Neuroscientist and science educator, Cara Santa Maria, sits down with Chris and Jonah to talk about asking strange questions at museums, how Cara teaches science to non-scientists, and where conscientiousness comes from!
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Say guys whence he met Jonah alive may twenty fifth going on during Phoenix COMECON nerves by gas, I'm Phoenix Arizona, also June. Second, we're gonna be a club Nokia, LOS Angeles right before E3 alot of exciting ways to put nervous
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The promo code noticed then download the free up on your ipod or your Iphone. That's go to my pc. Dotcom enter the promo code, noticed the sense of nervous bikers. Has my friend care Santa Maria? She is a delightful Smarty, pants senior sides, correspondent in host of talk nerdy to me for the Huffington posts. Are we work together? A couple years ago we did the talking to me pilot for HBO and became pals. She's awesome super smart and I think, helping to break old stereotypes of what a scientist can be. So I really enjoyed us up.
Oh she's, so much fun to talk to, and I hope you enjoy doing its nurse progress up their number two hundred and five with Kara Santa Maria Science now entering minister com
I pressed record so stop talking. Should we
We are now being captured, digitally onto compact, disc, Kara Centenary as one of science, so I think, showed
that what's happening right now, is that our souls are escaping our mouths and end being trapped in the ditch
the universe of technology. I feel I feel hollow every time we were
Ford, because let me guess trapped in his eyes. I digital volunteers come out, not just feel like. Where do I go and I go and then I hear my voice and like a demon yeah now just standing on the edge of the universe just staring back it myself, I think black hole.
Is, the big old mare is what it is skewed. Mere man they exclude mere
we could talk about these things with care. Santa Maria who is the you are the
you are the Lord of Science at the Huffington and the Lord assign other. Your lot is a term. Lord comes a size, well, Jesus,
process and its documented that she is the Lord of steel lower, so
in the Bible use gotta read between the lines. Man come on totally their care, Santa Maria Lovely. To have you here. I I M so excited that you're doing so many wonderful
ah, we hosted a show together Jonah. Actually, it was care a show, and I was the corresponding on the show it was called talk. Nerdy to me for HBO was pilot that, despite the Corky name really was a pretty soon.
Is show about about science, and our culture takes effort. Christmas part
I went to the I went to the page museum across the street from the building that were in right now and what was
was the evolution of of basically evolution
wolves to gathering the atom
MRS Green, and about how the governments spend a half a billion dollars to make him indestructible, then good, an old onto I mean. Why would you think you could that's the human Spirit Christopher just about how base
please you know these wild. These wild dogs became pats that we pay
booties and leather jackets on, and then we can do this comparison between you know like this symbiotic really
ship between man and dog and how they helped us veto the ed,
in a Darwin in way, I suppose, survive the surviving elements. Was it the journey of man's best enemy to man's best friend yeah? That's exact
What am I have just like a lot of the film enemy mine, yes or the gray. I think the most scientific part of Christmas segment was when he asked the dog expert at the page museum, whether or not he could fuckin chimp and get a pregnant, those a legitimate question. I asked it seriously
then do remember your follow. No, you you're, like you know what that means in oh yeah yeah. You raise your hand, no kind,
Diana turning it into a bit. In my said, that was born on the pilot that we did with you. I know the biology year and a half ago gas. While I get it was July of two thousand ten. You have a good memory. I haven't okay memory, I'm trusting that it was it was there.
There was some of the summer of two thousand ten Bucharest or hanging out a lot during that time- and I remember this talk about what maybe I'll tell you about everything Jonah, I have a life man that involves science and dogs.
And but dumb
carry you you're, you're, very IBM, so interest
in in you in your work and what you do, because you I mean. Obviously it's me, I guess, maybe you don't think of it as being a thing, but you look like this total pogrom, chick and Europe, a brilliant scientists, and so it's sort of you know it's nice because I feel like it sets an example for young people of. Like you know, scientists like you, don't have to fit a certain mould to be smart or to try to be a scientist enemy. I think the truth is that a lot more scientists look like me
We then look like kind of the idea that we have in our heads of the old dude in the lab code with the white hair. I mean, I think, that kind of an old guard idea and even a lot of those people still exist. You know young people are filling the labs, and these are the grad student supposed oxen, the young scientists and
out of them, have tattoo user peer. Things are you know whatever theirs is great tumblr outright now called. This is what a scientist looks like, and it's just a bunch of cool young kids that like send in a picture in a description of their work and their just all over the place. You don't actually
You don't get your phd and then instantly you just start to wither and why wouldn't know cause I dropped out before I go.
Exercising its drop? I studied enough, it's just like somebody doesn't want to get married. What do I need a piece of paper that is so our care to have two need there? You know it's like. I can learn from life man. What did you? What did you where'd? You go to school, would you major and in what would it would you feel the study? Would you almost major, mostly major did so because I think it a phd. I did my undergrad intact this, where I grew up in,
psychology with a philosophy minor and then, while I was working on that degree, I decided that kind of the science component of psychology was really interesting as really interested in learning what brain activity with underlying the behavior. I was learning about, and I real
My degree ridden didn't really cover that very well, and I was mostly learning a lot of like bullshit hypotheses and forty in psychology things. I wasn't that into, and so I stuck around at the University of the universe,
nor texas- and I got a masters in narrow biology, so that I can kind of authority stuck around and got around out and got a masters stuck around communicators, you gotta pottery data potter. One story see I stick around and I did my masters so that I can can better understand.
Relationship between brain and behaviour, and then I taught for a year after I finish my masters and in that I moved to New York to start a Phd in clinical Neuro psychology. But I don't know, I don't think the department was for me as really struggling in New York City. It was a really tough move for somebody who had been growing up in Texas.
Healy Poor really born of a mere if there is a great city for their right learning, more exactly ass. You live off of nuts from the street and I, like really I mean no offense to people who lived in queens. I did live in New York City. If it I didn't, live in the city right now and I was broke. I didn't get to get out to the city that often and as a struggling and working, really hard teaching a lot of classes, and I realize too, as I was doing this, that you know when it comes down to it. A graduate student has three main duties we are supposed to take are required. Courses that weaken graduate we are supposed to do are dissertation. You know
we do a full research project in the lab so that you can finish your dissertation and then you teach and not all graduate students teach, but those of us who are really really poor. We teach and most people do it for money, and I kind of realised, as I was in grad school, that I found my,
wanting to be in the classroom a lot more than I wanted to be in the lab- and I mean I don't know Maybe-
then ok, scientists, but I don't really think that that's what I was best it doing. I really enjoyed the expense
of teaching and helping get inside of my students, heads and figure out how to help them figure out these problems and science, and so that transition to science communication, I dont think, was a big leap for me to kind of get out of doing the bench work
which is obviously something that I admire and something that I I really respect in a lot of lab scientist, but I don't think I was that good at it so get away from during the bench work and get more into you know. Expanding the
Durham and just being able to communicate science to an audience that you know is not in the bubble. So this might be a dumb question. So I apologise
All of these things that we come to understand as the psychology of our behaviour is it. Is it really much more fish
illogical than we
realize what, though I am in others like an old philosophical argument between duly
and moaning and
idiot listeners don't know what those right your power is? Is right from that song? The idea would be that ammonia to believe-
or thinks that the brain in the mind is the same thing and a dualist believes are things that there is
and there is mind- and these are two separate entities and it's kind of an old school way of thinking, but a lot of lot of modern not allow some modern philosopher still hold onto that kind of old way of thinking, but most modern,
scientists really are our motorists at heart and we see the mind as being the manifestation of brain, but really there two sides of the same coin sure. So, obviously there is an experience, all experience and we got that so redundant, embarrassing. Obviously you experience things and in those things that you experience, they have a feedback loop and they they shape,
how your brain works. They shape both its structure and its function, but the idea of mind is really something that is born out of brain. I mean, I personally, don't believe in a soul by mid atheists is examined. Are all the things that make a person human? Are they just accidental qualities? Are they just sort of the accidental?
