing and how you’re feeling.
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