Does your dog really think and feel like a human? Do our closest primate relatives have brains and emotions similar to ours? What about the storied intelligence of dolphins and singing humpback whales? And do other species hold surprises for us if we’re willing to look closely? What can we learn from pin-sized brains that can count, categorize, and hold a grudge against those who’ve tried to swat them? When one examines the current research, some lines between “animal” and “human” become fuzzy. Join leading scientists from different disciplines—Brian Hare, Vanessa Woods, Jeremy Niven, Patrick Hof, and Klaus Zuberbühler—whose research is challenging long-held assumptions about where to draw many of these lines.

Recorded June 2010; Posted October 2010