Kanzi and Sue Savage-Rumbaugh

This is the first interview episode of the Brain Science Podcast.  As a follow-up to Episode 6, I had the opportunity to interview Stuart Shanker, PhD, one of the co-authors of The First Idea: How Symbols, Language, and Intelligence Evolved From Our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans.

I really wanted to talk about the implications of primate research, but he also tells us more about his work with autistic children, and how he thinks what we are learning about brain development will enable early intervention and improved outcomes for children with autism and other learning disabilities.  

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Links of interest:

• What are Bonobos?

• More about Kanzi

• Sue Savage-Rumbaugh:  Pioneer primate researcher

• More on Bonobos