The Psychosphere

Minds in miniature

Do honeybees dream? When bees perform their famous waggle dance, is it a form of swarm intelligence? Is it a kind of language? In this episode, Melanie discusses insect i

Hearing Voices

Novelist and psychologist Charles Fernyhough discusses his fascinating research on the phenomena of hearing voices. Some people have a "voice in their head" and others do

Animal personhood

In this episode, Brandon Keim and Melanie talk about the new science on animal personhood. How do other animals relate to one another as subjects, and how do we relate to

Mind Myths

Science writer Philip Ball discusses his writing life and his work on diverse kinds of minds and on the biological studies of agency in nature.

Beyond Words

Well-known scientist and animal advocate Carl Safina discusses his work on animal cultures with Melanie. Carl makes a case for why humans aren't the only species with cul

Creaturely connections

Best-selling science writer Sy Montgomery discusses the idea of the psychosphere with Melanie. Sy has written about the minds and intelligence of a diverse range of anima

Something fishy

Calum Brown is a pioneer researcher on fish cognition. He brings Melanie up to speed on the latest research on the diverse intelligences of fishes, the prejudices that st

Fabled minds

Science writer Jo Wimpenny takes us into the world of animal fables, discussing with Melanie what these old, mythical intuitions have to tell us about animal minds.

A whale of a mind

Neuroscientist and animal advocate Lori Marino discusses the intelligence of cetaceans with Melanie, and the consequences of captivity on these extraordinary minds. Why a

Out of this world

Avi Loeb discusses the possibilities of alien intelligences with Melanie. Have other intelligences already contacted us and would we know how to read the signals if they

Animal personhood

Melanie discusses the idea of personhood in non-human animals with science writer Brandon Keim. How can we recognize personhood in other species, and what does this mean

Self in mind

Renowned neuroscientist Anil Seth discusses his work on selfhood and the emergence of consciousness. Melanie and Anil consider whether consciousness is solely a human phe

Neanderthal neurons

Bestselling author and self-confessed flint-knapping nerd, Rebecca Wragg-Sykes discusses her research on neanderthals with Melanie. Why were our fellow humans dismissed a

Group think

Melanie discusses group psychology and the psychological bases of racism with psychologist Steven Roberts. Roberts is Associate Professor of Psychology at Stanford Univer

Pigs might fly

In this episode, Melanie discusses animal minds and animal ethics with Professor Francoise Wemelsfelder. Francoise is Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Scotlan

Out of the Blue

A discussion on the intelligence of octopuses and cuttlefish, and on the origins of consciousness, with celebrated writer and philosopher, Peter Godfrey-Smith. Peter is P

Mind Molding

How smart is a slime mould? In this episode, Melanie is joined by Nirosha Murugan to discuss the weird and wonderful lives of slime moulds. Nirosha is Assistant Professor

Cognition all the way down

Together with world-renowned philosopher, Daniel Dennett, and biologist, Michael Levin, Melanie discusses the idea that the intelligence and agency of a living being may

Green intelligencies

This week, Melanie is joined by plant scientist Paco Calvo to discuss the intelligence of the greenery that surrounds us. Are plants intelligent and how can we understand

Origins of Purpose

Join Melanie in conversation with neurobiologist, Kevin Mitchell, as they discuss how animals came to behave in intelligent, purposeful ways, and why this matters. Kevin