Podcasts about organismic

Super-organisms, such as insect societies, solve complex problems collectively without centralized planning, achieving outcomes on scales far larger than the individual. This talk examines how social insects regulate their environments by constructing and deconstructing functional architectures, linking physics and behavior through local sensing and global environmental fields. The speaker will also discuss experiments with simple robots to explore these collective behaviors, offering insights into broader patterns of collective intelligence in nature and beyond. Speaker L. Mahadevan, Professor of Physics, de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

Alan, an ant enthusiast since childhood, is joined by Susanne Foitzik, author of Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors. She explains that while queens start colonies and lay eggs, they don't control the colony. Worker ants take on specialized roles like brood care and foraging, with older ants handling riskier tasks. Ants communicate through pheromones and use impressive navigation skills. Some species, like the Argentine and fire ants, thrive in new environments due to human transport, forming super colonies. Susanne's current research focuses on how ants regulate labor division and how parasites impact their behavior and longevity.     Guest Bio Dr. Susanne Foitzik is a professor of evolutionary biology, Vice Dean of the biology faculty, and Acting Director of the Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolutionary Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. She has held academic positions at Ludwig Maximilian University, the University of Regensburg, and as a postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University. With a doctoral degree in biology and a habilitation in zoology, Susanne is widely published and the author of Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors, a captivating exploration of ant behavior and ecology.       Show Notes (2:12) How many species of ants there are (3:46) The role of ant queens and how they're made (5:55) The different functions ants take on in the colony (9:01) How nests are created (11:02) How ants communicate and navigate (16:01) How certain ants have developed the ability to maintain livestock and how they do it (19:01) Ants' more aggressive behaviors (22:34) What turns ants into “zombies” (25:34) The social immune system of ants (28:42) Invasive species of ants (32:39) Understanding ant-tink (34:31) What Susanne is working on now     Links Referenced Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors: https://www.amazon.com/Superpowers-Six-Legs-Hidden-Lives/dp/1615197125

Dr. Mansi Srivastava is Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Her lab uses distantly related species to study evolution and regeneration. She talks about establishing Hofstenia miamia, or the three-banded panther worm, as a model system. She also discusses her lab's work on adult stem cell lineage tracing and whole-body regeneration in Hofstenia, as well as her scientific outreach efforts.

Brian D. Farrell, Harvard Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Entomology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, talks about his latest research with mosquitos and other insects.

Damien Bohler is a pragmatic visionary, synthesist, and deep diver committed to the future of humanity through the lens of relationship. Known for his ability to translate complex concepts into accessible, embodied practices, Damien explores diverse aspects of human connection, from Authentic Relating and Attachment Theory to Sexuality, boundaries, nervous system regulation, and much more. As the founder and head facilitator at Evolve Relating, his mission is to weave these elements into a dynamic, practical framework that supports us in truly thriving in life and love. In this conversation, Rachel Rickards and Damien explore the profound changes that parenthood brings, particularly as Damien navigates his experience as a new father. They discuss the transformation that comes with parenting, the deepening of intimacy, and the magic of witnessing his son Kairos's growth. Damien shares his career evolution, from studying environmental science to becoming a facilitator focused on authentic relating and circling practices. They delve into his facilitation journey, highlighting the power of relational skills and interpersonal dynamics in creating meaningful connections. As they continue, Damien reflects on pivotal experiences shaping his understanding of intimacy and attachment. He discusses the challenges technology poses to human connection, the concept of organismic consciousness, and the role of awareness in fostering interconnectedness. The conversation concludes with practical insights for cultivating relational growth, authenticity, and the skills needed for the evolution of relationships in our lives.   Subscribe to my mailing list: https://rachelrickards.myflodesk.com/subscribe   Connect with Damien https://www.evolverelating.com   Connect with Rachel  *REGISTER FOR THE FIELD ONLINE FACILITATOR TRAINING* (Trauma Informed and Certified) With Catherine Hale, Starting February 2025!! https://www.the-field.com/online   Website  Join our community: The Field Facilitation Collective ໑ In Presence We Trust https://www.facebook.com/groups/1222579331960644   Rachel Rickards  https://rachelrickards.com   The Field Facilitator Training www.the-field.com   Facebook   Rachel Rickards www.facebook.com/rachrickards    The Field Facilitator Training https://www.facebook.com/TheFieldFacilitator

Coconut crabs are the giants of the tropical islands in the Indo-Pacific, growing up to a staggering three feet wide. But here's the twist: coconut crabs are not crabs at all. They're evolutionary imposters. Guest: Dr. Joanna Wolfe, Professor in the Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do animals keep evolving into crabs? Coconut crabs are the giants of the tropical islands in the Indo-Pacific, growing up to a staggering three feet wide. But here's the twist: coconut crabs are not crabs at all. They're evolutionary imposters. Guest: Dr. Joanna Wolfe, Professor in the Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University View From Victoria: No changes after all that counting and recounting! We get a local look at the top political stories with the help of Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer. Scott's Thoughts: How Airlines are shaming bad flyers Guest: Scott Shantz, Contributor for Mornings with Simi Will the attempted revolt against Trudeau impact the federal election? A recent revolt among some Liberal MPs against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership didn't succeed in removing him, but political analyst Lori Turnbull suggests the tensions may damage the party's electoral chances. Guest: Dr. Lori Turnbull, Professor in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University Why would anyone volunteer to increase their rent? Guest: Robert Patterson, Lawyer and Tenant Advocate with the Tenant Resource and Advisory Center Should the Conservative candidate for Juan de Fuca-Malahat be removed? BC Conservative candidate Marina Sapozhnikov, who is awaiting a recount in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding, referred to Indigenous Peoples as “savages” during an election-night interview, stating that before European contact, they “didn't have any sophisticated laws. They were savages. They fought each other all the time.” Guest: Chief Clarence Louie, Tribal Chair of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Monday Morning Quarterback Guest: Rick Campbell, Head Coach of the BC Lions What's next for BC's government after the latest ballot counts? Guest: Allie Blades, Campaign Strategist for Mash Strategy Could a distant space cloud hold the key to how life began on Earth? Scientists have made a breakthrough discovery in a distant stellar nursery, uncovering a massive carbon molecule that could reveal secrets about our own solar system's formation. The discovery hints that the carbon-rich ingredients that make up life might have traveled vast distances through space, settling in places like Earth billions of years ago. Guest: Dr. Isla Cooke, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of British Columbia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trudeau can bank on his celebrity in the U.S., could his appearance on The Late Show hurt him back home? (1:50) Guest: Andrew Perez, Principal, Perez Strategies. Political Commentator & Liberal Strategist Six weeks to go in what is shaping up to be one of the closest U.S. presidential elections in memory (16:58) Guest: Brooks Simpson, , Foundation Professor of History, Arizona State University What more are we learning about the implosion of the Titan at a US Coast Guard inquiry? (36:12) Guest: Peter Girguis, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University Adjunct Oceanographer, Applied Ocean Engineering and Physics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Canadian woman among 37 accusing former Harrod's owner Mohamed El-Fayed of sexual assault shares her story (47:23) Guest: Amy How climate disaster survivors cling to the precious few items they managed to salvage (1:09:35) Guest: Lorna Fandrich, executive director of the Lytton Chinese History Museum, and Lytton fire survivor How to save democracy from Silicon Valley (1:23:23) Guest: Marietje Schaake, author of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley

Susan Bratton, "Intimacy Expert to Millions," is a champion and advocate for all those who desire intimacy and passion their whole life long. She's created hundreds of techniques that transform “having sex” into making love, and is the world's most well-respected sexual biohacker. Susan is co-founder and CEO of two companies: Personal Life Media, Inc., a publisher of the Better Lover

Support me by becoming wiser and more knowledgeable – check out E. O. Wilson's collection of books for sale on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4ab30lb If you purchase a book through this link, I will earn a 4.5% commission and be extremely delighted. But if you just want to read and aren't ready to add a new book to your collection yet, I'd recommend checking out the ⁠⁠⁠Internet Archive⁠⁠⁠, the largest free digital library in the world. If you're really feeling benevolent you can buy me a coffee or donate over at ⁠https://ko-fi.com/theunadulteratedintellect⁠⁠. I would seriously appreciate it! __________________________________________________ Edward Osborne Wilson (June 10, 1929 – December 26, 2021) was an American biologist, naturalist, ecologist, and entomologist known for developing the field of sociobiology. Born in Alabama, Wilson found an early interest with nature and frequented the outdoors. At age seven, he was partially blinded in a fishing accident; due to his reduced sight, Wilson resolved to study entomology. After matriculating at the University of Alabama, Wilson transferred to complete his dissertation at Harvard University, where he distinguished himself in multiple fields. In 1956, he co-authored a paper defining the theory of character displacement; in 1967, he developed the theory of island biogeography with Robert MacArthur. Wilson was the Pellegrino University Research Professor Emeritus in Entomology for the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, a lecturer at Duke University, and a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. The Royal Swedish Academy awarded Wilson the Crafoord Prize. He was a humanist laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (for On Human Nature in 1979, and The Ants in 1991) and a New York Times bestselling author for The Social Conquest of Earth, Letters to a Young Scientist, and The Meaning of Human Existence. Audio source ⁠here⁠⁠ Full Wikipedia entry ⁠here⁠ E.O. Wilson's books ⁠here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunadulteratedintellect/support

