Join Bret and Heather for their next Q&A on August 13th. Add it to your calendar here: https://www.darkhorsepodcast.org/calendar

00:00:00 Holding Screen

00:12:52 A Somewhat Awkward Morning

00:15:21 Bret & Heather, Please say more about our evolutionary relationship with smoking. Is it true that the harms have more to do with hypernovelty of modern cigarette manufacturing? My parents are cigar aficionados. Is there any reason to believe they are less at risk than cigarette smokers? I believe cigars are simply rolled up tobacco leaves. Thanks as always <3

00:31:22 How long should a child be breastfed, optimally? How short is not enough, how long is too much, and what are the pitfalls of either each?

00:51:01 What is your opinion on giving toddlers cows milk, assuming it’s 100% grass-fed, organic, as well as pasteurized? How should we look at cross-species milk drinking from the evolutionary lens? I’m to figure this out concerning my own child who is no longer on breastmilk (but also has severe eczema). Not sure how to navigate the thinking on this one.

01:00:14 "We have a 1-week old baby. We have heard you mention that pacifiers are not good for babies. I assume that has to do with being a modern tool, which can break the breastfeeding patterns, as well as being made of plastic and potentially messing with the child's jaw/teeth development. Could you explain further if that is the case?
Especially right before bedtime our child exhibits the sucking/breastfeeding instinct to sooth itself and fall asleep. Even if the breast if offered, the child only sucks on it to fall asleep. We are trying to minimize the use of a pacifier but especially in this pre-bed situation it's extremely useful."

01:12:46 Hi Heather and Bret. The idea of avoiding certain foods after vaccination (or perhaps while you’re actually sick). -What determines the category of foods you should avoid? If you ate only the most healthiest foods, say good quality meat, are you then putting yourself at risk of becoming allergic to those? Would there be a case for eating only foods that you don’t mind ‘becoming allergic’ to, to spare yourself from becoming intolerant to the foods you love and know are healthy choices? I eat from a relatively restricted set of great quality foods and would hate to become intolerant to them

01:21:58 "What do you have to say about the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine? I'd never heard of it until receiving an invitation from the UK's NHS to have the vaccine due to my age (75). I take the flu vaccine but decline the covid one.
Loving your work since March 2020
Charlie
Somerset, UK
https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/rsv-vaccine/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/

01:26:42 Per your conversation with Dr. Robert Clancy on mucosal immunity: Would it stand to reason that the injection of an attenuated virus vaccine would bypass most or all targeting mechanisms in said virus? What business does a respiratory virus have floating haphazardly through the blood stream and would you not therefore expect similar body-wide damage from such vaccines as we have seen with the mRNA vaccines?

01:31:55 I was recently at an outdoor event and had breathed in a fly which I was unable to dislodge from the nasal cavity. I woke up the next morning sick with a sore throat and congested nose. I became sick for the next few days. Is it possible I got sick from the fly or was it completely coincidental? Big fan from Seattle area. Thanks!

01:33:57 Please see the chat for two images I uploaded related to my question (I also uploaded the same images to the question-submission Locals post if they get lost in this chat). The table and accompanying illustration are from a book titled Evolution in Four Dimensions by Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb. Looking at the table column labeled, “Variation constructed through direct planning?” – why is the behavioral inheritance system described as “No”? I would guess that behavior could construct variation through direct planning, but no? Also, how do you feel about that illustration titled “evolution mountain”? Any other general impressions from the table?

01:40:59 The significant increase in autoimmune diseases has coincided with a lack of childhood exposure to parasites and bacteria species through better hygiene and behavioral changes in the WEIRD world. Can you please discuss the evolutionary history of immunological development and disruption? There is now some promising research into how introducing parasitic helminth eggs and bacterial species can help alleviate symptoms for some people suffering from Crohn's, IBS and other autoimmune diseases. Love your work, thank you for all you do 🦊

01:45:50 Reflection: Recently Bret has been elaborating about funeral rituals. Here's a trivia from India - in our culture, we cremate the dead. Anyone who has both parents and spouse alive is strictly forbidden from attending the cremation. The experience of seeing the body of a parent / spouse burn needs to be raw and life changing. Unfortunately since COVID & the vaccine fiasco, many of us have broken these norms during the deaths of young friends and family members. Partly because we were the only healthy ones who could get the cremation done. In my case, I've attended way too many & now I may be numb when my time comes to perform this ritual for my own parents.

01:52:10 Could you talk again about the difference between being data-driven and hypothesis-driven? My daughter is going into neuroscience and wants to do reseach so I would love to have something that I can share with her. Thank you!

02:00:41 Bret, do you always write with a Sharpie or is it only while podcasting?

02:02:38 Could you share who your Physical Therapist is in Portland? We're in Portland often and my wife suffers from chronic neck pain and hasn't had much success with a slough of other PTs.

02:03:13 What are the trade offs of intelligence? There must be gradient against which we’ve evolved intelligence, so is human intelligence still in an upward trajectory or is there an upper limit? Is technology a way of aggregating or storing intelligence outside of the genome?

02:11:48 "Hello Bret and Heather :)

My name is Dan and I have been a big fan of yours quite some time.
In a remote connection my Aunt Mary Ellen Hillaire started the ""House of Welcome"" Longhouse at Evergreen. So watching what happed to you in real time I was disappointed at the group think path the institution took.
I would like to invite you guys to Visit the San Juan Art Museum to view my work there.
I have been a member on Locals for a while now and was not sure if that would be the best way to reach you?
Just had the inkling to reach out today.
Hopefully one day our paths cross and I can thank you in person for sharing your insights.
Hy'shqe Siem
Dan"

02:12:24 I know you guys will probably think it’s nuts, but please suspend your disbelief & check out The Telepathy Tapes podcast- you really have to start from the beginning though- there’s stuff about animals in there & I found found it profoundly inspiring thinking about how it might shine a light on how animals really communicate. It’s ostensibly about communities of non-verbal autistic kids communicating & it’s amazing x