SCIENCENTRIC

Mark Williams is a professor of cognitive neuroscience with over 25 years' experience conducting behavioral and brain imaging research. He regularly runs programs on the neuroscience of learning, the neuroscience of emotions, how our brains create our reality, and the impact of modern technologies on our brains. His latest book "The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World" explores how humanity's ability to connect and cooperate has made us a successful species, but is also responsible for many of society's chronic problems. **SUPPORT** Show your support and help us create more outstanding content! - Become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric - Subscribe to our free newsletter: https://sciencentric.com/newsletter/ - Check out our merch: https://sciencentric.com/store/ - Browse the recommended books in our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading - Collaborate with us at flowspark.com/digital **LINKS** -Mark's Book: "The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World" https://sciencentric.com/product/mark-williams-connected-species/ -Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-4b401354 -Explore Marks's website: https://www.drmarkwilliams.com/ **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, podcaster, science communicator, and creative entrepreneur. Eric was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and served as the lead digital producer for the long-running NATURE on PBS. He holds degrees in biochemistry from the University of Washington and science journalism from New York University. Eric now operates his own video production company and agency, FLOWSPARK MEDIA, which is the driving force behind Sciencentric. Connect with Eric on Instagram: http://instagram.com/erikthacreator **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** We value your feedback! Leave a comment or reach out to us at feedback@sciencentric.com. **FOLLOW US** Stay connected with us across various platforms: - YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric - Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric - Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric - Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/sciencentric --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sciencentric/message

Do you want to be more creative? Learn how you can unlock your own natural powers of creativity as Norwegian author and journalist Hilde Østby discusses her latest book "The Key to Creativity: The Science Behind Ideas and How Daydreaming Can Change the World." **SUPPORT** Show your support for our community and help us create more outstanding content! - Subscribe to our free newsletter: https://sciencentric.com/newsletter/ - Become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric - Browse the recommended books in our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading - Collaborate with us at flowspark.com/creative **LINKS** -Hilde's book: "The Key to Creativity: The Science Behind Ideas and How Daydreaming Can Change the World”: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity/dp/1771648309 -Explore Hilde's website (in Norwegian): https://www.forfatterhilde.com/ **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, podcaster, and journalist with a passion for science and the natural world. Eric was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and served as the lead digital producer for the PBS show NATURE. He holds degrees in biochemistry from the University of Washington and science journalism from New York University. Eric now operates his own video production company and agency, FLOWSPARK MEDIA, which is the driving force behind Sciencentric. Follow Eric on Instagram: http://instagram.com/erikthacreator Follow Eric on X (formerly known as Twitter): http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** We value your feedback! Leave a comment or reach out to us at feedback@sciencentric.com. **FOLLOW US** Stay connected with us across various platforms: - YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric - Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric - Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric - Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/sciencentric --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sciencentric/message