Welcome to a special episode of Transforming Trauma featuring NARM creator Dr. Laurence Heller and NARM Senior Trainer Brad Kammer. This webinar provides a glimpse into the NARM Inner Circle online program and invites clinicians, therapists, and helping professionals to explore the foundation of health and trust upon which NARM is built.  Brad and Larry begin this conversation with a reflective exercise, then zoom out to reveal a link between suboptimal emotional and physical health and the survival patterns acquired in response to developmental trauma. Throughout their conversation, Larry and Brad also identify ways in which this model of health and trust informs the four pillars of NARM––clarifying the therapeutic contract, asking exploratory questions, reinforcing agency, reflecting psychobiological shifts––and impacts client-practitioner interactions. About Dr. Laurence Heller: Dr. Laurence Heller is the creator of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), Senior Faculty member, International Trainer, and co-author of Healing Developmental Trauma and The Practical Guide for Healing Developmental Trauma. About Brad Kammer: Brad Kammer, LMFT, LPCC, is a somatic psychotherapist, consultant, professor, NARM Senior Trainer, and NARM Training Director. He has worked in the field of trauma for over 20 years, specializing in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). Brad is the co-author of The Practical Guide for Healing Developmental Trauma. Learn More:  We invite you to explore the NARM Inner Circle online learning program, where we host NARM Topic Webinars like this every month. For further information and to sign up for a free two-week trial, visit:  www.narmtraining.com/freetrial To read the full show notes and discover more resources visit https://www.narmtraining.com/podcast *** NARM Training Institute https://www.NARMtraining.com View upcoming trainings: https://narmtraining.com/schedule Join the Inner Circle: https://narmtraining.com/online-learning/inner-circle *** The NARM Training Institute provides tools for transforming complex trauma through: in-person and online trainings for mental health care professionals; in-person and online workshops on complex trauma and how it interplays with areas like addiction, parenting, and cultural trauma; an online self-paced learning program, the NARM Inner Circle; and other trauma-informed learning resources.   We want to connect with you! Facebook @NARMtraining YouTube Instagram @thenarmtraininginstitute  

Esalen, California, 1992. The ancient view of the universe as alive. The anima mundi. The fall into the deterministic and mechanistic worldview. How this view is now being transcended. The recovery of the sense of the life of nature and of the heavens. Creativity and morphic resonance in nature. Resacralizing the earth through seasonal festivals and pilgrimage. Linking astronomy and astrology and resacralizing the heavens. Is the universe somehow conscious? Contacting celestial intelligences. Elizabethan star magic and the concept of the great chain of being. Are the contents of our imagination somehow real? Organismic philosophy and the re-infusion of spirit into nature. Re-animating the cosmos. The different levels of intelligence in the universe, and possible techniques for communicating with them. Channelling the stars. A synthesis of astrology and astronomy. Guiding intelligences. Questions and answers: The need to engage with the environment. Light and energy as a manifestation of spirit. Various ways to invoke stellar deities. Long barrows. The feeling of reverence for the heavens. The sky as teacher. The consciousness of the sun. Imagination as the source of creativity in nature. Renaissance magic. Related BookThe Evolutionary Mindhttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-evolutionary-mind

In 1860, a historically-minded donor presented the MHS with tree roots, which he claimed belonged to Boston's famous Liberty Tree. The tree, an American elm, served as a rallying point and important symbol for protesters and rebels in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Were the roots actually from that hallowed tree? Are they even from an American elm? In this episode, we set out to solve the mystery. Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/season-2-episode-9-roots-liberty-mhs-mystery  Email us at podcast@masshist.org. Episode Special Guests:  Dr. William (Ned) Friedman is the eighth director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.  He is deeply interested in the evolutionary history of plants as well as the intellectual history of evolutionary thought. Dr. Jacqueline Reynoso is a historian of Early America whose research explores processes of geopolitical imagining in eighteenth-century North America. She is an Assistant Professor of History at CSU Channel Islands. This episode uses materials from: Peas Corps by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported) Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

Why some countries, such as China, vaccinate flocks against bird flu but others don't, and male ants that are always chimeras   First up this week, highly pathogenic avian influenza is spreading to domestic flocks around the globe from migrating birds. Why don't many countries vaccinate their bird herds when finding one case can mean massive culls? Staff News Writer Jon Cohen joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the push and pull of economics, politics, and science at play in vaccinating poultry against bird flu.   Next up, a crazy method of reproduction in the yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes). Hugo Darras, an assistant professor in the Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution at Johannes Gutenberg University, talks about how males of this species are always chimeras—which means their body is composed of two different cell lines, one from each parent. Read a related perspective.    This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy.   About the Science Podcast   [Image: The Wild Martin; Music: Jeffrey Cook]   [alt: Queen and worker yellow crazy ants with podcast overlay]   Authors: Sarah Crespi; Jon Cohen   Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi0665See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why some countries, such as China, vaccinate flocks against bird flu but others don't, and male ants that are always chimeras   First up this week, highly pathogenic avian influenza is spreading to domestic flocks around the globe from migrating birds. Why don't many countries vaccinate their bird herds when finding one case can mean massive culls? Staff News Writer Jon Cohen joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the push and pull of economics, politics, and science at play in vaccinating poultry against bird flu.   Next up, a crazy method of reproduction in the yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes). Hugo Darras, an assistant professor in the Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution at Johannes Gutenberg University, talks about how males of this species are always chimeras—which means their body is composed of two different cell lines, one from each parent. Read a related perspective.    This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy.   About the Science Podcast   [Image: The Wild Martin; Music: Jeffrey Cook]   [alt: Queen and worker yellow crazy ants with podcast overlay]   Authors: Sarah Crespi; Jon Cohen   Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi0665See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we have Dr. Barbara Thorne, a termite biologist and an expert on the invasive conehead species, a Central and South American termite that has invaded South Florida. Barbara is a research professor and professor emerita in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland. Since 2012 she has served as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services science advisor on the state's Conehead Termite Program. She also chairs the National Scientific Advisory Committee for the Conehead Termite Program. Barbara's research focuses on the biology of termites, which are highly social insects that form complex colony structures. She earned her Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology in 1983 from Harvard University where she studied with the late Dr. E. O. Wilson, a renowned biologist and naturalist. Show notes [00:03:14] Dawn points out that Barbara is from Southern California and asks Barbara if she were a Valley Girl since she grew up in the San Fernando Valley. [00:03:42] Dawn mentions that it was wanderlust that sent Barbara from the West Coast to the East Coast for college and asks why she decided on Brown University. [00:04:14] After Barbara explains that she was originally not interested in science, Ken asks what changed her mind. [00:06:34] Dawn mentions that some kids grow up fascinated with bugs, but not Barbara, so Dawn asks what eventually triggered Barbara's academic interest in insects. [00:07:58] Ken asks Barbara to elaborate on how Bug Camp and E.O. Wilson's book “The Insect Societies”  motivated her to go to Harvard. [00:10:22] Dawn explains, for those who aren't familiar, that E.O. Wilson was an American biologist who was recognized as the world's leading authority on ants among other topics. He spent 40 years on the Harvard faculty and authored more than 30 books, including two that won Pulitzer Prizes. Dawn asks how Wilson became Barbara's Ph.D. faculty advisor. [00:14:15] Ken asks why Barbara often refers to the time she was at Harvard as the golden age for research into social insects. [00:18:31] Dawn asks about Barbara's initial goal for her Ph.D. dissertation, which was to investigate the evolutionary driver that created the sociality in termites, who are a completely different branch of insects from the classic social insects (ants, bees, and wasps). Dawn goes on to ask what Wilson thought of this idea when Barbara proposed it. [00:21:22] Barbara spent 15 years in E.O. Wilson's lab and Ken wonders if she has a favorite story about Wilson. [00:28:29] Dawn explains that for Barbara's postdoc research, she continued to expand on the work of her dissertation, and then began working in the field of applied termite biology and targeted applications for control. This was when chlordane, a powerful pesticide against termites, was pulled from the market. Dawn asks Barbara to talk about the significance of pulling chlordane from the market and how this created an opportunity for her. [00:31:30] Ken asks Barbara what led her to join the faculty at the University of Maryland in the early 1990s. [00:33:59] Dawn mentions that during Barbara's time at Maryland, she investigated her hypothesis of accelerated inheritance as a driver for the evolution of eusociality in termites, following up this research in a 2003 paper in PNAS. Dawn goes on to explain that the paper provided experimental evidence for the powerful selective forces driving the evolution of eusociality in termites, a question that perplexed Charles Darwin. Dawn asks Barbara to talk about why Darwin was confused by the existence of social insects and how Barbara approached this question in termites. [00:49:16] Dawn mentions that Barbara expanded on the previously mentioned research with a study in 2009, using genetic markers to demonstrate that in merged colonies, offspring from both original, unrelated families can become new reproductives and even interbreed.

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where we go behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. For this week's episode host, Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Professor Scott Edwards, the Curator of Ornithology for the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the Department Chair of Harvard's Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.

If exercise is so healthy, then why do many people dislike or avoid it? So much of our modern lives is sedentary, it's more important than ever to get our bodies up and be active. Daniel Lieberman is a Professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, and the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences at Harvard University. He is also a member of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. At Harvard, he teaches a variety of courses on human evolution, anatomy, and physiology, and has published several books including “The Evolution of the Human Head,” “The Story of the Human Body,” and “Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding.”Daniel and Greg talk all about moving our human bodies today, including the evolution of running in humans, transitioning to the modern industrial world and its effects on us, and speed versus endurance.Episode Quotes:Developing lifelong habits through physical education48:29: We need to look outside the medical system to make these kinds of shifts. And it's a public health issue.It's really a political issue. It's an educational issue. It's a social issue. It's a corporate issue. And I think one of the places to focus on is schools, right? Because we also know that a lot of the habits people develop in college are the ones they keep for the rest of their life. And that's one of the reasons why universities, like mine and yours, really are doing an enormous disservice to their students by not promoting more physical education, because they're also missing out on this important window to help people develop lifelong habits.We evolve to be physically active for two reasons09:51: We evolve to be physically active for two reasons and two reasons only: one, it's necessary, and one, it's rewarding. How sports and play teaches human not to be reactively aggressive32:29: I think that one of the ways in which humans have evolved play and sport is to help teach skills for hunting and fighting and all the other things that are really important. Cause that's obviously a key element in playing in sports, but also to help teach humans not to be reactively aggressive. Show Links:Recommended Resources:Gerontologist at Stanford, James Fries - The extension of morbidity. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined By Steven PinkerDr. Richard W. Wrangham Guest Profile:Professional Profile on Harvard UniversityHis Work:Daniel Lieberman on Google ScholarExercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and RewardingThe Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and DiseaseThe Evolution of the Human Head

We know about the nature versus nurture debate, the combination of genes and environment that affect our chances of success and happiness in life. What also seems important is a random kind of luck, and not just the sort of luck that wins Lotto. Benjamin de Bivort is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard. His research has made him think another kind of random luck is at play in our lives.

