NeuroZoology - Minds, Networks, and the Evolution of Cognition Across the Tree of Life

A 48-Lecture Odyssey Through the Architecture of Thought in Animals, Fungi, and Swarms From octopus arms that think for themselves to slime molds that solve mazes without neurons, NeuroZoology takes listeners on an astonishing journey through the minds of creatures great and small—and some without brains at all. Spanning 48 richly narrated lectures optimized for audiobook format, this course redefines what it means to think, feel, decide, and remember in the animal kingdom. With the rigor of neuroscience and the wonder of natural history, it explores the evolutionary inventions that gave rise to cognition: mycelial signaling networks, insect mushroom bodies, echolocation in bats and whales, grid cells in birds and rats, mirror neurons in apes and parrots, and the tools and cultures of corvids, cephalopods, and primates. Structured as a tour through deep time and neurodiverse lifeforms, NeuroZoology challenges anthropocentric models of intelligence and introduces a radically ecological view of the mind. You’ll meet brains that regenerate themselves, brains that operate without a cortex, and collective intelligences where no individual is in charge—but the group computes nonetheless. Whether you’re a neuroscientist, ethologist, educator, or simply someone who wonders what it’s like to be a squid—or a bee, or a bird—this course will change how you think about thinking. It is not just a study of nervous systems. It’s a meditation on what minds are, where they reside, and how many ways nature has solved the problem of cognition.