Shows
The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Philosophy Of Antinatalism | David Benatar | Escaped Sapiens #86In this episode I speak with philosopher and author David Benatar. David is best known for advancing the position of philanthropic antinatalism, which holds that coming into existence is a serious harm for sentient beings. Central to his view is the asymmetry argument, which maintains that the absence of pain is good even if no one benefits from it, while the absence of pleasure is not bad unless someone is deprived of it.
David also argues that our lives are significantly worse than we tend to realize, due in part to a pervasive positivity bias. He supports...
2026-03-091h 24The Escaped Sapiens PodcastHow We Know What Killed the Dinosaurs | Jan Smit | Escaped Sapiens #85For over forty years, Dutch geologist and paleontologist Jan Smit has been at the center of one of the most profound scientific detective stories of our time: the investigation into the mass extinction that ended the reign of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction, this event wiped out nearly 75% of all species on Earth, from towering dinosaurs to microscopic marine life, and cleared the way for the rise of mammals and, eventually, humans.
Early in his career, Jan Smit became intrigued by a thin layer of clay found in rock strata across...
2025-10-061h 26The Escaped Sapiens PodcastCausal Fermion Systems: A Radical New Vision Of Reality | Felix Finster | Escaped Sapiens #84For over three decades, Felix Finster has been developing a unique and ambitious reformulation of physics known as Causal Fermion Systems (CFS). Physicists usually describe the world in terms of fields defined on a spacetime manifold. Within this familiar framework, abstract quantities such as correlations between matter fields at different points in spacetime can be computed. In mathematical language, these correlations are captured by operators acting on a Hilbert space.
What Felix realized is that this process can be reversed. If you start with a suitable collection of operators on a Hilbert space, satisfying certain mathematical properties...
2025-09-231h 33The Escaped Sapiens PodcastIs Aging Treatable? Radical Mouse Experiments Begin | Aubrey de Grey | Escaped Sapiens #83Aging has long been treated as inevitable. But what if it’s not? What if aging is, at its core, a problem to be solved? In this episode, I speak with biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey about the most ambitious anti-aging experiment ever conducted on mice. The Robust Mouse Rejuvenation (RMR) study, spearheaded by Aubrey and the Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation, aims to extend both the average and maximum lifespan of mice by at least 12 months—a staggering leap in a species that typically lives around 30 months. We unpack the science behind this bold endeavor: What is aging? Why aim...
2025-07-291h 05The Escaped Sapiens Podcast`Last Unsolved Problem of Classical Physics' | Sasha Migdal | Escaped Sapiens #82Richard Feynman once dubbed turbulence “the last unsolved problem of classical physics.” Beyond the Navier–Stokes equations, no comprehensive statistical framework exists to predict how fluids spin, eddy, and cascade energy—whether in galactic jets, ocean currents, or the swirl of your morning coffee. But that might all be changing.
In this episode, I sit down with theoretical physicist Sasha Migdal, who emerged from retirement with a bold, loop‑equation approach to turbulence. His formalism recasts the Navier–Stokes equations as an infinite number of linear, readily solvable equations that track circulation around closed loops in the fluid—offering...
2025-06-081h 36The Escaped Sapiens PodcastAre We More Divided Now Than Ever? | Sam Richards & Laurie Mulvey | Escaped Sapiens #81In this conversation I ask Professors Sam Richards & Laurey Mulvey about some of the most controversial topics concerning race and ethnicity in the US today.
Is White Privilege a useful term that helps build understanding and facilitates conversation, or does it generate social tension and make poor white people feel gaslit? What is DEI, why is it so contentious, and can it be implemented effectively? What makes the N-word and blackface so triggering? Why are US racial social norms so culturally dominant and readily exported?
Sam Richards is a sociologist and Teaching Professor at Penn S...
2025-05-051h 41The Escaped Sapiens PodcastSolving Quantum Gravity | Pedro Vieira | Escaped Sapiens #80What is Holography and how does it help us Quantize gravity? In this conversation I speak with Pedro Vieira, one of the worlds leading experts on holographic dualities and their application in quantum gravity.
We start our discussion with a few standard but big questions, like why is quantum gravity difficult, what is quantum field theory, and what is gauge symmetry. We then dive into the topic of holography, which in broad and provocative terms is the idea that our universe and everything in it might be a hologram projected from some lower dimensional quantum theory. That...
2025-03-021h 56The Escaped Sapiens PodcastDrone Warfare in Ukraine and the Future Of Combat | Sam Bendett | Escaped Sapiens #79In this conversation I speak with Sam Bendett, one of the worlds leading experts on Russian weapons development and capabilities, drones, AI, and the war in Ukraine. Sam is an advisor for the Center for Naval Analyses and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, an honorary “mad scientist” with the Mad Scientist Initiative of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and a Russian military autonomy and artificial intelligence subject matter expert for the DOD’s Defense Systems Information Analysis Center.
We discuss drone warfare in Ukraine as it stands today...
2025-02-0950 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastAI, Control, and the path to Dystopia | Pedro Domingos | Escaped Sapiens #78Will we ever have an AI for president? In this episode of the podcast I speak with Pedro Domingos about the impact of AI on society, industry, and politics. Pedro is professor emeritus of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington and co-founded the International Machine Learning Society. He is also the Author of `The Master Algorithm' and `2040: A Silicon Valley Satire'. This episode is not a paid advertisement for Pedro's books, but we use his book `2040' to set the context for the discussion.
We discuss the hype and fear surrounding AI and the f...
2025-01-202h 15The Escaped Sapiens PodcastFrom Destruction to Regeneration: The Future of Economics | Kate Raworth | Escaped Sapiens #77In this conversation I speak with renegade economist and creator of doughnut economics Kate Raworth. Kate is a Senior Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, where she teaches on the Masters in Environmental Change and Management. She is also Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
We speak about economic transformation, and re-imagining economic possibilities for the 21st century. What should we design our economic system to do? Growth in GDP is a nice target to aim for because it is simple, but it doesn't do a very good job of capturing all of...
2025-01-071h 17The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Surprising Impact of Regenerative Farming | Joel Salatin | Escaped Sapiens #76This conversation is the second part of a two part mini-series on Regenerative cattle farming. The question is: Does raising cattle really have to be so damaging to the environment? Can cattle be integrated into a natural system that sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, and if so what would that system look like?
Joel Salatin segregates his land into small fenced off areas, which he rotates his cattle through. By moving his herd routinely he gives grass and other wild vegetation optimal time to grow and absorb carbon, and for the cattle to disperse their excreta such...
2024-12-271h 48The Escaped Sapiens PodcastRegenerative Farming And Carbon Negative Beef | Will Harris | Escaped Sapiens #75In this conversation I speak with Will Harris, who is a fourth generation cattle farmer. Will originally ran a standard industrial farm, but increasingly became dissatisfied by the welfare of his animals. That started a journey to change the way his farm ran, and over the years he has converted his operation piece by piece into a regenerative farm. That means no more grain feed, no more confined feed lots, no more hormones, no more pesticides. The basic idea is to focus on improving the land in order to leave it better each year. Will has come up with...
