The Escaped Sapiens Podcast

For 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 from George Mason University. Bryan uses a range of techniques and tools from economics to analyze today's most important social issues from a quantitative standpoint. We discuss whether the status of women as a minority or victim class still remains compatible with an evidence based approach to building a fairer, more empathetic, and more egalitarian society in 21st century western democracies. Note: I am currently looking for a feminist academic to balance the viewpoint presented here. If you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMjEDRe5qck8BluVfFUS05iCMeAeG1F6Htng31a9qPD8w8nw/viewform ►Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/yOf555BoJ9k ►For more information about Bryan's work: http://www.bcaplan.com/ ►For Bryans book on feminism see: https://amzn.to/3AZ9lQl These conversations are 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 humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests.

In 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 enjoy the abundance and diversity of the sea. What emerges is a nuanced picture of ocean protection that involves tradeoffs between the protection of different land and ocean ecosystems, political motives, and economics. 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 humanity. ►For more information about Trevor's work: https://fish.uw.edu/faculty/trevor-branch/ ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2pds5UDB380

In 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 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 humanity. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mY0MB0J4vTs ►For more information about Michael's work: https://allencenter.tufts.edu/our-team/michael-levin/ https://icdorgs.org/people/ SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens Subscribe

What 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 humanity. This episode of the podcast was made as a collaboration with the Bucharest science festival, to help spread the joy of Science in Romania. For more information see: https://www.bucharestsciencefestival.ro/ ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JX2kYWJEeD4 ►For more information about Alex and his work see: https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/a-muntz ►Tear stimulation device: https://pricevisiongroup.com/conditions/dry-eye/truetear/ SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

This 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 war. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KbRxQ_CGAsU ►The views expressed in this conversation by John are his own, and he is not acting as a representative of his other affiliations. For more information about John and his work see: https://mwi.usma.edu/staff/john-spencer/ ►Subscribe And Turn On All Notifications To See More: https://www.youtube.com/c/EscapedSapiens?sub_confirmation=1 SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

Note: 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 work, and a full list of written works see: https://classics.stanford.edu/people/ian-morris SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

On 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 also a Fellow of the University of British Columbia’s Outer Space Institute. We discuss the limits of remote research on other planets. How do scientists use meteorite impacts, and other geological signs to date a planet? What tools do the rovers have to look for life? Who gets naming rights when something interesting is found? After colonization will the rovers end up in a museum on mars? If the orbits of mars and Venus were switched, would Venus become a habitable planet like earth? These questions and more. ►View on YouTube https://youtu.be/73_ZflnnYGM ►For more information about Tanya: https://www.tanyaharrison.com/about/ ►Follow Tanya on Twitter: @tanyaofmars ►Intro music by NEFFEX SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

In 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 develop. What unfolds is a story about building two headed organisms, re-growing the legs and other organs of frogs, and the dream of one day curing cancer, reverse aging, and the cure for all current medical conditions with the exception of infectious disease. The story also touches on the definition of life and intelligence, and how the world might look once we are able to design our own organisms. Big thanks to Patreon Subscriber Bruce Burman for suggesting this guest. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6Q59Zx-h2Jc ►For more information about Michael's work: https://allencenter.tufts.edu/our-team/michael-levin/ https://icdorgs.org/people/ SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

In 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. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_bU4RCneXeM ►For more information about Daniel's work: https://eden-iss.net/index.php/contact/ https://www.dlr.de/irs/ SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

How 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 personhood, the morals and ethics of doing science with highly intelligent animals, as well as the morals and ethics that animals themselves might have. ►Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/HQvfs94IZYI ►For more information about Irene's work, or if you would like to support her research: https://alexfoundation.org/ SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

This 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. - How Russian estrangement ties in with US geopolitical strategy. - New weapons like drones, hypersonics, and AI. - Chinas expansion in the Asia Pacific, US strategic insolvency, and peace ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PqC8C-Tn8YM ►For more information about Ankit's work including his podcast appearances, journal articles, books, etc: https://www.ankitpanda.com/about-me/ ►Follow Ankit on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nktpnd Note: This episode was filmed just before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. If you are interested in providing humanitarian support here is one option: https://unitedhelpukraine.org/ SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens

This 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 world. I was hoping that forensic science might be able to fill in the gaps! Apart from insects we discuss modern forensic techniques, the Epstein trial, data protection laws, psychopaths, and the future of criminal investigation. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fLIJNhSoMR4 ►For more information about Mark's work I highly recommend visiting his website, where you can find his research, a great gallery of photos, information about presentations, and more: https://home.benecke.com/ ►Mark also has an excellent YouTube channel, which I highly recommend. It is mostly in German, but there is also interesting English content: https://www.youtube.com/user/wwwSatankade/videos ► You can also find Mark on facebook and Instagram: https://fb.com/markbenecke & https://instagram.com/markito_benecke

This 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. Sorry if this causes any confusion. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WjfQ5LiK91I ►For more information about Mark's work I highly recommend visiting his website, where you can find his research, a great gallery of photos, information about presentations, and more: https://home.benecke.com/ ►Mark also has an excellent YouTube channel, which I highly recommend. It is mostly in German, but there is also interesting English content: https://www.youtube.com/user/wwwSatankade/videos ► You can also find Mark on facebook and Instagram: https://fb.com/markbenecke & https://instagram.com/markito_benecke

This 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.edu/SpaceScience/staff/ProfileView/49 ►Outside of his research Andy makes his own music, which can be found here: andyrivkin.bandcamp.com ►Thumbnail image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL ►Intro footage credit: JHU Applied Physics Laboratory https://dart.jhuapl.edu/Gallery/

This 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

This 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.ipp.mpg.de/1084854/pedersen ►Images and diagrams of ITER can be found here: https://www.iter.org/press ►Images at 00:16:16 and 00:19:39 taken with permission from T. Sunn Pedersen et al. Nature Communications 7, Article number: 13493 (2016) ►The short 20s clip at 00:38:00 labelled `Wigner RCP' was taken using a high time resolution camera, and shows the genesis and growth of the plasma in Wendelstein 7-X. It was provided by Centre for Energy Research in Hungary.

