Fairly Interesting

The Race to the South Pole wasn’t won by luck — it was won by understanding one invisible killer: scurvy. In this episode, we follow Roald Amundsen’s triumph and Robert Falcon Scott’s tragic death, revealing how Amundsen’s lessons from the Inuit — fresh seal meat, dogs, and skis — defeated the disease that destroyed Scott’s team. From medieval sailors bleeding from the gums to the horrors of being...

Trillions of microbes live inside you. More than your own cells, rivaling the stars in our galaxy, and they’re quietly controlling your mood, anxiety, fear, boldness, and even your cravings. This episode reveals the microbiome’s hidden power: how it shapes digestion, immunity, and the gut-brain axis, why dysbiosis can trap you in anxiety and overeating, and the evolutionary “microbial wars” where...

Uncover salt's epic history—from empire-building currency to Gandhi's revolution-sparking march. Explore its biological necessity, animal cravings, and the flawed "salt scare" that wrongly equates low salt with universal health. Science reveals extreme restriction activates stress hormones, triggers insulin resistance, raises heart rate, and may increase risks. Moderate intake often optimal; salt:...

The flesh-eating screwworm that devours cattle and wildlife alive is threatening the US again.  Once a major beef production issue has since been largely solved thanks to Knipling and Bushland inventing the Sterile Insect Technique in the 1930’s. New World Screwworm was eradicated from the US in 1966 by releasing sterile males into the wild, ultimately leading to population collapse. That same gen...

In this episode we discuss insulin and insulin resistance. This leads onto the profound health benefits of nutritional ketosis. From obesity Type 2 Diabetes and weight loss to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Cancer and even Malaria. “Keto” is a practical way of improving many health maladies. 73% of US population is overweight and obese. This is a health crisis that can be helped by simple nutritional li...

Sunflowers turn before dawn, vines mimic their neighbors, corn recruits wasps to kill caterpillars, and trees chat underground. What secrets are plants hiding, and are they smarter than we think? Join us on this episode as we explore the hidden and incredible life and communication of plants.  References:  What a Plant Knows The Light Eaters

Should imported beef be labeled “Product of the USA” when it’s not born or raised here? We discuss the complex issue of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), which would ensure every package reveals its true origin, empowering you to choose authentic, U.S.-born beef over cheap imports. We dive into why this matters: a beef herd at its lowest in 73 years—down from 38 million in 1985 to 28 million toda...

Donor organs are desperately needed. The waiting list for a heart. kidney, lung is long and uncertain. Enter the emerging world of Transgenic and Chimeric Pigs. What if pigs can grow a new heart, just for you? Even one with your own genetic material. Join us for this fascinating chat about growing custom organs, harvesting organs for Organ Tourism and the ethical and practical issues of this growi...

In this podcast we clear up the misperceptions around Corporate Farming and explain how family farms are still the bedrock of American agriculture. The reality is far different than what you might think. We explore why there is such emotional resonance associated with the proverbial family farm. Why people feel so strongly about small farms, family farms, and where our food comes from.

In this episode we discuss irrigation; the manipulation of water for farming and human flourishing. From beaver dams to the Ogallala Aquifer, from the Indus valley to Petra, from (midget) water diviners to nuclear desalination plants, we look forward to a future “greening” of Africa and nourishing the world with unlimited sweetwater. We hope you enjoy this wide ranging chat.

RFK Jr. is driving a fresh national discussion on health through nutrition. While this is a welcome development, unfortunately, he and others like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson are missing the last part of the story. The unintended consequences of so-called organic farming would be disastrous. We also discuss the disturbing recent paper published by the American Academy of Pediatrics warning about...

In this episode we revisit Fake Meat and explore why Beyond Beef stock crashed, why McDonald's discontinued their fake meat burger, and why the hype bubble is bursting. Hint, the cows won't even eat veggie burgers! We hope you enjoy it. Why Beyond Meat Is Crashing Today | Nasdaq BANKRUPT: The WEF agenda is FAILING! - by Peter Imanuelsen Fake Beef Craze Fizzles With Beyond Meat in the Crosshairs -...

Tune into our 2nd episode of Cruel To Be Kind, a continuation of our discussion about common farming animal husbandry practices. From Molting chickens, Trimming beaks, Dehorning cattle, and Shearing sheep, we delve into practices that are commonly used by farmers but are easily misunderstood by the public. Enjoy!

Farmers around the world utilize common practices which may appear to be cruel, but ultimately are rooted in kindness ultimately produce the best outcomes. Livestock producers implement such practices that may be a short term stressful event for the long term well being and performance of their animals. To an outsider, practices such as castration, tail docking, branding, and snipping eye teeth ap...

In this episode we revisit the saga of Golden Rice. 140 million poor children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, of which 500,000 go blind and 250,000 die each year. Golden Rice could save them, except Greenpeace continues to sabotage it's use. From "Save The Whales" to "Let The Children go Blind and Die", we review the antihuman trajectory of Greenpeace. How did it stray so far from its original m...

In this podcast we're joined by our agronomist friend, Seth Tuscherer, to bring the boots on the ground perspective as we discuss the demonization of glyphosate, monocrop agriculture and how the precautionary principle has gone haywire. From RFK Jr to Joe Rogan, glyphosate is painted as a deadly carcinogen, poisoning the world. How did such an incredible molecule, responsible for so much good, fal...

In this chat we digest beef and it's nutritional components, such as protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fats. Join us on a far ranging discussion, from Ferdinand Magellan’s crew to Custer’s 7th Cavalry; from Gynecomastia (hint, Bill Gates) to Pellagra, it's quite the ride. We hope you'll enjoy.   Book References: Napoleon's Buttons. How 17 Molecules Changed The World Trans-vaccenic acid...

In this podcast we discuss the limitations of epidemiology, especially as it relates to nutrition and health studies in human populations. We dig into a recent study (2023) published by a group at Harvard that created sensational headlines about red meat causing Type II Diabetes. We chat about why this study and others like it are deeply flawed. From Ancel Keys in 1960 to Harvard in 2023, meat and...

In this podcast we discuss Thermoregulation. From the USS Jeanette Voyage to the artic to The San endurance hunters of the Kalahari we discuss thermoregulation of our bodies, how to keep our bodies in the Goldilocks zone. We also chat about what heat stress and cold stress means to animal agriculture, why farmers work hard to keep our animals comfortable, why it matters and various strategies empl...

In this podcast we chat about the crazy world of epigenetics. From Jean Baptiste Lamark's half-baked theory of evolution, through Darwin and Mendel to today where scientist are confronted with more and more evidence of the environment shaping our genetic code. It seems our genetic potential is not as "fixed at birth" as we once assumed. Epigenetics is a hidden universe of potential. From the Dutch...

From Dwight Eisenhower's 7 heart attacks and Ancel Keys and the creation of the diet-food-pharma industrial complex. We discuss the low fat diet disaster (obesity epidemic) the cholesterol myth, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and why diets fail. A far ranging discussion that puts animal fat, butter and meat back on the menu! Join us for the ride. Books referenced:  Big Fat Surprise, By Nin...

In this episode we discuss parasites, our ancient and ubiquitous foes. Parasites have plagued us and every living organism since the dawn of time. This absolutely fascinating class of animals is supremely adapted to survival, in the most gross fashion (like eating your tongue to take its place in your mouth!) From the Panama Canal, mind control of cats and maggots devouring lambs, we cover the sto...

From immortal cell lines (hint, Henrietta) to Fetal Bovine Serum and Bioreactors, we discuss the development and outlook for cell cultured meat, aka, Lab Meat. Join us in our wide ranging chat about cellular meat hype, hope and reality. We pull back the covers on ethical, technical and practical implications of this emerging technology. It’s quite the ride!   Book reference: The Immortal Life of H...

In this episode we chat about vaccines and how they have saved the lives of hundreds of millions of people and animals. We also discuss the curious and mysterious nature of viruses – they are part of us and every living organism, and yet they are our biggest killers. From the advent of agriculture, viruses co-evolved with us and our domesticated animals, ever changing, fascinating shape-shifters h...

"Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” - Winston Churchill. From sperm whales hunting giant squid to bumble bees talking to flowers, we explore animal and plant intelligence. What is natural, why we eat some animals and not others and what is our obligation and responsibility for the food-animals we eat? We explore the slippery (and emotional) slope of defining what i...