2024-12-041h 41The Escaped Sapiens PodcastWhat is Reality Made Of? Unscrambling the Quantum Omelet | Rob Spekkens | Escaped Sapiens #74In quantum mechanics the state of a physical system is described by a wavefunction, which provides information about the probabilities of various outcomes, such as finding a particle at a particular location in space. This differs dramatically from classical physics, where a particle is described by a definite position and momentum. As a result, quantum mechanics inherently involves a certain level of uncertainty. A key question is whether this uncertainty reflects a fundamental indeterminacy in reality itself or merely our limited knowledge of the physical system.
One possibility is that reality could be deterministic, and the wavefunction...
2024-11-212h 04The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Future of Protein: Breeding The Super Tuber | Padraic Flood | Escaped Sapiens #73Wheat, soy, corn, potatoes—did we really domesticate the best crops nature had to offer? In this episode of the podcast, I speak with geneticist Padraic J. Flood, who specializes in population and quantitative genetics. Padraic left academia and a position in vertical farming to pursue a dream: the domestication of the Aardaker.
The Aardaker is a small, unassuming plant native to moist temperate regions of Europe and Western Asia. It produces edible tubers similar to potatoes, but unlike potatoes, these tubers are rich in protein. This unique combination could yield several times more protein per hectare than so...
2024-09-161h 58The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe "Self" Is An Illusion | Thomas Metzinger | Escaped Sapiens #72In this episode I speak with Professor Thomas Metzinger about how our strong, consciously experienced subjectivity emerges out of objective events in the natural world. According to Thomas, no such things as selves really exist in the world: nobody ever had or was a self. All that exists are what he calls `phenomenal' selves which our brains fabricate. In this episode I try to unpack what this means exactly, and what the implications are.
Note: The first question of this interview has been re-filmed after the interview.
Thomas has a new book, which he made o...
2024-08-261h 33The Escaped Sapiens PodcastAlcohol And The Birth Of Civilization | Edward Slingerland | Escaped Sapiens #71Why is alcohol use so widespread? The usual thinking is that despite its negative effects, alcohol is pleasurable and that is why we drink it. But this can't be the whole story because if alcohol is really so bad then cultures that prohibit drinking should dominate over those that like to drink, or you might think that a genetic mutation that makes drinking less pleasurable would spread rapidly through the population. In this conversation I discuss this mystery with sinologist and philosopher Edward Slingerland, who is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he also...
2024-08-191h 13The Escaped Sapiens PodcastBuilding A Theory Of Everything | Stephen Wolfram | Escaped Sapiens #70This is a conversation with Stephen Wolfram about his proposed theory of everything. Stephen is a British-American computer scientist, mathematician, physicist, and CEO of Wolfram Research. He also created Mathematica, and Wolfram|Alpha & Wolfram Language, and is the Author of 'A New Kind of Science' as well as a number of other books.
Stephen's attempt to derive all of the laws of nature (including gravitation, statistical mechanics, and general relativity) rests on two key ideas:
1. The idea of computational irreducibility. In physics we usually deal with systems for which we are able to predict the s...
2024-08-021h 53The Escaped Sapiens PodcastShould We Deregulate Housing? | Bryan Caplan | Escaped Sapiens #69Housing regulation is often put in place for good reasons, namely comfort, safety, environmental protection, availability of utilities and services, and more. With each additional regulation, however, restrictions are being placed on what you can build, where you can build, and how quickly you can build it. Professor Bryan Caplan argues that our current mess of regulations dramatically increases the price of housing, by limiting supply. This, he argues, has disastrous effects on fertility, and many social issues that we care about today, including social mobility and financial inequalities. Bryan argues further that inappropriate zoning and regulation creates widespread...
2024-06-251h 44The Escaped Sapiens PodcastDecoding Human Speech From Brain Signals | Julia Berezutskaya | Escaped Sapiens #67Julia Berezutskaya is one of the worlds leading researchers working in the area of brain computer interfaces. She is part of the brain-computer interface group (dept. Neurology & Neurosurgery) at UMC Utrecht, where she works at the intersection of fundamental and clinical neuroscience research. A key goal of her work on the computational modeling of cognitive and neurobiological processes is to one day allow for the decoding of naturalistic human speech from the brain signals of patients who have lost all motor function. In this conversation we discuss the basics of her work: what do the implants look like? Where...
2024-06-091h 22The Escaped Sapiens PodcastIs Mathematics Invented or Discovered? | Carl Bender | Escaped Sapiens #67Carl Bender is an applied mathematician and mathematical physicist holding positions at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Heidelberg, Imperial College, London. He was also one of my own favorite lecturers. He taught me about perturbation theory and asymptotic series which are powerful mathematical tools for solving difficult problems in physics. I invited Carl on to the podcast to discuss complex numbers, and their application in physics. At a conceptual level Carl talks about the link between mathematics and reality, the history of complex numbers and what they are good for, his research into weird new quantum...
2024-05-172h 22The Escaped Sapiens PodcastNuclear Energy: Rewards, Costs, and Advanced Reactors | Rachel Slaybaugh | Escaped Sapiens #66What role should Nuclear Power play in energy production? This episode of the podcast explores the case for Nuclear Energy. I speak with Rachel Slaybaugh, who was an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Division Director at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She also served as a Program Director at the Department of Energy’s ARPA‑E, where she created the nuclear fission program. She is currently a partner at DCVC. We discuss three of the main problems that people have with nuclear power: (i) The risk of plant meltdowns, (ii) the stor...
2024-04-2152 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastMarx, Capitalism, and Neoclassical Economics | Steve Keen | Escaped Sapiens #65On this episode of the podcast I speak with UCL Honorary Professor of Economics and ISRS Distinguished Research Fellow Steve keen. Steve famously predicted the 2008 market crash. He is also known for his criticism of modern economic theory, which he views as being inconsistent, unscientific, and empirically unsupported. He is currently working on a new science of economics built upon incontrovertible facts. We discuss the history of economic theory, the problems with neoclassical economics, and the way that our economic theory causes environmental destruction.
►Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Ma_TiVNa9wE
►Find out mo...
2024-03-191h 40The Escaped Sapiens PodcastDoes Capitalism Destroy The Environment? | Jeffrey Sachs | Escaped Sapiens #64On this episode of the Podcast I speak with economist and public policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs. Jeffrey is Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He served as Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General for almost two decades, and is co-founder and chief strategist of the Millennium Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty and hunger. In this conversation we cover the question: "Is Capitalism Responsible For the Environmental Destruction We are Seeing Today?"
These conversations are supported by the Andrea...