Have you ever wondered what happens when you hit the like button on Facebook or other social media apps? Come take a journey with us into the massive hidden infrastructure that supports all of our online activities. In this episode, journalist and documentary filmmaker Guillaume Pitron discusses his new book “The Dark Cloud: how the digital world is costing the earth”, which is all about the environmental and social costs of living in an increasingly digitized world. **SUPPORT** Show your support for our community and help us create more outstanding content! - Become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric - Browse the recommended books in our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading - Collaborate with us at flowspark.com/creative **LINKS** -Digital clean up day: https://www.digitalcleanupday.org/ -Guillaume's book: "The Dark Cloud: how the digital world is costing the earth” ": https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cloud-digital-world-costing-ebook/dp/B0BTJP9BD3 -Follow Guillaume on X: x.com/guillaumepitron -Explore Guillaumes website: https://www.guillaumepitron.com/ **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, podcaster, and journalist with a passion for science and the natural world. Eric was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and served as the lead digital producer for the PBS show NATURE. He holds degrees in biochemistry from the University of Washington and science journalism from New York University. Eric now operates his own video production company and agency, FLOWSPARK MEDIA, which is the driving force behind Sciencentric. Follow Eric on Instagram: http://instagram.com/erikthacreator **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** We value your feedback! Leave a comment or reach out to us at feedback@sciencentric.com. **FOLLOW US** Stay connected with us across various platforms: - YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric - Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric - Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric - Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Join us as we delve into the world of technological innovation inspired by nature with award-winning author and science journalist Kristy Hamilton. Kristy is a frequent contributor to notable publications like WIRED, Science Magazine, Hakai Magazine, Business Insider, Mongabay, and others. **SUPPORT** Show your support for our podcast and help us create more outstanding content! - Become a Patreon member: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric - Browse the recommended books in our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading - Collaborate with us at http://flowspark.com/creative **LINKS** -Kristy's book "Nature's Wild Ideas: How the Natural World is Inspiring Scientific Innovation": https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Wild-I... -Follow Kristy on Instagram: http://instagram.com/kristy_hamilton -Explore Kristy's Website: https://www.kristyehamilton.com/ **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, podcaster, and journalist with a passion for science and the natural world. Eric was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and served as the lead digital producer for the PBS show NATURE. He holds degrees in biochemistry from the University of Washington and science journalism from New York University. Eric now operates his own video production company and agency, FLOWSPARK MEDIA, which is the driving force behind this podcast. Follow Eric on Instagram: http://instagram.com/erikthacreator **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** We value your feedback! Leave a comment or reach out to us at feedback@sciencentric.com. **FOLLOW US** Stay connected with us across various platforms: - YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric - Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric - Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric - Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Bryn Nelson is a Seattle-based journalist who specializes in scientific, environmental, medical, and travel-related stories. His crappy new book is called “Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure” and it's all about humanity's relationship to our poop and how we can improve upon that…erm…relationship. Video version is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ8yDCeQGWw **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great content! Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast: http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure (Affiliate Link) https://amzn.to/3CxsAB7 Follow Bryn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/seattlebryn **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcaster with a passion for science and the natural world. He was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. He holds degrees in biochemistry from the University of Washington and science journalism from New York University. Eric currently runs his own video-based media company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this series. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Leave a comment or email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Jonathan Silvertown is a professor of evolutionary ecology in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of numerous books on ecology and evolution. His most recent book is called "The Comedy of Error: why evolution made us laugh." Video version is available here: https://youtu.be/B5KYVtnmORI **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great content! Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast: http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** The Comedy of Error: why evolution made us laugh (Affiliate Link) https://amzn.to/3DVEh7d Follow Jonathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jwsilvertown **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcaster with a passion for science and the natural world. He was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. He holds degrees in biochemistry from the University of Washington and science journalism from New York University. Eric currently runs his own video-based media company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this series. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Leave a review or email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Simon Prentis is the author of "SPEECH! How Language Made Us Human", an acclaimed exploration of human history through the lens of language. He is an experienced translator and interpreter who has worked with different cultures and languages in over fifty countries. Video version available here: https://youtu.be/4RDjqPz0ock **SUPPORT** Help support this series so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** SPEECH! How Language Made Us Human (Affiliate Link) https://sciencentric.com/link/speech-how-language-made-us-human/ Follow Simon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/memesovergenes **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcaster with a passion for science and the natural world. He was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. He holds degrees in biochemistry from the University of Washington and science journalism from New York University. Eric currently runs his own video-based media company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Leave a review or email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Johan Anderberg is a Swedish journalist and writer who has been a regular contributor to a number of Swedish and international media outlets, including Fokus, Sydsvenskan,andTheWall Street Journal. His book “The Herd: how Sweden chose its own path through the worst pandemic in 100 years” will be published in the U.S. this month. Video version available here: https://youtu.be/IPbWwTXvL_s **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** The Herd: How Sweden Chose Its Own Path Through the Worst Pandemic in 100 Years (Affiliate Link) https://sciencentric.com/link/the-herd-how-sweden-chose-its-own-path-through-the-worst-pandemic-in-100-years/ Follow Johan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/johananderberg **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcaster with a passion for science and the natural world. He was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own video-based media company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Host Eric R Olson and guest Michael Mills discuss the most interesting science stories of the day. Video version available here: https://youtu.be/dxHaxpF3Zgc **SUPPORT** Help support this channel so we can create more great science content! Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Are rats disease sponges or not? https://www.sciencealert.com/rats-aren-t-deadly-disease-sponges-like-we-think-and-scientists-explain-why Robot can chew and taste food (cool/weird video) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/may/04/robot-chef-imitates-human-chewing-process-create-tastier-food 2 out of 3 kids ages 1 to 4 have had coronavirus https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01231-y Disappearing Insects in the UK- https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/squashed-bugs-on-number-plates-suggests-terrifying-scottish-insect-declines-3680043 Pterosaurs had brightly-colored feathers. https://www.salon.com/2022/04/26/pterosaurs-had-brightly-colored-feathers-like-toucans-according-to-a-new-study/ **ABOUT OUR GUEST** Michael Mills is an actor, host, and science communicator based out of New York City. His passionate pursuit of different ways to educate audiences about the world of science has led him to roles as host of Tha L-Spot show, a bi-monthly round table styled talk-show catering to urban audiences on Brooklyn Access TV. Michael has also hosted videos from a diverse range of clients ranging from top scientific publishers such as the American Chemical Society to mainstream science publications such as INSIDER Science. While communication of science to marginalized communities is his main focus, Michael also spends time nurturing his talents as an illustrator, trained vocalist and performer, and avid video game lover. You can Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michealmills/ **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcaster with a passion for science and the natural world. He was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own video-based media company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** We'd love to hear from you...leave a comment below! Or email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric **MORE GREAT EPISODES** How to Use Your Brain with Neuroscientist Henning Beck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C56CkDhRtgw Sex and Monogamy with Biologist Carin Bondar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=533TuktX3Tw Eating Right for Your Microbiome with Journalist Katherine Courage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql5gEnQBzPY

