In this episode, I catch up with my good friend, Michael Garfield. Michael is the host of the Future Fossils podcast and the Complexity podcast. In his 4th appearance on Here We Are, we discuss topics like fatherhood, lifestyle changes, and the ever-changing world we live in.

Today I'm speaking with one of my very first guests on the Here We Are podcast, Marlene Zuk. Marlene is a Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. We talk about common misconceptions about evolution and comparing humans to other animals.  Check out Marlene's upcoming book, "Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters" here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324007227 And check out some of her other books...

Today I'm speaking with Martie Haselton and Jaimie Krems. Martie is the world's leading researcher on how ovulatory cycles influence women's sexuality. She is a professor of psychology at UCLA and the Institute for Society and Genetics, and a really great friend of mine. Jaimie is a professor of Social psychology focusing on female friendship, conflict, stereotypes, and prejudice.  We discuss the influence large social institutions, like religion, has on one's perspective of the sanctity of...

In this first ever in-person video episode of Here We Are I talk with human paleontologist, Steven E. Churchill in his lab at Duke University. We talk about the lingering Neanderthal DNA in modern humans, genetic diversity, the recent discovery of Homo naledi, and the Rising Star Expedition which is a part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa. Learn more about Steven's work: https://scholars.duke.edu/person/churchy Steven will also be coming to the MUM Campout so...

Today I'm talking with my very close friend, Peter McGraw. We talk about the pros and cons of being single vs being in a relationship, traveling as a single person, living with another person, and the strange, negative view society has on singlehood. Get tickets to the Mind Under Matter Campout Festival here: https://mindunderpod.com/pages/campout Check out Peter's podcast "Solo: The Single Person’s Guide To A Remarkable Life" here: https://petermcgraw.org/podcasts/solo/ Check out Peter's...

I have a couple special announcements and updates to share with you in this short solo episode.  Check out the latest Mind Under Matter episode to hear Ramin and I share all the details about our campout/festival: https://youtu.be/z1gkwbUX2rg Get tickets before they run out: https://mindunderpod.com/pages/campout Stay tuned! Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:50 Campout Festival 05:19 Campout Location 06:37 Campout Events 21:36 Check out the latest MUM episode to learn more 24:01 Here We Are...

Helena Miton is a cognitive anthropologist and complexity postdoctoral fellow at the Santa Fe Institute. She investigates how culture is maintained through time and what determines the shapes traditions take. She holds her Ph.D. in cognitive science from Central European University and previously was a member of the Minds & Traditions research group at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Follow her on Twitter @HelenaMiton. Helena and I discuss cultural evolution,...

Today I'm speaking with Dr. Christopher Kavanagh, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Cognitive & Evolutionary Anthropology. Chris is also the cohost of the Decoding the Gurus Podcast. We talk about the effect that internet gurus and thought leaders have on public perception of science and politics.  Chris’ research focuses broadly on collective rituals and their impact on social identity and group orientated behaviors, using a combination of field and lab based...

Today I am speaking with Cecilea Mun, who is a Visiting Assistant Professor of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program, with the Department of Philosophy, at the University of Louisville, KY, and the founding director of the Society for Philosophy of Emotion, and the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Philosophy of Emotion. We talk about how money shifts the way we think about our ethical principles, Realism emotional theory and Instrumentalism emotional theory, how people on...

This week I’m talking with Dave Ader, an interdisciplinary scholar in the fields of sustainable agriculture and rural development. He currently works as the Assistant Director and Research Assistant Professor in the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Tennessee.   Joining me as a part of the One Health Initiative, we discuss how agricultural issues in one area can end up affecting communities on the other side of the globe and how very niche scientific...

This week I am talking with Itai Yanai, Director of the Institute for Computational Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU.  We discuss Richard Dawkin’s book: The Selfish Gene, Darwin’s work with Evolution and Itai’s Podcast: The Night Science Podcast. Throughout the conversation we dive into extended phenotypes, spandrels in genetics, and evolution of things like facial hair and tails.  Thank you for watching and being an inquisitive...

This week I’m talking all about science communication with Susanna L Harris. Susanna earned her PhD in microbiology at UNC-Chapel Hill and is now working to build better communication in Biotech.  We chat about how to more effectively communicate scientific information by guiding conversations, getting other people’s individual contexts, and the best way to present new information.  We also explore ideas like celebrating being wrong, enjoying boredom and how covid has affected scientific...

Shane and Ramin have TWO tremendous pieces of news.  Don’t miss this episode as it involves some plans you are going to want to make! The Charmed Boys of Comedy™ are feeling The Luck of the Irish. This week we chat about the history of St Paddy’s Day.  We talk about Shane’s Irish ancestry, potato famines, and early American immigrants.  After doing Origins of Halloween (ep 29), Christmas Origins (ep 36), and now exploring St Paddy’s Day as a respite from Lent, we are starting to notice a...

My biggest hero Robert Sapolsky returns to the show for an exceptionally important conversation about stress during a time where many of us have experienced the most in our life. This is an important conversation about how lack of predictability and control can lead to learned helplessness. This recipient of the MacArthur Foundation genius grant is a Professor at Stanford University holding joint appointments in several departments, including Biological Sciences, Neurology & Neurological...

The Necromancers of Comedy™ use modern alchemy to determine how conspiratorial they are.  This week Shane and Ramin take the 15 question ‘Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale’ The scale breaks the score down into five facets: - Government Malfeasance: Belief in routine criminal conspiracy within governments - Malevolent Global Conspiracies: Belief that small, secret groups exert total control over global events - Control of Information (CI): Belief that unethical control and suppression of...

This week I am talking with Sophia Rokhlin, co-author of the book “When Plants Dream”. Sophia Rokhlin is an author, speaker and nonprofit organizer dedicated to supporting the conservation of Indigenous wisdom and territories. She currently serves as Technical Secretariat of the Amazon Emergency Fund We discuss ayahuasca, work in the amazon rainforest, and the role of indigenous peoples in our environmental future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m talking with Matthew Gray, associate director of the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Center for Wildlife Health about amphibians. He is also a part of the One Health Initiative. Dr. Gray specializes in disease ecology. His interests include transmission dynamics of emerging infectious disease and identifying management strategies that can thwart or eradicate outbreaks. We discuss the amphibian trade, reproductive strategies across the species and the spread of disease. Matt...

The New Tradition Starting Boys of Comedy™ bring in the first inaugural International Mind Under Matter Day on 2/22/22! What is International MUM Day?  For the first year, we are going to hash it out together. If you could cobble together a new holiday with your favorite things from other holidays, what would it look like?  What is your ideal festival?  If Shane and Ramin put together a Mind Under Matter camp out next year would you be interested in joining The NTSBC™?  Tune in to find out...

This week Shane is talking with Graham Walker, an Emergency Room Physician in San Francisco, CA. They discuss how Covid has effected hospitals and staff over the last 2 years. Graham runs down hospital checklists, decision making in the ER setting, and what he’s seen while working. They also go into the spread of misinformation through the media, and what could possibly be done in the...

The Sexually Selected Valentines of Comedy™ release their second episode on mating behavior. Last week we went through a bit of the early history of the scientific debates over the evolution of utility versus beauty.  This week we will go through some of the more recent theories about mating behavior to better understand the eruption of various behaviors that have both created and destroyed an uncountable number of species on earth. We start with a dive underwater to see what odd strategies...

Today I'm speaking with Matthew Browne, who is a Professor of Psychology researching gambling in Australia. Matthew also cohosts the podcast "Decoding the Gurus" which examines alternative hot takes on science and politics. We discuss academic politics, the psychology behind conspiratorial reasoning, alternative medicine, and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week The Sexually Selected Boys of Comedy™ get into some of the basics of the evolution of mating. Charles Darwin’s birthday is just before Valentine’s Day on Feb 12.  We thought it would be fitting to spend the next two weeks talking about how change over time has shaped the tantalizing act of spreading genes. 'On The Origin of Species' put Darwin on the map and introduced the world to evolution. But when it came to mating, things like the peacock just weren’t making sense.  This...

This week I’m talking with Melanie Martin, a biological anthropologist investigating evolutionary and ecological influences on growth and development, and the implications of those relationships for public health. Her research, conducted with two indigenous populations—the Tsimane of Bolivia and the Qom of Argentina—combines field research with laboratory analysis of non-invasive biomarkers and mixed-modeling approaches. We discuss child rearing in remote villages and breast feeding practices...

The Amenable Boys of Comedy™ take questions from the listeners and wow did the MUMies come through with some good ones! How many hot dogs have you eaten in your life?  Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker?  Do you believe in ghosts?  How would you use a time machine?  Who would you like to talk to from History? This was the first Q&A episode that we tried and ended up with so many fantastic questions from both Instagram and Patrons that we decided to do two episodes! --- Support...

This week Shane chats with Hollie Raynor, Professor in the Department of Nutrition at The University of Tennessee Knoxville.  Hollie is the Director of the Healthy Eating and Activity Laboratory. She has training in the fields of nutrition and clinical psychology. Her research focuses on dietary factors, such as portion size, variety, and energy-density, which influence food consumption. In this full episode we talk about how nutritional information changes over time, the challenges and...