2024-02-1956 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastAvoiding The Threats From AI | David Shapiro | Escaped Sapiens #63In this episode of the podcast I speak with David Shapiro about some of the threats associated with AI development. We discuss the impact that generative AI will have on truth, trust in evidence, and divisive narratives. Who will pay for AI, and how will that determine the path of its development? Will artificial relationships and generated adult content lead to new forms of sexual addiction and social isolation? What impact will AI have on cyber security, and what will weaponized AI look like? How will AI eventually escape our control? We close with a brief discussion of UBI, a...
2024-01-201h 47The Escaped Sapiens PodcastNarcissism And Success | Mitja Back | Escaped Sapiens #62What is narcissism, and why do so many successful people seem to be narcissists? In this conversation I speak with Professor Mitja Back from the university of Muenster, who is one of the worlds leading experts on the topic of Narcissism. We discuss narcissism as a personality trait, how narcissistic traits develop (nature vs nurture), relationship breakdown, narcissism on social media, and the link between narcissism and success.
►Watch On YouTube:
https://youtu.be/JXDs3TbIiEk
►For more information about Mitja's work see:
https://www.uni-muenster.de/PsyIFP/AEBack/membe...
2023-12-211h 36The Escaped Sapiens PodcastCreating Synthetic Life | Kerstin Goepfrich | Escaped Sapiens #61In this conversation I speak with Professor Kerstin Göpfrich, who works at Heidelberg University at the Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), and who is also leading the Max Planck Research Group for the Biophysical Engineering of Life. Kerstin is attempting to construct living cells from scratch, piece by piece from non-living materials. So far she has created cell membranes, cytoskeletons, linkers for connecting cytoskeletons to the cell membrane, a mechanism for cell division, microscopic channels for ion transport in and out of cell membranes, an artificial 'mitochondria' analog, and more. The goal is eventually to put together all o...
2023-12-122h 02The Escaped Sapiens PodcastEarth & Life. 3.77 Billion Years Under Construction | Olivia Judson | Escaped Sapiens #60This conversation is about the history of life and earth. I speak with evolutionary biologist and author Olivia Judson, who is best known for her book 'Dr. Tatiana's sex advice to all creation''. Oliva thinks of the history of life on earth in terms of 5 energy epochs, in which life has worked out how to make use of different kinds of energy. These epochs are geochemistry, light, oxygen, flesh, and fire. Olivia explains her fascination with the transformation of life over time, and with what it means to be alive 4.5 billion years into earth's history. Olivia is currently in...
2023-11-282h 23The Escaped Sapiens PodcastScientific Literacy And Democracy | Johannes Vogel | Escaped Sapiens # 59NOTE: From 0:01:07-0:02:36 the sound quality is lower than the rest of the episode as you are hearing the backup recording.
This conversation is about democracy and scientific literacy. In 2023 Germany shut down the last of its nuclear plants, and is now bringing back several mothballed coal plants to keep the lights on over winter. Was this a smart decision given the scientific consensus that we need to cut carbon emissions? Similar questions can be asked about the banning of GMO crops, or government handling of Covid. More and more, the decisions being made in we...
2023-11-172h 24
Last Born In The Wilderness353 Part Two / A Nation For A Nation: Antisemitic Zionism / Shane BurleyIn the second part of my two-part interview with author and journalist Shane Burley, we continue our discussion about the contexts that underlie the dramatic escalation of violence by the State of Israel in the Palestinian territories since Hamas’s October 7th attack. We focus on the validity of claims made by pro-Israel Zionists of antisemitism on the part of Palestinian liberation activists in demanding not only a ceasefire, but the ending of apartheid and continual expansion of Israeli Jewish settlements into Palestinian territories. Shane examines the Christian Right's Zionist antisemitism, Israeli Leftism, the internal political tensions in Israel before an...
2023-11-1253 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Ethics and Practice of Plastic Surgery | Gary Linkov | Escaped Sapiens #58In this conversation I speak with Dr. Gary Linkov about the ethics and practice of plastic surgery. Gary is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon who specializes in lip lift surgeries and hair restoration. He is also renowned for carrying out complex nasal surgery for US war veterans in need, and for teaching rhinoplasty procedures to the NYU head and neck surgery residents.
Plastic surgery is controversial. On the one hand critics claim that it leads to unhealthy beauty standards, and that aggressive marketing preys upon people who are already under enormous pressure the a...
2023-09-151h 16The Escaped Sapiens PodcastRise Of The Blockchain | JP Vergne | Escaped Sapiens #57In this conversation I discuss distributed and decentralized organizations with Jean-Philippe Vergne, who is an associate professor of strategy at University College London. We focus on the development of blockchain technology, which at least in theory should allow for new forms of organization that don't rely on centralized authorities to function. The initial dream was that blockchain technology would drive innovation, provide transparency, limit abuses of power, and provide access to financing for people living in dysfunctional states. Crypto currencies based on the technology might also act as a counterweight to the sovereign monopoly that nation states have on...
2023-07-251h 49The Escaped Sapiens PodcastFeeding The Future : The Ocean Farmers | Shawn Robinson | Escaped Sapiens #56What is the future of our oceans? On this episode of the Podcast I speak with Dr. Shawn Robinson about marine ecology, aquaculture, and the politics and economics of what ends up on your plate. Shawn is a marine ecologist who did his graduate work at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia on the giant Pacific octopus (MSc) and at the University of British Columbia on biological oceanography off Vancouver Island (PhD). He began his career as a research scientist in 1988 with the Dept. Fisheries and Oceans at the Biological Station in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, one of...
2023-07-192h 13The Escaped Sapiens PodcastGenetic Biocontrol and De-Extinction | Stephen Frankenberg | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #55In only 250 years since colonization, Australia has seen the extinction of 38 species of mammals. Much of the devastation to Australia's native wildlife has been caused or exacerbated by the introduction of invasive pests like cats, dogs, cane toads, camels, and rabbits. A key question is whether science will one day be able to return Australia to its original state? In this conversation I speak with Dr. Stephen Frankenberg about genetic biocontrol and de-extinction. We focus on the use of gene drives, which are genetic tools that can be used to increase the likelihood that a suite of genes will...
2023-06-262h 16The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Birth Of Synthetic Intelligence | David Shapiro | Escaped Sapiens #54Progress in AI development seems to be accelerating, and we might be living through a period in human history that is every bit as significant as the agricultural and industrial revolutions. We might be witnessing the dawn of synthetic general intelligence. In this conversation I speak with David Shapiro who is an AI researcher and YouTube content creator. We discuss the current state of the art LLMs, and the inevitable rise of autonomous AI given current global economic competition. We cover the social implications in the near term and existential threats in the long term, as well as alignment...
2023-05-302h 13The Escaped Sapiens PodcastWhat Science Learned From The Pandemic | Peter Doherty | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #53Now that the dust has settled to a certain extent, how did we do with the pandemic? Which countries handled the situation best? Did we learn anything? How well did scientists do, and how well did the public, politicians, and the media do? In this episode of the podcast I speak with Australian immunologist and author Peter Doherty. Peter has won a range of distinguished prizes for his research including the Albert Lasker prize for basic medical research and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Rolf M. Zinkernagel. Peter is also a National Trust Australian Living...
