16. Dr. Robert Trivers — Evolutionary Theory & Human Nature

Dr. Stephon Alexander — The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe: In The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe, physicist and jazz saxophonist Dr. Stephon Alexander revisits the ancient realm where music, physics, and the cosmos were one. This cosmological journey... by The Michael Shermer Show

94 min listen

Dr. Benjamin Bergen — What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves: Dr. Benjamin Bergen is a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego, and in his new book he explains why profanity is so appealing to us. Let’s face it, we all swear. Whether we’re happy or mad, uttering a... by The Michael Shermer Show

102 min listen

Dr. Walter Scheidel — The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the 21st Century: Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, the Stanford... by The Michael Shermer Show

58 min listen

Dr. Lisa Randall — Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe: The renowned Harvard cosmologist and theoretical physicist explores a scenario in which a disk of dark matter—the elusive stuff in the universe that interacts through gravity like ordinary matter, but that doesn’t emit or absorb light—dislodged... by The Michael Shermer Show

72 min listen

Michelle Feynman — The Quotable Feynman & His Van: Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918–88) was a towering scientific genius who could make himself understood by anyone and who became as famous for the wit and wisdom of his popular lectures and writings as for his fundamental... by The Michael Shermer Show

76 min listen

Gary Taubes — The Case Against Sugar: Among Americans, diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And sugar is at the root of these, and other, critical society-wide,... by The Michael Shermer Show

68 min listen

Dr. Alan Stern and Dr. David Grinspoon — Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto: Listen in on this remarkable conversation with mission leader Dr. Alan Stern and co-author of the spell-binding new book Chasing New Horizons, Dr. David Grinspoon, as they recount the story of the men and women behind this amazing mission: of their... by The Michael Shermer Show

73 min listen

Dr. Bart Ehrman — How a Forbidden Religion (Christianity) Swept the World: In this remote Science Salon (recorded on February 19, 2018), Dr. Shermer converses with the great bible scholar and historian Dr. Bart D. Ehrman, the Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr.... by The Michael Shermer Show

79 min listen

Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan — Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal The Cosmos: Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan is a cosmologist and theoretical astrophysicist from Yale University, specializing in dark matter, dark energy, and black holes. She also holds the Sophie and Tycho Brahe Professorship of the Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr... by The Michael Shermer Show

93 min listen

Nina Teicholz — The Big Fat Surprise About Diet and Nutrition: In this fascinating conversation with Michael Shermer, the investigative journalist Nina Teicholz reviews the scientific literature on diet and nutrition, the link (or lack thereof) between dietary cholesterol and heart disease, the history of the... by The Michael Shermer Show

71 min listen

Dr. Nancy Segal — Twin Mythconceptions: False Beliefs, Fables, and Facts about Twins: Dr. Nancy Segal, the world’s leading expert on twins, has a new book that sheds light on over 70 commonly held ideas and beliefs about the origins and development of identical and fraternal twins. Using the latest scientific findings from... by The Michael Shermer Show

54 min listen

Dr. Arthur Benjamin — The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring Out Why: The Magic of Math is the math book you wish you had in school. Using a delightful assortment of examples—from ice cream scoops and poker hands to measuring mountains and making magic squares—this book empowers you to see the beauty, simplicity,... by The Michael Shermer Show

93 min listen

Dr. Yuval Noah Harari — 21 Lessons for the 21st Century: In this dialogue with one of the most interesting minds of our time, the Hebrew University historian and best-selling author (Sapiens, Homo Deus), Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, he and Dr. Shermer discuss the central ideas of his new book, 21... by The Michael Shermer Show

83 min listen

Dr. Janna Levin — Gravitational Waves, Black Holes and the Nature of the Cosmos: On Thursday, February 11, 2016, the National Science Foundation made a thrilling announcement: gravitational waves—first predicted by Einstein as part of his general theory of relativity in 1916—had been detected for the first time. This... by The Michael Shermer Show

63 min listen

Dr. Robert Trivers — Evolutionary Theory & Human Nature: Dr. Robert Trivers and Dr. Michael Shermer have a lively conversation on everything from evolutionary theory and human nature to how to win a knife fight and Trivers’ membership in the Black Panthers. Don’t miss this engaging exchange with one of... by The Michael Shermer Show

50 min listen

Bill Nye the Science Guy Saves the World on Netflix: Michael Shermer interviews Bill Nye the Science Guy about his new Netflix series “Bill Nye Saves the World,” which aired Friday, April 21, 2017. The conversation took place on December 18, 2016 at the offices of the Planetary Society, for which... by The Michael Shermer Show