Vincent Ho is an academic gastroenterologist who works as a researcher and senior lecturer at Western Sydney University in Sydney, Australia. He is also a practicing doctor who sees patients with all kinds of gut problems. In his spare time, he created a website and YouTube channel called Gut Doctor and is the author of the upcoming book The Healthy Baby Gut Guide due out in June of 2022. Video version available here: https://youtu.be/KXKc714hWoI **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** The Healthy Baby Gut Guide: Prevent Allergies, Build Immunity and Strengthen Microbiome Health From Day One (Affiliate Link) https://sciencentric.com/link/health-baby-gut-guide-vincent-ho/ Gut Dr. website https://www.gutdr.com/ **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcaster with a passion for science and the natural world. He was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own video-based media company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

KEITH SEIFERT is a Canadian mycologist who's spent more than forty years studying fungi on five continents. He's done research on microscopic fungi from farms, forests, food, and the built environment, as well as studied ways reduce fungal toxins and diseases affecting plants and animals. Keith is a former president of the International Mycological Association, an executive editor of Mycologia, an associate editor of several other scientific journals, and an adjunct professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Keith spoke to Sciencentric about his upcoming book “The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi: Exploring the Microscopic World in Our Forests, Homes, and Bodies.” Video version available here: https://youtu.be/BRWsPg0a7dw (Keith would like to acknowledge the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Public Understanding of Science, Technology and Economics program for the receipt of a grant to support the writing of this book.) **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi: Exploring the Microscopic World in Our Forests, Homes, and Bodies (Affiliate Link) https://sciencentric.com/link/the-hidden kingdom-of-fungi-exploring-the-microscopic-world-in-our-forests-homes-and-bodies/ Keith's curated “Fungi in the News” on Flipboard: https://flipboard.com/@stilbella/fungi-in-the-news-kk2a96v9z **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcaster with a passion for science and the natural world. He was Scientific American's first full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own video-based media company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Fred Pearce is an English author and journalist based in London. Over his 20-year career, he has traveled to 87 countries to write about the environment, science, and development issues. In this episode of The Sciencentric Podcast, he spoke about his upcoming book "A Trillion Trees: Restoring Our Forests by Trusting in Nature." Video version here: https://youtu.be/R4-F0Er6T3g **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** A Trillion Trees: Restoring Our Forests by Trusting in Nature https://sciencentric.com/link/a-trillion-trees/ (Affiliate Link) **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker and podcast host with a passion for science and the natural world. He was formerly Scientific American's full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Our guest in this episode is Dina Fine Maron, an Investigative Reporter for National Geographic covering Wildlife Crime. Dina was previously a health editor for Scientific American magazine and holds a master's degree in public health. In short, she knows a lot about wildlife trafficking and public health, and those appear to be two important factors in the origin of COVID. We discuss the connection between healthcare and wildlife crime, how COVID-19 could have made its way from bats into humans, whether there’s any evidence coronavirus originated in a lab, and what China is doing to prevent future pandemics. Watch the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ea61kCDtqw **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** National Geographic’s Wildlife Watch https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/topic/wildlife-watch What the mink COVID-19 outbreaks taught us about pandemics https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/what-the-mink-coronavirus-pandemic-has-taught-us China’s exotic farms may be a missing link behind the pandemic’s leap to people https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/chinas-exotic-wildlife-farms-may-be-a-possible-missing-link-behind-the-pandemics-leap-to-people 'Wet markets' likely launched the coronavirus. Here's what you need to know. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/coronavirus-linked-to-chinese-wet-markets **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, video producer, and podcast host with a passion for science and the natural world. He was formerly Scientific American's full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericrolson **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Our guest in this episode is Rémy Marion -- author, photographer, and documentary filmmaker. Rémy is a member of France’s national society of geographers and explorers, and an authority on bears. In particular, brown bears and polar bears, which he has been observing in the wild since the 1980s. His book, “On Being a Bear: Face to Face with Our Wild Sibling”, was recently translated into English and is set for release in the U.S. at the end of March 2021.The book delves into humanity’s two million-year-old love/hate relationship with bears, covers all the latest science on these fascinating creatures, and includes accounts of Remy’s up-close and personal encounters with bears...perhaps a little too up-close and personal. If you love bears, you’ll love his book. Video version here: https://youtu.be/U1m8A34kmPA **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** On Being a Bear: Face to Face with Our Wild Sibling https://greystonebooks.com/products/on-being-a-bear Remy’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/remy.marion.50 **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, video producer, and podcast host with a passion for science and the natural world. He was formerly Scientific American's full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the producer and publisher of this podcast. **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Our guest in this episode is German chemist, journalist, author, TV host and YouTube star Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim. Her first book, “Chemistry for Breakfast: The Amazing Science of Everyday Life,” has recently been translated into English. It follows a typical day in Mai’s life, drilling down into the molecules that make it all happen. It’s an interesting and entertaining read for anyone who likes to geek out on the science of everyday existence. We spoke about Mai about her journey from chemistry PhD to TV host and author, how she balances a passion for the truth with the demands of creating content, how science informs her philosophy of life, and her chemistry secret for making amazing chocolate desserts. **SUPPORT** Help support this podcast so we can create more great science content! Become a member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Purchase a book through our reading room: http://sciencentric.com/reading Browse the gear we use to create our videos and podcast http://sciencentric.com/gear **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Chemistry for Breakfast: The Amazing Science of Everyday Life https://greystonebooks.com/products/chemistry-for-breakfast **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, podcaster, and producer with a background in molecular biology and genetics. He was formerly Scientific American's full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. Eric currently runs his own company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA LLC, which is the publisher of this podcast. **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email us at feedback@sciencentric.com **FOLLOW US** YouTube: http://youtube.com/sciencentric Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

In our inaugural episode, we spoke with science and environmental journalist Rachel Nuwer about her book "Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking." We spoke about her process for writing the book, the time she spent with actual wildlife traffickers, and what can be done to stop the illegal wildlife trade--particularly in Asia. Help support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking http://www.rachelnuwer.com/poached **ABOUT THE HOST** Eric R Olson is a filmmaker, podcaster, and producer with a background in molecular biology and genetics. He was formerly Scientific American's full-time video producer and lead digital producer of the long-running PBS television show NATURE. He currently runs his own production company, FLOWSPARK MEDIA, which produces this podcast. **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

In this episode, we’re delving into some controversial topics. In fact, I really couldn’t think of more controversial topics than sex and gender and how the two relate. Much like religion or politics, how we understand sex and gender are fundamental to how we operate in the world and inspire a whole range of opinions--often in conflict with each other. But in the last five years or so, I’ve noticed some rather unusual ideas taking root. Number one is that distinct biological sexes don’t exist; sex categories like male and female are arbitrary and socially constructed and sex exists on some kind of “spectrum”, Number two is that gender is completely divorced from biology. Meaning that the gender you identify with and your outward expression of it, aren’t influenced by the sex you were born with. In my mind, denying these biological realities around sex and gender is to engage in science denialism. Most troubling is that these ideas are finding a mainstream voice in scientists who also moonlight as gender activists, giving them scientific credibility. And, unfortunately, denying science that’s inconvenient to ideology makes it impossible to reach any kind of consensus on public policy issues, particularly thorny ones like transgender rights or gender disparities in certain career fields. Diving headfirst into these issues is our guest Zach Elliot. Zach isn’t a scientist or a professional journalist, but rather an architecture student who sees himself as an educator. Zach has written a short book on sex and gender called the Gender Paradox. And he has also started producing videos about these subjects for YouTube. I actually first became aware of him on Twitter because of his activity debunking misinformation about intersex conditions, also known as Disorders of Sexual Development. Zach and I spoke about how he got interested in this topic as a non-scientist, how intersex conditions are misused in discussions of transgender rights, and his step-by-step guide for writing an article that muddies the water around these controversial topics. Help support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** The Paradox Institute https://www.theparadoxinstitute.com/pi.html Gamete competition, gamete limitation, and the evolution of the two sexes (Lehtonen & Parker) https://academic.oup.com/molehr/article/20/12/1161/1062990 **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

