Robert Sapolsky is one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, with a focus on the physiological effects of stress. (For years, he spent his summers in Kenya, alone except for the baboons he was observing.) Steve asks Robert why we value human life over animals, why he’s lost faith in the criminal justice system, and how to look casual when you’re about to blow-dart a very large and potentially unhappy primate.\
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This episode was originally published March 5, 2021.\
For a full transcript, resources, and more, visit: https://freak.ws/3WQAjmF\
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ABOUT PEOPLE I (MOSTLY) ADMIRE:\
People I (Mostly) Admire is hosted by Steven Levitt, the unorthodox University of Chicago economist and co-author of the Freakonomics book series, who tracks down other high achievers and asks questions that only he would think to ask. Guests include all-time Jeopardy! champion (and now host) Ken Jennings, YouTube C.E.O. Susan Wojcicki, W.N.B.A. champion Sue Bird, Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui, and neuroscientist/actress (also now Jeopardy! host) Mayim Bialik. Winner of Adweek‘s 2021 Best Interview Podcast of the Year.\
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SUBSCRIBE TO PEOPLE I (MOSTLY) ADMIRE:\
YouTube: https://freak.ws/3yIl6dl\
Stitcher: https://freak.ws/3ENOP8v\
Apple Podcasts: https://freak.ws/3ELfGST\
Spotify: https://freak.ws/3D6uqKV\
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ABOUT FREAKONOMICS RADIO NETWORK:\
Freakonomics began as a book, which led to a blog, a documentary film, more books, a pair of pants, and in 2010, a podcast called Freakonomics Radio. Hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, it’s one of the most popular podcasts in the world, with a reputation for storytelling that is both rigorous and entertaining. Its archive of more than 500 episodes is available, for free, on any podcast app, and the show airs weekly on NPR stations. Freakonomics Radio is now the flagship show of the Freakonomics Radio Network, which includes the podcasts No Stupid Questions (est. 2020), People I (Mostly) Admire (2020), and Freakonomics, M.D. (2021). \
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FREAKONOMICS RADIO NETWORK PODCASTS:\
Freakonomics Radio: https://freakonomics.com/series/freak…\
No Stupid Questions: https://freakonomics.com/series/nsq/\
People I (Mostly) Admire: https://freakonomics.com/series/peopl…\
Freakonomics, M.D.: https://freakonomics.com/series/bapu/\
Special series: https://freakonomics.com/topics/\
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00:00 Robert Sapolsky bio\
01:37 Baboon research in Kenya\
3:03 Baboon social rank and health\
4:14 Blow-dart sedation challenges\
7:40 Why human and animal stress are similar\
11:09 Why Sapolsky only studied male baboons\
12:42 Affiliation vs. rank in baboons\
14:08 Tragic end of research with first baboon troop\
17:38 Why humans prioritize human lives\
19:25 How humans prioritize pets\
19:47 Prioritization of tigers in India\
21:00 Harambe the gorilla\
22:19 Chronic stress research\
25:08 Ways to respond to stress\
26:00 Genetic influence on stress\
26:45 ACE score to quantify stress\
28:49 Addressing PTSD to reduce crime\
29:35 Behave-Sapolsky book on violence\
29:56 Free will and violence\
30:35 Abolishment of criminal justice system\
30:54 The frontal cortex and impulse control\
31:31 Frontal cortex trauma in death row inmates\
32:29 Purposes of punishment\
32:46 Retribution\
32:59 Incapacitation and deterrence\
33:35 Quarantine model of punishment\
34:10 “Biological luck” in blame and reward\
34:51 Epilepsy, schizophrenia, and dyslexia misunderstood\
37:06 How to be a better storyteller.
Category: neuroscience – Page 342
Defying Genetics: How One Patient’s Unique Mutation Offers New Hopes in Alzheimer’s Prevention
Breaking link between early, late stages of disease may prevent dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease has plagued one large Colombian family for generations, striking down half of its members in the prime of life. But one member of that family evaded what had seemed would be fate: Despite inheriting the genetic defect that caused her relatives to develop dementia in their 40s, she stayed cognitively healthy into her 70s.