happenstance. I guess of the way that our brains of off, like Alan, we kind of have this awareness, but that wasn't really yeah. You know that's like that. Probably the hardest question inner us
is this idea of basically consciousness and where does consciousness come from cause? It's not really something we can grab consciousness, really isn't tangible and it's really hard to measure, and we can look at
streams of consciousness like we can see what happens when somebody is rendered unconscious. Sure three, and if these are something but to be conscious and to be aware, we can kind of compare ourselves to animals. But it's really hard to get an animal to tell you what their thinking, because they can't talk and that's another one of the renowned Caesar. You will tell you, but that's you know, that's that's another! One of those fundamental things that kind of sets us apart is you know whether self awareness contemplation of
the ability to have language? They call it symbolic interaction, ism, so being able to label specific things in our environment, with words, for example, or to use math, that's a very human construct, but it seems to be a natural construct. We can. We can explain the world through math, but we still have to develop that its people and our ability to use math didn't make any sense evolution airily before you know modern times. There is no need to be able to quantify something specific
We know the difference between like lots and few with kind of enough for us. We have put in olden times in the in the increased or times he would go to work at the quarry and
come home to your wife and drivers are boss would have to pull a tale bird
the bird and then right, you're dinosaur how all the way, all the way down visas, hearth, yeah,
yeah.
He wrote a man and not a car, but they told me so I trust that meter. Why? What do you think? That's you know? I really I hate to take the podcast into religious waters, because many people always you know that while they just sort of like
but not all must not all people, I'm not judging anyone at the creation is thing to me is like, but really like like. Why choose? The just seems, like I mean and again
it's because I dont believe it. So it's easier for me to say one that seems ridiculous to me as it is
let's be honest, like my thing all the time when people ask me, because, as somebody who
Munich, science, you can avoid a conversation about religion and a lot of the pieces that I write for the Huffington Post for my column. Are you know that their science peace
and there the rational pieces and I'll get hate mail. That says you know you are a soldier in Satan's army like that's, not uncommon and I've never said anything about religion in my peace, but because I'm trying to explain things using evidence and I'm trying to explain things better tangible. You know in the real world and I'm not trying to say, will just tat, faith and minimal figured out later. People get upset with me, and I think that I do want to make the point, though, that I dont think that religion per se and science are like can't exist together that there
mutually exclusive, but but fundamentalism or creationism ensigns definitely are right. I mean creation as a literal. Translation of the Bible is that that that text was written long before science was a thing. Well, it was written Whim whims,
in politics and religion were all the same thing and when Jesus,
the water into wine yeah, that's when it was written
I had a bad, and yet there was no way to to test whether or not the things that were written in the book could have happened, because the scientific method hadn't really been dreamt up by people willing.
Also you're talking about a period of time where there were worry. You know there were clusters of tribes who were all
lying fur superiority and so that there was a lie
peace, kneeling of like oh. They believe that they believe in multiple
the global believe in one nor will believe- and this guy or this. This is an angry got. You know it was a lot of buying fur for supremacy, basically and never here, and an oral,
or old tradition and stories that were handed down for you know centuries before before it even got to a page yeah legislatively themes like recapitulated too
no to essentially control illiterate masses and go hey. This thing, I'm holding that you can't read, says if you don't follow at your fuckin like to threaten people with the idea of a turn
Damn nation, like the one like the further the only sort of forever concepts they could scare people with their, especially the more modern kind of judeo Christian Muslim Like Trifecta, you
You see a lot more of that and I think some of the older religions, but but when it comes down to what I think
John and Science, honestly, in a sense aim to do the same thing, which is to describe and explain the world that we live
and are the universe that we live in? You know. Why am I here? Where am I going? How did all of the you know in my special as compared to some?
You know other a cluster of molecules in the distant reaches of the cosmos in the issue. Is that now we have the tools to try and explain those things through through evidence, based approaches and we can actually get and data, whereas in the past we didn't know how to do that, and so good religion, and I think, can can adapt as the sign.
Comes out there and I think bad religion. The ban to ban right with one of his bird of one of my favorite server.
Always a country that has always manage to lose emerges as we're human touch. On top charts. You know I I I it it just.
Matter what it's always a topic that makes people's asshole slammed shut? I had a
in my act and I always
wanted to make it work and I could never quite I just could never sell it to the audience. Probably they just fuck religion, in spite of my
Yeah don't have upon right at the top of my ass, though it was weird play or to go from there, but I, but basically you know, I would say this night.
Thing against religious people I have. I have friends, revert very who are very religious and I don't pull. I dont begrudged them that, but in science we
region. I always go science, because throughout history, religion is constantly had to Airbus definitions, to account. For-
I differ discovery and that has never happened in reverse, where you would
turn on discovery channel it the bit. Here's that now here's the bit parliament to do it, you, which I apologise for being a comic,
the way I am sent, I had actually the big parties is me going and you ve never turn on the discovery channel and have them say. Well, we used to think that the moon was held in place by the earth grab
national Pole, but now we know a giant bearded man blows on it when she does to keep away from the sun, which research now suggests is a pack of angry fire horses, and you know so I think it, but it's still even even kind of knowing that it still makes people very, very uncomfortable. When you talk of idle, I grew up going to catholic school, and I mean I talk to other people who went to a mean crystallizing. Thoughts on this stuff is just that. I have a hard time
when that was raised. Catholic or any kind of religion that doesn't grow to resign
and I dont understand like why, as he grows in adult you don't start to question it more
and resent it for the things that you like it,
asked me up and a mess of a lot of our friends. I think we'll it's weird, because there's this bizarre hierarchy of myth,
energy that we all as we're children worth Mina were handed by by adults. There's the Easter Bunny their Santa Claus. There
You know Smurfs or whatever sort of everything, notably there's God and then at a certain point,
they all just start falling away, but then, as a teenager, you're soda left with
how come that one and then, but then, how is that different from all the mythology that we learned in greek roman mythology, your dinner, the exile, because they thought they they pretty firmly believed that there was a pantheon
But they were on the southern how's. The just go, oh well worth the. We figured out that this was the actual. The Anna mean comically shagging, that atheists throw out. There is kind of you know we're all monotheistic or whatever we do. We just
It's that further out. Like other gods, we live in Europe where the worthy evolution words like we ve, been waiting. It out. General secretary have actually already hundreds of guy about luck. I don't I don't know. What's what I can say with a hundred percent certainty by was a philosophy major and so it's difficult for me to say anything with a hundred percent certainty, because scientists, scientists are very careful with their language about concerning. If they didn't you change, of course,
in Corsica to going back to what you guys are saying. You were catholic. I was actually raised me.
