On this, our 325th Evolutionary Lens livestream, we discuss Hanta virus and drought. First: what is the natural history of Hantavirus, do any Hantaviruses transmit directly from human to human, and what is going on with the M.V. Hondius, the cruise ship on which Hantavirus has made a stand? Given its mechanisms of action, Ivermectin is likely to treat Hantavirus (a negative sense single-stranded RNA virus), but the WHO dismisses the possibility. Moderna is working on a Hantavirus vaccine, even though the Number Needed to Treat is sky high. What is going on? Then: in Washington state, we’re experiencing a very wet drought. The Department of Ecology has declared a drought (again), and the snow pack is low, but all other indicators—from rivers to reservoirs to soil moisture—are excellent. Cliff Mass, atmospheric scientist, puts the evidence in one place and calls bull on the drought diagnosis.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Hantavirus and the elders: https://asm.org/articles/2024/october/indigenous-knowledge-solved-mysterious-outbreak
Toledo et al 2022. Evidence for human-to-human transmission of hantavirus: a systematic review. The Journal of infectious diseases, 226(8): 1362-1371: https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/226/8/1362/6369311
Zaidi & Dehgani-Mobaraki 2022. The mechanisms of action of ivermectin against SARS-CoV-2—an extensive review. The Journal of antibiotics, 75(2): 60-71: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41429-021-00491-6
The WHO on the recent outbreak: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599
Cliff Mass – There is no drought emergency: https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-is-no-drought-emergency-in.html
Statewide drought declared in WA: https://ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who-we-are/news/2026/april-8-statewide-drought-declared-due-to-dismal-snowpack
Timestamps:
00:17:46 Framing the Hantavirus
00:21:30 Sponsor: Xlear Nasal Spray
00:24:32 Sponsor: Fresh Pressed Olive Oil
00:28:23 Sponsor: CrowdHealth
00:31:16 Hantavirus Outbreak on the MV Hondius
00:33:59 How Hantavirus Actually Spreads
00:36:51 Gain-of-Function & the Ship Mystery
01:07:01 Moderna's Hantavirus Vaccine
01:22:58 AI Safety Filters Blocking Science
01:33:29 Washington State's "Drought" Declared
01:45:48 Is There Really a Water Crisis?
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."
Bret and Heather will be speaking at Polyface Farm in Swoope, VA August 28-29th (along with many other incredible speakers). Find out more and grab your tickets before registration closes.
Bret and Heather discuss the WNBA, and the surveillance state. At the WNBA, only women can play, but they don’t define what a woman is; as such, two former NBA players have declared their eligibility for next year’s WNBA draft. In humans, as in all mammals, sex is binary and immutable. This is simple and fundamental, and denying it is delusional.
Then: Toka is an Israeli company that advertises “frictionless surveillance.” Toka’s technology can locate cameras not their own, remotely access them, and change footage, both previous and live; and they can disappear evidence that any changes have been made. What could go right?
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QkBjYK-HYg?feature=share
Rumble: https://rumble.com/v7e2tqm-the-338th-evolutionary-lens-with-bret-weinstein-and-heather-heying.html
X: https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1YxNrbryepzxw
Spotify: ...
Great documentary on Therapy Culture and self-inflicted mental health conditions, their rise over time, etc. Specifically they mention the transition from psychiatry to psychology to "scientific" grift like we talk about every week here. I know we had a whole convo on that in here a few months ago, or it was a topic of a DH ep.
It's only free for 7 days on X, get it while you can!
