10/26/26

Isabella Rossellini on how acting connects to animal cognition

Pass the cocktail napkins and refill your glass because we’re having a dinner party. You’ll be between Isabella Rossellini, the Italian model, movie star, and director; and ecologist Carl Safina, author of many books, including “Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel.”

This might seem like an unusual pairing, but it turns out they have a surprising amount in common. Both have a deep interest in animal cognition and our place in the natural world, but bring distinctly different lenses to their exploration of this corner of science. They join Host Flora Lichtman in the studio to discuss.


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Segment Guests

Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini is an actor and director, and runs Mama Farm in Brookhaven, New York.

Carl Safina

Dr. Carl Safina is an ecologist and the author of “Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel.”

Segment Transcript

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Meet the Producers and Host

About Dee Peterschmidt

Dee Peterschmidt is Science Friday’s audio production manager, hosted the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.

About Flora Lichtman

Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.

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