The Escaped Sapiens Podcast

In only 250 years since colonization, Australia has seen the extinction of 38 species of mammals. Much of the devastation to Australia's native wildlife has been caused or exacerbated by the introduction of invasive pests like cats, dogs, cane toads, camels, and rabbits. A key question is whether science will one day be able to return Australia to its original state? In this conversation I speak with Dr. Stephen Frankenberg about genetic biocontrol and de-extinction. We focus on the use of gene drives, which are genetic tools that can be used to increase the likelihood that a suite of genes will spread throughout a population. Gene drives can be used, to spread infertility into a population over a number of generations, removing that population without having to cull animals. We also discuss the work being done to return the Tasmanian tiger from extinction. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qeth7hIPNnM ►Check out Stephen's research here: https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/pasklab/dr-stephen-frankenberg/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Fk_RvmoAAAAJ&hl=en ►Follow Stephen on Twitter: @srfrankenberg These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode looks at using technology to preserve species that are in threat of extinction, and to return the wild spaces that have already been destroyed.

Progress in AI development seems to be accelerating, and we might be living through a period in human history that is every bit as significant as the agricultural and industrial revolutions. We might be witnessing the dawn of synthetic general intelligence. In this conversation I speak with David Shapiro who is an AI researcher and YouTube content creator. We discuss the current state of the art LLMs, and the inevitable rise of autonomous AI given current global economic competition. We cover the social implications in the near term and existential threats in the long term, as well as alignment and AI control. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YfjaspSWI0c ►Check out David's work on alignment here: https://www.gatoframework.org/ ►Visit David's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidShapiroAutomator ►Join David's Discord: https://discord.com/invite/32kNMc2Pqt ►Support David's work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/daveshap These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode looks at maintaining human cohesion, birthrates, social security, and world peace in the face of artificial general intelligence. 

Now that the dust has settled to a certain extent, how did we do with the pandemic? Which countries handled the situation best? Did we learn anything? How well did scientists do, and how well did the public, politicians, and the media do? In this episode of the podcast I speak with Australian immunologist and author Peter Doherty. Peter has won a range of distinguished prizes for his research including the Albert Lasker prize for basic medical research and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Rolf M. Zinkernagel. Peter is also a National Trust Australian Living Treasure, and was the 1997 Australian of the year. We discuss immunology, life in research, the Nobel prize, scientific ego, the role of science in politics, the struggles of young scientists, existential risk, and political polarization.   ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ttGFjDcHLCI   ►For more information about Peter: https://www.doherty.edu.au/people/laureate-professor-peter-doherty These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode looks at (medical) science more broadly, and the role it played in maintaining stable and healthy societies during the pandemic. 

It is easy to take peace for granted. In this episode of the podcast I speak with John Kornblum about the hard work that diplomats do in the background to maintain peace between nations. John specializes in European and east–west relations, and played a defining role in many of the important events leading up to the end of the Cold War, and those that led to the current post-cold war security environment. These included the Quadripartite negotiations on Berlin, the Helsinki Final Act, the stationing of nuclear weapons in Europe, President Ronald Reagan's historic 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, German reunification, the Dayton Agreement on the Balkans, enlargement of NATO, the post-Cold War security settlement with Russia and Ukraine and the agreement on compensation of slave laborers and establishment of the Reconciliation Foundation of German Industry. John also served as US Special Envoy to the Balkans and directed two dramatic prisoner and spy exchanges on the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin in 1985 and 1986.   ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tU0q0C0jTUw   ►For more information about John: https://www.csis.org/people/john-c-kornblum These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode covers the maintenance of international relations, the rule of international law, and world peace.

Most of us live nowhere near where our food comes from. which means that the food that we have access to is dictated by conderations like does it travel well, and does it have a long shelf life. Our supply chains also lead to sprawling monocrops, pesticide overuse, and agricultural runoff, as well as biodiversity loss, and a range of other problems. But this might all change in the near future with vertical farming. In this episode of the Podcast I speak with Dr. Vivian Correa Galvis about the future of Vertical Farming. Vivian is a Crow Quality Team Lead at Infarm, which is one of the worlds largest vertical agricultural company. The idea we discuss is simple but dramatic. We might one day be able to return vast amounts of land to nature by bringing crops back into the cities and stacking them vertically in controlled environments. The benefit of controlled environments is the ability to decide on the cultivars that we want to grow, and we can also control runoff and water usage. There are even ways of controlling how fast plants grow, their size, shape, nutrition value, flavor, and colour without altering their genetics. ►Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYWDzhn1CKA  ►For more information about Vivian: https://scholar.google.de/citations?hl=de&user=Tzkz19sAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate   ►For more information about Infarm: https://www.infarm.com/   ►Note, that this episode is not a paid advertisement for infarm. Infarm, however, very kindly allowed me to visit their premises in Berlin for this interview.   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode covers sustainable resource use in agriculture. 