2023-05-151h 58The Escaped Sapiens PodcastBehind Closed Doors: The High Stakes Game Of Diplomacy | John Kornblum | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #52It is easy to take peace for granted. In this episode of the podcast I speak with John Kornblum about the hard work that diplomats do in the background to maintain peace between nations. John specializes in European and east–west relations, and played a defining role in many of the important events leading up to the end of the Cold War, and those that led to the current post-cold war security environment. These included the Quadripartite negotiations on Berlin, the Helsinki Final Act, the stationing of nuclear weapons in Europe, President Ronald Reagan's historic 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Ga...
2023-04-231h 53The Escaped Sapiens PodcastVertical Farming: A New Food System | Viviana Correa Galvis | Escaped Sapeins Podcast #51Most of us live nowhere near where our food comes from. which means that the food that we have access to is dictated by conderations like does it travel well, and does it have a long shelf life. Our supply chains also lead to sprawling monocrops, pesticide overuse, and agricultural runoff, as well as biodiversity loss, and a range of other problems. But this might all change in the near future with vertical farming.
In this episode of the Podcast I speak with Dr. Vivian Correa Galvis about the future of Vertical Farming. Vivian is a Crow...
2023-03-311h 36The Escaped Sapiens PodcastReconstructing Limbs With Advanced Prosthetics | Munjed Al Muderis | Escaped Sapiens #50.bIn this episode of the Podcast I speak with Professor Munjed Al Muderis about a new technology that is allowing amputees to walk again. Osseointegration is the direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-bearing artificial implant. While dental implants have long been standard, surgeons are now starting to use this technology to reconstruct missing limbs. We cover some of the technical details of these kinds of surgeries, the complications, and the difficulties of introducing new medical procedures and therapies.
►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YINU7GXkkWw
►...
2023-03-191h 43The Escaped Sapiens PodcastA Refugee’s Story | Munjed Al Muderis | Escaped Sapiens #50.aIn this episode of the Podcast I speak with Professor Munjed Al Muderis about his escape from Iraq as a refugee. In 1999 Munjed was forced to flee Iraq after a busload of army draft evaders were brought into the hospital where he worked to have the top of their ears amputated under Saddam Hussein's orders. The senior surgeon in the operating theatre refused the orders and was immediately interrogated and shot in front of several medical staff. Rather than complying with orders Munjed decided to escape. This conversation covers Munjed's journey from Iraq to Australia as a refugee. We...
2023-03-111h 01The Escaped Sapiens PodcastGood, Evil, and Social Engineering | Hans-Georg Moeller | Escaped Sapiens #49On this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor Hans-Georg Moeller from the University of Macau. Georg's work focusses on Chinese and Comparative Philosophy (specifically Daoism) and on Social and Political Thought (specifically Social Systems Theory). We discuss the role that morality plays as a potent social engineering tool for establishing order and power. While morality is usually thought of in a positive sense, morally charged communication is often rigid and divisive, and leaves little room for mediation. Our morality allows us to frame ourselves as heros for our own actions and claims of ownership, while judging those...
2023-02-201h 38The Escaped Sapiens PodcastMoral Blindness, Political Division, and Bull$&%t | Philipp Huebl | Escaped Sapiens #48On this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor Philipp Huebl about moral myopia, political division, and the spread of "bull$&%t" and misinformation. Bull$&%t, in this case, is something that lies somewhere between lies and truth, or something created by those that are indifferent towards the truth. Philipp is a visiting professor in philosophy and cultural studies at the Universität der Künste. We discuss why fake news and conspiracy is so captivating, and the tribal psychology that makes us susceptible to misinformation and ethical blindness. Our conversation also covers the role that shared morality pl...
2023-02-103h 02The Escaped Sapiens PodcastExploring the Illegal Trade in Human Organs | Frederike Ambagtsheer | Escaped Sapiens #47On this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor Frederike Ambagtsheer about the illegal trade and trafficking in human organs. Frederike has a background in criminology and public international law, has a doctorate on organ trade, and is currently researching organ trafficking at Erasmus MC's Transplant Institute in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In this conversation we discuss what is currently know about the trade in human organs, focusing on the kidney trade. We cover the experience of some of the victim groups, how operations and transactions take place, and some of the health and financial implications of the trade...
2023-01-271h 28
Last Born In The Wilderness337 / No Pasarán! / Shane BurleyAuthor and journalist Shane Burley returns to the podcast to discuss the anthology ‘No Pasaran: Antifascist Dispatches from a World in Crisis,’ published this fall through AK Press. Burley is the editor and a contributor to this collection.
In catching up since our last interview, I ask Shane to clarify where the far-right stands in a "post-Trump" context. What inroads have far-right, and explicitly fascist, ideologues made in political discourse and policy in the United States over the past two years? How coherent is the far-right agenda and who are their targets? What are the paths to power? And most impo...
2023-01-021h 06The Escaped Sapiens PodcastWhat is money and who rules the world? | Yanis Varoufakis | Escaped Sapiens #46On this episode of the podcast I speak with Yanis Varoufakis about the role of banks and politicians. Yanis is an economist, politician, author and Secretary-General of MeRA25. He is perhaps best known for his role as the Greek Minister of Finance during the Greek credit crisis. In our discussion we cover some fairly big questions: When banks are bailed out, who really foots the bill? Who are the winners and losers during inflation? Are those that control the means of production still the dominant class? Why powers do politicians really have? What might a non-exploitative social economy look...
2022-12-181h 02The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Atomic Priesthood and Messages From the Dead | Ola Wikander | Escaped Sapiens #45On this episode of the podcast I speak with Ola Wikander about the field of “Nuclear Semiotics”, the scholarly discussion concerning communicating information about nuclear waste disposal into the far future. Ola is a Ugaritologist, Hebraist, Semitist, author, and Senior Lecturer at Lund University. He specializes in ancient languages and religions of the near east, and in particular the texts of Ugarit, which was a city state destroyed c. 1185 BC.
Assuming we work out a secure way of dealing with our nuclear waste, how do we let our descendants 10,000 years into the future know that that...
2022-12-062h 27The Escaped Sapiens PodcastA Different Look At Gender Equality. | Bryan Caplan | Escaped Sapiens #44For many people the question of whether or not women are treated more unfairly than men is so obvious that is obscene to challenge the assumption. But if we are genuinely interested in creating a more equal society, then as society develops our biases should be routinely returning to with sober eyes. How should those issues that affect men, such as conscription, incarceration rates, suicide rates, circumcision, custody issues, steroid use, low university attendance rates, poor school performance, etc, enter into the gender equality discussion? In this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor of Economics, Bryan Caplan...
2022-11-141h 51The Escaped Sapiens PodcastHow Many Fish Should We Leave In The Ocean? | Trevor Branch | Escaped Sapiens #43In this episode of the podcast I discuss the state of marine fisheries with Professor Trevor Branch from the University of Washington. Trevor specializes in data synthesis and constructing mathematical models to determine the health of fish populations. Often in the media one sees stories of collapsing fish populations and dire predictions of species extinction and a future with empty seas. The goal of this episode was to find out what the science says about the actual current status of our oceans, and to learn about the work that is being done to ensure that future generations continue to...
2022-10-311h 27
Bikes or DeathEp. 131 ~ Red Granite Grinder Recap This week we are taking a peak over the preverbial cycling fence to see what's going on in the world of gravel racing. We've seen Ted King, Payson McElveen, Lachlan Morton, and many other gravel racers dip their toes into the bikepacking waters. Now it's our turn to take a peak into their world. After coming on the podcast to tell us all about Wisconsin Bikepacking & Gravel, Shane Hitz invited me out to experience the Red Granite Grinder for myself. The RGG is a mixed terrain gravel race that starts/finishes in Wausau...
2022-10-252h 19The Escaped Sapiens PodcastEngineering Life And Consciousness. | Michael Levin | Escaped Sapiens #42In this episode of the podcast I speak with developmental and synthetic biologist Michael Levin from Tufts University. Michael is a director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University and Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. He is also co-director of the Institute for Computationally Designed Organisms. We discuss the implications of Michael's research in medicine and society including cures for cancer, regenerating limbs, and the creation of artificial super intelligences. We also address the criticism that this research sometimes from those who think that it is 'unnatural' to meddle with human biology. This conversation was supported...
2022-10-171h 19The Escaped Sapiens PodcastWhat’s In An Eye? | Alex Müntz | Escaped Sapiens #41What are our digital lifestyles doing to our eyes? In this conversation I speak with Alex Müntz, who is a Romanian clinical scientist and research fellow in the department of ophthalmology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. From weird anatomy, to the disgusting mites that colonize your eyes, we talk about eye health and everything you never knew you didn't know about eyes.
This conversation was supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of...
2022-10-011h 50The Escaped Sapiens PodcastIs warfare a science? | John Spencer | Escaped Sapiens #40This Episode of the Podcast was supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation. See http://www.avbstiftung.de/ for more information.
Is the study of urban warfare a science? In this conversation I speak with John W. Spencer, who is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, codirector of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast. The conversation ranges from John's personal experiences leading in war, to his experience on the ground doing research in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, to explanations of many aspects of w...
2022-09-261h 59Bikes or DeathEp. 125 ~ Shane Hitz, Wisconsin Gravel & BikepackingShane Hitz has been busy building routes and putting on gravel races in Wisconsin for many years. This week he's here to tell us all about his routes, the Red Granite Grinder, and Wisconsin gravel riding and bikepacking. After this conversation I'm even more excited about at the Red Granite Grinder on Oct. 15th! The Red Granite Grinder is quickly making a name for itself in the gravel world. What makes this route really special is the hard work that Shane and his counter parters at Ironbull to get access to private land that you can only...
2022-08-182h 02The Escaped Sapiens PodcastGood News Everyone!►The Escaped Sapiens Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/
►The Andrea von Braun Foundation: http://www.avbstiftung.de/
2022-08-0707 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastGeography is Destiny | Ian Morris | Escaped Sapiens #39Note: This episode is not a paid advertisement for Ian's new book.
This is a conversation with archaeologist, historian, and professor of classics Ian Morris from Stanford University. We discuss how factors like soft power, and geography shape the flow of history, and what contemporary issues like Brexit and the conflict in Ukraine look like from the perspective of the last 10,000 years of history.
►Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/_qJDfkNnOC8
►For information about Ian's most recent book see: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374157272/geographyisdestiny
►For more information about Ian's...
2022-06-131h 19The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Robots Of Mars | Tanya Harrison | Escaped Sapiens #38On this episode of the podcast I speak with geologist and planetary scientist Dr. Tanya Harrison, to find out what it is like to do research with the robots currently being used to explore Mars. Tanya worked for years on NASAs Perseverance, Curiosity, and Opportunity rovers, as well as the with Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Part of Tanya's work was to select interesting locations for the Reconnaissance orbiter to take imagery of. Since working as a mission specialist with NASA rovers and orbiters, Tanya continues to work as a planetary scientist and scientific director at Planet Labs, and she is...
2022-06-051h 53The Escaped Sapiens PodcastHacking The Blueprint Of Life | Michael Levin | Escaped Sapiens #37In this episode of the podcast I speak with developmental and synthetic biologist Michael Levin from Tufts University. Michael is a director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University and Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. He is also co-director of the Institute for Computationally Designed Organisms. We discuss the way that organisms grow and regenerate. In particular - how does the large scale structure of our bodies form (the size, shape, arrangement of all the organs)? Michael and his colleagues are learning how to read, and overwrite the bodies bioelectrical signaling, which controls the way we...
2022-05-021h 33The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThis is What You Will Eat On Mars | Daniel Schubert | Escaped Sapiens #36In this episode of the podcast I speak with Daniel Schubert from the German Aerospace Center about designing and creating bioregenerative life-support systems for use in hostile and alien environments. Daniel is the leader of the Eden initiative, which over the past few years has been testing greenhouse food production in Antarctica in preparation for the implementation of plant production in Moon and Mars Habitats. We discuss the unexpected challenges of growing plants in hostile environments, building economically viable space colonies, the value of space exploration, future plans for space faring systems, environmental destruction, and the future of humanity.
2022-04-181h 10The Escaped Sapiens PodcastDo Animals Have Language? | Irene Pepperberg | Escaped Sapiens #35How complex does animal communication get? How much information is encoded in dog barks, the clicks of sperm whales, or the chirps of small birds? In this conversation I speak with Irene Pepperberg, who is an expert on animal communication and cognition, best known for her work with African grey parrots. We discuss the remarkable abilities of her birds, from large vocabularies and complex verbal understanding, to counting and puzzle solving, to even competing with young children on certain cognitive tests. We also touch on deeper questions about how animals might see the world, the link between intelligence and...
2022-04-041h 32The Escaped Sapiens PodcastWhen Nuclear Powers Meet | Ankit Panda | Escaped Sapiens #34This is a conversation with Ankit Panda about nuclear proliferation and deterrence. Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. An expert on the Asia-Pacific region, his research interests range from nuclear strategy, arms control, missile defense, nonproliferation, emerging technologies, and U.S. extended deterrence. We discuss: mutually assured destruction and mutual unacceptable damage - Kim Jong Un's foreign and domestic nuclear policies and capabilities. - The impact of Russian incursions into Ukraine on nuclear proliferation. - What the US, China, and Russia want from north Korea...