In 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 forward? Is climate change an existential threat? Have we reached peak carbon? What is being done by governments and what responsibility can we take on as individuals? ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3MALvjPYQ_M ►Find out more about Glen's work here: https://cicero.oslo.no/en/employee/30/glen-peters ►Find out about glens research here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EW93x94AAAAJ&hl=en ►Follow Glen on Twitter: @Peters_Glen

One 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 episode of the podcast I speak with evolutionary psychologist Dianna Fleischman to find out. Dianna unmasks some of the more wild and curious features of our evolved psychology - this is conversation that ranges from human sexuality and fetishes, to cannibalism, to the me too movement, to disgust sensitivity, to sex differences in behavior and cognition, to the impact that modern technology has on societal structure. ►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5cW4FrYBmtI ►Find out more about Diana's work here: https://dianaverse.com/ ►At 11:25 we discuss the Trobriand islands, a topic of which neither Diana or myself are experts. I will try to get an expert on the cultures of the Trobriand Islands on the program to dispel any myths. In the mean time more information can be found in this article by Gunter Senfr: https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_67147/component/file_468443/content

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.amazon.com/Marion-Nestle/e/B001ILIEEY%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share ►Follow Marion on twitter: @marionnestle

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 nutritional sciences at Cornell University. ►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OpO028GYt-o ►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.amazon.com/Marion-Nestle/e/B001ILIEEY%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share ►Follow Marion on twitter: @marionnestle

How 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/jN6YMa16CM8 ►Find out more about David's work here: http://faculty.washington.edu/dcatling/ ►David's astrobiology textbook can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Astrobiology-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0199586454 http://faculty.washington.edu/dcatling/

How 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/

Ketan 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 changes, and the decision to have children. ►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sLF2d3xcxSA ►For More information on Ketan's work: https://ketanjoshi.co/ ►Ketan's Book Windfall: https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/9781742236469/ https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Unlocking-fossil-free-Ketan-Joshi-ebook/dp/B08GPTHJNP ►The AR6 Climate Change 2021: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/

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 as being a product of western propagandists. Oliver wishes to make clear that this is a thought experiment and that he is unable to say with certainty that the Xinjiang narrative actually is such a product. Oliver wrote an article on this topic in which his concerns and uncertainties are better articulated, which can be found here: ►Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/QkO29wwiEt0 ►https://citizentruth.org/the-uyghur-question-struggling-to-monopolize-the-narrative/ ►Find out more about Oliver's work here: https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/media-and-communication/faculty-and-staff/oliver-boyd-barrett.html ►Oliver's books can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/102104.Oliver_Boyd_Barrett

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 more about Oliver's work here: https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/media-and-communication/faculty-and-staff/oliver-boyd-barrett.html ►Oliver's books can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/102104.Oliver_Boyd_Barrett

Steve 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 sea birds to survive, to touching philosophical thoughts about life and facing adversity. ►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/doyhLBmOAyk ►Find out more about Steve here: https://www.stevencallahan.net/schome.html ►Steve's book `adrift' can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618257322/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwstevencall-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399353&creativeASIN=0618257322

Matthew 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 balance of global power? Does manipulated media only have malicious uses or might it be used as a tool for good? What policy and legal frameworks are being implemented to ensure a positive outcome? ►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RwVMo7wwZUU ►Information about Matt's work can be found here: https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/people/matthew-ferraro ►Matt's personal website can be found here: http://matthewfferraro.com/ ►At 0:36:20 Matt discusses a news story which can be found here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/syrian-electronic-army-hackers-attack-guardian-twitter-accounts-8597629.html

Tim 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, tribal ceremonies, discovering species, climate change, the value of money, and how to have a good life. ►Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9rMXtmlRpJE ►Find out more about Tim's work at the Climate Council here: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/author/tim-flannery/ ►A list of Tim's books can be found here: https://groveatlantic.com/author/tim-flannery/ ►Find out more about Tim's work as a professorial fellow at University of Melbourne here: https://www.climatecollege.unimelb.edu.au/speaker/prof-tim-flannery

Jonathan 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 this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/BMdw1VueAiw ►Check out Jonathan's space report here: https://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/jsr.html ►Find out more about Jonathan's research here: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/people/jonathan-mcdowell ►Visit Jonathan's personal website here: https://planet4589.org/jcm/index.html

Rene 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 popular books can be found here: https://www.renealmeling.com/

On 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

Deanna 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: https://psych.wustl.edu/people/deanna... https://sites.wustl.edu/ccplab/people... Information about the Human Connectome Project can be found here: https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/

How 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

Luisa 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 thickness: Over a time of six decades, between the pre-1990 period and the recent years (2011-2018), the average thickness near the end of the melt season decreased from 3 m to 1 m (Kwok 2018, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aae3ec)” Find out more about Luisa's work at the Alfred Wegener Institute here: https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/organisation/staff/luisa-von-albedyll.html

Katherine 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

Brian 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/

This 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/

Fiona 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

Michael 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/

Iain 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/

Robert 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/

Lee 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/

Robert 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

Kelly 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/

Dave 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 found at https://www.amazon.de/Dave-Goulson/e/B001HPXIWY%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Ben 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

Gregg 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