Are animals capable of feeling joy? How do we know? What is joy? Dr. Erica Cartmill wants to find out. She's the Indiana University professor of cognitive science, animal behavior, and anthropology that long-time listeners to Stories of Impact will recognize from conversations we've had in the past about her studies of diverse intelligences and humor in apes. Today, we'll learn about one of her latest collaborative projects — a first of its kind multidisciplinary study: Joyful by Nature, on the evolution and the function of joy in animals. She's joined in conversation by Dr. Colin Allen, Professor of Philosophy at University of California Santa Barbara and Dr. Heidi Lyn, Joan M. Sinnott Professor in Psychology and Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama. This team of expert researchers shares why it's both timely and important to move the science of animal emotion forward.

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In remembrance of Jane Goodall (4/3/34 - 10/1/25), we're bringing back our conversation featuring her life and legacy.

Luminary Dr. Jane Goodall for decades made significant contributions to not only the scientific world, but arguably, to the entire planet.

When 26-year-old British-born Jane Goodall began field studies of primates in Tanzania in July 1960, she was the first researcher to observe chimpanzees in the wild, and she remains the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. Her rigorous and creative approach quickly gained the attention of the National Geographic Society, which awarded her first grant, and has passionately championed her work in the decades since. Despite never getting a college degree, Dr. Goodall was accepted at Cambridge University, earned her PhD in ethology in 1966, and spent decades in the Gombe Stream National Park studying chimpanzee communities, eventually becoming the only human to ever be accepted into a chimpanzee society.

In her 90 years, Dr. Goodall was a legendary conservationist, galvanizing educator, UN Messenger of Peace, and an inspiring writer and public speaker. Her curiosity, empathy, wisdom, protective heart, and unshakeable hope reflect the best of humanity, and even though her conversation was short, you'll hear all of those exemplary characteristics embodied in her voice and story.

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"If you ask most people what's the most morally profound, significant, meaningful thing in your life, they'll say something about the way that they have been taking care of children or parents or friends, or people who are ill, or spouses. There's something very distinctive about it. It's just intrinsic to the human condition is that we're going to be babies, we're going to be ill, we're going to be old. That just comes with the territory of being human, and care seems to be a way of allowing us as a community, as a species to negotiate these kinds of transitions, to make the transitions work."

Dr. Alison Gopnik is a professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a leading researcher on caregiving. Today, we explore her international research project designed to "think about the way that we care for other people."

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Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation