meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

If Darwin Had A Spaceship | Arik Kershenbaum: The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy (#222)

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Brian Keating

Science, Physics, Natural Sciences

4.71.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2022

⏱️ 92 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What would a modern-day 'Voyage of the Beagle ' be like? Cambridge zoologist Arik Kershenbaum evokes Charles Darwin's travels in a trip not confined to the earth's confines. Come along with us on a journey of discovery through the entire galaxy where we encounter aliens and their planets with supersonic creatures, a moon where aliens have a language composed of smells, and aliens who scream with fear, act honestly and have technology. The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy answers these questions using the latest science to tell the story of how life really works, on Earth and in space. This is a wildly fun and scientifically sound exploration of what alien life must be like, using universal laws that govern life on Earth and in space. But short of aliens landing in New York City, how do we know what they are like? Using his own expert understanding of life on Earth and Darwin's theory of evolution - which applies throughout the universe - Cambridge zoologist Dr. Arik Kershenbaum explains what alien life must be like: how these creatures will move, socialize, and communicate. For example, by observing fish whose electrical pulses indicate social status, we can see that other planets might allow for communication by electricity. As there was evolutionary pressure to wriggle along a seafloor, Earthling animals tend to have left/right symmetry; on planets where creatures evolved in midair or in soupy tar, they might be lacking any symmetry at all. Please join my mailing list; just click here http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php Topics discussed: Why natural selection is both a universal and predictable process, the existence and results of which are likely to be present on alien planets. What are Animals and What are Aliens? Examines the definition of animals, from the historical definitions derived from observation (e.g. Aristotle), to modern phylogenetic relationships. The book argues that a purely phylogenetic definition of what is an animal cannot be sufficient for classifying alien life. Movement – Scuttling and Gliding Across Space How the constraints of physics and mechanics combined with evolutionary laws to produce the movement strategies we see on Earth, and why many of these strategies (e.g. legs) are likely to exist on other planets too. Get The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy https://amzn.to/3K2JHgx Follow Arik https://twitter.com/arikkershenbaum Please Visit our Sponsors: LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/impossible to post a job for FREE Athletic Greens, makers of AG1 which I take every day. Get an exclusive offer when you visit https://athleticgreens.com/impossible AG1 is made from the highest quality ingredients, in accordance with the strictest standards and obsessively improved based on the latest science. All 33 Chairs. My All33 Chair is the ideal chair for all of us ‘knowledge workers’ suffering through unending Zoom calls. Sitting still is bad for you. All33 chairs are my choice because they allow your pelvis to move the way it does while you walk — so all 33 vertebrae align into perfect posture. The result? Better breathing, better blood flow, and relief from pain. It’s crazy what you can do when you set your body to it. To get $100 off your order, visit https://all33.com/impossible Search for The Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts, or go to jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Be my friend: 🏄‍♂️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list; just click here http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php ✍️ Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php 🎙️ Listen on audio-only platforms: https://briankeating.com/podcast.php A production of http://imagination.ucsd.edu/ Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/drbriankeating Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Imagine if Charles Darwin had had access to a spaceship to travel around our galaxy and collect samples.

0:08.0

What would such an intergal accomplish?

0:12.0

That's what Eric Kirshenbaum's fascinating new book, the Zoologist's

0:16.8

Guide to the Galaxy reveals. One of the most brilliant zoologists of our time takes us on a journey through our galaxy and what it means

0:25.4

to be conscious, to be a life form, and the prospects for what that will teach us about life

0:31.1

on Earth.

0:32.1

He's a delightful individual and you're going to love

0:34.1

this book. It's the book that Darwin wished he could have written way back in the

0:39.7

early 1800s when he first set sail aboard the HMS Beagle.

0:44.7

Come along with a modern day Darwin as we explore the galaxy and all the wonderful

0:48.7

creatures that may await us.

0:51.3

Come along, let's go, into the impossible. advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

1:06.0

Open the pod bay doors, please,

1:08.0

and it is a great pleasure to have on

1:12.0

Professor Art Kirshtenbaum of Cambridge University all the way across the pond and here we have some simulated British weather because it's actually not 72 degrees in sunny in San Diego today.

1:24.8

It's pouring and about 55 degrees. So winter is finally here in early March.

1:31.5

How are you Eric? It's great, yeah, we're doing great here. Maybe

1:35.3

winter's not even close to being over actually. What can you do? It's a great treat

1:41.8

to have you on the podcast.

1:43.6

You're a fan favorite.

1:44.8

I wanted to have you on for years.

1:46.3

And now on the occasion of the paperback book launch

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Brian Keating, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Brian Keating and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.