Robert Sapolsky | Father-Offspring Interviews

Latest Episodes:

Twin Telepathy, Risky Men, Thyroids | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews #73 Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

Episode 73 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode discusses how male risk-taking behaviors impact sex ratios, thyroid-related autoimmune diseases, and the TikTok twin telepathy challenge.

Captions available for translation.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00 Intro

00:15 Question 1 (Male risk taking)

00:06:32 Question 2 (Thyroid function and diseases)

00:20:11 Question 3 (TikTok twin telepathy challenge)

Mothers vs Fathers, Emergence, Primate Parenting | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews #72 Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

Episode 72 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include whether the mother or father is more evolutionarily dominant, why bottom-up emergence matters, and how other primates respond to offspring bullying.

Captions available for translation.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00 Intro

00:23 Question 1 (Importance of mothers vs fathers)

00:12:04 Question 2 (Bottom-up Emergence)

00:23:08 Question 3 (Primate protective parenting)

IQ, Earworms, Thinking vs. Feeling | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews #71 Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Episode 71 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode discusses how our IQ’s are increasing, why that one song is stuck in your head, and whether we think or feel our way to decisions.

Captions available for translation.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00 Intro

00:15 Question 1 (IQ’s)

00:09:39 Question 2 (Earworms)

00:16:30 Question 3 (Thinking vs Feeling)

Israel, Placebos, Tit-for-tat | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews #70 Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

Episode 70 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include placebos, updates on Sapolsky’s lectures, and whether Israel is simply doing tit-for-tat.

Captions available for translation.

NOTE: we are not accepting more questions for the time being, but the form will be reopened soon.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00 Intro

00:15 Question 1 (Placebos)

15:03 Question 2 (Updated Lectures

16:01 Question 3 (Israel: tit-for-tat?)

#69: Sex – Penis Size, BDSM, Missionary Position | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Episode 69 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode focuses on questions about sex, such as penis sizes, clothing as sexual modesty, BDSM and the relationship between arousal and fear, and why humans have face-to-face sex.

Captions available for translation.

NOTE: we are not accepting more questions for the time being, but the form will be reopened soon.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00: Intro

00:23: Question 1 (Penis Sizes)

00:15:36: Question 2 (Clothing as sexual modesty)

00:18:14: Question 3 (BDSM)

00:27:20: Question 4 (Missionary Position)

#68: Animal Politics, Bodily Secretions, Gesturing | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

Episode 68 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode discusses gestural expression, whether animals have political systems, and why others’ bodily secretions disgust us.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00 Intro

00:19 Question 1 (Gestural expression)

09:48 Question 2 (Animal politics)

19:34 Question 3 (Bodily secretions)

#67: PTSD, Night Shifts, Wincing | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Episode 67 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include whether night shift rotating is ideal, why we wince, and the hippocampal damage of PTSD.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00: Intro

00:20: Question 1 (Night Shift rotating)

00:15:30: Question 2 (Wincing)

00:21:16: Question 3 (PTSD Hippocampal Atrophy)

#66: Forgiveness, Optimal Living, SA Prediction | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

Episode 66 of Father-Offspring Interviews. This episode discusses the optimal living environment for humans, how we forgive, and whether suicide attempts can really be predicted and prevented.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00: Intro

00:43: Question 1 (Optimal living environment)

17:13: Question 2 (The science of forgiveness)

30:56: Question 3 (Suicide prediction)

#65: Stress Addiction, Genome Differences, Metaphorical Diets | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Episode 65 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include the 1% difference between human and chimp genomes, how stress hormones can be addictive, and if one can lose weight with a metaphorical diet.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00: Intro

00:43: Question 1 (Genome differences)

00:17:13: Question 2 (Stress hormone addiction)

00:25:28: Question 3 (Metaphorical diets)

#64: Botox, Chemo Brain, Chess | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews May 29, 2025

Show notes

Episode 64 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include the brain fog experienced during chemotherapy, the effects of Botox on emotion, and how many calories chess players burn.

Social & Websites

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

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

00:00: Intro

00:15: Question 1 (Chemo brain fog)

13:53: Question 2 (Botox and emotions)

24:55: Question 3 (Chess and calorie burning)