Man and my family still very Mormon. Half of them are, and so that was a fun interesting expire,
ants, and it's interesting to me, to look back and see how many of those kids that I grew up with are still you know, really really Mormon zero smiling
My limbs, Ireland, is a nice big, cherry red smiles actually outside of the home,
my dad recently got you a poisons over. He like he was upset you. He was weird, I'm a religion is, I just can't believe it's like all they do is just make you so scared
he's yes, yes in a sixty is now he's realising all the stuff, that's kind of messed up about it and took about Lombard
it was still really need to terms you think. Like you know, spirituality is,
sort of an innate thing that I think we'd seek, because it's you know with with this kind of
then I'll consciousness that we have? I feel like if we didn't feel connected to see,
something, then we will just be like a fucking who gives a shit you know like there has to be. You know, but like Reggie Watts has a really great idea of you know. Why can
virtuality be in the science like you know the deeper you go in there. You know on non quantum
levels like why? What like? He says that that's what's beautiful, like that's, that's where there is real spirituality, it's an interesting idea.
Yeah, I mean, I think, that anybody who has read or has has read Carl Sagan or whose watch the cosmos serious, really gets a good handle, especially from him of this. Ah, that's inspired this almost religious experience when you're kind of gazing up at the cosmos and when you're trying to really understand our place in the universe which, as you know, maybe we're not that special after all, but to really
try and grasp that vastness can become something of a religious experience. I have a tattoo on my ribs of a quote from Carl Sagan. That says we are away for the cosmos to know itself
and to me, that's like a really beautiful idea that we have consciousness. We have evolved this consciousness and, of course, I dont believe
that there is any sort of superior,
now, all knowing being that exists outside of ourselves that a different question than whether or not there is life, both John Hodgman, the bits of this idea that, because we can kind of
template on our own existence and because we are made of the same stuff as the stars. We were basically produced in the big bang in this beautiful kind of nuclear furnace and were made of star stuff. In essence, those molecules that we used to be able to contemplate our own existence is can be translated to the universe com
waiting itself, and also I mean you know I feel like humanity. Almost
Your way has to be as as narcissistic as it is in order to in order to strive to keep going
tip to be no like the idea of like ourselves better. Yet we know that it is. You know, but just the idea that you know that
days. Why don't I have why this explains why this happened are tomorrow's, like here's, why this happens
You know when you get into the when you get into the arguments of you know like it
urgent design and you read anything about irreducible complexity or such like that, and they go well. This can't be reduced anymore. Well, you don't they did you know
a thousand years ago. They would look at a frog and go well. That's that's as simple as that's gonna get its all the way through
like you, don't mean an end even but their arguments aren't even valid. Most of the time like when they talk about the I being dislike, perfect kind of
model and that that is so complex and it could never have evolved from there's like a million transitional species, there's a million things that we can see along the way we're like. Oh, it has an ice spot and it can only recognise light or dark. Oh and now it develops a lens, and so it can start to have full
lengthened. There's at that, I don't know where they get this from, like all eyes, like human eyes, like they forgot to read any deeper past chapter one. If we were perfect beings, we would not have backpack,
comes. We would not have to wipe our asses. I honestly think that asked wiping
an argument against is an argument against.
Nation, is like we're not perfect. Being like we're, not we're in
human body is is: is it pretty like kind of physics,
dash, like we sort of you, know the fact that we have to work
as this is the weird thing and the fact that we are back problems in the fact that you know that it is just that
seems like we always walked up right. I don't know it. Just an mba issue is to you that I think what happens is that like, as lay people often times what we do, and I fucking hate that term I mean a change. That is people who you know. Maybe you didn't study science and in our highly scientifically literate deliberately people living people Fredo people,
Free dopey abominable would go at that guy rest for the rest of the outlook for the freedom for the Fredo's, the after the three of you know we're kind of we're. Looking at these issues, extorted from the outside and we're looking at the can,
illusions that have been drawn and then we're trying to say after the fact will all this seem to sit right with evolution or this
seemed to sit right with intelligent design, but anybody you kind of starts at the most fund
no level and then goes through and learns about about
well you'll or biology, and genetic material and and Paley Intolerancy and evolutionary biology, and you look in all in all of these different fields. You can't deny that evolution is the case,
when you just look at the dna of an organism. Evolution is the only reasonable answer, because you can see conserved portions of that DNA that reflect every organism that came before US evolution. Airily speaking, I mean when you compare the dna of attempt to human. That's. The only reasonable explanation is that we had a common ancestor. However, many years back in
If you compare a human to a dog- and you see will what per cent of the DNA conserve there and then you compare human to a banana and then you can bear human too. You know a mushroom and going
all the way back to bacteria you can see that branching tree start to come together. You don't even have to look past the dna to really understand this and then, when you look at the fossil evidence,
It's like a huge slap in the face like how can you deny it and that's another reason, my I'm, unlike showing off on my tattoos today. I have this ass. You on my forum that are very proudly bare of Archaeopteryx lit the graphic witches.
Yeah, you know, have the wing a dinosaur, I the wing, a dinosaur somehow familiar with archaeopteryx right. Some people call a dinosaur, and some people call him a bird turned to go to another turn their back up, not a dinosaur flying reptile just have to correct it.
And ass zones guy. I know what I know I know I know, and I believe that there is ample people got around in the air before planes, but that this is like my fuck, you decree.
That I like, where my arm all the time, because it's it's it's so obvious. It's got features that are very dinosaur like and features that are very bird like it is the prime example of a transitional fossil, and that's that's that kind of Iraq
more complexity, like the other side of it when they say where's the transition between those and we'll where's the transition between Now- and it's like what we gotta have a lot of those languages,
Look just believe your thing. I try to also the earth has been hit with asteroids and frozen over a couple times. Dimensional other evidence is lost. Also. You know what not many things actually fossilize like it's, the smallest smallest percentage of like like things don't fossilize inherited the geological features and the weather, and everything has to be just right. Did the type of mud that it falls down into an heiress be trapped in such a way? It's just so rare for something to actually be able to fossilize, which is why a lot of times we have description.
Whole species based around like a hip and a tooth road. You now listen, you don't! Even have you go to a museum and you see a huge reconstruction of a dinosaur. It's important actually look at the little picture in the front to see which bones are
There then like a piece of a lower jaw, and then they can build up this whole thing around it, because they can compare it to all these other species. It's almost like pseudo grew work if the job was like this than the face would have to be like this and other face. We're like this, it within the head would probably be like this and in the neck would be like this, and I would support you need this kind of body to support that and then
They most of them were wrong. Then we find some often piece of evidence like a black feather
when, along with archaeopteryx, we're all the crap, there were black like how could we not have known that, as we saw like these pigments than the feathers or or you see you know? Finally, you get a tissue impression of of a different thereupon, like a like, a philosopher after type creature in your life
we shared they were covered in feathers, and we never would have known that until we got this piece of evidence. Do you think Stevens Rivers gonna go back to the original drastic parking feather all that
source, I think so help Georgia, look as when the directors cut up that he three days drastic park like when they were talking about this big three movement and James cameras. Talking about going back and doing Titanic, I remember being very like what,
but but but there are still too we holds up. I love it
Well, I don't really good, we do it. I mean it's because I think they did the smart thing using animatronics when Fiji wasn't where it needed to be to be.
To do that movie. While setting didn't do cd, which I think was brilliant dont mind the either Dominum
I don't mind if there's just some great action pieces I like in the second one where there's the trailer, that's half off the cliff. That's an exciting piece. Sure no dinosaurs are in that singing,
phil- I saw a very kind of you to love. Jurassic park rose just about family who cut lost in their camphor Renault dinosaurs, and it was just like that is really get off. It was less, the hills have eyes without any of the eyes and our hills. I want you to know what you want, what Conrad exactly on English? Why do you think now I mean
Even in our lifetimes, the this sort of Russia, Too-
fundamentalism, has been pretty pretty substantial and I am I
I trace a lot of it to nine eleven, where people just shit their pants and
and a lot of people who maybe we're borderline fundamental reform like I need something really to believe in it.
On to or I'm gonna fucking, go crazy. Modena, Miller,
yeah baby right now be linked to the right now, when my forgiveness, PAN Jia, over their Frank Tangier, represent real Laurie.
Gone to lorries? What my astral up at the average back up again
oh yeah, you know what I have been to Chris Mooney today, because I was doing a piece on kind of left wing right, bring left wing left wing right wing
neuroscience and and ideology and kind of trying to look at the science between why people may be progressed
ever liberal or conservative on, and I think it's an interesting question. That's actually does not have a clear answer because Chris who wrote the republican war on science, his he's kind of a search.
And is that personality in a way precedes ideology. He can actually demonstrate in a lot of cases that, based on how people perform on specific personality tests, you can kind of
guess what political persuasion they would have, and these are things that really we dont think of his being linked to politics and so like there are holes
lectures around you know. A liberal person may be more likely to have a messy bedroom and their often, ah, you know it
they liked to operate within the grey area and their less concrete there less authoritarian there are more open to new experiences and there's always different things that you start to see come out between liberals and conservatives that aren't necessarily directly linked to.
The ideology liking grown pro gay marriage or I'm against gay marriage, and this amount in this an end, but they all seem to line up quite nicely interest. Friends could be that there is both
an ideological components that were taught by our parents that we're tots by society that may be is for
stop one way or another, depending on our reactions to big events like nine hundred and eleven, but also it seems like there may be some things that are kind of just fundamental to who people are that may make them more conservative by nature,
but more and more liberal by nature, even even even though, like the eighties, where the Reagan era, I feel like people, are more socially conservative, larger numbers of people
socially conservative now than they were before. Just about free
out about. You, know, content or just being super super tenth. I think it's items because
what what Reagan was donors can idealising be fifty the idea of the fifties. So, just like you know, a very nice America, very clean cut America and an honour when, unlike now, that the mean nothing not not for everybody rather section of previous section, a people that he was doing, the whose idea I say what was really the case at the time, but now that, like enough time, twenty years or so as passenger,
Reagan. Now people are reminiscing and idealising his idealisation of an American. I think that's what
just magnifying oil
what happens in their like the look into his? No, I know we can now it's right now is that we can do it in the end. I sometimes wonder too, you know it. We can sit here and say,
Now more than ever, it seems like people are so much in, and I do here that from from people who are much older than me, so it may be true. But it's also hard to know. When you read me: no textbooks. Are you read novels,
you try to get an idea of what the the Sidney you know a sense of what the times were.
Twenty years ago, fifty years ago, not being there and knocking having that context. Kind of makes me wonder if, if
be people weren't having very similar struggle. Maybe, but I bet it, but I, but I I look. You know that the social stratum of comedy is very, is very telling like what what society is kind of dealing with are what they are able to
handle and you know I feel like, even though we have invited
years ago. You know they're, just the I don't know it just like comedy just felt a little looser and now it there there's so much around it. Where people are much more uptight. We haven't aigner much more kind of politically correct, more kind of interest groups that we have to be careful about which isn't necessarily a bad thing
yeah, but I'm sure that's difficult as it can media well bill, but the amount of Euro internet, the websites all at one of our new cycles. Now you just here, everybody I mean to everyone who has been just, as I have said it, but now you hear them all. But then there is the question of whether or not an I've kind of discuss this when I've done some people.
Call shows before which I am by no means an expert, but I have an opinion that that it does seem like that kind of moderate post in the middle of the road has been moving farther and farther to the right and in it may just be the case that the right
is becoming more and more bat shit. You know, and in more and more vocal about their bat shit and the left is having to kind of push harder. You know they say. Sometimes you know, I think I saw it on Colbert. I've seen it on John Stuart and I think it's become kind of
we shall now when people say to science, have a liberal bias and it's like we'll know reality has a liberal bias. Like you know, it's just the case that when you really try to understand the world
you are living in. I think a lot of the things that liberal see as being important ideas:
generally are in line and there's a reason that most scientists are relatively progressive and not religious. I also think the soup,
sing about groping in punk bands and stuff, like that and all of our friends at that we all can have very similar ideals. Just everyone's welcome at you. Don't like we had gay friends,
in an era was kind like left leaning. We would have like a girl cup of our friend group was a guy's, a military, but there are very much liberals and his kind of their military,
in one of our group of friends as this guy who's pants repression, but as as we like talk to,
as we grew older, he just became very
serve at a very right wing, varying but much more religious
and I remember thinking that that didn't make sense to me
those who know we're all if we listen to these bans, we play these. These songs that they have this message and in
you're playing along with us in your bind, the same records and going to same shows, but now you don't believe in any that as always
confused by that, like you think that the his socio has social climate would influence the way you before
was life, but there may be something in there. It's it's really weird to me when people change like that- and I mean they did
and all the time I remember I'm going to talk about an ex boyfriend and, let's hope is not listening, but we don't really talk anymore anyway, but one of my first loves
sir, and I was sixteen and I thought we were going to widen, Believin marriage but work and spend the rest of our lives together, and we both thought we were adults cause, I'm gonna go,
waited early and he got his g and we're living in Irish grown. My guess is that your graduated early, because you skip grades
and that maybe he was like. I don't go to high school.
Yea. I gotTa Dubai somewhere here. We're both make an iron that crimes romantic that he gave me his you now is his crucifix at his parents gave him for confirmation and yet drilled a hole in the box.
And I used where's upside down, crucifix emulate really bonded over being atheists and and and we thought we knew what was up in- and I mean I still
That way. I just don't wear it. On my sleep now, it's been replaced by my flying. Spaghetti monster necklace, I dont growth anymore, but I remember one time do talking him on Facebook, like years after we had had a pretty painful break up and seeing that his status said,
you no political or whatever moderate and then it sad religion, Christian other, and I was like not you. You know- and I think I remember messaging em and I go your car
then, what the hell- and he was like losing care like we all knew everything when we were sixteen command grow up, and I was like. Oh I get it your girl
Christian it floor me because he not him
I mean, and it still I kind of breaks my heart to feel like we lost two words: are you here and over and is going down the lawyer with you? No, I don't. I guess I dont. Really, I don't know, I sort of feel like getting through life is fuckin, tough and its challenging, and you know
switch? Sometimes we just need something to hold onto and so upset. So even
not religious, that at all, like I said I do have friends who were who were very, you know, spiritual or religious, and they they they do bully. I don't know if they believe, unlike bearded God, but they,
believe in something and and I'm fine with it, not like a girl
you know that works for you, if that, if that gets you up your good person and you're nice to peep,
and you want to you know you want to make the world a better place. Fucking great need. No one says you have to everyone has to be a scientist. So
You really have a problem mean, I'm I'm one of those like yeah, believe, whatever you know believe whatever you want to believe. You're gonna get get through the day. I dont understand it, but that doesn't mean that. I think it's me. No, I don't think it's
I just think. Everyone Canna has their own interests that it would be interesting to find out. I would love to see the debt
points, though, on the
they got taking you back to the physiological map of you know a very
just then and nonreligious brains. I would love to see if there are, if there are no chemical differences scare.
It's I mean it's a hot new area of research and I honestly probably couldn't speak to it with any authority. But there are some great authors that are that are writing about this right now and a SAM Harris is one of them. He's he's one of kind of the big three atheist author
and he's also a neuroscientist goes one star search the eighties.
The deep cut grass root letter to a christian nation. You get them errors in the eightys. There was a guy who, like Mega one star, search like he was nobody weeks in a row, and he had this like a can Jennings start, but he had this eighties, like proof email it, and he would do this thing with his voice.
Where I mean a nice voice, I'm sure he's on tourism Youtube, but he would. He would
these kind of flourishes. Where he'd thing like, I can believe. No one else what you guys are younger than I am but like like somewhere.
Rainbow and at the enemy like who wow
Yahoo mail in shit there pad news covering areas receives the honest eyes by guess. I guess reported that guy pride didn't go on everything. Ok,
the story. I would we started he rarely, but that just the way I did
There are a lot of kind of not allowed, but I do think it so
new area of research. That's really interesting to people, people look for the God spot, which are a means of ensuring that it's a lot more complicated than that. There are some things that people see. That,
we. Religious people are different and I suppose the brain back lay and now the g spot of the cheese five achieve a gods, but
but I do not find a rival there's. No, what I'm talkin about ugly empirical, if I can't find the geese bought, it must not exist. You know there's so much back and forth about whether or not the g spotting the. I know there is all in the science in now. What do you think we'll come on
no. I haven't sheath, no idea, you do my girlfriend. Doesn't it
I mean it
up in man, Cavan reach that shit is way up in there. It's like.
You know like a show on your closet. You're, like I did some money back up and there, but I just can't reach your money in yourself in your closet, is rampant, put my money, my jeez manner as one jeez. What
that, causes
do what
a driver, we're both knows our there were frown amount. There's pouring pop up here, room, agree, raw cool,
by way of problems we ve been up, is a no dick jokes. There was just one of them
I was a vagina, Joe China Jack. I know
what's wrong with clean. I promise care. Ethics was, as we were all talk. It's us
mark like its isabel, because it wouldn't even better when you like roots talking so smart clown dude every is virtually near Christmas
my best friends and like just every time. I start Talkin serious around him and now that you're in the room, I just feel like I'm gonna above about to just say I'm studying now.
Like I just like kid, I'm not good around smart people, I'm a smart guy, but I'm not intelligent. That's what's the difference between smart and intelligent smart is you faking intelligence? I think I can say
now's like talking and gadgets with this guy the other day and I ll just like I'd throughout ire. So anything
you know everything
was I'm just gonna just like now? There are so many terms. I have no idea what you guys, who said what is stars
it's with Z as a channel. Where are they
well the end so bad in the gladiator show don't watch though,
Party Gladiator Party gladiators. Yet no, no, I don't. I don't feel very smart. I just I like smart people, I feel like you know. You know things that were at that time. A smart people fear. I think that a lot of smart people kind of feeling
half the time they feel like. Oh there's so much more. I could know, and I'm always wanting to learn more and they want to surround themselves a smart people because they don't kind of feel as smart as they want.
So is the awareness I think when it's what's it yeah, I'm smart, but I know
as other person. That makes me look why, on I know, I'm not dumb. I mean, like. I know some stuff. You know like that, but you know your clearly
Smart, like my friend Adam Rogers, whose my editor a wired magazine is one of the smartest people I know Hodgman is you know like you get around really smart p
or baritone day Thurston, whose fuck ingenious them in areas like
drove up and never let their different ways to be intelligent. You like I want to say that I do not like. I say this about myself all the time. I don't really know a lot of stuff like ever really terrible memory, but I I I have skillet figuring things out like I can. I can look certain things up and I can connect dots in a certain way that I can start to envision things in a way that makes sense to me and that I think one of the things that I was try to bring to the table as a teacher is working with my students and when I see them get stumped about something is true,
figure out, what is it? That's not clicking and what aren't they getting and how can we put them in the problem in a letter YO, Adam yeah, I get it. Why don't you get it like when you're playing like pensionary somebody's like it's uh? It's a joke!
It really is finally going to really is finding those connective tissue touch points and trot. I mean you sort of you the same thing and comedy where you you you take. You take these kind of disparate concepts than you
I too relate them too
Mina, I'm I'm not trying to save it. Companies like science by but that's how we think only when it comes down to it that the new
understanding of how our brains work. It's not about just random tidbits that are like shoved in our ears
stay in there and you dont want a little fall back out of your head. It's it's that you know when we experience something. We read something we learn something we hear something. Unless we can connect it to something else that we have a scheme for something else, it's already there. It's probably fall away. You know that the more that we can have this connected,
here, the more that things are gonna make sense to us in that way when when we hear something and it it'll remind
something else, and I don't remind us of something else and eventually we might get to the answer, but very few people have the skill to be able to just have that kind of disparate recall or be able to have. You know
words on a page memorize that they can draw from that kind of an autistic Cervantes kind. What what? What? What are the actual? What are the actual numbers? You know how people always say. Would we only use three
of our brains. Really is ten percent of our brains and we're not real. We don't have our full kaput like what is an aim from linking out. We use all of our brains. We just do you, we don't use all the time. That's called a seizure like that's data on that, but but yeah
I see that you should use an olive branch from defending your life. Three percent.
Well yeah worries as read its were ripped ordinary later
The whole thing is all ideas to get smarter. Like I use forty five percent of my brain,
haven't you think you use forty one percent. Three. What
for us, the love, the idea that, like the more active, your brain as the smarter, more use, your brain, the more you understand, tastes better. That's like all the smart people either completely.
Everything in a movie defending a lot. Can I just say something now I am over people talking about being super tasters to sound, smarter, like
You know like with those like under the Super taster like AIDS. I, when I take something I really think ahead of compared to what
do you know, then have more taste buds per legs square
centimeter whatever on your tongue, so that we do actually went in and make an tree by it.
