Robert Sapolsky | Father-Offspring Interviews

Latest Episodes:

Karl Deisseroth’s Nobel; Selfish Wealth | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Episode 133 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode discusses the work of Stanford’s Karl Deisseroth that earned him his recent Nobel Prize, as well as a deep dive into the research on whether wealthier people really are more selfish.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:14 Question 1 (Deisseroth’s Nobel Prize winning work)

00:22:57 Question 2 (Wealth and empathy/selfishness)

Sperm Racing; Hemispherectomies | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Episode 132 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include what hemispherectomies teach us about neuroplasticity, and the strange new “sport” that is sperm racing.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:14 Question 1 (Hemispherectomies and neuroplasticity)

00:18:22 Question 2 (Sperm racing)

Cornell; Laughing Diseases; Hookworms | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Episode 131 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode includes discussion of laughing diseases and similar “epidemics,” and the role that hookworms play in our immune systems, as well as touching on the case at Cornell that is dominating headlines.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro/A Comment on Cornell

00:00:48 Question 1 (Laughing diseases)

00:26:09 Question 2 (Hookworms and our immune systems)

The Mystery of the Bladder; Falling Fertility Rates | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Episode 130 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include the worldwide falling fertility rates, and whether this is a concern for humankind, as well as the theories as to why we have this mysterious thing called a bladder.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:14 Question 1 (Dropping fertility rates)

00:20:17 Question 2 (Why we have bladders)

Why We Yawn; Effects of Birth Order | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Episode 129 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include how birth order actually influences personality, sexual orientation, and IQ (among other traits), and the leading theories on why we and other species yawn, along with how yawns just might be extremely sexy.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:14 Question 1 (The effect of birth order)

00:20:17 Question 2 (Yawning)

How We Measure Time; Baboon Operas | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Episode 128 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include how our brains measure time, and when they fail to, and the Shakespearean opera all about baboons.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:14 Question 1 (How the brain measures time)

00:22:18 Question 2 (The Baboon Opera)

The Lindsay Clancy Case | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Episode 127 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode focuses on the Lindsay Clancy trial, discussing both the scientific and legal aspects of it and their interaction, and how this could be a landmark case for psychiatric diseases and the law.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:39 Part 1 (Context for the case)

00:05:58 Part 2 (The Neurobiology Perspective)

00:20:25 Part 3 (The Legal Aspect)

Gut Microbiome; Shame vs Guilt; Your Comments | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Episode 126 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include if the gut microbiome can affect the brain, especially when it comes to psychiatric disorders, and the difference between shame and guilt-based cultures.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro and Comments Response

00:04:28 Question 1 (Gut Microbiome and the brain)

00:20:54 Question 2 (Shame vs. guilt-based cultures)

Giraffe Math; Introversion/Extroversion Neuroscience | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Episode 125 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode includes discussion of some of the supposed neurobiological differences between introversion and extroversion and why they may be inaccurate, and the recent demonstration of mathematical abilities by some Spanish giraffe.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:17 Question 1 (Neurobiology of introversion and extroversion)

00:20:54 Question 2 (Giraffe that do math)

Pseudoscience and Conspiracy Theories; No Mosquitos | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Episode 124 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include the world of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories and how to talk to someone who believes them, and what would happen if we got rid of mosquitos once and for all.

Social & Websites

Question Submission: https://ha66meqrpqz.typeform.com/sapolsky

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky

00:00 Intro

00:00:14 Question 1 (Pseudoscience and conspiracy theories)

00:20:56 Question 2 (Could we eradicate mosquitos?)