2022-03-171h 18The Escaped Sapiens PodcastForensic Science & the Insect Apocalypse | Mark Benecke | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #33.2This is the second part of a two part conversation with Mark Benecke, forensic biologist, forensic entomologist, NRW state chairman for German's Die Partei, chairman of the Pro Tattoo association, and much more. Both halves can be watched independently for the most part. Mark investigates how insect life develops at crime scenes. Because he works all over the world, I was wondering if he had seen a drop in insect populations during the past decades. There have been reports in Germany that populations have dropped by as much as 80% in recent years, but records are scant elsewhere in the...
2022-02-211h 22The Escaped Sapiens PodcastWhat We Learn At Crime Scenes | Mark Benecke | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #33.1This is the first part of a two part conversation with Mark Benecke, forensic biologist, forensic entomologist, NRW state chairman for German's Die Partei, chairman of the Pro Tattoo association, and much more. We discuss modern forensic techniques, the impact of wealth and power on justice and the law, training to become a forensic scientist, what forensic entomology can teach us about the drop in insect popultions, psychopaths, the Epstein trial, data protection laws, and the future of criminal investigation. Note: This episode was originally edited for publication on Mark's channel. The outro was scripted with this in mind...
2022-02-211h 03The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe World’s First Planetary Defense Mission | Andy Rivkin | Escaped Sapiens #32This is a conversation with Planetary Astronomer Andy Rivkin. Andy is the co-investigation team lead for NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, being designed, built, and managed by the Applied Physics Lab at John Hopkins University. The DART mission is the first demonstration of the kinetic impactor technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space. We discuss the current readiness of earths planetary defenses, the physics behind re-directing asteroids, and the DART mission itself.
►View on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/O0cJnYR2M1A
►For more information about Andy's work: https://secwww.jhuapl...
2022-02-071h 48The Escaped Sapiens PodcastWhen Civilization Ends | Ian Morris | Escaped Sapiens #31This is a conversation with archaeologist, historian, and professor of classics Ian Morris at Stanford University. Ian has written extensively about the progress of civilization from hunter gatherer times until now. We discuss the drivers of civilization, and the impact that religion and war have on technological and social development.
►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/f05Ogv0Wr24
►For more information about Ian's work, and a list of written works see: https://classics.stanford.edu/people/ian-morris
2022-01-242h 39The Escaped Sapiens PodcastFusion Energy Is Coming | Thomas Sunn Pedersen | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #30This is a conversation with Thomas Sunn Pedersen, Director of the Stellarator Edge and Divertor Physics Division at the Greifswald branch of the Max-Planck Institute of Plasma Physics in Germany. Thomas explains the progress that has occurred in fusion research over the past few decades, and how far away are we are from creating practical fusion reactors. He also discusses the obstacles that still need to be overcome, and the potential social, political, and environmental impacts of fusion technology.
►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zWAJ0QylWig
►Find out more about Thomas' research here: https://www...
2022-01-101h 56The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Price We Pay For Carbon (Climate Change) | Glen Peters | Escaped Sapiens #29In this episode of the podcast I speak with Glen Peters who is research director at the Center for International Climate Research in Norway. Glen's research focuses on human drivers of climate change, the global carbon cycle, bioenergy, sustainable consumption, international trade and climate policy, emission metrics, and more. The underlying political and economic drivers of climate change are complicated, and the issue has become political. My goal in this discussion was to get a more realistic understanding of what climate change actually means. What is the damage that we have already done, and what can we expect moving...
2021-12-281h 45The Escaped Sapiens PodcastHow Your Evolved Psychology Controls You | Diana Fleischman | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #28One of the most interesting features of human intelligence is that it comes with personality. We aren't all the same and our thoughts aren't purely logical. They are instead sculpted by our level of hunger, how tired we are, the presence of mind altering drugs in our systems, our sexuality, stress, and any number of internal and external factors. So how did humans end up with our peculiar psychology, and what sort of control does our evolutionary past have over the thoughts we are able to have and the behaviors we are able to express as individuals? In this...
2021-11-241h 53The Escaped Sapiens PodcastDiet And The Environment | Marion Nestle | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #27 (Part 2 - Out-Takes)After my interview with Marion we discussed diet choices and their impact on the environment. Marion Nestle was the Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. She was also a professor of Sociology at NYU and a visiting professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University.
►Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/n6bJcz9Pf3k
►Find out more about Marion's research here: https://www.foodpolitics.com/
►And here: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/people/marion-nestle
►Marion's books can be found here: https://www.amaz...
2021-11-2215 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastWho Controls What You Eat? | Marion Nestle | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #27 (part 1)Our food system is complicated, and there are many competing interests that determine which products end up on shelves for purchase. In this episode of the podcast Marion Nestle discusses the different factors that control the food that ends up on your plate. We cover the influence of advertising, corporate influence on health research and policy, and positive the impact that individual consumers are able to have. Marion Nestle was the Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. She was also a professor of Sociology at NYU and a visiting professor of...
2021-11-161h 13The Escaped Sapiens PodcastHow Did Life Begin and Where Are All The Aliens? | David Catling | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #26How did life begin? Where are all the aliens? For most of human history these questions have been the realm of speculation. Today however, we have rovers on Mars, large space telescopes, and a deep understanding of evolution and biochemistry. So what does the science say? In the episode of the podcast I speak with Professor David Catling, astrobiologist, and planetary scientist at the University of Washington, whose research focuses on understanding the differences between the evolution of planets, their atmospheres, and their potential for life.
►Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/jN6YMa16CM...
2021-10-121h 58The Escaped Sapiens PodcastHow Disgust Has Evolved to Help you Survive | Dan Fessler | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #25How do the different kinds of disgust (sexual, political, hygiene, insects, cultural, etc) relate to each other? How are our feelings of disgust formed, and what role do genetics and upbringing play? How is it that disgust is switched off or even inverted when interacting with family members or during sex, and how are studies on disgust are actually done?
►Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/RQAZhDh3rVQ
►Find out more about Dan's work here: http://www.danielmtfessler.com/ https://anthro.ucla.edu/person/daniel-m-t-fessler/
2021-10-062h 45The Escaped Sapiens PodcastCan We Beat Climate Change? | Ketan Joshi | Escaped Sapiens #24Ketan Joshi is a full time communications consultant, freelance writer, analyst, researcher and author. For the past decade Ketan has been researching everything that has gone wrong in the fight against climate change, with the hope of using our past mess to highlight realistic paths towards a Fossil Free Future. In this episode of the podcast Ketan provides a realistic picture of climate change, and outlines some of the less obvious social blockades to decarbonizing. We end on a brief overview of the personal steps that can be taken to lower one's own carbon footprint, touching on divestment, lifestyle...
2021-10-061h 22The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Science of Propaganda | Oliver Boyd-Barrett | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #23 (Part 1)This episode of the podcast focuses on the effects of developments in science and technology on our society - and in particular on the science of propaganda. I speak with Professor Oliver Boyd-Barrett from Bowling Green State University about the influence that social media, cyber warfare and hacking, bot armies, troll farms, and other technologies have on the spread of disinformation and misinformation throughout our society. Who is it that really wields power in the world? Note: At 01:41:50 Oliver introduces a thought experiment in which he describes the western view of the treatment of Uyghur's in China's Xinjian province...