In this episode, we’re speaking to award-winning French journalist and documentary filmmaker Guillaume Pitron. For the last decade or so, Guillaume has been following the global trade in rare earth metals. There are around 30 of these metals and they can be found in virtually all of our electronic devices and in green technologies like solar panels and electric cars. Unfortunately, mining these materials come with heavy environmental and social costs. Mining generates massive amounts of polluted wastewater, which left untreated, poisons crops and makes people sick. Guillaume documents these issues in his 2018 book "Rare Metals War', which has recently been translated into English. I spoke to Guillaume about why rare earth metals are so important for consumer electronics, why the U.S. outsourced the mining of these metals mostly to China, and how companies like Apple and Tesla can make their products, which rely heavily on rare earth metals, more environmentally-friendly. Help support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Rare Metals War (book) https://scribepublications.co.uk/books-authors/books/the-rare-metals-war Guillaume's website https://www.guillaumepitron.com/about-guillaume **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

George Zaidan is the executive producer for the American Chemical Society and a former co-host of CNBC's “Make Me a Millionaire Inventor.” Most recently, he authored the book, “Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and On Us”. As the title suggests, “Ingredients” is about the chemistry of the food we eat and the products we use, but it’s more than that. It’s actually a crash course in epidemiology and epistemology. Epidemiology tells us if something is good or bad for us and epistemology looks at how we know what we think we know. Those topics may sound a little dry, but George has packed this book with his own brand of humor that will have you laughing from cover-to-cover. George and I spoke about understanding risk in both long-term and short-term scenarios, whether eating more processed foods really shortens our lifespans, and how a self-professed chemistry nerd ended up in the quagmire of nutritional epidemiology. Help support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put In Us and On Us https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/599202/ingredients-by-george-zaidan/ Eating Processed Foods Tied to Shorter Life (NY Times) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/well/eat/eating-processed-foods-longevity-death-mortality.html Ingredients Website http://ingredientsthebook.com **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentricA useful model or not?

