Evil Neuroscience Part 1: Popping Whale Brains and Suffocating Dolphins (Premium E335) Sample

About this episode

The episode explores the life and work of John C. Lilly, focusing on his controversial research with dolphins and the implications of his findings.

Before marine mammal song CDs conquered mall kiosks and the slogan “Save the Whales” appeared on bumper stickers nationwide, one scientist became obsessed with the idea that dolphins might be our closest nonhuman intellectual peers. In part one of our two-part Evil Neuroscience series, Jack dives into the life and work of John C. Lilly: neurophysiologist, dolphin researcher, SETI-adjacent dreamer, and the man whose attempts to bridge the interspecies communication gap proved to be more horrifying than illuminating. We follow Lilly from Biblical ideas about language and human supremacy to the Green Bank conference, where astronomers, NASA advisors, and future SETI legends formed the secretive “Order of the Dolphin.” Then we head to Marineland and Dolphin Rock, where Lilly’s research involved whale brains, suffocating dolphins, dolphin vocalization experiments, LSD, Margaret Howe’s infamous live-in language study with Peter the dolphin, and the tragic collapse of the project. Along the way: Bob Dylan’s worst song, existential elk, horny dolphins, Cold War science funding, animal language research, and the birth of the New Age dolphin obsession. Next time, Jack unpacks how Lilly’s…

People in this episode

Hosts: Julian Feeld, Travis View, Jake Rockatansky

Topics covered

• marine mammals
• dolphin research
• neuroscience
• inter-species communication
• psychedelics
• animal language
• Cold War science

Keywords

• dolphins
• whale brains
• LSD
• language study
• existential elk
• New Age
• MKULTRA

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NASA, SETI, Order of the Dolphin

Books & works: Evil Neuroscience

Places: Marineland, Dolphin Rock

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