Robert Sapolsky | Father-Offspring Interviews Why This Podcast, Gorillas & Gibbons, The Occult | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews #100
Feb 26, 2026
They explain how the show started and the family production behind it. They compare SSRIs and SNRIs and outline how those drugs affect neurotransmission. He recounts touching gorillas and celebrates gibbons’ monogamy and singing. They probe why people are drawn to the occult, pattern-seeking, superstition, and brain differences linked to belief.
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Why The Father Offspring Podcast Began
- Offspring Cher Sapolsky created the podcast because Robert Sapolsky was overwhelmed by many science questions after his 2023 book and needed a broader forum to answer them.
- Cher handles tech, editing, scheduling, and family collaboration across coasts, making the show both practical and a sentimental regular joint venture.
How SSRIs And SNRIs Work And Why Choice Is Individual
- SSRIs block serotonin reuptake to amplify synaptic signaling, which often improves depression despite delayed clinical effects and debate about serotonin levels in depression.
- SNRIs extend this by also targeting norepinephrine reuptake, but antidepressant choice must be personalized because depression is heterogeneous and responses vary.
Touching Gorillas Twice Including Harambe
- Robert Sapolsky touched a gorilla twice, once as a high-school intern at the American Museum of Natural History and again at the Cincinnati Zoo with a silverback trained to present its hand.
- The second gorilla was Harambe, whom Sapolsky describes reaching through bars and later being fatally shot after a child fell into the enclosure, underscoring the tragic complexity of that decision.