2021-09-131h 46The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Science of Propaganda | Oliver Boyd-Barrett | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #23 (Part 2)This is part two of an interview with Oliver Boyd-Barrett. This episode of the podcast focuses on the effects of developments in science and technology on our society - and in particular on the science of propaganda. I speak with Professor Oliver Boyd-Barrett from Bowling Green State University about the influence that social media, cyber warfare and hacking, bot armies, troll farms, and other technologies have on the spread of disinformation and misinformation throughout our society. Who is it that really wields power in the world?
►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KdS5epaoYGY
►Find out m...
2021-09-132h 00The Escaped Sapiens PodcastSurvival at Sea, Human Endurance and Ingenuity | Steve Callahan | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #22Steve Callahan is an inventor, sailor, Naval architect, and author. In 1981 Steve lost `Napoleon Solo', a ship he designed and built, during a storm in the mid Atlantic, and spent the next 76 days adrift on an inflatable rescue boat. Steve very kindly agreed to share his story. We discuss the event itself, but also the way that it has shaped his view of the world, and subsequently coloured his life - from further world travels and sailing, to working on set of `The Life of Pi'. This is a conversation that ranges from the gritty realism of eating raw...
2021-09-062h 39The Escaped Sapiens PodcastDeep Fakes and Manipulated Media | Matthew F. Ferraro | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #21Matthew F. Ferraro is an attorney and former intelligence officer who writes widely on national security and legal issues. Matt is currently a counsel at the international law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, and a visiting fellow at the National Security Institute at George Mason University. (The views Matt expressed here are his own.) In this episode of the podcast we discuss the development of deep fake technology from a policy and legal standpoint. What impact does deepfake technology have on the spread of disinformation and misinformation? What are the implications of this new technology for the...
2021-08-231h 23The Escaped Sapiens PodcastEnvironmental pragmatism and living a good life | Tim Flannery | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #20Tim Flannery is a Mammologist, palaentologist, environmentalist, conservationist, and explorer. He was named Australian humanist of the year in 2005 and Australian of the year in 2007. Tim served as chief commissioner of the Australian Climate Commission and is currently leading the Climate council. He has discovered more than 30 mammal species, and and discovered cretaceous fossils that that extended the Australian mammal fossil record back 80 million years. In 2018 Tim played a key role in putting an end to a 91 year old cycle of killings in the Solomon islands. In this episode of the podcast we discuss first contact with indigenous tribes...
2021-08-1652 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastSpace Junk | Jonathan McDowell | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #19Jonathan McDowell is an astrophysicist at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who studies black holes, quasars and X-ray sources in galaxies, as well as supporting the development of data analysis software for the X-ray astronomy community. In addition to his research Jonathan runs `Jonathans Space Report', which is a newsletter that has been running since 1989 that reports on recent space launches, International Space Station activities and space craft developments. In this episode of the podcast Jonathan discusses space junk, where it comes from, why it is a problem, and possible solutions for cleaning it up.
►Watch th...
2021-08-091h 41The Escaped Sapiens PodcastThe Missing Science of Men‘s Reproductive Health | Rene Almeling | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #18Rene is an Associate Professor of Sociology, History of Medicine, American Studies, and Public Health (Health Policy) at Yale university. Her research focuses on gender and medicine. We discuss the historic lack of research attention in men's reproductive health, and the impact this has had, and continues to have on the individual lives of men, as well as on health policy and research funding.
►Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/KXrifZYXvjw
►Find out more about Rene's research here:
https://sociology.yale.edu/people/rene-almeling Further information, including
►information about Rene's two po...
2021-08-091h 05The Escaped Sapiens PodcastXenobots - Robots or Synthetic Life? | Josh Bongard | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #17On this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor Josh Bongard who is one of the inventors of Xenobots. We discuss their development, their potential applications, and the moral and philosophical implications of their creation.
►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3B5WnPoXXpQ
►Check out Josh's staff page at the University of Vermont for more information:
https://www.uvm.edu/cems/cs/profiles/josh_bongard
2021-08-0945 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastDeanna Barch: How do our brains work? | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #16Deanna Barch is a professor of psychology, radiology, and psychiatry at Washington University. Deanna is a key contributor to the Human connectome project, which aims to build a network map of the anatomical and functional connectivity within the healthy human brain, as well as to produce a body of data that will facilitate research into brain disorders such as dyslexia, autism, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia. We discuss what is known about the way that our brain are connected, and the impact of stress and trauma on brain development.
More information about Deanna's work can be found here...
2021-07-1554 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastSteve Furber: Simulating the Human Brain | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #15How good is our understanding of the human brain, and how close are we to being able to simulate it? In this episode Steve Furber discusses SpiNNaker, an artificial neural network realized in hardware that incorporates over one million processor cores, and which is designed to simulate 1% of the neurons in the Human brain.
Find out more about Steve's work here: https://apt.cs.manchester.ac.uk/people/sfurber/ Follow him on twitter here: https://twitter.com/furbersteve?lang=en
2021-07-051h 33The Escaped Sapiens PodcastLuisa von Albedyll: Exploring the arctic | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #14Luisa von Albedyll discusses travelling to the arctic as part of the MOSAiC expedition. Polar bears, melting ice, global warming, and the beauty of the arctic.
Note: At the beginning of the interview, Luisa states rough numbers on the decline of Arctic sea ice extent and thickness. Here are the exact ones: Sea ice decline: In 1979, 7.05 million km2 of the Arctic ocean were covered at the end of the melt season (“minimum extent”) by sea ice. In 2020, this area had decreased to 3.92 million km2 (More information and animations: https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/) Sea ice thic...
2021-06-281h 32The Escaped Sapiens PodcastKatherine Moseby: Saving Australia's Endangered Mammals | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #13Katherine Moseby discusses the threats to Australian wildlife in arid zones, and in particular the threats due to introduced species such as feral cats, foxes, and rabbits. She explains how insurance species of certain endangered species are kept safe on small islands, and behind electrified fences. Her work will hopefully one day allow Australian native species to roam once again beyond the fences.
Find out more about Katherine's work here: https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/dr-katherine-moseby
2021-06-211h 29The Escaped Sapiens PodcastBrian Nosek: Is science in (reproducibility) crisis? | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #12Brian Nosek discusses the reproducibility project, a crowdsourced collaboration of 270 authors, which attempted to repeat 100 published experimental and correlational psychological studies. When the results of the study were released in 2015 it was a shock to the scientific world: only 36% of the studies replicated, and of those that replicated, many of their results were smaller than those in the original papers. So is there only a problem in psychology or does it go much further?
