Episode 6 of the series: Sex and Animals Transcript
Dr. Jonathan Balcombe elaborates on the nuanced distinctions between consciousness and sentience, emphasizing that emotions and feelings play crucial roles in animals’ daily lives, much like in humans.
Guest: Dr. Jonathan Balcombe is a biologist and ethologist whose work has reshaped how we think about animal consciousness and behavior. Born in England and raised in New Zealand and Canada, he spent decades in the U.S. before settling in southern Ontario, where he balances his scientific pursuits with a love for biking, baking, birding, and observing the ever-mysterious squirrels in his neighborhood.
Jonathan has authored five popular science books, including What a Fish Knows, Pleasurable Kingdom, and Super Fly, bringing compelling research on animal intelligence and emotion to a wide audience. His contributions extend beyond writing—he has published over 60 scientific papers, led academic departments, and worked as an editor, shaping conversations on animal sentience and protection. Jonathan works as an independent author, and performs editing services for aspiring and established authors. More…
Book Recommendation: Watership Down by Richard Adams
Related Episodes: 116. Creative Courtship: Lessons from Animal Others with Author, Dr. Carol Gigliotti (S13)
112. A Very Banksy Roundtable with Claudia Hirtenfelder and Shannon Johnstone
115. The Genitalia Arms Race! with Dr. Patty Brennan
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Humans interact with animals every day of our lives. Even those without pets interact with animals in various ways: diet, wildlife, the clothes they wear. Even most medicines use animals in testing or in the medicine itself. This is a podcast about Anthrozoology: the study of interaction between humans and non-human animals.
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Proudly brought to you by: 5 May 2025
