In this 253rd in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we talk about the state of the world through an evolutionary lens.
In this week’s episode, we follow the science to fewer cow farts. Bovear, an FDA approved product that is fed to cattle to reduce their production of methane, is the result of yet more reductionist, metric-heavy research that conflates complex systems with complicated ones. Bill Gates approves, though, so what could go wrong? We discuss ruminant biology, the actual Carbon impact of grazing cattle, and some other great new products from the makers of Bovear, including “the world’s first-ever flavor created by artificial intelligence.” Then: why is the BBC’s disinformation wing concerned about what Bret said on Diary of a CEO? What happened to journalism? Finally: it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. Liberals are supposed to be high in openness—consider being open to the differing views of your friends and family, and have a wonderful time together.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Arla Foods introduces Bovear: https://x.com/ArlaFoodsUK/status/1861403156137030083
Bovear product info: https://www.dsm.com/anh/news/downloads/infographics-checklists-and-guides/bovaer-brochure-how-cows-can-help-us-fight-climate-change.html
Mississippi State on Ruminant Biology: http://extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/publications/publications/P2503_web.pdf
McAllister, T.A. and Newbold, C.J., 2008. Redirecting rumen fermentation to reduce methanogenesis. Australian journal of experimental agriculture, 48(2): 7-13: https://www.publish.csiro.au/an/EA07218
Pershouse 2016. The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money, and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities. Mycelium Books: https://www.didipershouse.com/the-ecology-of-care.html
DSM’s science and research: https://our-company.dsm-firmenich.com/en/our-company/science-research.html
MIT Technology Review on methane reduction in cows: https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/10/01/1104391/2024-climate-tech-companies-rumin8-bovine-supplements/
Diary of a CEO episode w Bret: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=BN5eVlIijaUOkyVH&v=_cFu-b5lTMU&feature=youtu.be
BBC and far-right videos: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2n8pzk7gzo.amp
Oregon Health Authority and the election: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORHA/bulletins/3c0a48e
We have "cartesian blinders being put on us so that we are trying to make sense out of scraps of information and hints." - @bretweinstein
WEINSTEIN: I mean, even if you have your villains who are engaged in the behavior that motivated this war in Iran, even if that's the story, presumably most of the people in the path of these ferocious bombings that he is describing are not deserving of going back to the Stone Age.
In fact, I distinctly remember him telling us that part of what we were up to was liberating the people of Iran from their tyrannical regime.
So if it's the tyrannical regime that justifies the ferocious bombing, then it's a tragedy that other people are going to be sent back to the Stone Ages with them. Right?
HEYING: It's it's not a narrative. It's an incoherent set of talking points.
WEINSTEIN: Yeah, it's a kind of cheerleading that is completely inappropriate from the perspective of the president.
Bret Weinstein discusses the Trump administrations "back to the stone age" recent remarks in the latest episode of The Evolutionary Lens, Episode 320 "Are we back in the stone age?" on DarkHorse.
Bret Weinstein explains, "If you stop businesses from starting here, and if you drive people so that they move elsewhere—even though it's difficult to do—then the point is the tax base dries up, which then forces you to become even more predatory for the people who stayed.
And that's really the thing, right? They're setting themselves up so that they have to go after more and more people, because the people who are starting new businesses are not going to do it here."
Hi Folks, I saw the Alex Gibney documentary MUSK today and there is much to parse in it (timing, motivations, biases, flawed assumptions, lack of introspection on the part of the filmmakers, etc etc) but in one particular segment, Gibney claims that there were so many early covid victims in NYC that the City had to rent refrigeration trailers to store all the bodies. I had not heard that story and have zero trustworthy sources to investigate it.
Has anyone done an empirical analysis of that claim?
The Problem With Power
I'd like to see an evolutionary biology perspective on systems which embody power.
In my simplistic way I conceive of the problem as that of a niche in an ecosystem which has some small, at first, amount of power to control the ecosystem.
Continuing, simplistically, it seems natural to me that certain entities would be naturally inclined to occupy that niche and where the mechanisms exist increase the power.
To me that looks like a feedback loop where power begets power begets more power.
Of course the Federal Government was, theoretically, constrained from an unlimited acquisition of power, but here we are, thanks to The Supremes; beginning with the Marshall court and nailing the coffin closed with grossly incorrect interpretations of the 14th amendment.
Bret and Heather discuss migration, race, and the West.
First: the Mercator projection is unsatisfactory, and there’s a new map available, but no map of the globe can be perfect. Every home should have a globe.
Then: what do we do with things in which the first step is neutral or good, but it seems inevitable that we end up in a dire situation once the first step has been accepted? Examples include abortion, lobbying, advertising, informed consent, EULAs, and utopianism. Another example may be racism: we should not be racist, but we should retain our ability to see difference, and note when people who are showing up on our doorstep are not interested in collaboration, or in the experiment of the West.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2UrFU9Bp17kpK99qXPny6L?si=AGgiyz8pQky4L7P9nnX-hw
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ACgWQTsZi0
Rumble: ...