Find out more about Brian's work at the Center for Open Science: https://www.cos.io/
2021-05-0951 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastJulian Bayliss: Discovering new species in the lost forests of Africa | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #11This is the story of a conservationist and explorer. Julian Bayliss discusses his expeditions to the isolated and untouched rainforests of east Africa, in an effort to document and protect their rich biodiversity. We talk new species discovered, mysterious artefacts, and being chased by warthogs and African bees.
Find out more about Julian's work here: https://julianbayliss.co.uk/
2021-05-091h 25The Escaped Sapiens PodcastFiona Wood: Spray on Skin and healing burns victims | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #10Fiona Wood discusses the difficulties in treating burn injuries, and describes some of the new techniques that are being used today to reduce infection, scaring, pain, and long term complications.
To find out more about the great work being done by Fiona and her collaborators:
https://www.fionawoodfoundation.com/fiona-wood
2021-03-281h 06The Escaped Sapiens PodcastMichael Boyle: Drone Warfare | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #9Michael Boyle Discusses the rise of advanced drone technology, and its impact on conflict.
Find out more about Michael's research and publications here: https://www.fpri.org/contributor/michael-boyle/
2021-03-231h 30The Escaped Sapiens PodcastIain Kerr: Saving the whales by collecting their snot with Drones | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #8Iain Kerr discusses the new threats facing whales, including boat strikes, bycatch, resource depletion, environment destruction, plastics, and pollution. He also discusses the possible solutions, including the use of remote controlled drones to do non-invasive sampling of whale health. Find out more about Iain's work at Ocean Alliance here: https://whale.org/
2021-03-171h 40The Escaped Sapiens PodcastRobert Zubrin: Finding life on mars | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #7Robert Zubrin discusses the prospects of finding life on mars. Find out more about Robert's work at the Mars Society here: https://www.marssociety.org/news/2020/12/14/an-important-request-from-dr-robert-zubrin/
2021-03-1712 minThe Escaped Sapiens PodcastLee Cronin: Creating artificial life | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #6Lee Cronin discusses his work generating life in the laboratory, and the kind of processes that may have led to the origins of life on earth. Lee is the Regius Chair of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow in the UK. You can find out more about the work being done in the Cronin Lab here: https://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/
2021-03-081h 26The Escaped Sapiens PodcastRobert Zubrin: A blueprint for mars colonization | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #5Robert Zubrin discusses establishing a new branch of human civilization on the Red Planet.
Find out more about Robert's work at the Mars Society here:
https://www.marssociety.org/news/2020/12/14/an-important-request-from-dr-robert-zubrin/
Find out more about mars direct here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/009457659290130B
2021-03-011h 39The Escaped Sapiens PodcastKelly Lambert: Enhancing cognitive function through behavior | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #4Kelly Lambert Discusses the impacts that our experiences and environment might have on our mental resilience, stress, anxiety, and general cognitive function.
Find out more about Kelly's work at the University of Richmond:
https://www.kellylambertlab.com/
2021-03-011h 55The Escaped Sapiens PodcastDave Goulson: The worrying plight of the bumblebee | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #3Dave Goulson discusses the reasons for the decline in insect populations.
Find out more about Dave Goulson's work at the University of Sussex at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/goulsonlab/
In 2006 Dave founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which is a charity that aims to reverse the decline in the bumblebee population and can be found at https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/
Dave's Youtube can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbnBys2Hl1T26dzO_nbgbiw
Dave is also the Author of a number of popular books which can be f...
2021-03-011h 05The Escaped Sapiens PodcastBen Novak: Reviving extinct species | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #2Ben Novak discusses his work bringing back extinct species.
Find out more about Ben's work in de-extinction with revive and restore at
https://reviverestore.org/about-the-passenger-pigeon/
Some of Ben's research can be found here:
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/9/11/548/htm
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3260s35t
2021-03-011h 49The Escaped Sapiens PodcastGregg Suaning: Curing blindness with bionic eyes | Escaped Sapiens Podcast #1Gregg Suaning discusses his work on bionic eyes and cochlear implants.
Find out more about Gregg's work in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Sydney: https://www.sydney.edu.au/engineering/schools/school-of-biomedical-engineering.html
2021-03-0159 min
The Couples Therapist Couch138: Viral Hope Series part 3 with Jeanne FarnsworthThis is the third in a series of ten episodes that are about inspiration and hope during this time of Covid-19. Most of the interviewees are therapists and offer support and perspective for getting through stressful situations. The episodes were mostly recorded around early April. Thank you to Jeanne Farnsworth from North Dakota for joining us today and sharing her experience. Find out more about her practice at https://www.sweetbriarcounseling.com/ The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews...
2020-08-2523 min
Last Born In The Wilderness243 / Meeting Basic Human Needs / Shane BurleyIn this episode, I speak with author, journalist, and political researcher Shane Burley. We discuss mutual aid in the time of COVID-19, the Autumn of the Alt Right, and the underlying structure of conspiracy theories in the age of information.
We begin this discussion with Shane describing what mutual aid and solidarity looks like in our time of the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of workers in the United State without jobs as a result of widespread economic disruption and lack of a comprehensive government aid. From there, we move into what he explored in an earlier article he published at...
2020-04-131h 18
Last Born In The Wilderness209 / The Grift / Alexander Reid Ross + Shane BurleyIn this episode, I speak Alexander Reid Ross, author of Against the Fascist Creep, and Shane Burley, author of Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It.
I ask Alexander and Shane to discuss the curious case of Andy Ngo—right-wing provocateur, so-called “independent journalist” (https://nyti.ms/2lwcMuz), former Quillette editor, and grifter. (http://bit.ly/2lvaU5r) Ngo is best known for using his prominent social media platform to promote and spin provocative right-wing media narratives, demonstrated in his coverage of street clashes between antifascists and far-right groups over the past several years—most notoriously in Portland...
2019-09-091h 16
Last Born In The Wilderness181 / The Violent Myth of White Erasure / Shane BurleyAuthor, journalist, and political researcher Shane Burley returns to the podcast. We discuss the recent mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which an Australian white supremacist targeted Muslim worshipers at two separate mosques, murdering 50 people—the largest mass shooting in the nation’s history. We place this event within Burley’s larger analysis of far-right ideology and insurgency, which has been thoroughly examined in Shane’s journalism on the subject, as well as in previous interviews I have had with him.
// Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/shane-burley-3
// Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness
// Donate: https://www.paypal.m...
2019-03-281h 20
Last Born In The Wilderness175 / Behind Every Lone Wolf / Shane BurleyIn my second joint interview with RS, we speak with Shane Burley, journalist and author of Fascism Today: What It Is and How To End It. Our discussion covers numerous topics, including the "Intellectual Dark Web" (or, as Shane says, "the academics that circle around Joe Rogan for some reason"); the pseudoscientific claims surrounding race, ethnicity, and IQ; and an examination of observable patterns within far-right insurgency, as detailed in his recent Commune Magazine article, A History of Violence.
// Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/shane-burley-2
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2019-02-181h 27