Here We Are

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" he...

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...

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 wo...

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...

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 Locatio...

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 Insti...

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 imp...

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...

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 o...

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...

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 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...

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 env...

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...

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 future. Refe...

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/adchoice...

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 mi...

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 f...

Today I'm hanging out with returning guest, Herman Pontzer. Herman is the author of "Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy". He investigates the physiology of humans and apes to understand how ecology, lifestyle, diet, and evolutionary history affect metabolism and health. You can find Herman on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/hermanpontzer...

This week I talk with Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at The University of Minnesota, Emilie Snell-Rood. Emilie’s lab takes both a basic and applied approach to understanding insect responses to environmental change. Currently, a number of her projects consider roadsides as habitat for insect pollinators, studying interactions between nutrients and roadside stressors in the...

Jessica Brinkworth returns to Here We Are for her 4th time to give us an update on COVID! We talk about the spread of misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, booster shots, the neurological and cardiac side effects of COVID, the danger in over-exercising while infected with COVID, the new Omicron variant, the naïve guidance from the CDC, and a whole lot more! Jessica is an assistant professor in the de...

Today I talk to returning guest, Emily J Willingham, about her book "The The Tailored Brain: From Ketamine, to Keto, to Companionship, A User's Guide to Feeling Better and Thinking Smarter". We talk about the neuroscience behind resilience, exercise, mindfulness practice, social interactions, breathing, the uprising in popularity of the wellness community and supplements, and the future of neurotr...

On a very special episode of Here We Are, I talk with wonderful friend and fellow comedian, Duncan Trussell. Check out Duncan’s Podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour and his psychedelic animated series, The Midnight Gospel on Netflix. We chat about science and mysticism, tradition and rituals, meditation and development over a lifespan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

This week I am speaking with Douglas Noll, author of the book *De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less* which was the winner of the Book Excellence Award for 2017. Douglas E. Noll. is a full time peacemaker and mediator, specializing in difficult, complex, and intractable conflicts. He has a Masters Degree in Peacemaking and Conflict Studies. Doug tells me all about the Pris...

This week, Shane is talking with Dr. Zlatan Križan, Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University, and Barrett Klein, Professor of Biology at UW-La Crosse who are meeting for the first time to film this incredible episode that crosses both their fields of research. Dr. Križan directs the Sleep, Self, and Personality Laboratory (SSPeL) that examines how sleep and personality intersect with socia...