Down the Wormhole

Episode 140 In part 31 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are doing a different sort of thing. Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime who is the CEO of the Alliance for Christian Media and Exec. Producer of Day1 broadcasting. Joining us as well is the founding director of Sinai and Synapses, the Rabbi Geoff Mitelman. We wanted to get the three of us to...

Episode 139 In part 30 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr. Olapeju Simoyan. She is an addiction medicine physician and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Drexel University College of Medicine. She also holds adjunct faculty positions at Penn State University College of Medicine and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. She is also an author...

Episode 138 In part 29 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr. David Adler Gold. He is a geobiologist, combining genetics and the fossil record to study the relationship between Earth and life over long timescales. He has worked on problems as old as the origin of complex life, and as recent as the effects of global warming on marine invertebrates. David got his PhD at...

Episode 137 In part 28 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Andrew Rick-Miller. He is a co-founder and the current Executive Director of Science for the Church, a ministry seeking to help strengthen the church through engagement with science. Previously, he spent more than ten years with the John Templeton Foundation, most recently leading the Religious Engagement Depart...

Episode 136 In part 27 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Rev. Danny Lybarger. Danny is the Lead and Founding Pastor of The Well, a vibrant and inclusive United Methodist Church plant in Weldon Spring, MO, known for its commitment to creating safe spaces for all, especially those traditionally marginalized by the church. With a BA from George Fox University and an M.Di...

Episode 135 In part 26 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr. Randy Wedin. He is a freelance science writer and a Lay Teacher at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center (MZMC). He earned his PhD in Chemistry at Harvard University and his BA in Chemistry and English Literature at St. Olaf College (Minnesota). As a science writer, he uses his communication skills to bridge t...

Episode 134 How do our religious communities become breeding grounds for bad science and misinformation? Is religion itself to blame or is there something else at work? Secret foreskin heists, biblical breakfast wisdom, and a cure for ignorance!   Support this podcast on Patreon at  https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast   More information at  https://www.downthewormhole.com/   produced by...

Episode 133 In part 25 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Rabbi Daniel Swartz. He is the spiritual leader at Temple Hesed of Scranton and Executive Director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL). Previously, Rabbi Swartz held leadership positions with Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, the National Religious Partnership for the Environ...

Episode 132 The Trump Administration has waged an all out war on gender and sex. They claim to be motivated by "common sense science" and religious truths, but are disingenuous and incomplete on both fronts. We talk about the actual science of biological sex, the Talmud's surprisingly expansive view of gender, why this is such a pressing issue, and how we can stand up for truth and dignity.    Sup...

Episode 131 In part 24 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr Taylor Thomas. She is an interdisciplinary scholar, artist, and educator specializing in philosophy and religion. Currently, she serves as a part-time philosophy instructor and a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Mind and Culture. Her research focuses on developing interdisciplinary frameworks to address...

Episode 130 In part 23 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr Fred Ledley. He is a professor of natural & applied science and management at Bentley University in Waltham, MA and director of the center for integration of science and industry. A physician and pediatrician by training, he has performed research in genomics on the faculties of the Baylor College of Medi...

Episode 129 Why do smart people believe dumb things? We unpack cognitive biases, like how judges might deny parole just because they're hungry (or maybe not?). Learn why Steve Jobs wore black turtlenecks, why knowing a little Greek makes pastors dangerous, and why acknowledging your biases doesn't make you immune to them. Plus, we touch on misinformation, trusting experts, and why sometimes, the b...

Episode 128 In part 22 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Dr Ciara Reyes-Ton. She is a biologist, science writer, and editor who is passionate about science communication to faith communities. She has a Ph. D. in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan. She has served as Managing Editor for the American Scientific Affiliation’s God & Nature Mag...

Episode 127 In part 21 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Rabbi Dr Jack Shlachter.    Jack Shlachter is a physicist who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for over thirty years with briefer stints at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, the Atomic Energy Agency, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, the latter two based in Vienna, Austria; he...

Episode 125 This conversation was recorded at the Sinai and Synapses alumni gathering in November 2023. In it, we talk with Dr. Briana Pobiner about the earliest cannibals, fad diets, and what life was like for our paleolithic predecessors.    When you're done with this episode, make sure to check out her other interviews as well!  https://www.downthewormhole.com/e/human-origins-part-1-with-briana...

Episode 125 In part 21 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with JD Stillwater.  He is a science ambassador and author who writes and speaks about profound insights from natural reality, insights that drive paradigm shifts, and cultural awakening. He is an officer of the Religious Naturalist Association, and serves on the governing Council of the Institute on Religion in an A...

Episode 124 We're back! After over two years, we have recorded a new episode, but it's better than that. We've actually recorded a couple of new episodes with a plan in place to record dozens more. Oh, and we have a whole host of interviews lined up with fascinating people that we know you will love. It feels more important than ever to be able to talk about science and religion, and we can't wait...

Episode 123 This conversation was recorded at the Sinai and Synapses alumni gathering in November 2023. In it, we talk with Dr. Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad about the ethics of AI in Islam, the future of human-computer interaction, and the ethics of bringing a form of consciousness back to life.  Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad is a Research Scientist at University of Washington’s Harborview Medical Center a...

Episode 122 Today we are joined by author, speaker, and podcaster Rob Bell to talk about his new novel "Where'd You Park Your Spaceship". We talk about delighting in our work, a faith that could survive the end of the world, and how a book about spaceships and distant planets has more to do with what it means to be human than anything he's written before.    Rob Bell is the New York Times Bestsell...

Episode 121 Today we are joined by Dr. Chris Impey to talk about exoplanets, the search for life in space, and the search for meaning on Earth.   Dr Impey is a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has over 220 refereed publications on observational cosmology, galaxies, and quasars, and his research has been supported by $20 million in NASA and NSF grants...

Episode 120 Today we are joined by Dr Emily Smith to talk about epidemiology, the dangers of truth telling, and how the story of the Good Samaritan changed everything for her.  She is an assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine/surgery at Duke University and at the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI). During the COVID-19 pandemic, she became known as the Friendly Neighbor Epidem...

Episode 119 Today, we are joined by paleontologist, Dr. Mary Schweitzer. She is professor in the department of biological sciences at North Carolina State University. She is also a research curator for paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Her research interests include molecular paleontology, specifically the preservation and detection of original molecular fragments in w...

Episode 118 In part 20 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with the Rev Dr Vikki Gaskin-Butler.    She is a licensed psychologist (clinical and health psychology) and ordained clergy person. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College and her Master of Science and Ph. D. in psychology from the University of Florida. She also received a Master of Div...

Episode 117 Today, we are joined by the one and only Rev. Dr. Pamela Conrad. is the rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She’s also an astrobiologist and planetary scientist specializing in understanding how planets do or do not evolve into habitable environments, and she is presently involved in the exploration of Mars with the Perseverance Rover and its companion, the...

Episode 116 In part 19 of our Sinai and Synapses interview series, we are talking with Emily Gerdin. She was raised in two faiths growing up (Judaism & Protestantism), and her interfaith upbringing inspired her to study how minds are shaped by religious worldviews. She is a PhD candidate in developmental psychology at Yale University, studying how children conceive of religious groups as sometimes...