In this episode, we speak with Carin Bondar, a biologist, writer, TV host, and public speaker. Carin is probably best-known for covering the topic at the forefront of everyone’s mind: sex. In various forms, she has documented all the strange and fascinating ways that animals approach enterprise reproduction--including us. As a presenter, Carin has appeared in shows for Discovery, Netflix, and an independent online video series “Wild Sex”, which has reached millions of people worldwide. She’s also authored several books. “Wild Sex”, which shares the same name as her video series, looks at all the weird and wacky ways that animals mate and rear their young, drawing parallels to our own human condition. Her most recent book, “Wild Moms”, published in 2018, focuses on the post-coital side of reproduction, which is all about the survival of offspring, a responsibility that falls most heavily on the shoulders of females. And if she wasn’t busy enough, she still holds an adjunct professorship at the University of Fraser Valley in British Columbia and leads expeditions to Borneo to help citizen scientists discover new species. In our interview, we spoke about how she went from a crayfish biologist to stay-at-home mom to television host, what humans can learn about sex from animals, whether humans were designed for monogamy and much more. Help support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Wild Sex (Book) https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Sex-Science-Behind-Kingdom/dp/1681771667 Wild Sex (YouTube series) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLprl6grN2nB2DhNqJccISirm7KdZQ30o1 Wild Moms https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Moms-Motherhood-Animal-Kingdom/dp/1681776650/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=wild+moms&qid=1585503565&sr=8-2 Sex At Dawn https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007679QTG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Carin's Website http://carinbondar.com **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Anthony David is Director of the University of College London Institute of Mental Health. For twenty-eight years he was a consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in London. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Academy of Medical Sciences. His new book, "Into the Abyss: A Neuropsychiatrists Notes on Madness", explores several of his most challenging cases and examines the biological, psychological and sociological roots of mental illness. Help support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Into the Abyss: A Neuropsychiatrists Notes on Madness https://www.amazon.com/Into-Abyss-neuropsychiatrists-notes-troubled-ebook/dp/B07XYFZ2QB/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=into+the+abyss+anthony+david&qid=1582817823&sr=8-1 **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Brian D. Earp is a cross-disciplinary academic whose work draws on philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, history of science and medicine, and ethics. He is the Associate Director of the Yale-Hastings Program in Ethics and Health Policy at Yale University and Research Fellow in the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford. His new book, "Love Drugs: The Chemical Future of Relationships", builds a case for conducting research into drugs that affect the emotion we call love and explores the ethical implications for individuals and society. Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Love Drugs: The Chemical Future of Relationships https://www.amazon.com/Love-Drugs-Chemical-Future-Relationships/dp/0804798192 An un-consenting child, an unnecessary, invasive surgery: is there any moral difference between male and female circumcision? https://aeon.co/essays/are-male-and-female-circumcision-morally-equivalent A quick intro to the Integral Theory of philosopher Ken Wilber https://www.dailyevolver.com/theory/ Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New World" (video summary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raqVySPrDUE Parental Investment Theory and Sexual Selection (Trivers, 1972) http://www.roberttrivers.com/Robert_Trivers/Publications_files/Trivers%201972.pdf **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Mark Changizi is an evolutionary theorist, author, and entrepreneur. His work focuses on the ultimate foundations underlying why we think, feel and see as we do. He has made important discoveries such as why we see in color, why we see illusions, why we have forward-facing eyes, why the brain is structured as it is, why animals have as many limbs and fingers as they do, why the dictionary is organized as it is, why fingers get pruney when wet, where emotional expressions came from, and how we acquired writing, language and music. He has authored more than three dozen scientific journal articles and written three other books on his research, "The Brain from 25,000 Feet", "The Vision Revolution", and "Harnessed: How Language and Music Mimicked Nature and Transformed Ape to Man." He is working on his fifth non-fiction book on emotions and facial expressions, called "The Poker Origins of Emotional Expressions." Help support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE** Mark's paper on pruney fingers https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/328223 Harnessed: How Language and Music Mimicked Nature and Transformed Ape to Man https://www.amazon.com/Harnessed-Language-Mimicked-Nature-Transformed-dp-1935618539/dp/1935618539/ Language acquisition device (LAD) https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100051869 Evolution of red-green color vision (link to Mark's TEDx talk) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MWl58r4ZBk Vino Optics https://www.vino.vi/ **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Help support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sciencentric David A. Steen is a wildlife biologist who specializes in snakes and other "creepie crawlies." He is the author of the award-winning science blog Living Alongside Wildlife where he writes about natural history, ecology, and his own research. He's also been called the "best biologist on Twitter", using his presence on the platform to help people identify reptiles in their environment and debunk common wildlife myths, particularly about snakes. He explores many of these myths in his new book, "Secrets of Snakes" published this fall by Texas A&M Press. In this episode, we spoke to David about how to ID venomous snakes, the top three myths he’d like to dispel and whether daredevil personalities like Coyote Peterson and Steve Irwin help or hurt wildlife....and much more! Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com **RELATED LINKS** David's Website https://davidasteen.com Living Alongside Wildlife blog https://livingalongsidewildlife.com/ David on Twitter https://twitter.com/AlongsideWild "Secrets of Snakes" book https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Snakes-Science-Natural-History/dp/1623497973 **TELL US WHAT YOU THINK** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Receive 25% off any web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com A little over a week ago, Google announced they had achieved something called “quantum supremacy”, a powerful new way of computing that makes use of quantum principles. Google claims it's quantum processor can tackle a really difficult computational problem in about two and a half minutes--a task that would take the fastest classical supercomputer about 10,000 years. Researchers at IBM have contested that estimate and dialed it back to only two and half days. Whatever the true number is, we know Google’s processor is really fast--faster than any other computer preceding it and powered by quantum technology. Our guest in this episode, science writer George Musser, helps us unpack what quantum means and how quantum computing works. George has been writing about astronomy and physics, for over 25 years. He’s a contributing editor at Scientific American magazine and author of the book “Spooky Action at a Distance” all about the strange phenomena called quantum entanglement. **More to explore** George's article on AI and quantum computing for Quanta https://www.quantamagazine.org/job-one-for-quantum-computers-boost-artificial-intelligence-20180129/ George's website http://spookyactionbook.com Quantum entanglement videos for Scientific American https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z34ugMy1QaA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM3GOXaci7w The Integral Theory of Ken Wilber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integral_theory_(Ken_Wilber) **Tell us what you thought of this episode** Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

There is a growing body of scientific literature about video games. Not how their made, but how they impact our brains and our lives. Researchers are looking at questions like: do violent video games make us more violent in real life? Can games be addictive? Or, how much time sitting in front of the screen is really good for us? Our guest in this episode, psychology professor Pete Etchells, has taken an in-depth look at the research around video games in his new book, “Lost In a Good Game: Why We Play Video Games and What They Can Do for Us.” We talked about some common concerns parents, in particular, have about so-called screen time. The positive impact video games can have on our lives, including a touching personal story of Pete’s. And we spent a good deal of time talking about the common pitfalls of psychology research, which not only affect the study of video games, but literally every other sub-discipline of psychology. Links: Pete's website: https://www.peteetchells.com/ -- Receive 25% off your new web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com -- Tell us what you thought of this episode: Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

