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Friday Fun: Liam Neeson and Social Cognition

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


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I was recently reminded of the fantastic 2001 PBS/NOVA series Evolution, which was released in tandem with Carl Zimmer's book, Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea.

The whole series is great, but episode 6, The Mind's Big Bang, was my favorite. And this segment in particular, starting around the 2:15 mark, featuring Andrew Whiten. I think it's the best video explanation of the "Sally-Anne" test I've yet seen, and clearly explains some of the key theory-of-mind differences between humans and non-human animals.


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Also, you can't beat a science documentary narrated by Liam Neeson.

(Here's a link to a Youtube playlist for the entire episode, in order.)

Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.

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