Gonzalo Giribet, the director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology and a Professor in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Zoology, Harvard University, talks about the museum's many collections, including a considerable quantity from Latin America. He also discusses his fieldwork and how Harvard undergraduates in his class will have the opportunity to explore biodiversity in Bocas del Toro, Panama, for the first time since the pandemic.

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where we go behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. For this week's episode host Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Andy Knoll, a now emeritus professor of earth sciences and biology, with dual appointments in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard. He's interested in how physical and biological processes have interacted across the span of our planet's history to shape our world.

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where we go behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. Our women's history month-themed podcast interview features Stephanie Pierce, Professor in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and the Museum of Comparative Zoology's very first female curator of vertebrate paleontology.

In this episode, we're hearing from Dr. Gonzalo Giribet, who is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Curator of Invertebrates and Director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Gonzalo received his bachelor's degree and his PhD from the University of Barcelona, then did his postdoc at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. While there, his postdoc advisor convinced him to apply for a faculty position at Harvard, which he got, and he has been at Harvard ever since. Gonzalo was an early adopter of the idea of molecular phylogenetics, which he has used to help clarify our understanding of the invertebrate tree of life.  In this episode, we chat about:  What a postdoc at a museum is like and the types of research you can do at a museum What a science museum curator does (and doesn't do) Underrated invertebrates, including velvet worms How studying rare animals has enabled Gonzalo to travel the world Gonzalo's vision for the future of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology Some of the pros and cons of studying non-model organisms The value of being disciplined with how you use your time Finding a project you're really passionate about Windsurfing!  Get in touch with Steph: Twitter Get in touch with the podcast: Twitter Facebook Instagram Email: rootstostempodcast@gmail.com Website: rootstostempodcast.com

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Daniel Lieberman about the evolutionary history of exercise. They discuss why evolution and adaptation are important to understand the human body, use of energy, myths of sitting, and how much sleep do we really need. They talk about why speed and endurance are important for humans, aggression, walking and running, the active grandparent hypothesis, and many other topics.  Daniel Lieberman is a paleoanthropologist and is a Professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, and the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences at Harvard University. He is also a member of Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. He has spent his career researching the evolutionary history of the human body, walking and running, and the evolution of the human head. His most recent book, Exercised: Why Something We Never evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding, can be found here. You can find his research here. 

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Arvid Ågren about the genetic implications of evolution. The discuss his background and reasons for writing his book. They explain the gene's-eye view of natural selection and how one can still understand evolution without genetics. They also discuss how genes are "immortal"  and "selfish" and still cooperate together. They talk about adaptation and this concept's history along with the challenges of creationism and intelligent design. They also provide some ideas about group selection and its merits.  Genes, chromosomes, DNA, and proteins are introduced and discussed. They engage about "types" and "tokens" along with "replicators" and "vehicles." They talk about "memes" and how they impact cultural evolution. They spend time discussing the five difficulties of the selfish gene, Hamilton's rule, and inclusive fitness. They also mention the interaction of Hamilton's rule with cooperation, kin selection, and interdependence and many other topics. Arvid Ågren is an Evolutionary Biologist who studies the causes and consequences of genomic conflicts. He has a Bachelors in Biology from the University of Edinburgh and his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Toronto. He completed his Postdoc in Andy Clark's lab for Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University. He also did a fellowship at the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University hosted by David Haig. Currently, he conducts research at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University in Sweden. His new book, The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution can be purchased here. You can find his research at his website. Twitter: @arvidagren

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/the-dissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Andrew Berry is a lecturer in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. He is an evolutionary biologist with a particular interest in Alfred Russel Wallace. His research combined field and laboratory methods to detect positive Darwinian selection (i.e. adaptive evolution) at the molecular level in natural populations. He has published two books: Infinite tropics: an Alfred Russel Wallace Anthology, with a foreword written by Stephen Jay Gould, and DNA: The Secret of Life with James Watson. This is the second part of our 2-part episode on the history of evolutionary theory/biology. In this episode, we start with population genetics, its early developments, how it led to the development of inclusive fitness theory, and what happened after the discovery of the double-helix structure of the DNA, what we learn about evolution by natural selection by understanding genetics, and how to detect adaptive evolution on the level of the genome. We then discuss speciation, what we know about it, and some of the controversies there. We address specifically the question of why there are more species more densely packed as one moves from the poles to the Equator. Finally, we talk about what we can learn by studying evolution in islands. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, CORY CLARK, MARK BLYTH, ROBERTO INGUANZO, MIKKEL STORMYR, ERIC NEURMANN, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, BERNARD HUGUENEY, ALEXANDER DANNBAUER, OMARI HICKSON, FERGAL CUSSEN, YEVHEN BODRENKO, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, DON ROSS, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, OZLEM BULUT, NATHAN NGUYEN, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, J.W., JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, IDAN SOLON, ROMAIN ROCH, DMITRY GRIGORYEV, TOM ROTH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, ADANER USMANI, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, AL ORTIZ, NELLEKE BAK, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, NICK GOLDEN, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, AND HEDIN BRØNNER! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, LUIS CAYETANO, TOM VANEGDOM, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, VEGA GIDEY, AND NIRUBAN BALACHANDRAN! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MICHAL RUSIECKI, ROSEY, JAMES PRATT, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, AND JASON PARTEE!

Melissa est en thérapie depuis l'été 2019. Pourquoi ? Comment ça se passe ? Qu'est-ce qui l'a poussée à sauter le pas ? Pourquoi c'est toujours en cours ? Contre quoi est-ce qu'elle se bat ?Après plus d'un an et demi à garder tout ça pour elle, elle vous raconte aujourd'hui un bout de son histoire, en espérant qu'il puisse vous convaincre de vous faire accompagner à votre tour si malheureusement vous en avez besoin.Ce podcast est la version audio de l'article du même titre publié sur le blog Golden Wendy : https://www.goldenwendy.com/2021/02/femme-en-travaux-bref-je-vois-un-psy.html---------- Liens (très !) utiles : - Définition « Gaslighting » : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting- Définition « Singes Volants » : https://fr.qaz.wiki/wiki/Flying_monkeys_(popular_psychology)- Organismic self : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approche_centr%C3%A9e_sur_la_personne- Chaîne YouTube (anglophone mais TOP TOP TOP !) du Dr Ramani : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Qixc77KhCo88E5muxUjmA- Cinema Therapy - Raiponce : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efua__7B7j4&ab_channel=CinemaTherapy- Écho et narcisse - le syndrome d'Echo : https://nospensees.fr/le-syndrome-d-echo-la-fracture-de-l-estime-de-soi/- La chanson « Respire », de KYO : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fESED2oyekg&ab_channel=KyoVEVO--------N'oublie pas de t'abonner pour ne rater aucun podcast ! Et si tu as aimé, n'hésite pas à nous laisser une évaluation--- Retrouve Melissa sur son blog : http://www.goldenwendy.com/ Découvre le blog de Denis : http://www.goldendaddy.fr/

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. This week Jennifer Berglund is speaking with Gonzalo Giribet, the new director of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, Professor in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, and curator of invertebrate zoology. Giribet recounts his insatiable interest in scouring the beach for shells growing up south of Barcelona, Spain, which ultimately led him into a career as a scientist.

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by adventurer and mycologist Danny Haelewaters PhD. Danny Haelewaters holds a Bachelor's in Veterinary Sciences, a Master of Science in biology, and a PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. During his Masters program he developed a new technology to analyze forensic relevant fungi in casework at the Netherlands Forensic Institute. Between 2012 and 2018, he worked at the Farlow Herbarium of the Harvard University Herbaria (Cambridge, MA) as a PhD student. In 2018, he did a short postdoc at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, and from November 2018 until late 2020 he was a USDA-funded postdoctoral research assistant at Purdue University, where he worked on characterizing the fungal microbiota of Romaine lettuce. Currently he works at Ghent University as a junior postdoctoral fellow on a project dealing with Laboulbeniales associated with bat flies. In addition, he  writes popular science articles for different sources. Since the very beginning of his student career at Ghent University (Belgium), he has has loved the interdisciplinary research in biology. It probably contributed to his choice to study the ecto-parasitic Laboulbeniales fungus. I'm excited to learn more about these unique organisms as well as the secrets of other little-known parasitic fungi. TOPICS COVERED:From Vet to MycologistFungal Inspiration at the University of GhentDiscovering LaboulbenialesUncovering Phylogeny of Rare, Microscopic FungiBat Fly Research in PanamaTripartite System of Bats, Bat Flies and FungiFuture of Laboulbeniales Research on Bat FliesOther Entomopathogens Including HerpomycesPhysiology of LaboubienialesInvasive Species & "Enemy Release” HypothesisImportance of Conserving Fungal PathogensExploring Laboubeniales as a BioControl AgentDiscovering new Clades of Cryptic Fungal OrganismsUnderstudied Habitats (Romaine Lettuce & Dead Bodies?!)EPISODE RESOURCES:Danny Haelewaters Website: http://www.dannyhaelewaters.com/Danny Haelewaters Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhaelewa/Laboulbeniales (Fungal Order): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaboulbenialesHerpomyces (Fungal Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HerpomycesBeauveria bassiana (Fungal Species): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauveria_bassianaMetarhizium brunneum (Fungal Species Complex):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metarhizium_brunneumOphiocordyceps (Fungal Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps

Today Zarela and Aarón take a deep dive into the delicious delicacy of edible bugs in Mexico with "Doctor Bugs" himself, Mark Moffett. Mark is a biologist, author, lecturer, and adventurer who knows his way around the insect table. Mark received his Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University and is a Research Associate in the Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian Institution. Zarela, Aarón, and Mark discuss the most common bugs to eat (hint: it is not the Maguey worm found at the bottom of the tequila bottle), the history of bug snacking all over Mexico and the ease of cooking the tasty critters. Also, fun fact: Aarón’s New Orleans restaurant, Johnny Sanchez, will serve you their famous guacamole topped with roasted grasshoppers if you ask. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!For more recipes from  Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.comHeritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is Powered by Simplecast.

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. Today, Jennifer is speaking with Caroline Hu, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Department at Harvard, who studies the evolution of animal behavior in Hopi Hoekstra's lab. She's also a cartoonist, who will be leading a workshop that she hopes will help our visitors connect to our museum specimens on a deeper, more emotional level.

Dr. Shahan Derkarabetian is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. He talks to us about his upcoming paper to be published in the next issue of Invertebrate Systematics! Dr. Derkarabetian and his coauthors describe not only two new species, but each new species is in a new genus, and each genus is in a new family! Moreover, we talk about how these species got their names, including a new species named after Abaddon the Despoiler in Warhammer 40,000, acquiring DNA from specimens collected at the time of the signing of the truce of the American Civil War, and why people should care about these small predators of the leaf litter! Dr. Derkarabetian also issues a Twitter Challenge! He wants listeners to send him pictures of daddy longlegs from around the world and he'll try to identify all of them! Tag him with @sderkarabetian and he'll try to ID your daddy longlegs! Listen to the challenge at the end of the podcast. The title of the paper is “Phylogenomic re-evaluation of Triaenonychoidea (Opiliones: Laniatores), and systematics of Tiaenonychidae, including new families, genera, and species.” The paper is available free as Open Access through the month of March: https://www.publish.csiro.au/IS/IS20047 To learn more about Dr. Derkarabetian, follow him on Twitter, @sderkarabetian. Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom). If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Andrew Berry is a lecturer in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. He is an evolutionary biologist with a particular interest in Alfred Russel Wallace. His research combined field and laboratory methods to detect positive Darwinian selection (i.e. adaptive evolution) at the molecular level in natural populations. He has published two books: Infinite tropics: an Alfred Russel Wallace Anthology, with a foreword written by Stephen Jay Gould, and DNA: The Secret of Life with James Watson. In this episode, we talk about the history of evolutionary biology. We start with the early developments by Darwin and Wallace, and we also mention some precursors to evolutionary biology and even some early evolutionary biologists before Darwin and Wallace. We then get into Mendelian genetics, and the development of population genetics. Finally, we talk about the path that let to the development of the modern evolutionary synthesis in evolutionary biology. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, BO WINEGARD, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, ANJAN KATTA, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, MAX BEILBY, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, CORY CLARK, MARK BLYTH, ROBERTO INGUANZO, MIKKEL STORMYR, ERIC NEURMANN, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, BERNARD HUGUENEY, ALEXANDER DANNBAUER, OMARI HICKSON, PHYLICIA STEVENS, FERGAL CUSSEN, YEVHEN BODRENKO, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, DON ROSS, JOÃO ALVES DA SILVA, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, OZLEM BULUT, NATHAN NGUYEN, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, J.W., JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, IDAN SOLON, ROMAIN ROCH, DMITRY GRIGORYEV, TOM ROTH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, ADANER USMANI, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, MIRAN B, NICOLE BARBARO, AND ADAM HUNT! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, SERGIU CODREANU, LUIS CAYETANO, TOM VANEGDOM, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, VEGA GIDEY, AND NIRUBAN BALACHANDRAN! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MICHAL RUSIECKI, ROSEY, JAMES PRATT, AND MATTHEW LAVENDER!

Our guest for this episode, Dr. Gonzalo Giribet, is an invertebrate biologist working at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, where he is Curator of Invertebrates and Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Gonzalo is the first author of a recent paper about four new species of daddy long legs (also called harvestmen or opilionids) from New Caledonia! We learn that these harvestmen are—at the most—only a couple of millimeters long, how new species are named, and why we should care about new species—even ones that are so small! The paper was published in Invertebrate Systematics (Vol 35, pages 59-89), with the title "A revised phylogeny of the New Caledonian endemic genus Troglosiro (Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi: Troglosironidae) with the description of four new species." The paper may be viewed here, and downloaded for free for the month of February, 2021: https://www.publish.csiro.au/IS/IS20042 For more information about Dr. Giribet, you can follow him on Twitter (@ggiribet), visit his website (https://oeb.harvard.edu/people/gonzalo-giribet), or read about him on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzalo_Giribet)! Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom). If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast

Dr. Cassandra Extavour is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. Scientifically, Cassandra spends her time examining the evolution of embryonic development. Her lab seeks to understand how genes direct cells during development to become different kinds of cells. They are also interested in the evolutionary origin of these genes. In addition to her passion for science, Cassandra is also passionate about music. She enjoys listening to music and is a professional singer as well. Other activities that occupy her free time are dancing, hosting parties, and cooking for her friends. She received her PhD from the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Cassandra then conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in Crete, Greece as well as at the University of Cambridge. Afterward, she worked as a Research Associate in the Department of Zoology at Cambridge before joining the faculty at Harvard. In this interview, Cassandra shares more about her journey through life and science.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops - at all -Emily Dickinson was clearly onto something when she penned these famous lines. Across countless generations, birds have captivated our imaginations with their incredible beauty, their staggering diversity, and their unique talents. For Dr. Scott Edwards, birds are fascinating organisms with a rich and complex evolutionary history, but they are also harbingers of hope at a moment when we sorely need it.Scott joins Jocelyn and Bradley to discuss his work as an ornithologist, evolutionary biologist, and curator at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. He explains how he uses a variety of techniques—even applying cutting-edge genomic analysis to specimens collected during the Lewis & Clark expedition!—to trace the evolution of new traits in birds. In addition, he shares stories of his cross-country bike trip inspired by #BlackBirdersWeek, and the friends discuss how the “tree of life” is not only a powerful metaphor for understanding evolutionary relationships but also for thinking about diversity, unity, the history of life and humanity’s place in it. Follow Scott on Twitter at @ScottVEdwards1, and learn more about his amazing work at the links below!https://edwards.oeb.harvard.edu/people/scott-v-edwardshttps://www.iamascientist.info/scott-edwardshttps://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/scott-edwardsScott’s bike journey across America:https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-harvard-ornithology-professor-biking-across-countryhttps://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/8/21/scott-edwards-bike-trip/#BlackBirdersWeek: https://www.audubon.org/news/black-birders-week-promotes-diversity-and-takes-racism-outdoorshttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/black-birders-call-out-racism-say-nature-should-be-for-everyone/https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2020/06/i-cant-even-enjoy-blackbirdersweek-organizer-shares-her-struggles-black-scientistSystemic Racism in Higher Education (Science letter): https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6510/1440.2Harvard Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology: https://oeb.harvard.edu/Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology: https://mcz.harvard.edu/Where Song Began: Australia’s Birds and How They Changed the World: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Song-Began-Australias-Changed/dp/0300221665Related episodes:That is How an Evolutionary Biologist Do (Matt Wilkins): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-matt-wilkins-that-is-how-an-evolutionary-biologist-do/id1471423633?i=1000464730144The Lizarding World of Afro Herper (Earyn McGee): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/38-earyn-mcgee-the-lizarding-world-of-afro-herper/id1471423633?i=1000468800901

Podcast: Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas (LS 69 · TOP 0.05% what is this?)Episode: 125 | David Haig on the Evolution of Meaning from Darwin to DerridaPub date: 2020-11-30Aristotle conceived of the world in terms of teleological “final causes”; Darwin, or so the story goes, erased purpose and meaning from the world, replacing them with a bloodless scientific algorithm. But should we abandon all talk of meanings and purposes, or instead conceptualize them as emergent rather than fundamental? Philosophers (and former Mindscape guests) Alex Rosenberg and Daniel Dennett recently had an exchange on just this subject, and today we're going to hear from a working scientist. David Haig is a geneticist and evolutionary biologist who argues that it's perfectly sensible to perceive meaning as arising through the course of evolution, even if evolution itself is purposeless.Support Mindscape on Patreon.David Haig received his Ph.D. in biology from Macquarie University. He is currently the George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on evolutionary aspects of cooperation, competition, and kinship, including the kinship theory of genomic imprinting. His new book is From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life.Web siteGoogle Scholar publicationsWikipediaAmazon author pageTalk on cooperative behaviorSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sean Carroll | Wondery, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

Aristotle conceived of the world in terms of teleological “final causes”; Darwin, or so the story goes, erased purpose and meaning from the world, replacing them with a bloodless scientific algorithm. But should we abandon all talk of meanings and purposes, or instead conceptualize them as emergent rather than fundamental? Philosophers (and former Mindscape guests) Alex Rosenberg and Daniel Dennett recently had an exchange on just this subject, and today we’re going to hear from a working scientist. David Haig is a geneticist and evolutionary biologist who argues that it’s perfectly sensible to perceive meaning as arising through the course of evolution, even if evolution itself is purposeless.Support Mindscape on Patreon.David Haig received his Ph.D. in biology from Macquarie University. He is currently the George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on evolutionary aspects of cooperation, competition, and kinship, including the kinship theory of genomic imprinting. His new book is From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life.Web siteGoogle Scholar publicationsWikipediaAmazon author pageTalk on cooperative behavior

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. Today, Jennifer is speaking with Mansi Srivastava, an Associate Professor in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard. She studies marine worms called three-banded panther worms, which have the capacity to regenerate any part of their bodies.

