Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 9h

Incorporating AI into scientific research may well boost productivity. But it could also leave scientists vulnerable to illusions.

Just one of the topics discussed in our recent episode, w/ @mjcrockett.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/science-ai-a...

3 7

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 6d

Bird brains aren't the same as mammal brains. They took their own twisty evolutionary path. So what can they teach us about brains in general?

A lot, it turns out.

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @evoneuro.bsky.social & Georg Striedter!

Listen: disi.org/brains-of-a-...

10 100

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 12d

New episode!! 🎉🎙️

A chat w/ @evoneuro.bsky.social & Georg Striedter about their new book, 'Bird Brains and Behavior.'

Birds do some astonishing things. They sing, fly, migrate, cache food, and hunt in total darkness. How do their brains make all this possible?

Listen: disi.org/brains-of-a-...

1 18 74

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 14d

Nature is good for us. It can lift our spirits, reset our attention, even help us heal. But what is it—specifically—about nature that does this? Can we isolate the active ingredients?

Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, with Dr. Marc Berman!

Listen: disi.org/how-nature-r...

3 12

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 16d

Why do we smile?

What makes pulling back the lip corners a fundamentally positive act? Why don’t we beam out good vibes by blinking our eyes or wrinkling our noses?

From our archive, @kensycoop.bsky.social's essay about the (murky) origins of the smile: disi.org/dawn-of-the-...

4 10

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 19d

New episode!! 🎉🎉

A chat w/ Dr. Marc Berman about the emerging field of "environmental neuroscience."

Spending time in nature often leaves us feeling replenished. But why? What aspects of nature are most restorative? And what is it, really, that's being restored?

Listen: disi.org/how-nature-r...

4 15

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 29d

You've heard of the human "cognitive revolution" around 40 kya—a moment when our species suddenly became "behaviorally modern." Have you also heard that this story is wrong?

From the archive, our episode w/ @elliescerri.bsky.social & @manuelwill.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/revisiting-t...

1 8 15

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Sep 5

A new academic year is ramping up. Have you considered adding us to your syllabus?

Podcasts episodes are a great way to add variety & boost engagement, and they offer a launchpad for exploration. A number of instructors have used our episodes to good effect!

(Let us know if you're among them!)

8 19

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Sep 4

Where are memories stored in the brain? The textbook answer is that memories live in the synaptic connections between neurons. But there's long been a dissenting view, and it's showing signs of revival.

From the archive, our interview with @gershbrain.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/of-molecules...

1 5 16

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Aug 14

Spiders have a mixed reputation in popular culture. But through their extraordinary sensory systems, their silken structures, and their sheer diversity, they offer an astounding model for the cognitive sciences.

From the archive, an all-time listener-favorite episode! disi.org/consider-the...

Consider the spider - Many Minds podcast

Exploring our world's diverse forms of mind—human, animal, machine—from diverse perspectives.

disi.org

4 11

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Kensy Cooperrider @kensycoop.bsky.social · Aug 7

Super fun having @manvir.bsky.social on the podcast (again)!

I strongly recommend his new book—especially if you like your non-fiction laced with personal narrative, quirky characters, & history of ideas.

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Aug 7

We often treat religion and shamanism as fundamentally different. But the two are deeply enmeshed, and a push and pull between them has played out repeatedly across history.

Just one of the topics discussed in latest episode, with @manvir.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/the-shaman-w...

4 7

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Aug 7

We often treat religion and shamanism as fundamentally different. But the two are deeply enmeshed, and a push and pull between them has played out repeatedly across history.

Just one of the topics discussed in latest episode, with @manvir.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/the-shaman-w...

3 8

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Michael Garfield @michaelgarfield.bsky.social · Aug 5

Thinking a/b an AI-enriched world that actually benefits humans & how it'll help us explore, not just get tube-fed by algorithms. Here's my talk from @divintelligence.bsky.social on how complex systems science & game design inspired me to imagine this future:

michaelgarfield.substack.com/p/foraging

🌿 Foraging in High-Dimensional Data

My talk from the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute 2025 on how we can draw from thinking in complex systems science and game design to heal our relationship to the Web.

michaelgarfield.substack.com

2 5

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

manvir singh @manvir.bsky.social · Aug 1

Thank you, @kensycoop.bsky.social, for having me on! We had a great conversation about shamanism—its cognitive foundations, place in Paleolithic societies, role in Abrahamic religions, manifestations in industrialized societies (including hedge wizards), and much more.

