#65: Because Science (Bret Weinstein & Heather Heying DarkHorse Livestream)

Jan 31, 2021

Guest

Bret Weinstein

Guest

Heather Heying

Bret Weinstein & Heather Heying discuss vaccines, scientific consensus, lab leak hypothesis, diet's impact on COVID-19, benefits of fermentation, sea stars, and evolution. They advocate for open investigation, highlight the potential risks of gain of function research, and discuss the protective effects of fermented food and a plant-based diet. They explore the evolution of bilateral symmetry, share their flying experience post-COVID, and emphasize the importance of trusting in the scientific process.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 4min

AstraZeneca Vaccine vs. mRNA Vaccines

03:57 • 15min

Understanding Scientific Consensus

19:01 • 14min

Lab Leak Hypothesis and its Implications

32:32 • 22min

Lab Leak Hypothesis and the Role of Diet in COVID-19

54:15 • 21min

Trade-offs in plant selection, benefits of food preservation, and the concept of beer as liquid bread

01:15:44 • 2min

Reactions to Organic Wheat and the Connection Between Sea Stars and Vertebrates

01:17:49 • 2min

The Evolution of Bilateral Symmetry in Vertebrates and Sea Stars

01:19:24 • 4min

Flying again after COVID-19

01:23:32 • 6min

In this 65th in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we discuss the state of the world through an evolutionary lens. In this episode, we begin by offering gratitude to Bill Maher and his crew for having us on on January 29—but why didn’t Heather answer his question about vaccines? She does so here, and we discuss a bit more about vaccine technology (also see episode 58 for more on that). Next: What does consensus look like in science, and when are we looking at forced consensus, one which may not accurately reflect underlying reality? What does this have to do with the “lab leak hypothesis” regarding the origin of SARS-CoV2? Following that: how does diet affect COVID—either in terms of mitigating risk of contracting it, or of reducing symptoms if you have it? Short advice: eat more ferment, and buy local. We finish by talking about tuna, and sea stars.

DarkHorse merchandise now available at: store.darkhorsepodcast.org

Find more from us on Bret’s website (https://bretweinstein.net) or Heather’s website (http://heatherheying.com).

Become a member of the DarkHorse LiveStreams, and get access to an additional Q&A livestream every month. Join at Heather's Patreon.

Like this content? Subscribe to the channel, like this video, follow us on twitter (@BretWeinstein, @HeatherEHeying), and consider helping us out by contributing to either of our Patreons or Bret’s Paypal.

Looking for clips from #DarkHorseLivestreams? Here are some, updated frequently: @DarkHorse Podcast Clips

Theme Music: Thank you to Martin Molin of Wintergatan for providing us the rights to use their excellent music.

Q&A Link: https://youtu.be/WIC3sx4F2Qg

Mentioned in this episode:

Dolgin 2020. COVID-19 vaccines poised for launch, but impact on pandemic unclear. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41587-020-00022-y

Butler 2015. Engineered bat virus stirs debate over risky research. https://www.nature.com/news/engineered-bat-virus-stirs-debate-over-risky-research-%201.18787?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=3_nsn6445_deeplink_PID100072647&utm_content=deeplink

Relman 2020. Opinion: To stop the next pandemic, we need to unravel the origins of COVID-19. https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/117/47/29246.full.pdf

Karesh et al 2012. Ecology of zoonoses: natural and unnatural histories. https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2812%2961678-X

Bousquet et al 2020. Cabbage and fermented vegetables: From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32762135/

Bousquet et al 2020. Is diet partly responsible for differences in COVID-19 death rates between and within countries? https://ctajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13601-020-00323-0?fbclid=IwAR3ljFDFU6cI9Hg_NwvKFdPF6YhvRWGYiq2ddtNuSYfrJTUJ539V3Ml5Mvo

Rishi et al 2020. Diet, Gut Microbiota and COVID-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33012868/

Iddir et al 2020. Strengthening the Immune System and Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress through Diet and Nutrition: Considerations during the COVID-19 Crisis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32471251/

There’s no tuna in my tuna! https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/01/27/subway-tuna-lawsuit/

Support the show