I believe by oh what a one we do, a a genetics lab and we look at all the different features as the what's dominant. What's recessive in terms of like specific trade, so I give you clasp your hands together if you're left them and is on top the dominant trade. If you're right themselves,
that the recess of trigger shit amateur will have an even handed down here, then it right and if you have a widower p
your medicinal hair, and one of them is we have these strips of paper like
god I'm not having an remember what they're called like sodium
ends aware and Theo area and p c, which stands for something and you take them and then there's control paper which has no chemicals on it and super tasters can taste those strips and non tasters. Can't
these stands for pretty thick cock. I just want to get your because when you give it to you now, why
in writing. Today's pretty that cop Oswald, every guy listening turns it turns out the minute you live in a good mood, I'm in publicity what're you doing in there.
Nerdy got what bothers looking up pictures of care and being like Jesus Christ that hot girl just said that, what's that was that things like us and they could not or some other where you can, you eat it and it changes your taste
but I have no idea whether some there's like parties now that people have words you you eat this, some kind of seeing it out for your tongue and adjust it changes. If you like
we things tastes. Better. Better thing was right. I fence off and at last
but in reality have such an anxiety attack if that happened, because by whereby would be like my brain stopped working properly and how to deadlines. Ours has everything jacket and only that's been two year cycle
here. I believe that a mere when you're on asset that some you could do any like. This was fine things on earth. It is a bad idea, that's true many many things that don't make sense when you
laughing on as a that's pretty good that fund yeah yeah. That's that's a good one
so how long you been working at the at the half po, so I thought
at the having burst in October await back Patrick. I interrupted you, so you didn't finish your thought
super tasting and genetic technology. What apparently, I M a super taster me me me real, but just because I can t those this paper, so I think it's like there's their certain chemicals that I can perceive that non super tasters can't. So what do you know? I just right before we came here, I had comfort food,
My friend, Michael at Barney's, Beanery, in, like my favorite thing lately, when I'm not feeling well- and I want comfort food- is it's the weirdest thing as a cup of chili and a half order, french toast.
Let me ask you care what is your favorite tasting emotion?
I like despondency and Vampires
Can I tell you a weird turn on of my leave? Our on this topic is the weirdest thing I was just talking about this with a friend the other day. I'm very turned on by left. Handedness looked at the moment is that is that we are discussing. I have three girlfriends and rule of law.
Tat really those hearty re using something because, like foreign
You don't like it. You know that you see you get to see them, use their left hand more. Like you know what it is. I think it's wrong. I think it's rebellious. I think it there's a little its. I think it's
it feels innately wrong with the word sinister, which is the latin word for left yeah, and the word sinister being like mean some, like obviously mean sinister but
Oh, but literally means like from the left side and so no wrong. I think I think you're exactly. I think, there's something like that. There's, because it
because it is not an anomaly, but it's just not super super common that there
something that's a little rare and dangerous about something kind of weirdly associated with, like sexy, nerdy guy.
Is that are now the second nerdy sexy been met. Myra wasn't here the fate of the guy in the pod cast, as is left handed me a new. I always wanted to be left
and because I thought I'd be cooler, but I'm just not. I am just fuckin right hand.
I had a fantasy of intimidation, essays trend force myself into being able to write with both both hands it's hard. Yet at the same time, to oh, that's weird,
I don't know we're out under just running right.
Which means TAT every one to write my feet like a book. A chip
where'd, they may be. Like nice, Footman ship was echoed mass
We asked the guy. I dont know what it s here, there's a guy with a giant beer that just walk, and I really tiny backpack and say that the term anywhere, where pass a lot, and I notice that they go bigger white guy like Jerry Garcia kind of looking, so ok,
Oh, you ve been there headlong. Yes, I started the having imposed in October and
was hired on before we had a silent section. So I started my column, which we
took the name from the pilot Wertheimer earlier talk nerdy to me, and I I do a video theory
They also do some written pieces that accompany it and we didn't have a section. I was kind of
leaving all over that the site in education and tack and green and whatever and then. Finally, in January, we lost Huffpost science. So that's where my column lives now, and I have a nice little family and Huffpost Science sudden and work well together
some I've got one person. I work with an ally in the rest of my team is in New York and where do you live?
I want my rss feeds a science daily, which I love, but at the same time, some days, I can't look at it cause. I'm just like
It has read all the column, the other articles, new, like cancer, cancer, cancer, cancer
Kate, good, there's so much biomedical science.
All this and you know what. Since I am a correspondent, that's my title and the science correspondence, and I do this video series. I have a lot of freedom to kind of pick things
really interesting to me to talk about and when I meet really interesting. Authors are scientists and I want to know about what their study I can do. Videos with them. My editor, obviously as a tough job, because his job is to figure out
what goes on the page every hour and I'm sure he has a million rss feeds that he curates and stuff, but I kind of drop my reader and I just started using twitter honestly, because I have a very well curated group of people on Twitter that
A lot of them are science, writers and in scientists that are very active on twitter, and you know I really see what's in the news just by what people are tweeting every day, hopeful signs were, they usually have seems over the best.
Astronomy pictures like this is pretty focused like today. They had a guy on the space station took picture of San Francisco and there's no clouds above it was great
It's amazing there yesterday,
oh yeah,
love the feel plate, bad astronomer, always links to some. His google plus account is just yeah it just so many wonderful astronomy pictures
and I thought discovery news on tumblr- that's a good method of Vienna so with with science is or is it just sort of? Is it
no, are you all encompassing science, or I mean you obviously have particular fields that you're interested
I do what you know. I am. I try to be as broad as I can be. So something strikes my fancy. I want to cover it and have done pieces about,
you know anywhere from me.
To Mars to space junk to animal research too. You know anti evolution bills that were recently passed in Tennessee cell, but might my background is neuroscience zone
I must say, do that's where I come from. I know dude, it's like really bad one have I did a video and then I did a follow up piece. You should watch its awful arc.
Going back to scopes, yeah exactly about what kind of their scope three visited. That was, I think it's worth
Third, would relieve June, I only it's got a religion garb and why? Because they also make it take line history, which they talk about all these people, that interesting
yes me. I mean you get to, let you learn within the history classes there about. You know polo and low known Pele
you know. My name is here. He has highlighted the goddess of Fire
little lava droplets writer here. There's our hair to the devotion to Sangree eruption
That's why you know. When did the first white people come to Hawaii? They thought Captain Cook was the God Lono cuz. He just didn't look like anything that ever seen and then like when he came from the ocean out of nowhere. I feel like oh that's
that's our guys, like sepia within Iraq, on the force me to render DES exactly beer that same exact facts that with nothing more, he walks died, and why
Damn you began mean. I think that
it. Probably my pet interests are brain and
Savior evolution, education, science, education in this country and staff
you know, as technology engineering and math and trying to get more women involved in stem, feels trying to get more minorities involved in stem fields. And really you know I try to do as much work as I can with you know, advocacy
and reaching out, because I'm very nervous about the future of our country. When we have these efforts in some of these southern states that are very anti science efforts, because I firmly believe that.
The economy depends fundamentally and in our prosperity and our comfort, you know citizens depend,
fundamentally on our ability to to have good science and good scientists coming out of our school system. So,
right at an hour, and how are you are you able to? Dare you doing it in? I am involved as off
as I can, when groups will come out to me you'd, I'm right.
Really fresh and young in my career and like that. I just started Huffington Post in in October and I just kind of started writing for
then we will go no move, but I've had a couple of opportunities to speak at different conference is
and different conventions, and also to you, I'm gonna, be a speaker. I think, coming up this month. Actually
coming month for this group called, let's, which is, let's erase the stigma, because I did a piece about tomb
to go when I did a month on mental health, where I talked about my own kind of personal struggles with depression, and I talked about the fact that I take anti
presidents and I really wanted to open up the conversation in kind of break through the stigma with that and a group of young people kind of came to me and said we watch your video and it really inspired us, and we have this group, that's all about.
It taking the stigma way, and so they asked me to speak at at that can of youth rally, which I think is really cool. So it is weird to have. The acronym
be the first letter of the advantages, creates this constant running well, they're, just the editor near. Let let's are always nested in the past as far as you can go, and that makes me a little bit, but I love the idea behind where one thing yet either presentation
really interesting mean I was there. I have friends who are unintended presence, but with other about it all the time with the who really our well, but when we certainly, but we certainly overpriced
Administration in this country definitely have because the pharmaceutical industry and that selling crazy hippy it just is just so fuckin much money
I completely agree and that's where I think that kind of a liberal verses conservative mind thing comes then, like I was talking to Chris Mooney about is the new wants versus the black and white, and I think what to dangerous a lot of times when we start to talk about these issues is.
People want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and then there are not even
thinking about all of the people whose lives were saved from these things, and so it is a very great area because it there definitely over prescribed and there definitely kids who are taking me, no Ritalin who shouldn't be taking Ritalin and there. But there are also gets a friend ex who are taking held all who wouldn't be able to fund
Shan in society without it and kindness, I mean I can't say with a hundred percent assurance, but I personally think that I'm here right now, because I took antidepressants- I dont know if you know, because a lot of people talk about depression like it, it has the potential
to be out of fatal ill,
support for friends commit suicide because they got off meds too quickly back, but I've known people who committed
but because they got on the wrong meds linen. That's that's a danger of not having good doctors.
Honestly it's about- and that's that's it's really difficult, because people were not educated in this country and we don't really have the tools to kind of take
take our own healthcare into our hands, but I think, because of the way that the insurance you know system is, is structure because of the way that the pharmaceutical companies have such a stranglehold and doctors are pushing and not pushing the drugs that are necessarily going to be the helpful drug,
wishing the drugs that are. You know that still have a patent, their fishing, the drugs that that the drug wraps are asking them to push that that they can.
GO sailing in the summer or whatever the fuck. That's horribly dangerous. I mean we're the only developed country that allows drug advertisements like it. It it it's kind of an not kind of its.
An immoral practices that I want to address the top of the mountain. Yet
I want to work together and other Herbie damage, but are not yet these boys wet
that an echo kayak and today, but do you think I wonder,
Wonder it's a sort of the chicken in the egg thing, but most of my Marty pay
nerdy friends suffer from depression anxiety. I think it becomes from you know. It's like smarter people tend to be hyper self aware they tend to deconstruct
things they demanded that you know it is a year. How related are those things in an hour? You are you ok with it would
rather not suffer all that stuff. If it meant that you couldn't be smarter,
Would you rather be happy or smart tee, and that- and I don't want to
to be like we can be both came about. I'm fully ignorant or depressive way intelligent
I'd rather know. Things then be happy, I think also because I've struggled with depression for so
I mean I take medicine. They dont make me happy. They just make me less horribly,
that's really what the situation is for most people who are who deal depression and our on antidepressants they're not like a cure,
and like running around, smiling all design there. Well less sad, I had a girl
who won are lax approach, which is anxiety and alive, but it is an anti depressants as well
and the real differences were nine yeah like we were gonna Nephites all the time it was just ass. It was real bad. She went
stuff and I was just lay like a whole new like I've. I think I felt over signs that more than her at the time I mean, but you know I was actually talking to you.
To a fellow science writer the other day, and I was telling
a little bit about my past,
and somehow we got on the topic of depression and she was like oh honey,
your science writer world oppressed like we write about life and we try to keep our eyes open
reality, and I mean I wonder if it's the same for people who write about politics are for people who write about international issues. You know world issues for people who
Are you working in third world countries? You know it's. It's very difficult. I think, to keep your eyes open to some of the rough shit that happens in this world and not to feel a little sad, but I do think that there are two different types of sadness. I think that their sadness that you can handle and there's a depression. That goes beyond being sad, that you cannot control measures to invade your ability to be functional Ryan, and I
in. There are definitely neurological correlates like we know that our you know our brains are different. We know that our Neuro chemistry is different and so responsible. I think treatment for mental illness. It it curbs the symptoms so that somebody can become functional, sure it's not like,
like out your cured- and you know it's like That'S- that Livin with can yet its living with that that it
in such a way that you can. You can live here which is important, so Elsa, her mother says they should take the pills, so the two but you're also you know I I I
you to be like a really funny. You know like you, do seem to love comedy and you, like you know, did you ever want to pursue cause you're very
Jerome we hosted that show together, summers, isn't it
care is never hosted. A show for an eye is totally prejudices
you without, even though I was like a boy there's gonna.
And- and it was really great, it was really like. Oh wow, she actually shit it's a very rare quality for it's not.
Not something everyone can do easily did you ever was performing sir.
No, that's the arts was that any part of your you know before I am before I decided to go into science as really afraid of science, when I was in school,
avoided at like the plague in actually through my undergrad. I ended up getting that psychology degree, but I took the three minimum courses and signs that you had to take. I took astronomy oceanography and I say this a lot. I wanted to call it alien,
logically, the sound cooler, but actually in the course guide it was written as dinosaurs in all caps with an exclamation point. I think that globally
for signing up for dinosaur of and so that there is more like a void of science. As an undergrad. At that, I had no idea that I was going to go into the sciences and actually started college. I went to the school, then I went to the university of nor taxes aid because it was only forty five minutes from home.
As you know, I don't. I did want to write an essay. I remember that was here and they had required and be because I wanted to major in vocal performance,
because all through, I think from time as a child all the way through high school. I was in like a jazz ensemble and I was in the car. You know the chorus and Adele that here I was actually really.
At that really does go yeah guess approaches of the hell outta you ever that gotta give us little jazz comma chosen Nager and, as you know, that's why I went to school. That's what I wanted to study and it's funny, because I was always
scared when I went up to sing and have done it a million times back in the day had arisen.
Anymore, but I did it a million times and every time I did it, I felt like I was gonna poem paths like before. I start I do not
over that microphone and those scared, and it was easier in front of the good
people? I didn't know that if I saw my fate
they are my friends in the audience. Oh god, I can't do this and I dont
feel the same way when I've done things on television or liken podcast like this or when I do my videos at work, and I think it's because I get to be
me and I dont have to feel like I'm performing. It's really easy for me to just engage in you know I like to talk and unjust
to be myself on tv when I'm on tv, which is like a dream,
You know I don't have to pretend to be something that I'm not, and so I don't have to feel this pressure,
am I going to do well, it's like well, if I suck it being myself, that's where you could so every one of those special interest stories like and then
slung a guitar over a back and drove around the country, bring in science to the man. This girl,
How to make science rock there did you discuss thing be discussing science all in this together
Is there really is they run? So people can file
you add Kara Santa Maria on twitter or
Can they can find your Huffington posts? You talk nerdy to talk nerdy to me
and and also it is. It is interesting that you know you put your
out there in this way, knowing that a percentage of people are going to tell you that you're a piece of shit you for what you know just just for saying just for trying to
as you know, things or understand the world in the way that you understand it like Irving, Texas, I think I'm just gonna use today. Are you are you? Are you? Does it just got a roll off you when people like I did you ever get engaged with the now it depends. I think if I feel like they're coming from left,
field and I feel like I'm not gonna be able to get through to them. I usually let it roll off of me it's. I guess it frustrates me. What more when I feel like somebody is really intelligent and they're they're starting an argument about something like why? Don't you get this? You know I feel, like you, could so understood.
