Conversations About Biology consists of the following 5 Ideas Roadshow Conversations which are based on in-depth filmed conversations with world-leading researchers. This collection includes a detailed preface highlighting the connections between the different books. Each book is broken into chapters with an introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:
I. On Atheists and Bonobos - A conversation with Frans de Waal, Primatologist at Emory University. Frans de Waal is renowned for his work on the behaviour and social intelligence of primates. This thought-provoking conversation examines fascinating questions such as: Are we born with an innate sense of "the good"? Do we learn from others what is "wrong"? Does religion determine, or is it a result of, morality?
II. Learning and Memory - A conversation with Alcino Silva, Professor of Neurobiology, Psychiatry and Psychology at UCLA. Alcino Silva runs a learning and memory lab at UCLA that is focused on a vast number of topics, from schizophrenia and autism to learning and memory. This fascinating conversation explores how he and his colleagues focus on understanding the specific molecular mechanisms of neurobiology with the goal of being able to intervene and repair these mechanisms when they go awry.
III. A Matter of Energy: Biology From First Principles - A conversation with Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London. After an inspiring story of Nick Lane's career path, this wide-ranging conversation covers his bioenergetic view of early, evolutionary history, the origin of life and how all complex life is composed of a very particular cell type that we all share, and more.
IV. Our Human Variability - A conversation with Stephen Scherer, Research Chair in Genome Sciences at the Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto. Stephen Scherer discusses his lifelong passion for science that culminated in his groundbreaking discovery of copy number variation. This conversation also covers his exciting work in autism research and how copy number variation brings us a deeper understanding of both human variability and disease.
V. Sleep Insights - A conversation with Matthew Walker, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at UC Berkeley. This extensive conversation gives a clear and compelling picture of our recent understanding of sleep's essential role in our daily lives, from reinforcing learning and memory to regulating emotion.
