July 5, 2018 11:22 pm

Friday, We Explore Primatology with Natalia Reagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson – Now Extended with Cosmic Queries on Cloning

On this week’s episode of StarTalk Radio we take a look at ourselves – primates, that is. Cosmic Queries: Primatology features Neil deGrasse Tyson, comic co-host Chuck Nice, and primatologist and StarTalk All-Stars host Natalia Reagan. They explore the strange yet familiar world of primates – Chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, monkeys, and more.

You’ll hear about the evolution of primates: if humanity’s evolution will be shaped by technology, how we get exotic animals, and whether or not modern day non-human primates are still evolving. We also dive into the higher learning capabilities of non-human primates and how our study of primate intelligence must go beyond pattern recognition and sign language to social behavior and more.

The extended segment is all about cloning. Natalia is joined by Chuck Nice and biological anthropologist Ryan Raaum to talk about cloning macaques, cloning humans, and even bringing back Neanderthals.

If you want an even deeper dive into cloning check out Cloning Genetics and Ethics, with Natalia Reagan where Natalia explores the future, ethics, and current practices of cloning alongside Chuck Nice, Ryan Raaum, and Ross MacPhee, Curator of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History.

Lastly, if you want a bizarre, unique view on cloning, be sure to check out one of my favorite films of the year Annihilation. Written and directed by Alex Garland who gave us Ex Machina, it’s one of the best science fiction films (in my opinion) of the past 25 years and adapted from the haunting, surreal novel by Jeff VanderMeer. It’s a great watch for anyone interested in a wild exploration of our relationship with nature and ourselves.

Please join us tomorrow night for Extended Classic – Cosmic Queries: Primatology at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen