Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.
The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.
Not medical advice.
At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.
As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.
My beliefs:
- Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
- All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
- Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.
Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
- “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
- “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Mind & Matter
Communication & Social Cognition in Elephants & Animals | Mickey Pardo | 217
Short Summary: Do elephants and other animals have language-like abilities, such as the ability to use individual names to refer to themselves and others?
About the guest: Michael Pardo, PhD studies animal behavior at Cornell University, where he focused on animal communication and cognition. His work includes extensive field research with African elephants in Kenya.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Michael Pardo, PhD talks about his research on animal communication, focusing on whether African savanna elephants use vocal "names" to address each other. They explore the broader context of vocal communication across species like dolphins, parrots, and marmosets, discussing how these systems compare to human language and what they reveal about its evolution. Dr. Pardo shares details of his fieldwork in Kenya, elephant social structures, and their behaviors like mourning the dead, while also touching on the challenges and joys of studying animals in their natural habitats.
Key Takeaways:
- Elephants may use unique vocal rumbles to address specific individuals.
- Dolphins use signature whistles as "calling cards," sometimes imitating others’ whistles to get their attention, hinting at a form of naming.
- Elephant society features female-led family groups and dispersing males.
- Elephants show intriguing behaviors like visiting carcasses and covering them with dirt, suggesting an awareness of death uncommon in most animals.
- Human language evolution may have evolved gradually from simpler communication systems, as seen in various species, rather than emerging suddenly.
- Studying less charismatic animals like chickens could uncover surprisingly complex communication, broadening our understanding of cognition in nature.
Related episode:
- M&M #20: Language, Symbolic Cognition, Evolution, Origins of the Human Mind
All episodes, show notes, transcripts, etc. at the M&M Substack
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