New Study Shows Influence of Mother's Socioeconomic Status on Fetal Brain Development

45sec Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

A recent study has revealed that brain development in fetuses is greatly affected by the mother's socioeconomic status and stress hormone levels. This research demonstrates the potential impact of these factors on the future behavior and abilities of the individual. The study suggests that the defendant's table may not be solely responsible for their actions, as their brain development could have been influenced prior to their birth.

Meet Jared Diamond and Michael Shermer: https://skeptic.com/event

Robert Sapolsky is the author of A Primate’s Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone, and Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. His most recent book, Behave, was a New York Times bestseller and named a best book of the year by the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” His new book is Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will.

Shermer and Sapolsky discuss: free will, determinism, compatibilism, libertarian free will • Christian List’s 3 related capacities for free will • how what people believe about free will and determinism influences their behaviors • the three horsemen of determinism: (1) reductionism (2) predetermination; (3) epiphenomenalism • dualism • punishment • retributive vs. restorative justice •Is the self an illusion? • game theory evolution of punishment • luck • and meaning (or lack thereof).