In his book, From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life (MIT Press), evolutionary biologist David Haig explains how a physical world of matter in motion gave rise to a living world of purpose and meaning. Natural selection is a process without purpose, yet gives rise to purposeful beings who find meaning in the world. Haig proposes that the key to this is the origin of mutable “texts” that preserve a record of what has worked in the world, in other words: genes. These texts become the specifications for the intricate mechanisms of living beings. Haig draws on a wide range of sources to make his argument, from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy to Immanuel Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment to the work of Jacques Derrida to the latest findings on gene transmission, duplication, and expression. Genes and their effects, he explains, are like eggs and chickens. Eggs exist for the sake of becoming chickens and chickens for the sake of laying eggs. A gene's effects have a causal role in determining which genes are copied. The gene persists if its lineage has been consistently associated with survival and reproduction. Organisms can be understood as interpreters that link information from the environment to meaningful action in the environment. Meaning, Haig argues, is the output of a process of interpretation; there is a continuum from the very simplest forms of interpretation, found in single RNA molecules near the origins of life, to the most sophisticated, like those found in human beings. Life is interpretation—the use of information in choice. David Haig is George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Because he is a theorist, his research is wide and varied, working on everything from maternal-fetal conflict in human pregnancy to the evolution of plant life cycles. He has a particular interest in genetic conflicts within individual organisms, as exemplified by genomic imprinting. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book, From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life (MIT Press), evolutionary biologist David Haig explains how a physical world of matter in motion gave rise to a living world of purpose and meaning. Natural selection is a process without purpose, yet gives rise to purposeful beings who find meaning in the world. Haig proposes that the key to this is the origin of mutable “texts” that preserve a record of what has worked in the world, in other words: genes. These texts become the specifications for the intricate mechanisms of living beings. Haig draws on a wide range of sources to make his argument, from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy to Immanuel Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment to the work of Jacques Derrida to the latest findings on gene transmission, duplication, and expression. Genes and their effects, he explains, are like eggs and chickens. Eggs exist for the sake of becoming chickens and chickens for the sake of laying eggs. A gene's effects have a causal role in determining which genes are copied. The gene persists if its lineage has been consistently associated with survival and reproduction. Organisms can be understood as interpreters that link information from the environment to meaningful action in the environment. Meaning, Haig argues, is the output of a process of interpretation; there is a continuum from the very simplest forms of interpretation, found in single RNA molecules near the origins of life, to the most sophisticated, like those found in human beings. Life is interpretation—the use of information in choice. David Haig is George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Because he is a theorist, his research is wide and varied, working on everything from maternal-fetal conflict in human pregnancy to the evolution of plant life cycles. He has a particular interest in genetic conflicts within individual organisms, as exemplified by genomic imprinting. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book, From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life (MIT Press), evolutionary biologist David Haig explains how a physical world of matter in motion gave rise to a living world of purpose and meaning. Natural selection is a process without purpose, yet gives rise to purposeful beings who find meaning in the world. Haig proposes that the key to this is the origin of mutable “texts” that preserve a record of what has worked in the world, in other words: genes. These texts become the specifications for the intricate mechanisms of living beings. Haig draws on a wide range of sources to make his argument, from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy to Immanuel Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment to the work of Jacques Derrida to the latest findings on gene transmission, duplication, and expression. Genes and their effects, he explains, are like eggs and chickens. Eggs exist for the sake of becoming chickens and chickens for the sake of laying eggs. A gene's effects have a causal role in determining which genes are copied. The gene persists if its lineage has been consistently associated with survival and reproduction. Organisms can be understood as interpreters that link information from the environment to meaningful action in the environment. Meaning, Haig argues, is the output of a process of interpretation; there is a continuum from the very simplest forms of interpretation, found in single RNA molecules near the origins of life, to the most sophisticated, like those found in human beings. Life is interpretation—the use of information in choice. David Haig is George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Because he is a theorist, his research is wide and varied, working on everything from maternal-fetal conflict in human pregnancy to the evolution of plant life cycles. He has a particular interest in genetic conflicts within individual organisms, as exemplified by genomic imprinting. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book, From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life (MIT Press), evolutionary biologist David Haig explains how a physical world of matter in motion gave rise to a living world of purpose and meaning. Natural selection is a process without purpose, yet gives rise to purposeful beings who find meaning in the world. Haig proposes that the key to this is the origin of mutable “texts” that preserve a record of what has worked in the world, in other words: genes. These texts become the specifications for the intricate mechanisms of living beings. Haig draws on a wide range of sources to make his argument, from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy to Immanuel Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment to the work of Jacques Derrida to the latest findings on gene transmission, duplication, and expression. Genes and their effects, he explains, are like eggs and chickens. Eggs exist for the sake of becoming chickens and chickens for the sake of laying eggs. A gene's effects have a causal role in determining which genes are copied. The gene persists if its lineage has been consistently associated with survival and reproduction. Organisms can be understood as interpreters that link information from the environment to meaningful action in the environment. Meaning, Haig argues, is the output of a process of interpretation; there is a continuum from the very simplest forms of interpretation, found in single RNA molecules near the origins of life, to the most sophisticated, like those found in human beings. Life is interpretation—the use of information in choice. David Haig is George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Because he is a theorist, his research is wide and varied, working on everything from maternal-fetal conflict in human pregnancy to the evolution of plant life cycles. He has a particular interest in genetic conflicts within individual organisms, as exemplified by genomic imprinting. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book, From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life (MIT Press), evolutionary biologist David Haig explains how a physical world of matter in motion gave rise to a living world of purpose and meaning. Natural selection is a process without purpose, yet gives rise to purposeful beings who find meaning in the world. Haig proposes that the key to this is the origin of mutable “texts” that preserve a record of what has worked in the world, in other words: genes. These texts become the specifications for the intricate mechanisms of living beings. Haig draws on a wide range of sources to make his argument, from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy to Immanuel Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment to the work of Jacques Derrida to the latest findings on gene transmission, duplication, and expression. Genes and their effects, he explains, are like eggs and chickens. Eggs exist for the sake of becoming chickens and chickens for the sake of laying eggs. A gene's effects have a causal role in determining which genes are copied. The gene persists if its lineage has been consistently associated with survival and reproduction. Organisms can be understood as interpreters that link information from the environment to meaningful action in the environment. Meaning, Haig argues, is the output of a process of interpretation; there is a continuum from the very simplest forms of interpretation, found in single RNA molecules near the origins of life, to the most sophisticated, like those found in human beings. Life is interpretation—the use of information in choice. David Haig is George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Because he is a theorist, his research is wide and varied, working on everything from maternal-fetal conflict in human pregnancy to the evolution of plant life cycles. He has a particular interest in genetic conflicts within individual organisms, as exemplified by genomic imprinting. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Université Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Sharlene Santana is Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington and Curator of Mammals at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. As an integrative and evolutionary biologist, Sharlene explores questions about evolution from a variety of perspectives. She is working to understand why some groups of organisms are more diverse in terms of their number of species, appearance, or behavior. There are over 1,400 species of bats that fulfill a variety of ecological roles, and much of Sharlene’s research focuses on diversity in bats. Sharlene loves trying new restaurants in Seattle, as well as traveling to other countries and learning about other cultures. In her free time, you can find Sharlene hiking or swimming with her dog, attending ballet performances, and listening to music and podcasts. She is also a fan of good storytelling in books, movies, TV series, and documentaries. She completed her undergraduate training in biology at the University of the Andes in Venezuela, and she was awarded her Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Afterwards, Sharlene conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute for Society and Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles. She joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 2012. In our interview, Sharlene shares more about her life and research.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/the-dissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT Anchor (podcast): https://anchor.fm/thedissenter Dr. David Haig is an evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and professor in Harvard University's Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. He is interested in intragenomic conflict, genomic imprinting and parent–offspring conflict, and wrote the book Genomic Imprinting and Kinship. His major contribution to the field of evolutionary theory is the kinship theory of genomic imprinting. He's the author of several books, including the most recent one, From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves, and the Meanings of Life. In this episode, we start off by talking about some basic concepts in evolutionary biology, like what is a gene, units of selection, multi-level selection theory and group selection. We then get into intragenomic conflict, parental antagonism, and parent-offspring conflict. We talk about epigenetics, and development in the context of natural selection from a gene-centered perspective. Finally, we get into some of the topics from Dr. Haig's latest book, and discuss purpose and meaning. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, BO WINEGARD, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, DAVID DIAS, ANJAN KATTA, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, MAX BEILBY, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, CORY CLARK, MARK BLYTH, ROBERTO INGUANZO, MIKKEL STORMYR, ERIC NEURMANN, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, BERNARD HUGUENEY, ALEXANDER DANNBAUER, OMARI HICKSON, PHYLICIA STEVENS, FERGAL CUSSEN, YEVHEN BODRENKO, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, DON ROSS, JOÃO ALVES DA SILVA, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, OZLEM BULUT, NATHAN NGUYEN, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, J.W., JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, AND IDAN SOLON! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, SERGIU CODREANU, LUIS CAYETANO, MATTHEW LAVENDER, TOM VANEGDOM, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, AND VEGA GIDEY! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MICHAL RUSIECKI, ROSEY, AND JAMES PRATT!

Professor Girguis studies microorganism in the ocean and their contributions that make our planet habitable. In this conversation, he explores How and why some microbes live in these extreme environments around hydrothermal vents and methane seeps; How these chemo autotrophs, or organisms that feed off of chemicals, connect to life in the upper reaches of the ocean and what that means to fisheries; and Why a reframing of ocean science is important in understanding and taking care of the interconnectedness of our biosphere. Peter R. Girguis is a professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He works in a field of molecular biology that studies microbes and animals that live in the ocean, especially microbial organisms that interact with metals like iron and magnesium, which he describes as akin to the multivitamins of the ocean. His microbiology study focuses especially on bacteria and archaea.  These microbes inhabit environments, like hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, to feed off the released metals, which are toxic to most animals. Professor Girguis utilizes molecular biology to understand how these microbes play a role in moving energy from the abiotic world, or nonliving structures like rocks, to the biotic world. Significantly, this microbiology study connects to the food chain. He mentions one study that shows how plankton feed on these microbes which in turn feed small fish that are eaten by the larger fish off the coast of Chile, which are integral to the fishing industry there. He describes other elements to this underwater architecture, from methane ice to giant sulfide structures, and how some fish use these extreme environments to rid themselves of parasites. He also posits a new view of ocean science that is much more outward looking and should engage people from all over the world.  To find our more, see his lab's website: girguislab.oeb.harvard.edu. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

How do we make change happen in a world that may not be ready for change? It’s election year here in the US and if there’s something that might be more important than anything it's that if you can, you turn out to vote. But what does this look like during a pandemic? And more so - how can you be more involved in politics in your every day life? Does your social media sharing and tweeting actually matter and do politicians listen to what you have to say? Learn about that, the Green New Deal, and much more in this chat with my friend and incredibly impactful guy Saad Amer.Saad Amer is an environmentalist, activist and the Founder of Plus1Vote, an organization dedicated to improving voter turnout and improving representation in our democracy. Reaching millions, the organization rallies voters on issues like climate change, social justice and voting rights. He is an Expert Reviewer for the upcoming IPCC AR6 report, is on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Youth Constituency, and is an Advisor to the National Parks Conservation Association. He has written for National Geographic, PBS and the World Bank, and has spoken at the United Nations, TEDx and Tokyo University. He went to Harvard University where he studied Environmental Science and Public Policy with a minor in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Website: www.plus1campaign.orgIG: @plus1vote & @itssaadamerFollow me:www.heychange.world@annetheresegennari See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the pod, Bec and Geraldo chat with Dwayne Evans (he/him), a graduate student in the Extavour lab in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. We discuss his research passions, his experience as a Black, queer scientist, how departments can better support queer and trans people of color (QTPOC) and so much more! We hope y'all are staying safe out there. Remember, Black Lives Matter and Happy Pride! See y'all next week. You can follow Dwayne on Twitter @RunDME and us @MFQCPod

Welcome to HMSC Connects! where Jennifer Berglund goes behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. To celebrate World Ocean week she is speaking Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, Peter Girguis.

Organismic Structure by SoundMonk

Our guest today is Dr. Steven Austad who studies virtually every aspect of aging. He is a distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Biology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. In addition to being recognized for his aging and longevity research, Steve is also well-known for his background as a New York City cab driver, newspaper reporter and a lion trainer who then decided to become a biologist. His research today involves developing lifestyle and pharmacological approaches to improving and preserving human health. He is particularly focused on figuring out why different species age at different rates. Steve is the author of more than 190 scientific articles. His book, "Why We Age: What Science Is Discovering about the Body’s Journey Through Life," has been translated into nine languages. He also writes newspaper columns and has written for publications like Natural History magazine, Scientific American and International Wildlife. Show notes: [00:02:53] Dawn opens the interview mentioning that Steve was born in Southern California, but that his family moved around so much, that he ended up attending around 20 grade schools. Steve explains that his father bought a travel trailer and moved the family around the country. [00:03:57] Steve talks about how even though he was shy and introverted as a kid, he found a way to fit in with his classmates. [00:04:40] Ken mentions how Steve’s career went through several reinventions before settling into a career in science. Among the various occupations Steve had were: a newspaper reporter, training lions and tigers for television and movies, and taxi driving. Ken asks Steve how he became a taxi driver. [00:06:01] Steve talks about his time on the West Coast in Portland working as a newspaper reporter for the Oregonian. [00:07:48] Dawn asks how it was that Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith had something to do with Steve becoming a lion trainer. [00:14:39] Ken asks Steve about the suicidal duck whose reckless abandonment nearly resulted in Steve’s death at the hands of one of the lions he was training. [00:19:21] Steve discusses why his fascination with animal behavior lead him to California State University to major in biology. [00:23:24] Dawn asks what took Steve to the University of New Mexico for his postdoc. [00:28:16] Ken asks how Steve landed his job as assistant professor in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University in 1986. [00:29:59] Dawn mentions that Steve discovered that opossums of the predator-free barrier island of Sapelo Island lived 25 percent longer than their cousins on the mainland of Georgia. Steve discusses this and explains how this discovery played a role in his future research. [00:34:13] Dawn points out that Steve left Harvard for the University of Idaho where he became a full professor and then next went the University of Texas. Dawn asks Steve about accepting  a position in 2014 at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. [00:41:32] Steve discusses his research into lifespan and healthspan and longevity and why some species age at different rates, with a particular interest in long-lived organisms like quahogs clams and hydra. He goes on to explain how this research led to what he refers to as the “Longevity Quotient.” [00:48:42] Ken mentions that as a former Rhode Islander, he spent some time digging Quahogs and eating them. [00:53:14] Steve gives an overview of how dietary restriction studies are performed on mice. [00:59:39] Ken mentions that from Steve’s description it seems that modern humans are becoming more and more like laboratory mice. [01:02:53] Ken mentions STEM-Talk episode 79 where Satchin Panda talks about time-restricted eating, and episode 7 where Mark Matson talks about intermittent fasting. Ken goes on to say that Mark made the point that the benefits of time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting is that it puts the organism,

Why isn’t King Kong scaling the Empire State Building right now? Should we worry about Godzilla rising from the depths of the Pacific Ocean? Shane Campbell-Staton, co-host of the podcast The Biology of Superheroes and Harvard PhD ’15 in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, talks about our favorite movie monsters, and some of the biological processes that could make them come to life. Full Transcript The Veritalk Team: Host/Producer: Anna Fisher-Pinkert Executive Producer: Ann Hall Sound Designer: Ian Coss Logo Designer: Emily Crowell Special thanks Shane Campbell-Staton and Graham Ball.

We all have rights as human beings. But if we don’t know or acknowledge our fundamental rights, or if we don’t understand them, we’ll often suffer, cause others to suffer, and worst case, self-sabotage (which in turn sabotages those around us that count on us). To live in a state of emotional agility more consistently, we need to build the mental muscles of self-awareness. And one of the best ways to increase our self-awareness is to get in touch with our Organismic Rights. Your Rights As A Human Being The psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich observed a series of stages through which all human beings must pass on their way to full body maturation, referred to as Organismic Rights. Organismic Rights are our basic human rights that are established during our formative life experiences between approximately 0-3 years old. They determine where a person will have behavioral struggles as they move through life. They govern our behavior and can hinder our performance. The tricky part is we can be totally unaware of their existence! Imagine a newborn baby entering the world. He or she is forced to adapt quickly. The more fully developed a person’s Organismic Rights are, the more that individual can express themselves with greater aliveness and creativity (and spend more time in their Smart State). The less developed, the more likely they will operate in the Critter State (fight/flight/freeze). What Are Your 5 Organismic Rights? Every child, every organism, is born with these rights: The right to exist The right to have needs The right to take action The right to have consequences for one’s actions The right to love and be loved In a perfect world every child would have these rights confirmed by the people around them as they grow and develop. But that doesn’t always happen. Our parents, even with the best intentions and most loving parenting styles, could only give us what they had--and chances are pretty high that somewhere along the line their organismic rights got a little wobbly. Most people struggle at least a little on a few of these. Organismic Rights – Decoded You can head to today’s show noted for the link to the Organismic Rights Decoder. It’s based on my experience of working over 10,000 hours with humans on changing their behavior. Note that you can use this on yourself or with others too. For example, one of my coaching clients had a direct report that was struggling with accountability. So my client helped the direct report to increase their right to take action. Another client had a partner that would often blame others for their shortcomings. The partner needed help increasing their right to have consequences. See how it works? Rate Your Organismic Rights Now that you see how certain behaviors may reveal some minimal Organismic Rights, please take a moment now and rate your Organismic Rights from 0-5 where 5 is the highest experience of this right. 1.Your right to exist: ____ 2.Your right to have needs: ____ 3.Your right to take action: ____ 4.Your right to have consequences for your actions: ____ 5.Your right to love and be loved: ____ Consider your ratings. Where would you like to increase your rights? Where do you think your stakeholders at work stand? Your family members? Now revisit the table above. How would you like to help yourself and others to modify their behavior and increase their Organismic Rights? Bear in mind that we’re not trying to blame anyone here. Humans are mostly just doing the best they can with what they’ve got. We’re just wanting to understand ourselves a little better so that we know what we’ve got and can take some appropriate actions to strengthen our alignment with our Organismic Rights. When we can’t say something is not ok, then our Organismic Rights are threatened. It’s ok, and essential, to claim our Organismic Rights to exist, have needs, take action, have consequences for our action, and love and be loved. When we are told (explicitly or implicitly) that having any of these rights are not ok, then our entire humanity is being dismissed. Let’s take a sec and let that sink in. It’s big. The Net-Net First, note where you have an opportunity to increase your Organismic Rights. Notice where you get triggered and which rights of yours are low in those situations. Then, work on increasing your Organismic Rights with your leadership coach! Resources Mentioned:The ArticleEmotional AgilityWilhelm Reich Smart StateCritter State Organismic Rights DecoderContact ChristineYou’re busy growing. Let’s have a strategy session when it makes sense, which means you are…· Committed to getting better results and finding out how awesome your performance can truly be· Ready to make this a priority and get started in the next few months· Allocating budget to improving the leadership, culture and results of you and your company· Able to make the decision to move forward (or can convince the person who can)Ready? Great! Please fill out the form here. If not, check out our resources and subscribe to receive news and more tools as they become available, and we’ll work together when the time is right. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Seeking Asylum at the US Border Is Getting More Difficult By the DayGuest: Kari Hong, PhD, Associate Professor, Boston College Law SchoolAs of Wednesday, the Trump Administration has agreements with Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala aimed at making it harder for migrants to request asylum at the southern US border. These agreements require migrants who pass through another country on their way to the US to first apply for asylum in that other country. People traveling on foot from Central America will be most affected by these policies. First It Burned Them, Then It Froze them. How an Asteroid Killed the Dinosaurs.Guest: Sean Gulick, Research Professor at the University of Texas at AustinYou've heard that a massive asteroid caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. But how exactly? I've never understood why a giant rock crashing to Earth would kill all the dinosaurs. One asteroid couldn't smash them all. What about the dinos on the other side of the planet –how does an asteroid kill them? Mystery of “Skeleton Lake” in the Himalayas Deepens After DNA AnalysisGuest: Éadaoin Harney, PhD candidate in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard UniversityThere is a mysteriously creepy lake high in the Himalayas of India that has long puzzled archaeologists. The lake and its shore are frozen and snow-covered most of the time, but when they thaw, hundreds of bones surface. Hence the nickname “Skeleton Lake.” Who are these people? Is this a burial ground? Or was there some horrible massacre at the lake? New DNA analysis has offered some clues –but also deepened the mystery. Breathing and Shaking Toward Recovery from TraumaGuest: James S. Gordon, MD, professor of psychiatry and family medicine, Georgetown Medical School, author of “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing after Trauma”Overcoming the effects of a serious trauma might include medication and therapy. If you're being treated by psychiatrist James Gordon, it will include deep breathing and frenzied full-body shaking. Dr. Gordon's techniques sound strange, but they've worked for teachers and students affected by the Parkland shooting and for people in Puerto Rico, Houston, Haiti and New Orleans devastated by natural disasters. The techniques have also helped Syrian refugees in Jordan, Palestinian children in Gaza and a range of veterans and victims of war suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Jackie Robinson's Daughter on Her Civil Rights Awakening in 1963Guest: Sharon Robinson, Author “Child of the Dream: A Memoir of 1963”1963 was a pivotal year for the Civil Rights movement in America. The historic March on Washington happened that summer. In the months before that march, the nation watched in horror as TV news cameras showed Alabama police using firehoses and dogs on African American youth marching in what's known as the Birmingham Children's Crusade. And in September of 1963, four African American girls were murdered in the bombing of Birmingham's 16thStreet Baptist Church. 1963 was also a pivotal year in the life of Sharon Robinson, the middle child and only daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