Study Reveals Protective Gene Mutation
Reframing employee health: Moving beyond burnout to holistic health
For most adults, the majority of waking daily life is spent at work. That offers employers an opportunity to influence their employees’ physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.
To support the move to better health, the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), along with other organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), are highlighting a more modern way to view health beyond illness and its absence.1 Adding years to life and life to years, McKinsey, March 29, 2022; A 2022 MHI survey on global health perspectives found that more than 40 percent of respondents who reported having a disease still perceived their health as good or very good, while more than 20 percent of those who reported no disease said they were in fair, poor, or very poor health. Embracing the concept of holistic health—an integrated view of an individual’s mental, physical, spiritual, and social functioning2 Previous work from MHI has defined each dimension of health in detail. For more details, see Adding years to life and life to years. Using this definition means that we emphasize “functioning.
Your brain doesn’t detect reality. It creates it. | Lisa Feldman Barrett
This interview is an episode from @The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @JohnTempletonFoundation.
Watch Lisa Feldman Barrett’s next interview ► • The biggest myths about emotions, deb…
Our perception of reality is not an exact representation of the objective truth but rather a combination of sensory inputs and the brain’s interpretation of these signals. This interpretation is influenced by past experiences and is often predictive, with the brain creating categories of similar instances to anticipate future events.
The brain’s categorization process extends beyond physical characteristics to include abstract, functional features. This ability allows humans to create “social reality,” where we collectively assign functions or meanings to objects or concepts that don’t inherently possess them, such as the value of money or the concept of borders and citizenship.
The brain’s capacity for imagination, drawing from past experiences to create something entirely new, is a double-edged sword. While it allows for creativity and innovation, it can also lead to difficulties in staying present.
0:00 The debate over reality.
Working Memory 2.0
MIT brain and cognitive sciences webinar.
Researchers develop effective method to genetically modify brain organoids
Primates are among the most intelligent creatures with distinct cognitive abilities. Their brains are relatively large in relation to their body stature and have a complex structure. However, how the brain has developed over the course of evolution and which genes are responsible for the high cognitive abilities is still largely unclear. The better our understanding of the role of genes in brain development, the more likely it will be that we will be able to develop treatments for serious brain diseases.
Researchers are approaching these questions by knocking out or activating individual genes and thus drawing conclusions about their role in brain development. To avoid animal experiments as far as possible, brain organoids are used as an alternative. These three-dimensional cell structures, which are only a few millimeters in size, reflect different stages of brain development and can be genetically modified. However, such modifications are usually very complex, lengthy and costly.
Researchers at the German Primate Center (DPZ)—Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have now succeeded in genetically manipulating brain organoids quickly and effectively. The procedure requires only a few days instead of the usual several months and can be used for organoids of different primate species. The brain organoids thus enable comparative studies of the function of genes at early stages of brain development in primates and help to better understand neurological diseases.
Brain Evolution Unlocked: Over 100 Genes That Make Us Uniquely Human
The researchers found 139 genes that are common across the primate groups but highly divergent in their expression in human brains.
An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has uncovered over 100 genes that are common to primate brains but have undergone evolutionary divergence only in humans – and which could be a source of our unique cognitive ability.
The researchers, led by Associate Professor Jesse Gillis from the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and the Department of Physiology at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, found the genes are expressed differently in the brains of humans compared to four of our relatives – chimpanzees, gorillas, macaques, and marmosets.
Alcohol Abuse Linked to Permanent Brain Damage and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in US Crisis
Facing an alcohol crisis, the US sees 12% of adult deaths linked to abuse. Excessive drinking risks permanent brain damage, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome. Symptoms mimic drunkenness and can lead to irreversible psychosis. Prevention? Cut back or quit. Concerned? Seek medical advice for potential Vitamin B1 treatment.