We may marvel at the precision and efficiency of computers, wishing our brains operated in much the same way. We’d remember everything perfectly, we’d never feel bored or get distracted, we’d have laser-like focus, we’d be on all the time…. But not so fast, says our guest, neuroscientist Henning Beck. Henning is a writer, speaker, consultant and author of the forthcoming book “Scatterbrain: How the Mind’s Mistakes Make Humans Creative, Innovative, and Successful.” He says what we perceive as our brain’s “flaws” are actually the things that make us uniquely human and in some ways more capable than computers. We spoke about how the human brain actually works, how tech companies are using our distractibility against us and what we can do to use our brains in the most productive way possible. Links: Pre-order your copy of “Scatterbrain” https://sciencentric.com/link/scatterbrain-how-the-minds-mistakes-make-humans-creative-innovative-and-successful/ Henning Beck’s website https://www.henning-beck.com/english/about-me/ -- Receive 25% off your new web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com -- Tell us what you thought of this episode: Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

In this episode, we’re talking about the most exciting thing to happen in biology in the last ten years--the development of the CRISPR-CAS9 gene-editing system, more commonly known as CRISPR. It’s a molecular tool that allows scientists to make precise changes to DNA, even within living cells. In the near future, CRISPR will have an impact on pretty much everything--from medicine to conservation to the very food we eat. Our guest, Nessa Carey, knows the story of CRISPR well. Nessa is a molecular biologist who worked in the biotech industry for 13 years and a visiting professor at Imperial College London. Her new book, “Hacking the Code of Life: How Gene Editing Will Rewrite Our Futures” examines the origins of CRISPR and gives us a glimpse of what we can expect from the technology in the future. While it’s mostly positive, there are some areas of concern, particularly in regards to editing the human genome. We discuss all of this and more, so give it a watch. Links: Hacking the Code of Life: How Gene Editing Will Rewrite Our Futures https://sciencentric.com/link/hacking-the-code-of-life-how-gene-editing-will-rewrite-our-futures/ -- Receive 25% off your new web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com -- Tell us what you thought of this episode: Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

Daniel Pauly is a professor of marine biology at the University of British Columbia and principal investigator of the Sea Around Us Project, which seeks to understand the impact that fisheries have on the world’s oceans. His new book, "Vanishing Fish: Shifting Baselines and the Future of Global Fisheries", is a kind of greatest hits of his essays over the years. He is perhaps most famous for the essay he penned in 1995, in which he coined the phrase “shifting baselines”. The phrase describes our shifting perception, from generation to generation, about the normal state of Nature. The essay is widely-cited and the concept has now been applied to other generational paradigm shifts. In this wide-ranging interview, Pauly talks about the origin of the shifting baselines concept, the current state of the world’s ocean, why overfishing is a problem and what we as individuals can do about it. -- Receive 25% off your new web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com -- Tell us what you thought of this episode: Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

The gut microbiome is the collection of microbes living in our digestive tract and concentrated in the large intestine. Science is revealing that a healthy microbiome has a number of important benefits related to digestion, weight loss, the immune system and even our mood. What we eat has big impact on the health of our gut microbes. In this episode, we speak with science writer Katherine Harmon Courage about foods that sustain our intestinal flora. Her new book “Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome” took her around the world to sample foods that are good for the gut. -- Win a free copy of "Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome ". Enter here: http://sciencentric.com/giveaway -- Receive 25% off your new web hosting plan using the promo code "science": http://hostgator.com -- Tell us what you thought of this episode: Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric

One of the most polarizing political issues of the day is President Trump’s proposed border wall. An Executive Order he signed in 2017 calls for a “contiguous, physical wall or other...impassable...barrier” along the entire U.S. Mexico border. The idea being that an unbroken, impassable wall would help deter illegal immigration and drug trafficking. According to a visual survey by USA Today, only about 650 miles of the nearly 2000-mile border is fenced. About half of that fencing can stop people on foot. The other half only prevents vehicles from crossing. Trump’s supporters see the wall as a necessary step to secure our borders and protect our national sovereignty. Critics see it as ineffective, xenophobic and even racist. What we hear less about is how such a wall would impact the creatures whose range crisscrosses the border. A 2017 study by professors at the National Autonomous University of Mexico found 841 species would be affected by a large impassable barrier. What's more, Trump’s wall would cut through several important ecosystems and centers of biodiversity like the Sonoran desert and the National Butterfly Center. In this episode, I spoke with John Platt, editor of the environmental news website The Revelator. John and other writers for the site have covered this issue extensively since the Revelator launched in 2017. We talked about which species would be affected by The Wall, if there are other ways to protect our border that would be less intrusive and how likely it is for Trump’s magnus opus to ever see completion. -- Help support this podcast: http://sciencentric.com/support Check out our reading room for great science books: http://sciencentric.com/reading -- -- Links: Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg3HxJxrow0 The Revelator's coverage of the border wall https://therevelator.org/tag/border-wall/ -- Tell us what you think of this episode: Email: feedback@sciencentric.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook: http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter: http://twitter.com/sciencentric Border wall image courtesy of Wonderlane via Flickr

