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In this episode of Armchair Expert, Dax Shepard is joined by science writer Jennifer Ackerman, who discusses her fascination with birds, particularly owls. Ackerman has authored several books, including *The Genius of Birds* and her latest, *What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds*. The conversation delves into the intelligence of birds, especially crows, which are among the smartest animals. Ackerman shares her personal experiences with crows and hummingbirds, highlighting their behaviors and interactions. The discussion shifts to owls, exploring their unique adaptations, such as silent flight and exceptional hearing. Ackerman explains how owls can locate prey using their facial discs and asymmetrical ears, allowing them to pinpoint sounds with remarkable accuracy. She also describes the hunting techniques of various owl species, including their ability to consume large prey and the fascinating way they expel indigestible parts as pellets. Ackerman reveals the cultural significance of owls throughout history, noting their representation in ancient art and varying perceptions across cultures. Some view them as wise, while others see them as omens of death. The episode also touches on the social behaviors of owls, including their vocalizations, which convey complex information about identity and territory. The conversation concludes with Ackerman's insights into the emotional and psychological benefits of birdwatching, emphasizing its calming effects on anxiety. She encourages listeners to appreciate the beauty and complexity of birds, particularly owls, and to consider creating habitats that support local bird populations. The episode is filled with intriguing facts about birds, their behaviors, and their interactions with humans, making it a captivating exploration of avian life.

Today's guest is blind. Tanya Milosevic describes herself as a pioneer, voice‑over actress, and teacher who works with people who share her condition. She was born in Serbia and came to the United States after suffering retinopathy of prematurity and oxygen exposure in an incubator; surgeries reattached her retinas. She is legally blind with acuity around 20/2000 in one eye and 20/700 in the other, and glaucoma developed from scar tissue. Laser procedures reduce acuity and carry a risk of losing sight in one or both eyes. She explains that acuity is the clarity of vision and that her field of view is severely restricted, about ten degrees. She notes ongoing debates about terms: visually impaired, low vision, high partials, and total blind. Many people simply say “blind” for public clarity, while some prefer finer categories, but she avoids judgment. Her primary sense is hearing; she reads Braille and uses touch for information, with her index fingers most sensitive from Braille practice. She believes senses compensate; she can detect audio cues, door openings, and voice inflections, and she uses sounds, smells, and environmental landmarks to map surroundings. She uses a service dog named Boo Boo who helps navigate and signals with barks; Boo Boo’s alert barks indicate presence and startle responses, and the dog once pulled her away from a threatening person. She discusses imagination and media: horror captivates her for adrenaline and the fight‑or‑flight instinct; she cites sound design as central to immersion, and mentions Perception, a Deep End Games title with 3D binaural audio and a blind protagonist, as well as other audio‑driven experiences and VR accessible games. She believes that future film and game sound design could be fully accessible and even multi‑sensory, with smells and tactile props. On social life, she describes social anxiety and the challenge of joining conversations without eye contact; she uses prepared questions and a blunt honesty about blindness in dating apps, noting that Boo Boo helps break the ice. She emphasizes direct communication, asking for help, and giving directions clearly. Her work includes voice acting and teaching; she praises the UK and Germany for audio description strides and Perkins School and Perkins International for inclusion. She ends by plugging Vast Horizon and The White Vault, and thanks Theo for the conversation.

Steven Rinella and Theo Von begin with a wild, intelligent thread: the turkey as a living doorway into culture, science, and hunting lore. They describe the bird’s anatomy in vivid detail: a head that shifts from red to blue during breeding, a fleshy snood, a beard of modified feathers, and spurs on the legs that can be inch-long weapons. They explain why turkey lore matters in American history, debating Ben Franklin’s proposal that the turkey should be the national symbol rather than the bald eagle. They also reference Rinella’s Meat Eater, his Netflix show, and a long history of turkey hunting. From there, the dialogue dives into the field: why the turkey’s courtship is a theater of sound and color. A gobbler’s head flips color as it’s excited, red to white to blue, signaling breeding drive and competition. They explain the snood, the beard, and the spurs as diagnostic features, and they describe how a turkey drums with its wings on the ground while the bird vocalizes. They riff on how a hunter uses hen calls to lure a strutting tom, and how urban misperceptions of turkeys miss the bird’s intelligence and tenacity, with Rinella defending the species as a dynamic, tough creature. Beyond the bird itself, the talk shifts to wildlife management and the role of hunting in conservation. Rinella highlights how state fish and game agencies rely on hunting and fishing licenses to fund habitat work, enforcement, and restoration projects, and he cites the National Wild Turkey Federation as a crucial force in reviving wild populations. They discuss the broader politics of wildlife, including debates over barred and spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest and a 2025 decision to pull funding for barred owl removal. The conversation frames hunting as a driver of on-the-ground conservation. Interwoven with natural history are long conversations about human evolution, genetics, and prehistory. Rinella and Von wander through Neanderthal ancestry, debating how humans and Neanderthals intermingled, and they joke about a hypothetical Neanderthal guest for the show. They reference 23andMe and the growing public interest in genetic heritage, including the idea of unusually high Neanderthal percentages. The talk then moves to travel and wildlife, from Rinella’s safari in Africa to Alaska’s vast landscapes, and to his Meat Eater American history series about mountain men, the beaver trade, and the decline of the buffalo herd.