Ikonokast

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Karen Stollznow, a linguist, an author, and she shares podcast hosting duties on Monster Talk with Blake Smith. She’s published a new book, focusing on a single word, Bitch. Bitch is a highly contextual word, controversial in that sometimes it’s cool and other times Very Uncool. In Bitch: Journey of a Word , Karen examines the etymology of the word and its various...

There’s a push to remove the moratorium in Minnesota against developing nuclear power as s ource of energy. We are hearing claims that it is a renewable energy source, and that it doesn’t produce carbon emissions. When this podcast was actually being recorded (there was snow on the ground,) the Minnesota Legislature was in session. So, yes, that’s a while ago. But this is still relevant, and will...

  [caption id="attachment_464" align="alignnone" width="860"] Marlene Zuk presenting a TED Talk.[/caption] For this episode, Greg and Mike Zoomed with Marlene Zuk to ask her some pointed questions about her book Paleofantasy:  What Evolution Really Tells Us About Sex, Diet, and How We Live. We didn't ask what she had for breakfast, nor what she suggests that we have for breakfast, because tha...

It’s been a few months since our most recent podcast, but we are happy to see that our listeners are still tuning in. Greg Laden and Mike Haubrich welcome the return of Laurent Penet to the show. Listen in for some great info on his study of fruit trees, fungi and the spores from Ivory Coast, and folk medicine. Here are some links that he shared for more information: Tropical Fruit Tree Species an...

Yes, it's true, and our guests explain why.

This is an overlapping continuation of episode 31, including the part about Silver Bay.  Greg Laden and Mike Haubrich spoke a bit more, about our travels and experiences along the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.  We also talked about the Iron Range in some greater detail, we talked about the gas fires in a flooded Grand Forks in 1997, how Hibbing had to move for the mines in the 1920's...

In this interview, Megan Bond talks extensively with Greg Laden about the importance of the watershed to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park as well as the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario; but more importantly, the watershed flows out from a contintal “trivide” to Hudson’s Bay, The Atlantic Ocean’s East Coast through the St. Lawrence Seaway and to the Gulf Of Mexico through...

In this wide-ranging episode, we explored ideas in agriculture on how to make it both more productive and ecologically friendly. Our guest is Laurent Penet, PhD, a researcher with the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment. While we strayed from the initial question, we did cover a lot of ground on maintaining our ability to continue to produce food in the tropics and the...

Ethan Siegel is a primo science communicator, with a blog at Starts With a Bang, a podcast of his own of the same name, and articles that he has published in a diverse array of magazines.  He's an enthusiastic interpreter of science, and we assure you there is no math required to listen to this podcast. The episode post is at https://ikonokast.com/2022/05/08/fourteen-questions-with-ethan-siegel/

Especially since Covid-19, everyone you argue with either in person or on the internet about masks or vaccines, or climate change, or evolution, or whether the earth is flat or round, or whatever people fight about, there’s going to be a demand to produce the science to support your argument. That’s not always as easy as you might think.

In this episode, Mike and Greg are each other's guests, and we go over things you can do both at home and in talking to your local and national government representatives to help restore carbon balance to nature.   https://ikonokast.com/2022/04/10/episode-26-seven-simple-rules-for-saving-the-planet/

The wait is over! Bill Schutt, auther of Pump: A Natural History of the Heart This is the second part of Greg Laden's interview with Bill Schutt, whose book Pump: A Natural History of the Heart, is available on Amazon in multiple formats. If you haven't listened to the first part of this interview yet, catch up on that one first. Don't forget to listen to our interview with Dr. Schutt on Cannibali...

We are back! [caption id="attachment_321" align="alignright" width="199"] Bill Schutt, auther of Pump: A Natural History of the Heart[/caption] Join us with part one of an interview with zoologist and author Bill Schutt, as we discuss his latest book, Pump: A Natural History of the Heart , a delightful and informative exploration of the heart, in all its (anatomical) forms. We have changed our for...

Dr. Karen Stollznow is a linguist who earned her PhD at the University of New England, in Australia. She hosts the skeptical podcast Monster Talk with Blake Smith (subscribe, you'll thank us!) She is also a prolific author, having published academic works, non-fiction as well as fiction. Dr. Karen Stollznow In this episode, we open with the ways in which we judge and stereotype each other based on...

Anastasia Bodnar, PhD, is our guest on this episode. This is her second stint on Ikonokast, and for a refresher or if you are new to the show, we welcome you to listen to Genetic Engineering and Food Security . At the White House Our topic for this show is the importance of disclosure of potential conflicts of interest while conducting and reporting on research. Anastasia is a founding member and...

Today, Ikonokast visits with Joe Romm, author of How To Go Viral and Reach Millions: Top Persuasion Secrets from Social Media Superstars, Jesus, Shakespeare, Oprah, and Even Donald Trump . Romm is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and the founder of the widely read and well respected Climate Progress (a part of Think Progress). He was for a time Acting Assistant Secreatary of th...

Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist of the band Spinal Tap, modified his amplifier for a higher energy state. Something that he could go to that was louder than the loudest, for when "10" wouldn't do. His amplifier goes up to "11." And he needs it for that special moment in the song "Hell Hole," I guess. Philip Moriarty is the guest for this episode of Ikonokast. The interview is a wide-ranging tour of e...

Jess Phoenix, a geologist, announces her candidacy for the 2018 congressional race for Steve Knight's 25th district seat at Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce on Monday, April 18, 2017. Katharine Lotze/The Signal Jess Phoenix is running for California's 25th District Congressional seat. Our Congress lacks expertise in science and how science works at a basic level, and as a result there are some poorly t...

Dr. Peter Carter is an expert reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Dr. Peter Carter and Elizabeth Woodworth co-wrote Unprecedented Crime: Climate Science Denial and Game Changers for Survival . Dr. Peter Carter is our guest for this episode. It is too late for the planet, and civilization, to not suffer serious consequences of climate disruption owing to human release of fos...

Dr. One Pagan Our podcast returns with a fun interview of the author of Strange Survivors: How Organisms Defend and Attack in the Game of Life. Oné Pagán is a researcher and professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania and he blogs at Bald Scientist . This is his second book and it is a fascinating tour of adaptations that work well to enhance the survival of organisms in, as he...

https://www.launchpadone.com/media/2017/episodes/11/Echo-Skills-Red-Rocks-and-ScienceBlogs.mp3 Mike and Greg converse on the subject of the geology and geography of Arizona and the red rocks of Sedona. The rocks tell the story of the ages of the earth, and this is a pretty chapter. We also talk about the end of ScienceBlogs, which has been a seminal collective that set the tone in many ways for a...

https://www.launchpadone.com/media/2017/episodes/09/0015-John-McKay-Discovering-the-Mammoth.mp3 In the podcast, you may hear Mike refer to John as a "Vulcan Historian." What Mike meant to say is that John J. McKay is a historian with a specialty in the history of the Balkans, and that is an important distinction. He is also interested in the many weird theories that abound to explain (often not ve...

https://www.launchpadone.com/media/2017/episodes/09/Bill-Schutt-Cannibalism-A-Very-Natural-History.mp3 We don't do too many shows on cuisine, but this week we asked scientist and author Bill Schutt to speak with us about his research in cannibalism. His new book, Cannibalism: A perfectly natural history , explores the behavioral and evolutionary biology of cannibalism in general, and within that c...