How Do Artifacts Inform Cultural Evolution? #016 with Vanessa Ferdinand

from Alien Crash Site · host Santa Fe Institute, Caitlin McShea, Vanessa Ferdinand

For more information on items mentioned in this interview, click through the links below.Vanessa’s WebsiteInterPlanetary 2018 Festival panel "Intelligent Systems and Cognitive Assistance" featuring Vanessa, David Krakauer, Jonah Nolan, Graham Spencer & Kurt Squire.Dan Sperber Norman Rockwell's painting "The Gossips" Giant dragonfly - MeganeuraAlien Crash Site interview with Tamara van der DoesDune witchesBuena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan Jil JilalaNass El Ghiwane

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 9, 2021

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

What this episode covers

This week, Computational Cognitive Scientist Vanessa Ferdinand provides us with her skeptical take on the very premise of Roadside Picnic. Given her research on cultural evolution, and how cultural artifacts are changed by the cognitive systems that perceive them, she had quite a few problems with the idea of finding and using an object created by an alien lifeform. She explains her reasoning, but she eventually suspends her disbelief, settles comfortably into the fiction, and describes an alien artifact that she believes will alter our understanding of ourselves, each other, these aliens, and the universe itself.

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

How Do Artifacts Inform Cultural Evolution? #016 with Vanessa Ferdinand

0:00 49:19

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

#205 How to recover without burning out: using pacing to find your dehoarding rhythm

Nov 22, 2025 ·38m

Similar Podcasts

Epic: Silver Wing Realm EPIC is your new HQ for Realm’s exhilarating action and adventure stories, with new episodes dropping every Monday introduced by host Faith McQuinn.Embark on your greatest adventures yet, whether it’s crash landing on a desolate planet with only a cerebrally-embedded AI to guide you, or realizing that your latest game design is the only thing staving off total global annihilation. So unsheath those earbuds, clench that steering wheel, and buckle up because EPIC is about to take off.This month, we are featuring Silver Wing: On a desert planet in the far future, an old dragon hunter embarks on a desperate journey to save her estranged son. For centuries, the dragons have been sleeping. But in their rest, they provide a crucial energy source necessary to keep the planet Toon Flats habitable. Amphet Dahl is a diviner, gifted with the ability to sense the dragons’ dreams and memories and to the disappointment of her son, Afton, she uses this ability to

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Alien Crash Site?

This episode is 49 minutes long.

When was this Alien Crash Site episode published?

This episode was published on July 9, 2021.

Can I download this Alien Crash Site episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!