The Darwinian revolution began in a new understanding of how species change through time by means of natural selection, and affirms that each species, including our own, is genetically adapted in exquisite detail for life in a particular environment. The studies of adaptation through time and the diversity of the millions of other species are the core of evolutionary biology. Functional biology, including medical research, will do well to incorporate the study of biodiversity and the process of evolution that has created it. Edward Osborne Wilson is an American biologist, researcher (sociobiology, biodiversity), theorist (consilience, biophilia), naturalist (conservationist) and author. His biological specialty is myrmecology, the study of ants. Wilson is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. He is known for his career as a scientist, his advocacy for environmentalism, and his secular-humanist and deist ideas pertaining to religious and ethical matters. As of 2007, he is Pellegrino University Research Professor in Entomology for the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism.

Dr. Javier Ortega-Hernández is an Assistant Professor at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, USA) in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. His research interests include the evolution of major animal groups during the Paleozoic era (about 541 million years ago to 251 million years ago). The blog post for this episode can be found at prof-talks.com.

Dr. Peter Girguis is a Professor at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, USA) in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. His research interests include physiology and biochemistry of deep-sea microorganisms. The blog post for this episode can be found at prof-talks.com.

Mansi received her A.B. in Biological Sciences from Mount Holyoke College. During her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley, she studied comparative genomics of early-diverging animal lineages including cnidarians, placozoans, and sponges. During her postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute at MIT, she collected three banded panther worms from a marine pond in Bermuda and developed them as a new model system for studying regeneration. In 2015, She started her faculty position at Harvard University in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, where her research group studies many facets of the biology of panther worms.

Mansi received her A.B. in Biological Sciences from Mount Holyoke College. During her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley, she studied comparative genomics of early-diverging animal lineages including cnidarians, placozoans, and sponges. During her postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute at MIT, she collected three banded panther worms from a marine pond in Bermuda and developed them as a new model system for studying regeneration. In 2015, She started her faculty position at Harvard University in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, where her research group studies many facets of the biology of panther worms.

In this episode I talk about how I define Physical Education from an organismic perspective, and then I talk about how it is each individual's responsibility to take control on their life, health, and fitness - and about how it is not the responsibility of a teacher, coach, or trainer.  Leave me a review on Apple Podcast.  Please consider supporting this podcast: https://anchor.fm/edification-wellbeing  Contact me at: quantum.fithealth@gmail.com, or at info@quantumfithealth.com  Follow me on social media: IG - @quantum.fithealth, Twitter - @beyond_pe.  Had to eliminate the music due to copyright.  But anyways go to your favorite music streaming app or YouTube and find the song "Todo se Mueve" by Residente (Calle 13, was the name is his former band), and enjoiy! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/e-w/message

Contact the show! Aaron M. Ellison is the Senior Research Fellow in Ecology in Harvard’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Senior Ecologist & Deputy Director at the Harvard Forest, and a semi-professional photographer and writer. He studies the disintegration and reassembly of ecosystems following natural and anthropogenic disturbances; thinks about the relationship between the Dao and the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis; reflects on the critical and reactionary stance of Ecology relative to Modernism, blogs as The Unbalanced Ecologist, and tweets as @AMaxEll17. He is the author of A Primer of Ecological Statistics (2004/2012), A Field Guide to the Ants of New England (2012; recipient of the 2013 USA Book News International Book Award in General Science, and the 2013 award for Specialty Title in Science and Nature from The New England Society in New York City), Stepping in the Same River Twice: Replication in Biological Research (2017), Carnivorous Plants: Physiology, Ecology, and Evolution (2018), and Vanishing Point (2017), a collection of photographs and poetry from the Pacific Northwest. On Wednesdays, he works wood. David Buckley Borden is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based interdisciplinary artist and designer. Using an accessible combination of art and design, David promotes a shared environmental awareness and heightened cultural value of ecology. David's projects highlight both pressing environmental issues and everyday phenomena. Driven by research and community outreach, his work manifests in a variety of forms, ranging from site-specific landscape installations in the woods to data-driven cartography in the gallery. David's place-based projects have recently earned him residencies at the Santa Fe Art Institute, Teton Artlab, Trifecta Hibernaculum, and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. David was a 2016/2017 Charles Bullard Fellow in Forest Research at Harvard University and continues to work with researchers as a Harvard Forest Associate Fellow to answer the question, “How can art and design foster cultural cohesion around environmental issues and help inform ecology-minded decision making?” David studied landscape architecture at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and worked at Sasaki Associates and Ground before focusing his independent practice at the intersection of landscape, creativity, and cultural event. Links mentioned The Suffocating Embrace of Landscape and the Picturesque Conditioning of Ecology Guest Contact Info Aaron Ellison Aaron’s Wikipedia page Aaron’s Amazon Author page Aaron at Harvard Forest (Harvard University's 4000 acre laboratory & classroom Long Term Ecological Research site since 1988) Aaron The Unbalanced Ecologist Aaron on Twitter @AMaxEll17 Email Aaron Ellison David Buckley Borden David at DavidBuckleyBorden.com Associate Fellow (Designer-In-Residence) at Harvard Forest Hemlock Hospice Art/Science Installation & Exhibition by David Buckley Borden David at the Santa Fe Art Institute Contact us and let’s talk (about the weather) Ashley Mazanec at EcoArtsFoundation.org Britta Nancarrow on Instagram Britta Nancarrow at the Climate Reality Project EcoArtsFoundation.org Let’s Talk About The Weather podcast page Email the show Purchase the podcast’s namesake Eco Music album "Let’s Talk About The Weather" on iTunes or Bandcamp.

Why isn’t King Kong scaling the Empire State Building right now? Should we worry about Godzilla rising from the depths of the Pacific Ocean? Shane Campbell-Staton, co-host of the podcast The Biology of Superheroes and Harvard PhD ’15 in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, talks about our favorite movie monsters, and some of the biological processes that could make them come to life. Full Transcript The Veritalk Team: Host/Producer: Anna Fisher-Pinkert Executive Producer: Ann Hall Sound Designer: Ian Coss Logo Designer: Emily Crowell Special thanks Shane Campbell-Staton and Graham Ball.

The Search for White Identity seeks to clarify the meaning of “white identity" in our current polarizing times. Panelists include Prof. Dan Kline who discusses "Teutonic Knights in 2018", how white nationalists and neo-Nazis attempt to misappropriate medieval literature and culture. Prof.Forrest Nabors addresses "American Codes and Colors" and Dr. Wenfei Tong examines “The Evolution of White Identity”. Dan Kline is Professor of English and Director of General Education at UAA. He received his Ph.D in Middle English Literature & Literary Theory from Indiana University. Forrest Nabors is Associate Professor & Chair Department of Political Science. He is author of the From Oligarchy to Republicanism: The Great Task of Reconstruction. He received his Ph.D. from University of Oregon. Wenfei Tong teaches in the Department of Biological Sciences at UAA. She received her Ph.D. in Organismic & Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University.

