How are our brains different from other animals' brains?

Moment of Um

American Public Media

Kids & Family, Education For Kids

4.4 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Have you ever looked at an animal and wondered what they were thinking? Us, too! What’s going on in a bobcat’s brain, a newt’s noggin, or a mouse’s mind? We asked science writer and author of Innovative Octopuses, Half-Brained Birds, and More Animals with Magnificent Minds Christina Couch to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s a real thinker? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll enter our mind palace to find the answer!

Transcript

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0:00.0	From the brains behind, brains on, this is Moment of Um.
0:05.8	Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um,
0:07.8	Moment of Um comes to you from APM Studios. I'm Sand and Totten.
0:15.9	Um.
0:18.9	Ah, what a gorgeous day to be out on a walk with my favorite furry pal.
0:24.6	Penelope poodle.
0:26.6	We're soaking up the sunshine while she collects all her sniffs for the day.
0:31.8	There are some cute squirrels chattering at each other in that tree over there,
0:35.9	and we just saw the neighbor's big orange cat, Mr. Buttons.
0:41.4	Great walk, top tier, really good stuff.
0:44.9	You know, I was just letting my thoughts wander
0:46.8	as I waited for Penelope to finish sniffing a stop sign,
0:50.7	and it occurred to me.
0:52.1	What does Penelope think about when we go on walks?
0:55.7	Is she pondering philosophical problems?
0:59.5	Making up dog poetry?
1:02.4	Thinking about kibble?
1:04.3	How about those chatty squirrels over there?
1:07.0	What are they thinking about?
1:09.0	They're probably not thinking about laundry
1:11.7	or a crisp new vinyl record
1:14.5	or building a catapult out of macaroni like I am.
	...

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