2020 in Review

We often consider spoken language to be a feature that distinguishes humans from other forms of animal life. Brain research, however, suggests that other creatures — including certain birds — share some of our neural circuitry related to language. In this episode, co-host Janna Levin explores the origins and underlying mechanisms of human speech and birdsong with neurobiologist and geneticist Erich Jarvis.

The clearest picture yet of our “last universal common ancestor” suggests it was a relatively complex organism living 4.2 billion years ago, a time long considered too harsh for life to flourish.

The mathematician David Bessis claims that everyone is capable of, and can benefit greatly from, mathematical thinking.

The security system that underlies the internet makes use of a curious fact: You can broadcast part of your encryption to make your information much more secure.