And where I'm coming from and in their just being combated for the sake of being combated. But you know it's funny. Is that a lot of the hate mail that I get is about my lip ring
about how I look there. So many like you know that that girl with this but the fish hook and her lip and all the tattoos you doesn't. She notion doesn't look profession.
That's not the way a reporter should look. I it's weird and actually weirdly that she gets to me more noise. Like am I getting too
for that you know the commission, without already, unlike I've, got my lips
but it is it is. It is sort of like you know if you, if you lay out this, really intricate argument for something and then people
like your hair is dumb fuck
you didn't even really my hair is does loaded gun. Is it, though,
are you in Algeria that an amended many people will comment about the title to have so much to say about the headline in it. Like you,
watch the video I spent all the
Damn hours when I make judgments based on morsels of information that I can pieced together with pre existing judgment, I sought to run my camera when I saw a video
you know very mean even see it bans right very this. That is right.
I am wilful ignorant, my love in America, but
I mean and again you know I don't want to come down on listened again. Everyone should believe what they what they were.
I believe it is interesting now how how religion and politics are so just inextricably linked. Jeff s and- and I think you see that a lot with the difference between
religion in science. Right and you know it's. I agree with you. I think people should be
to believe whatever they want to believe, but the really great thing about size that you don't have to believe it is true.
Until you discover something else needs we, we will adapt, but you know that's what I think. One of my comment is actually
this did on one of my earliest pieces, and I dont know if they should be attributed to them, or somebody famous that at some point, but they said believing in evolution
and are not believing in evolution is like not believing in the sun. It still gonna rise, whether you believe it or not. Royal. I mean it just is that way you don't really have to what we want, and we evolving into do you think, what's next, that such a fun question,
I personally, and I know that this could get Harry and we can get into a big thing, but I personally don't think that we're evolving the same way
that we used to think in many ways we ve kind of decommissioned natural selection, because we have so many you remember from our pilot when we talk about artificial selection which, as you know, dogs or artificially selected as we choose, which wants to breed with which ones for specific
chemicals drugs. You know environmental change and running. We don't see like diabetes, for example, getting out of the population because we can treat
Now, there's no reason that somebody diabetes would die. You know we get them alive and so therefore were keeping those genes alive, and I think that there are so many things that we ve been able to do to intervene. Of course, natural selection is still happening, but not at any sort of extreme rate. We also protect ourselves from the environment. The reason that
natural selection occurs is because certain organisms adapt to their environment and other ones can't adapt so quickly. But you know if we have an extreme environment, we just build a house
the rat nurse the undermining of we can do. I love the idea that we had to get to this point to make the next major leap in our evolution, which is that sort of the sort
singularity idea like were were basically building were building this construct that will sort of absorb our conscious our consciousness and that
no we're not it's not- that were evolving physically, were evolving into this sort of weird digital.
Yeah, and you know one of the guys that was in the pilot with us Jason silver along with MAX look of here, but this is more, I think, Jason's bag. He is like a very kind of Curs Whaley in future issues really into this idea of the thing
I've had some conversations with them and I think it's interesting also kind of thing: it's bullshit
I do think that as we move forward, we are going to see more technological advances.
Sure you know we're gonna, be improving, for example the genome
through technology or whatever the case may be, but I'm I'm not looking forward to the big thing elaborate, either way that I think my Iphone Doc as the more we progressed in the more we get smarter and the scientists trade more synthetic. You know foods in an gases
in his light, only mathematical lacking the lifeboat her but alive
things that were making is actually ill in turn, killing us like processed foods and over there, and that's it we're thing I think of evolution like that were evolving and were creating these new things that we are able to make now that we're smarter, but in this sense its also starting to kill us said the add ons
You look like the evolution of the weapon. It kind of follows that too. There was a time when we could kill one percent of the time when we could kill ten people and then turned and do you know hundreds at a time, and now we can blow out like hell, cities and dumb and yeah. I mean that that's an interesting kind of I think ethical question inside
this should we do signs for the sake of doing science and- and I personally think that we should. I think that if we can try something, we should do it. I think that off,
We need to have the ethical guidelines around it, but but but there there does become a question
You know, if we hand should we, because maybe something comes out of it- that could be really harmful likely to reach five in one thing that I ate one in this one,
It wanted not environment on there came about
recently, you know the reengineer flew and like just because we could make it. Why did we in an isn't that, like a very dangerous thing to unleash on the public and obviously
always loved? The shack has like it's really easy to fear longer with that, and I try to avoid that as often as possible, but but yeah it's it's it's a complicated question because the more we the more we use science,
for technological reasons for engineering purposes, the more we can make things that will potentially benefit us and the more we can make things that will potentially harm us and also some things that benefit us.
The fucking harmful to the environment or to other organisms, and we can and will in turn around that, yet exactly which will harm us later. The Us Ryaku are very short sighted and this fucking Glittery Bavaria,
and the worst thing is with the now. You talk about the that ethics have to come into play when
moving forward in science, but some people say that the ethics come from a base.
Religion, yandah, anybody out you buddy again, and that goes back to SAM Harris, who recently wrote a book about morality and made it, and you make an argument them rallying comes from the brain that it doesn't come from religion at all levels of the kind of arise. At these moral statements completely independently. It works
we're all. Were for the most part, atheists, and you know, I'm not about to hurt or kill anybody
not because of damnation, just because that's a bummer move yet right. I agree I feel like it, it wouldn't have taken God or a Bible. You know we have taken all that to tell us, like you, don't wanna slaughtered. The guys at ending next year would a figure that out on our own, but don't wanna, do it, because if you gave me a hard on I'd, be like you know them
It turned out that I'm a Dexter near that organ Dexter ruin do again, yes or no.
I have to give you a code, the worst James re ever get you
You get a good James remark. Impersonator in here put moments because ok, great care, Santa Maria, it is delightful to see you
and this is a wonderful conversation and one that will have you back on again. You know behind and soon
enjoy your burrito everybody farts farts, penis penis. I just got gotta damn it up for the listeners, move on board that almost senator.
That you're going for some sort of urge like a rhyme, partly forest penis Venus everybody touch. My Venus
sounds like a little kids like, but you like a doctor, goose kind of a thing parts
The study, mine and my way to stop a guy's, ok, you're out of this episode and nervous about gas, was brought. You buy, go to my pc
car there now could be tried, free buying and enter the problem notice, glass bottles, thirty day fleet, while you just were noticed listeners easy, not harm.
Transcript generated on 2020-07-14.