In this episode of the Podcast I speak with Professor Munjed Al Muderis about a new technology that is allowing amputees to walk again. Osseointegration is the direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-bearing artificial implant. While dental implants have long been standard, surgeons are now starting to use this technology to reconstruct missing limbs. We cover some of the technical details of these kinds of surgeries, the complications, and the difficulties of introducing new medical procedures and therapies. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YINU7GXkkWw   ►For more information about Munjed: https://www.almuderis.com.au/   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode is the second part of a two part conversation that covers Munjed's world leading work as a surgeon. A key part of this discussion is Munjed's dream of creating a more economically sustainable environment for medicine in Australia. 

In this episode of the Podcast I speak with Professor Munjed Al Muderis about his escape from Iraq as a refugee. In 1999 Munjed was forced to flee Iraq after a busload of army draft evaders were brought into the hospital where he worked to have the top of their ears amputated under Saddam Hussein's orders. The senior surgeon in the operating theatre refused the orders and was immediately interrogated and shot in front of several medical staff. Rather than complying with orders Munjed decided to escape. This conversation covers Munjed's journey from Iraq to Australia as a refugee. We also discuss Australian refugee policies. ►For more information about Munjed: https://www.almuderis.com.au/ These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode is the first part of a two part conversation that covers Munjed's journey from being a refugee to being a world leading surgeon. In the second part of the discussion we discuss one of Munjed's dreams: the goal of creating a more economically sustainable environment for medicine in Australia.

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor Hans-Georg Moeller from the University of Macau. Georg's work focusses on Chinese and Comparative Philosophy (specifically Daoism) and on Social and Political Thought (specifically Social Systems Theory). We discuss the role that morality plays as a potent social engineering tool for establishing order and power. While morality is usually thought of in a positive sense, morally charged communication is often rigid and divisive, and leaves little room for mediation. Our morality allows us to frame ourselves as heros for our own actions and claims of ownership, while judging those that disagree with us as not just wrong, but as evil. Georg argues for the benefits a more amoral society, and points to humor as an antidote to moral outrage, and righteous anger.   ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3fh159MqlQs   ►For more information about Georg: https://fah.um.edu.mo/hans-georg-moeller/   ►I highly recommend checking out Georg's own YouTube channels Carefree Wandering and Philosophy in Motion: https://www.youtube.com/@carefreewandering/videos https://www.youtube.com/@philosophyinmotion/videos   ►You can get a 20% discount on Georg's book `You and Your Profile: Identity After Authenticity', by using the promo code CUP20 on the Columbia University Press website: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/you-and-your-profile/9780231196017   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode focuses on the upsides and downsides of using morality as a social tool for establishing and maintaining power, ownership, and hierarchy. If you find these discussions valuable then please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing. 

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor Philipp Huebl about moral myopia, political division, and the spread of "bull$&%t" and misinformation. Bull$&%t, in this case, is something that lies somewhere between lies and truth, or something created by those that are indifferent towards the truth. Philipp is a visiting professor in philosophy and cultural studies at the Universität der Künste. We discuss why fake news and conspiracy is so captivating, and the tribal psychology that makes us susceptible to misinformation and ethical blindness. Our conversation also covers the role that shared morality plays in shaping society, the connection between morality and emotions, and the spread of political division and fake news.   ►View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2_zTQN6nghA   ►For more information about Philipp: https://www.udk-berlin.de/person/philipp-huebl/ ►Philipp's books can be found here: https://www.amazon.de/Philipp-H%25C3%25BCbl/e/B00OA1DFR0%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode in focuses on the impact of human individual and group psychology on the development maintenance of stable democracies. If you find these discussions valuable then please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing. 

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Professor Frederike Ambagtsheer about the illegal trade and trafficking in human organs. Frederike has a background in criminology and public international law, has a doctorate on organ trade, and is currently researching organ trafficking at Erasmus MC's Transplant Institute in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In this conversation we discuss what is currently know about the trade in human organs, focusing on the kidney trade. We cover the experience of some of the victim groups, how operations and transactions take place, and some of the health and financial implications of the trade. Our main focus is the impact of criminalization on human suffering. In particular, we explore whether evidence based alternatives to prohibition might exist that have better population health outcomes.   Note: At around 7:50 and 8:32 Frederike talks about “voluntary” kidney sales using air quotations to indicate that the voluntary nature of donations is extremely questionable, and often occurs under severe financial duress or various forms of coercion. The audio only version has been edited to make these air quotations more explicit.   ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YvgsZFEw8z4   ►For more information about Frederike: https://www.organtraffickingresearch.org/team/frederike-ambagtsheer/   These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode in focuses on building healthy and sustainable societies in the face of an aging population, and in particular on the larger ethical and societal implications of criminalizing demand driven products that society finds morally objectionable.