86 min listen

Derren Brown — Magic, Happiness, and Skepticism: In this remote Science Salon, Michael Shermer talks with Derren Brown, a British magician and writer. His TV show Derren Brown: Mind Control received immediate success after airing in 2000. His specials include Russian Roulette, Seance, The Heist,... by The Michael Shermer Show

76 min listen

Dr. Michael Shermer — Ask Me Anything # 1: In this first Ask Me Anything (AMA) Dr. Shermer attempts to answer as many questions as possible in a reasonable time among the hundreds submitted by readers. There were so many good ones, in fact, that he will produce a second AMA on these, as well... by The Michael Shermer Show

62 min listen

Dr. Leonard Mlodinow — Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change: Out of the exploratory instincts that allowed our ancestors to prosper hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans developed a cognitive style that Mlodinow terms elastic thinking, a collection of traits and abilities that include neophilia (an... by The Michael Shermer Show

52 min listen

Richard Rhodes — Energy: A Human History: This is one of the best dialogues Dr. Shermer has ever had in his quarter century of talking to the leading scientists and scholars of our time. Listen in as he and Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author Richard Rhodes discuss nuclear... by The Michael Shermer Show

80 min listen

Dr. Sean B. Carroll — The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters: How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? In The Serengeti Rules, award-winning... by The Michael Shermer Show

95 min listen

Dr. Jonathan Haidt — The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure: In this fascinating dialogue Dr. Haidt and Dr. Shermer discuss what has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak... by The Michael Shermer Show

79 min listen

Dr. Carol Tavris — Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why is it so hard to say “I made a mistake”—and really believe it? Social psychologist Dr. Carol Tavris, one of the most influential thinkers and writers of our time, explores in dialogue with Michael Shermer cognitive dissonance and what... by The Michael Shermer Show

64 min listen

Dr. Clay Routledge — The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything: In this dialogue on life’s deepest and most meaningful issues Michael Shermer talks with psychologist Clay Routledge about: the evolution of motivation and goals in animals and humans ● what a “purpose driven life” really means ● how... by The Michael Shermer Show

121 min listen

Dr. Michael Shermer — Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia: In his most ambitious work yet—a scientific exploration into humanity’s obsession with the afterlife and quest for immortality—bestselling author and skeptic, Michael Shermer, sets out to discover what drives humans’ belief in life after... by The Michael Shermer Show

56 min listen

Dr. Gregory Berns — What It’s Like to Be a Dog…and Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience: In this wide-ranging dialogue (recorded on September 1, 2017) on the nature of consciousness Dr. Michael Shermer talks with Dr. Gregory Berns, Distinguished Professor of Neuroeconomics and Director of the Center for Neuropolicy and Facility for... by The Michael Shermer Show

70 min listen

Dr. Tali Sharot — The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About our Power to Change Others: In her new book, The Influential Mind, neuroscientist Tali Sharot takes readers on a thrilling exploration of the nature of influence, so she and Shermer start the conversation by discussing how we can influence, for example, climate deniers to accept... by The Michael Shermer Show

59 min listen

Donald Prothero & Timothy Callahan — UFOs, Chemtrails, and Aliens: What Science Says: UFOs. Aliens. Strange crop circles. Giant figures scratched in the desert surface along the coast of Peru. The amazing alignment of the pyramids. Strange lines of clouds in the sky. The paranormal is alive and well in the American cultural landscape.... by The Michael Shermer Show

67 min listen

Dr. Andrew Shtulman — Scienceblind: Why Our Intuitive Theories About the World Are So Often Wrong: Why do we catch colds? What causes seasons to change? And if you fire a bullet from a gun and drop one from your hand, which bullet hits the ground first? In a pinch we almost always get these questions wrong. Worse, we regularly misconstrue... by The Michael Shermer Show

76 min listen

Colin McGinn — Paradoxes, Puzzles, and Philosophy: In their second Science Salon conversation Michael Shermer and Colin McGinn consider the broader sweep of philosophy after their first encounter in which they focused on consciousness, free will, and God. In this dialogue they review some of the... by The Michael Shermer Show

71 min listen

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16. Dr. Robert Trivers — Evolutionary Theory & Human Nature

16. Dr. Robert Trivers — Evolutionary Theory & Human Nature

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