Dr. Ellen Graytak of Parabon NanoLabs will be discuss the Parabon Snapshot DNA Phenotyping Service. It is a truly amazing tool. Dr. Graytak will take listener calls and answer your questions. Dr. Ellen Greytak is the Director of Bioinformatics at Parabon NanoLabs.  She has spent more than ten years researching the relationship between genotypes and phenotypes in humans.  At Parabon, she leads the development of novel genomic analysis technologies for forensic and medical applications.  She is the lead scientist for the Snapshot® DNA Phenotyping technology, the world’s first software application able to predict the ancestry and physical traits, including face shape, of an unknown person from a DNA sample.  She also directs the scientific development of Parabon’s Degraded DNA Kinship, Fx Forensic Analysis Platform, and Compute Against Alzheimer’s projects.  She holds a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. Snapshot is a revolutionary new forensic DNA analysis service that accurately predicts the physical appearance and ancestry of an unknown person from DNA. It can also determine kinship between DNA samples out to six degrees of relatedness. Snapshot is ideal for generating investigative leads, narrowing suspect lists, and solving human remains cases.  Starting with extracted DNA or biological evidence, Snapshot produces a detailed report and composite sketch that includes eye color, skin color, hair color, face morphology, and detailed biogeographic ancestry. Armed with this scientifically objective description, law enforcement can conduct their investigation more efficiently and close cases more quickly. The Transparency Project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetransparenceyproject/

Harvard PhD student Dakota McCoy, who studies Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, asks why birds of paradise evolved to have brightly colored feathers. Then she asks an even bigger question: Why did some of these brightly colored birds also develop super-black feathers? Learn more about Dakota McCoy's research. Episode Transcript The Veritalk Team: Host/Producer: Anna Fisher-Pinkert Executive Producer: Ann Hall Sound Designer: Ian Coss Logo Designer: Emily Wilson

EP2: Tobin Zivon on Relationship and Intimacy Games Tobin Zivon is a longtime friend and soul ally of mine. He is also an accomplished spiritual teacher and counselor, and a man I trust to share the masculine perspective with the Magamama community.  He authored the Art of Mindful Living: You Can’t Stop the Waves, But You Can Learn To Surf, and has been teaching groups, couples and individuals for over 18 years. His brilliance shines most brightly when working with men, women and couples in the realms of love, intimacy and sacred sexuality. For over two-and-a-half decades, Tobin has been wholeheartedly dedicated to spiritual awakening and to serving others in the flowering of their highest potential. His extensive training includes 6 years in a Zen Center, 12 years in the Ridhwan School (under the direction of AH Almaas), a three-year apprenticeship one of the most transpersonal psychotherapists in America, five years with Adyashanti, and a teacher training program with the South African Tantra teacher Shakti Malan. This episode is for those of you who are in a rut, who are bored with the sex you are having, who feel like things have become boring or routine. You love your partner. It may have been great at some point, or maybe you married someone that you never had amazing chemistry with, but you are just not sure how to get things more spicy and interesting. I have to say that as deep and wise as Tobin is, these kind of intimacy hacks might be his untapped specialty. What You’ll Hear: What do you do when you’re not having the sex that you want to have? (3:30) Separate requests from judgment or shaming (7:00) What happens if you don’t know what you want? (19:00) Organismic field of present desire (24:00) “Small audio problem (26:30)” Great lovers know how to ask great questions (27:00) Habitual patterns and playfulness and curiosity (29:00) What does a man really need from a woman? (33:00) www.Tobinzivon.com

We welcome Omar Ganai back onto the LTB podcast for episode 41. Following on from the last interview (episode 11) we dive straight into why PT's should make time to understand motivation science, what this thing called organismic integration theory is, how we support competence, autonomy and belonging and how to think about unconditional positive regard.

Hunter, Soldier, President, Naturalist, Rough Rider. In this episode of Houghton75, we speak with Michael Canfield, a lecturer in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and author of Theodore Roosevelt in the Field, about the complex legacy of America’s 26th President. Find out more about the exhibition and Houghton Library’s 75th anniversary celebrations at http://houghton75.org/hist-75h Transcript and detailed music notes: http://wp.me/p7SlKy-rH Music Public Domain recordings from the Internet Archive http://archive.org

JONATHAN B. LOSOS is the Monique and Philip Lehner Professor for the Study of Latin America and Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and Curator in Herpetology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. He is the author of Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution. Jonathan B. Losos's Edge Bio Page (https://www.edge.org/memberbio/jonathan_b_losos) The Conversation: https://www.edge.org/conversation/jonathanblosos-urban-evolution

Are scientists the new gods? As we increasingly rely on science to solve our problems, are we stretching scientific method to mystique? If scientists are not infallible, can we trust what they tell us? And if we can’t trust scientists, can we still trust science? Tim Flannery is one of Australia’s leading writers on climate change. An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, Tim was named Australian of the Year in 2007. Tim has held various academic positions including Professor at the University of Adelaide, director of the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum and Visiting Chair in Australian Studies at Harvard University in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. A well known presenter on ABC Radio,NPR and the BBC for more than a decade, he has also written and presented several series on the Documentary Channel including The Future Eaters (1998), Wild Australasia (2003), Islands in the Sky (1992) and Bushfire (1997). His books include Here on Earth (2010) and The Weather Makers (2005). Alok Jha is the science correspondent for ITV News in the UK. Before that, he did the same job at The Guardianfor a decade, where he wrote news, features, comment and presented the award-winning Science Weeklypodcast. He has also reported live from Antarctica and presented many TV and radio programmes for the BBC. Natasha Mitchell is a multi-award winning journalist and presenter of flagship ABC Radio National programs including the daily morning show, Life Matters (2012-15), and the popular science, psychology & culture radio program, All in the Mind (2002-12). She was vice president of the World Federation of Science Journalists, and a recipient of the MIT Knight Fellowship.  Co-founder of The Maintainers themaintainers.org, a research group focused on maintenance, repair, infrastructure and mundane labor, Lee Vinsel is an Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Stevens Institute of Technology. His research focuses on science and technology policy, and his first book examines the history of government regulation of the automobile in the United States, from the birth of the internal combustion engine to the Google Car. His work has been featured in The Atlantic, The Guardian, Le Monde, Fortune and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Dr. Adam Summers is a Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences and Department of Biology at the University of Washington, and he conducts research in his lab within the Friday Harbor Laboratories there. He completed his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and engineering at Swarthmore College, and afterwards worked as a SCUBA instructor in Australia. Adam next decided to pursue graduate school, receiving his master’s degree in Biology from New York University and his PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts. He received a Miller Research Postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research at the University of California, Berkeley and went on to serve as a faculty member at UC, Irvine before joining the faculty at the University of Washington. Adam has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition, he was awarded the Bartholmew Prize for physiology research from the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, the UC, Irvine Academic Senate prize for undergraduate teaching, as well as the Directors award for program management excellence from the National Science Foundation. He also writes a monthly biomechanics columnn in Natural History Magazine and served as scientific advisor for the Pixar films “Finding Nemo” and the recently released sequel “Finding Dory”. Adam is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Pardis Sabeti is an Associate Professor at the Center for Systems Biology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the Harvard School of Public Health, and an Institute Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and a Howard Hughes Investigator. Dr. Sabeti is a computational geneticist with expertise developing algorithms to detect genetic signatures of adaption in humans and the microbial organisms that infect humans. Her lab’s key research areas include: (1) Developing analytical methods to detect and investigate evolution in the genomes of humans and other species (2) Examining host and viral genetic factors driving disease susceptibility to the devastating and deadly diseases in West Africa, Ebola Virus Disease and Lassa hemorrhagic fever. (3) Investigating the genomes of microbes, including Lassa virus, Ebola virus, Plasmodium falciparum malaria, Vibrio cholera, and Mycobacterioum tuberculosis to help in the development of intervention strategies. (4) Determining the microbial cause of undiagnosed acute febrile illness. Dr. Sabeti completed her undergraduate degree at MIT, her graduate work at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and her medical degree summa cum laude from Harvard Medical School as a Soros Fellow. Dr. Sabeti is a World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and was named a TIME magazine ‘Person of the Year’ as one of the Ebola fighters. Her awards included the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for Natural Science, the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise, the NIH Innovator Award, the Packard Fellowship, and an Ellis Island Medal of Honor. She has served on the MIT Board of Trustees and the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Women in Science, Medicine, and Engineering. Dr. Sabeti is also the lead singer and co-song writer of the rock band Thousand Days.

Dr. Cassandra Extavour is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. She received her PhD from the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Cassandra then conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in Crete, Greece as well as at the University of Cambridge. Afterward, she worked as a Research Associate in the Department of Zoology at Cambridge before joining the faculty at Harvard. Cassandra is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Irene Newton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University in Bloomington. She received her Masters and PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University where she was a Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellow. Afterward, she completed an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship at Tufts University and served briefly on the faculty at Wellesley College before joining the faculty at Indiana University. Irene has received many awards and honors, including a Woodrow Wilson Foundation National Fellowship awarded this past year. Irene is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Hopi Hoekstra is John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Biology in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Curator of Mammals at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Concerning her research interests and this lecture, she states: “Our planet is teeming with a stunning display of biological diversity—from star-nose moles to the giant blue morpho butterflies to majestic redwoods and the toxic deathcap mushrooms. How did this diversity evolve? With the recent advent of new DNA sequencing technologies, we are now able to answer this question with unprecedented precision by studying the genetic code. In my lecture, I will present one of the most complete studies of adaptive change in nature—the evolution of camouflaging coloration in mice inhabiting the coastal dunes of Alabama and Florida. Examples such as this are of growing importance for education as we live in a country in which less than half our citizens accept evolution.”

Dr. Andrew Knoll is the Fisher Professor of Natural History in Harvard University’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, where he studies ancient life, its impacts on the environment, and how the environment, in turn, shaped the evolution of life.  In recognition of the 200th anniversary of Charles’ Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the first printing of his book, “On the Origin of Species”, the American Society for Microbiology has invited Dr. Knoll to deliver the opening lecture, titled “Microbes and Earth History,” at the society’s general meeting in Philadelphia this year. Before the dinosaurs, before trees and leaves, before trilobites, there were microbes.  Vast, slimy layers of them covered the rocks and peppered the seas of the harsh, alien planet we now call Earth.  Those slimy cells were our ancestors, and they played a defining role in changing that once-barren moonscape into the world we see today: a planet covered with diverse, striving life, topped by an oxygen-rich atmosphere.  Dr. Knoll says he puts on his paleontologist’s hat and studies the fossil record to learn more about this ancient life, then he dons his geochemist’s hat to reconstruct Earth’s environmental history from the chemical signatures he finds in ancient sedimentary rocks.  He weaves these two stories together to figure out how life has transformed the planet and how the planet has influenced the course of evolution. In this interview, I talk with Dr. Knoll about what early earth must have looked like, his involvement with the Mars rover project, and how intelligent design concepts may well belong in high school curricula, but not in the context of science class.