The Microbiome Researcher in Africa

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The old world is the pre-european rational revolution world by the way europeans lived. The reason they didn't have skyscrapers is not because they're stupid okay it's because culturally there's a certain expectation to fulfill the direction of tradition so traditions really essential. I'm always amazed when i'm in africa and watching the simplicity of life and the way folks till their field and and work. It's funny but also so fucked up and sad you know it's just it's likeYeah one of those microbiome researchers he went to this one remote tribe who are untouched aside from the people going there and communicating with them. He found that his gut biome almost looked identical to

John Heers is the Co-Founder and Director of the First Things Foundation, and the host of the podcast, Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?

The First Things Foundation is a non-profit organization that takes young people from the “new world” of the West to the “old world” of developing countries where they immerse, learn the language, and connect with local entrepreneurs and helps empower them to spur organic, ground-up development in their communities. They have active projects in Guatemala, Sierra Leone, the Georgia Republic, Ethiopia, and Appalachia near and dear to me here in the Rust Belt of the United States.

John has a Master's Degree in History from Columbia University. Previous to First Things Foundation, John worked overseas serving the Peace Corps as a water resource manager in Mali, oversaw emergency relief in the Georgian Republic, and taught history for 9 years in South Bronx and Harlem in New York City and Haiti.

In our conversation we dive into: