Synaptic Pruning

Taxonomists are scientists (usually in museums) who classify life. They're field has open boundaries which creates tension for the Taxonomists and is a lesson to all of us dealing with boundaries. To read the article this story was based upon go here: http://nautil.us/issue/66/clockwork/why-do-taxonomists-write-the-meanest-obituaries-rp2 This piece was produced by Bishop Sand at Goat Rodeo. This story was originally written by Ansel Payne. Taxonomists featured in this episode: Frank Krell Daniel Leo Gustafsson Ansel Payne Sarah Spaulding Bill Weber This episode was produced and hosted by Bishop Sand from Goat Rodeo, a new kind of audio network.

In this BONUS to our Immersive episode, “Risk,” we explore denial and how most of our lives involve a careful balance of denial to cope with risk. Cindy Gagnon shares her avalanche story to illustrate how denial can be very unexpected. And we hear from several scientists to explain our cognitive coping mechanisms. Are you balancing your denial correctly? Our website: qualiapod.com Listen to us on the RadioPublic app to help support the show: https://radiopublic.com/qualia-6rOPlK/ep/s1!afa59 iTunes subscription: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/qualia/id1399919686?mt=2 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Qualiapod/ Twitter: @qualiapod Buy and read Prof. Philip Fernbach’s Book, The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone: https://www.amazon.com/Knowledge-Illusion-Never-Think-Alone/dp/039918435X

A farewell message from Sift and the first episode of our new show called Qualia. You've probably wondered what had happened to the show, right??? Listeners to Sift will surely love the new show even more. You can subscribe to Qualia through Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-913130677 Or through any podcast app. I like Radiopublic: https://radiopublic.com/qualia-6rOPlK Qualia's website: qualiapod.com Here are the show notes for Ep 1, Risk: In this IMMERSIVE episode, “Risk,” our goal is to immerse you in a soundscape that pulled and pushed you to alternatively feel risk-seeking and risk-averse. To preserve this immersive experience, we stripped out a lot of the reporting we did on the science of risk. Here, you can find out more about the science of risk perception. We’ll walk you through the episode, and point out materials – interviews we did with researchers, journal articles we dug up, books we read – that let you dig deeper into the research. SCENE: You finally make it to the top after a long climb (after a strenuous skinning up). WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: This should make you feel like you’ve invested a lot of resources and effort into an activity. Later, when you make a decision, this investment of resources can color your choice even though it shouldn’t if you’re objectively evaluating a risk. FIND OUT MORE: Read Heuristic Traps in Recreational Avalanche Accidents. NARRATION: You’re imagining this environment because it is the perfect environment because it’s the perfect setting to explore your feelings towards risk. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with Leaf VanBoven (starting at 03:40). SCENE: You’re very close to skiing down the mountain. You feel the powder under your skis. The wind pushes on your cheeks. WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Proximity to something (especially something you find somewhat addictive) makes you perceive it as more rewarding than if you would be considering it from a distance. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with Fernbach (starting at 39:00). SCENE: CINDY’S AVALANCHE STORY WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Hearing a distastrous result from an expert, which occurs from a similar situation to your own will decreases your confidence in taking the risk and makes you more risk averse. Of course, this is assumming you are not brimming with overconfidence. FIND OUT MORE: By reading SEVERAL(most) of the articles here. SCENE: My intuition is telling me something’s off. Come on, Jake, what are you afraid of? WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Groups heavily influence decision making during risky situations. Males are particularly good at evoking risky decisions. However, there is a lot of nuance in this dynamic. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with VanBoven (starting at 13:00 and 30:00) SCENE: You’re normally cautious, so if you think it’s fine then I’m sure it’ll be OK. WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Contagious understanding. You can get a house of cards effect, where your knowledge in something rests on the belief that someone else in the community has done the intellectual heavy-lifting and have a solid knowledge of something. However, this is not always the case and many people can believe they have knowledge of something even though nobody does. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with Fernbach (starting at 48:20) SCENE: Question! Why is one type of snow better for avalanches? How do you know? You just guessing? WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: In our lives, we often do not notice complexity because it’s cumbersome and doesn’t actually change our decisions. We have an illustion of knowledge. But in risky situations, complexity really matters and one way to poke holes in our normal knowledge illusion is by asking very simple questions, which will (hopefully) give you more pause and consider more factors. FIND OUT MORE: Read Phillip Fernbach’s book “The Knowledge Illusion”. Listen to our interview with Fernbach (starting at 9:30).

Some people run long distances. Why do they do this? What happens to the body when it can't go anymore? Why are some people addicted to it? We answer most of these questions through the personal experiences of ultra-runner, Jordan Wirfs-Brock, and also hear from experts in physiology and medicine along the way. Enjoy!

Running hasn't always been popular and neither has its research. A small group of biomechanists rethought the way we use our bodies to run and it's dramatically different than a faster version of walking.

Thought and Action are much more connected than we typically think: Simply imagining or watching actions can influence how you perform similar actions. Hear the studies and descriptions of this phenomenon in this episode.

Listen to why it's important to make less connections to learn something. Voice: Jacqueline Gottlieb - Columbia University

Chef Gift gives us a simple soup. Strangely, it's similar to a primordial soup. Voice: Oliver Gift - Chef at New York City's Low Country: http://www.lowcountrynewyork.com