Who can forget the classic 1993 movie Jurassic Park? In that film, scientists extracted dino DNA from mosquitoes trapped in amber fossils and used it to bring back all kinds terrifying creatures--from the mighty T-rex to overgrown velociraptors. Fast forward to 2019 and we’ve yet to create dinosaurs, or any other creatures, by extracting ancient DNA. It turns out DNA molecules degrade pretty quickly, leaving us without the necessary blueprints to reconstruct extinct animals. But that doesn’t mean scientists have given up on de-extinction. There are a number of projects underway to bring back the woolly mammoth, the passenger pigeon, the auroch (an ancestor of modern cows), and, yes, even dinosaurs. And there are other projects trying to resuscitate more recently extinct animals like the Pyrenean Ibex and animals teetering on the edge of extinction such as the Northern White Rhino. These pioneering experiments are the subject of the book “The Re-Origin of Species” by Swedish journalist Torill Kornfeldt. I spoke to Torill about what motivates the scientists behind de-extinction, how cutting edge genetic techniques are being used to mold living species into extinct ones and why many conservationists are critical of the whole enterprise. Help support this podcast: http://sciencentric.com/support Check out our reading room for great science books: http://sciencentric.com/reading Links: The Re-Origin of Species: a second chance for extinct animals https://www.amazon.com/Re-Origin-Species-second-extinct-animals/dp/194753436X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1552596437&sr=8-1-spell -- Tell us what you think of this episode: Instagram http://instagram.com/sciencentric Facebook http://facebook.com/sciencentric Twitter http://twitter.com/sciencentric Email sciencentric@gmail.com

About six years ago, a wildlife biologist noticed a pack of mysterious creatures living on Galveston Island, a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Texas. The creatures looked an awful lot like coyotes, but also red wolves, an ancient coyote-wolf hybrid that had been extinct in the wild for nearly 40 years. Eventually, scientists collected DNA samples from the mystery creatures, tested and analyzed them. The results showed they were coyotes harboring genes from the red wolf. This meant that even though the red wolf disappeared from the area long ago--at least in dog years--its genes lived on through coyotes. Our guest today is Elizbeth Heppenheimer, a Princeton biologist who studied the DNA samples from Galveston’s mystery canids. Her work was published late last year in the science journal Genes. Elizabeth and I spoke about the study, what it means for conservation of the red wolf and why canid species seem to have trouble keeping their genes to themselves. Read the full study here: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/9/12/618 Help support future episodes of this podcast: http://sciencentric.com/support/ Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wow4qgMRMsM

As adults, our odds of dying doubles about every eight years. However, a high-profile paper published in Science this summer seems to tell a different story; past age 80 those increasing odds slow down and almost completely level off past 100, In this episode, we speak with Saul Newman, a biologist at the Australia National University in Canberra, who says this "mortality plateau" probably isn't real and can be chalked up to both sloppy science and problems with how the data was collected. Support us on Patreon: bit.ly/2GjxdoL Check our list of recommended science books: bit.ly/2zOIiYU Links: Human mortality 'plateau' may be statistical error, not hint of immortality https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/p-hm121118.php Errors as a primary cause of late-life mortality deceleration and plateaus https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2006776

Is the broiler chicken an icon of the anthropocene--an era when humans are are radically altering the biology and geology of the planet? A new paper out of the UK says so and we take a look at the authors' argument. Support us on Patreon: bit.ly/2GjxdoL Check our list of recommended science books: bit.ly/2zOIiYU Links: How chickens became the ultimate symbol of the Anthropocene https://theconversation.com/how-chickens-became-the-ultimate-symbol-of-the-anthropocene-108559 The broiler chicken as a signal of a human reconfigured biosphere https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.180325

We explore the latest news out of China that a scientist has created genetically-modified babies using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system. Support us on Patreon: https://bit.ly/2GjxdoL Check our list of recommended science books: https://bit.ly/2zOIiYU Links: The He Lab YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0MrOF3n_8ZrklRxAm4zoA_zBiG7mvMU4 Why Are Scientists So Upset About the First Crispr Babies? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/health/crispr-gene-editing-embryos.html First CRISPR Babies: 6 Questions That Remain https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-crispr-babies-6-questions-that-remain/ What are genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9? https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/genomicresearch/genomeediting The Infamous CRISPR Baby Scientist Is Missing https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a25383837/crispr-baby-scientist-he-missing/ How to respond to CRISPR babies https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07634-0