Science Episodes

Today we bring you the voices of more members of the (DISI) community — , , , , , and . They share some of their fascinating research that has been funded by Templeton World Charity Foundation grants. They talk about why they love what we...

This episode is an inspiring story about how bringing together vision, community, and cutting-edge science can make the impossible possible. It’s a story about American history, climate, globalization, and hope. It’s the story of the American Chestnut Foundation’s efforts to do something never before done: resurrecting the American Chestnut tree – a tree that is functionally extinct. You’ll hear from Rex Mann, retired from the U.S. Forest Service and now a chestnut evangelist, and ACF’s lead col...

What is culture? How is culture transmitted? And what is unique about human culture, compared to our closest animal species relatives? Today’s conversation with Dr. Cristine Legare, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin whose research focuses on the foundations of cultural intelligence and how culture shapes the way we flourish, answers all these questions. Read the transcript of this episode Catch the video edition of this episode here: Foundations of Cultural Intel...

Today’s episode is a discussion of the intersections of religion, spirituality, and science, with , Professor Emeritus at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Pargament was named in 2022 one of the 50 Most Influential Living Psychologists in the...

This week we bring you a conversation with Dr. Angela Duckworth, pioneering professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and the CEO of Character Lab, a nonprofit that advances science to help children thrive. She was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2013, and in 2016 published Grit, a book that explores what elements lead to success. She makes the case that achievement is not dependent on genius, but instead, on The Power of Passion and Perseverance: grit. Dr. Duckworth believes that gr...

This week we’re bringing you a conversation about human flourishing and how the digital age is reshaping human potential with Vint Cerf, a man globally recognized as one of the “fathers of the Internet.” In recognition for his extraordinary contributions to the creation of Internet technology, Cerf has been awarded a U.S. National Medal of Technology, the Turing Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And, drawing on his own experience with being hearing impaired, he’s also known as a lead...

Today, we hear about human happiness from two of the world’s foremost researchers on the subject: Dr. Laurie Santos and Dr. Arthur Brooks. Each of the researchers shares what they see as the ingredients to a flourishing life. Santos and Brooks agree that a sense of meaning and purpose is essential to human happiness. Neither Brooks nor Santos ties happiness and flourishing to material comfort or to personal achievement. Rather, they emphasize that the investment we make in relationships with oth...

In today’s episode, we hear from The Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson, the first African-American woman to lead a top-ranked research university — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — and Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental economic organisation with 38 member countries who stimulate economic progress and world trade. These two global l...

Our new season begins with scientist, entrepreneur, and philanthropy leader Dr. Andrew Serazin, President of Templeton World Charity Foundation. Dr. Serazin discusses TWCF's latest initiative, the Grand Challenges for Human Flourishing, which will enable researchers to discover new knowledge, develop new tools, and launch new practices or interventions that make a lasting impact on human flourishing. Hear the new ideas that support human flourishing. Learn more about the Grand Challenges for ...

The birthright of every human being is not just to survive, but to thrive. This year on the Stories of Impact Podcast, we bring you conversations about innovative tools that help human beings flourish - the science behind flourishing. Join host Tavia Gilbert and journalist Richard Sergay to hear about the intersection of the science and spiritual practices that give life the deepest meaning and fulfillment. Every first and third Tuesday, you’ll hear from global luminaries with expertise in...

Templeton World Charity Foundation President, Dr. Andrew Serazin, is back for another conversation with podcast host Richard Sergay about what it means to invest in flourishing. Dr. Serazin talks about human flourishing — what it is, and how TWCF hopes to spur discovery about it. Dr. Serazin shares his excitement about the foundation’s Grand Challenges for Human Flourishing program, born out of a specific strategy to discover new knowledge, develop new tools, and launch new innovations that make...

In the final episode of our second season, we meet three scientists who are creating a community of people who see the world differently – exploring diverse intelligences. They are bringing together scholars from around the globe who are passionate about collaboration and exploration of the myriad intelligences throughout the planet and the cosmos. Richard Sergay speaks with Drs. Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster, co-directors of the Templeton World Charity Foundation Diverse Intelligences Summer...

Today, we speak with an ethicist, a computer scientist, and a neuroscientist who have teamed together at Duke University to research how we might build human morality in a machine - an artificially intelligent machine. Drs. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Jana Schaich Borg, and Vincent Conitzer also tell us about a surprising outcome of their research: that imbuing machines with the ability to act in accordance with moral principles can actually help us deepen our understanding of our own moral philos...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Denise Herzing, Research Director and Founder of the Wild Dolphin Project and Affiliate Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University in biological sciences. For the last 25 years, Dr. Herzing has been on a quest to crack the code — to discover the keys to the secret language of dolphins. Today she talks about what she’s learned so far about dolphin “language,” what’s surprised her about wild dolphins’ interactions with each other and the researchers, and t...

Dr. Brian Hare is a core member of the Center of Cognitive Neuroscience and Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology and Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. In today’s episode, Dr. Hare, who studies how animals think, shares how investigating diverse intelligences offers human beings insight into our own psychology. He’ll also describe the powerful new online tool he’s building to spark the acceleration of our understanding about animal — and human — cognition. Learn more about Dr. ...

Today’s episode features the work of two scientists in seemingly unconnected fields of study: Dr. Andrew Barron, Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroethology at Macquarie University in Sydney specializing in the honeybee brain; and his colleague, Dr. James Marshall, Professor of Theoretical Computation and Biology at the University of Sheffield, who studies robotics and artificial intelligence. Richard Sergay spoke with this pair of scientists to find out how their unique areas of expertise ca...

Today’s episode features the collaborative exploration of Dr. Fred Sharpe, an expert in humpback whales and the Principal Investigator with the Alaska Whale Foundation, and Dr. Laurance Doyle, astrophysicist and Principal Investigator of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute. Drs. Sharpe and Doyle are investigating humpback whales’ complex, long-distance communication with the aim of learning about how alien intelligences, if they exist, might attempt to transmit their me...

Host Richard Sergay speaks with Pranab Das, professor of physics at Elon University and Principal Advisor to the Diverse Intelligences Initiative from Templeton World Charity Foundation. Richard and Professor Das discuss the definition of intelligence and look at some of the DI projects we’ll hear more about this season. It's a fascinating look at what diverse intelligences can teach us. Learn more about Pranab Das and the Diverse Intelligences Initiative Mentioned in this episode: Surviv...

The Stories of Impact Podcast presents stories of the scientific breakthroughs that fuel the human search for meaning, purpose, and truth — how lives are transformed by science. Season 2 focuses on Diverse Intelligences. Join us for the adventure! This project was made possible through the generous support of a grant from Templeton World Charity Foundation. Subscribe to​ ​Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Keep up with the podcast s...

The Impact-Driven Mission in ​Sparking Curiosity

The Stories of Impact Podcast presents stories of the scientific breakthroughs that fuel the human search for meaning, purpose, and truth — how lives are transformed by science. This project was made possible through the support of a grant from Templeton World Charity Foundation. Learn more about ​Richard Sergay,​ Tavia Gilbert​, and ​Andrew Serazin Subscribe to​ ​Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube Keep up with the podcast series at...