Birds on the Brain

Memory is more than just recall — it shapes how we navigate the world, interpret our surroundings and understand who we are. But how does the brain store and retrieve information? And what can birds, whose behaviors are strikingly readable through their movements and calls, teach us about the relationship between memory, perception, and behavior?

Neuroscientist and Simons Society Junior Fellow Isabel Low studies the black-capped chickadee, a small songbird native to New York with a remarkable ability to remember where it hides thousands of food items. By investigating the neural patterns behind this behavior, Low seeks to unravel how the different parts of the brain communicate to transform memories into actions.

Science writer and expert birder Christian Cooper has spent a lifetime observing birds, fascinated by how their movements and migrations reflect broader themes of place, perception, and belonging. Through his work as an Emmy-winning host of the National Geographic series “Extraordinary Birder” and author of Better Living Through Birding, he shares how birding has shaped his own understanding of identity, from the streets of New York City to remote landscapes around the world.

Join us as Low and Cooper sit down with Quanta Magazine Senior Biology Editor Hannah Waters for a conversation that explores the intersections of neuroscience, birding, and storytelling. Together, they’ll traverse topics such as how memory links humans and animals, how careful observation can lead to deeper understanding, and what birds can reveal about how we see and remember the world.

About the Speakers:

Low is a postdoctoral neuroscientist in Dmitriy Aronov’s lab at Columbia University. She received her Ph.D. in neurosciences from Stanford University and her B.A. in neuroscience and creative writing from Bowdoin College in Maine. Low’s research investigates how different parts of the brain communicate to transform memories into actions.

Cooper is the Daytime Emmy Award–winning host of National Geographic’s hit series “Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper” and the New York Times best-selling author of his debut memoir, Better Living Through Birding. Practically born with a pair of binoculars in his hands, he served as president of the Harvard Ornithological Club in his college days. He is a vice president of the New York City Bird Alliance, where he advocates for greater, safer access to green spaces for all with a focus on outreach to youth in underserved communities. A longtime activist on issues of racial justice and LGBTQ equality, Christian combined his passions in the graphic short story “It’s a Bird” from DC Comics.