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Aug 1

New episode!! 🎙️📣

A conversation with @manvir.bsky.social about the many faces of shamanism.

Shamanism is not a relic of the past or a curio from far-off lands—it's alive and well, all around the world. The roots of shamanism, after all, lie within us.

Listen: disi.org/the-shaman-w...

5 10

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Aug 1

New episode!! 🎙️📣

A conversation with @manvir.bsky.social about the many faces of shamanism.

Shamanism is not a relic of the past or a curio from far-off lands—it's alive and well, all around the world. The roots of shamanism, after all, lie within us.

Listen: disi.org/the-shaman-w...

1 4 16

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Santa Fe Institute @sfiscience.bsky.social · Jul 28

Applications are open for SFI's 2026 Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships

If you’ve recently earned a Ph.D. in any scientific field and want to pursue independent, transdisciplinary research, consider applying.

Deadline: October 1, 2025
Apply here: santafe.edu/sfifellowship

69 66

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Jul 24

Children are often cast as passive vessels into which we pour culture. But children create cultures of their own—vibrant ones with special properties.

Just one of the topics discussed in our recent episode with @dorsaamir.bsky.social & @sheinalew.bsky.social!

Listen: disi.org/varieties-of...

1 9 21

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

HaDi MaBouDi @maboudi.bsky.social · Jul 18

Call for Abstracts Extended! 🌟
Join us this September in Sheffield for 'Nature of Intelligence: Bridging Animal & Artificial Intelligence', an ASAB Interdisciplinary Workshop.

@asab.org @sheffielduni.bsky.social
#ArtificialIntelligence #AnimalCognition #Neuroscience I #AcademicWorkshop #ASAB

1 12 17

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Dr Fay Clark @drfayclark.bsky.social · Jul 21

Such a pleasure to attend the Diverse Intelligences Summit in St Andrews. Making new friends, chatting with academic heroes, brainstorming Big Team Science & outreach, hanging out with old and new @divintelligence.bsky.social fellows, and basically having an epic week. My heart and brain are full.

a cartoon brain with purple tentacles and the word woo in yellow

ALT: a cartoon brain with purple tentacles and the word woo in yellow

media.tenor.com

1 7

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Alison Gopnik @alisongopnik.bsky.social · Jul 20

A fascinating podcast with Sheina Lew-Levy and Dorsa Amir about childhood across cultures, very insightful ideas about how contemporary Western parents could learn from forager childhoods, especially the importance of peer culture (read the Opies!).
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/v...

Varieties of childhood

Podcast Episode · Many Minds · 07/10/2025 · 1h 29m

podcasts.apple.com

9 36

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Dr Fay Clark @drfayclark.bsky.social · Jul 17

My sound track for Bristol➡️St Andrews is all sorted! 🎧
@manymindspod.bsky.social was the obvious choice, given that I’m joining the @divintelligence.bsky.social and wider Diverse Intelligence gang for their annual summit 🙌 🧠

2 14

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · Jul 17

New episode!! 🎙️📣

A chat w/ @sheinalew.bsky.social & @dorsaamir.bsky.social about childhood across cultures.

Humans everywhere go through childhood—a time of learning, growth, and play. But this universal stage of life can look very different in different places.

Listen: disi.org/varieties-of...

13 32

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Sasha Donnier @sasha-touille.bsky.social · Jul 11

Grateful to be taking part in #DISI2025 — and in such a beautiful setting!
Also lucky enough to spot some horses on the beach on #WorldHorseDay 🐎🌊

1 10

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Nora Bradford @norabradford.bsky.social · Jul 14

one week of @divintelligence.bsky.social down and two to go!

huge cylindrical rock on the coast of Scotland with fog and rocky shores in the background

robert hawkins presenting his work on a large screen at the front of a lecture hall

students sitting in a circle on the grass outside under a tree

an old scottish building on the campus of st andrews university. clearly after a rain as the ground is wet and the clouds still linger above

1 9

Reposted by Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute #DISI

Will Oestreich @will-oestreich.bsky.social · Jul 13

Having a blast in St Andrews, collectively foraging for new ideas with the many minds of @divintelligence.bsky.social !

Image 1: tide pool creations

Image 2: several of thousands of baby squid found at the tide line

Image 3: fog rolls in on the coastal cliffs

1 10