Here We Are

Here We Are turns 8 years old! To celebrate, I decided to do record a solo episode talking about how I got into science and comedy, feeling out of place throughout my childhood/early adulthood, and why I started the Here We Are Podcast.   Thank you for watching and being an inquisitive being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I am speaking with Associate Professor of Economics at The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Charles Sims. We discuss the economics of covid-19, climate change, carbon taxes, and the uncertainties that come along with major decision making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I speak with evolutionary biologist and author, Henry Gee. We discuss the writing process, the replication crisis, the origin of the Universe and life on Earth, and what human extinction might look like.  You can purchase Henry's new book, "A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth" and learn more about his work at https://averyshorthistoryoflifeonearth.blogspot.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of Here We Are, I am talking with Gregory Zuckerman. Greg is a Special Writer at The Wall Street Journal. He's an investigative reporter who writes about business and investing topics. He's also the author of A Shot to Save the World: The Inside Story of the Life-or-Death Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine. We talk about the history of vaccine research, pharmaceutical companies, and conveying information to the public, as well as the next big scientific advances.  Thank you for watching and being an inquisitive being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I'm speaking with authors of The Knowledge Illusion, Steve Sloman and Phil Fernbach.  Steven Sloman is a cognitive scientist at Brown University who studies how people think. Phil Fernbach is a cognitive scientist and professor of marketing at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The book explores why we think we know so much more than we do, and the profound implications for individuals and society. Humans have built hugely complex societies and technologies, but most of us don’t even know how a pen or a toilet works. How have we achieved so much despite understanding so little? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In celebration of Halloween I'm speaking with Mathias Clasen, a scholar of horror fiction and associate professor in literature and media at Aarhus University in Denmark. Clasen’s research integrates horror study with the natural and social sciences, in particular human behavioral biology and evolutionary and cognitive psychology. In this episode we talk about classic horror tales, why we love feeling scared, and the evolution of classic horror icons. This is the great conversation for those who love horror and those who are nervous to face their fears. If you're the latter, check out Mathias' newest book 'A Very Nervous Person's Guide to Horror Movies'.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I talk with Nicholas Coles, A research scientist at Stanford University. Nicholas is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in affective science and the emerging field of meta-science. In affective science, Nicholas seeks to understand the social, cognitive, and physiological processes that underlie the conscious experience of emotion. In this episode we talk about what emotions are, cultural differences in emotional experience and why faking a smile is so exhausting. Plus we discuss multiple studies on embodied cognition.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I am speaking with Coltan Scrivner, who is a researcher at The University of Chicago in the Department of Comparative Human Development and a Fellow at the Institute for Mind and Biology. We talk about horror, anxiety, why some people enjoy scaring themselves for fun, and I take Coltan's Morbid Curiosity Test! Find out how morbidly curious you are! https://www.coltanscrivner.com/morbid-curiosity-test Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm speaking with Adam Willcox from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His lab focuses on the human dimensions of biodiversity conservation, endangered species management, and protected areas management. Adam also serves with the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture. We discuss changing social and environmental norms, the cost of meat consumption, conserving biodiversity, and how traveling can change your worldview. Explore Adam's research here! https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=0DlfX14AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm speaking with Sean Doody, who studies reptiles and conservation biology theory! We talk about the evolution of reptiles, the difficulty with studying reptiles' bizarre, yet surprisingly active social lives, and what we could learn from lizards' unique limb regeneration abilities. Sean co-wrote the book "The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles" with Gordon M. Burghardt who was also recently on the show. You can check their book out here: https://amzn.to/3od8ZA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices