On this, our 344th Evolutionary Lens livestream, we discuss new cats, fat bears, and overwhelmed frogs. The tilcayo, a newly named species of cat from Bolivia, is part of a group of New World “tiger cats” that live on the outskirts of the Amazon basin. We discuss Carnivoran relationships, cats more specifically, and what is known about the history and ecology of the tilcayo in particular. Then: it’s fat bear week at Katmai National Park in Alaska, where grizzlies are fattening themselves on salmon for the Winter ahead; we discuss hibernation, reproductive diapause, and general chonkiness in bears. Finally: female Cope’s gray treefrogs have a harder time choosing good mates when there’s a lot of noise, and when there are too many suitors—kind of like how women often make bad choices when confronted with chaos and wingmen.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Lescroart & Nogales-Ascarrunz et al 2026. Phylogenomics and museomics reveal five distinct species of tiger cats in South America. Current Biology 36: 1-15: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(26)01110-3
National Geographic’s tilcayo pics: https://news.nationalgeographic.org/photos-new-wild-cat-species/
Meet the bears: https://explore.org/meet-the-bears#h_75305921118711789688140871
Hemingway et al 2026. Choice overload constrains mate choice independent of energetic masking. iScience 29: 1-13: https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2589-0042%2826%2902464-8
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Holding Screen
00:05:02 It Smells Like Autumn
00:06:44 Cats, Fat Bears, and Overwhelmed Frogs
00:10:25 Sponsor: Cowboy Colostrum
00:14:25 Sponsor: CrowdHealth
00:17:03 Sponsor: Branch Basics
00:21:02 The Tilcayo: A Brand-New Cat
00:25:32 An Orphaned Kitten in the Andes
00:28:47 Inside Phylogenetics
00:33:21 Carnivores vs. Carnivorans
00:34:58 Hyenas: Cat Adjacent, Not a Cat
00:42:38 The Answer Is Software
00:49:50 Meet the Tilcayo
00:51:53 Five Cryptic Species of Tiger Cat
00:55:03 Why So Many Little Cats?
01:04:17 Sympatric, Allopatric, or Parapatric?
01:06:49 Apologies to the Dog People
01:08:59 80% Neurotic, 10% Psychotic
01:12:39 A Raccoon, a Lemur, and a Wild Kitten
01:18:35 Fat Bear Week
01:23:14 The Bears' Cupboard Strategy
01:25:29 Meet the Bears of Katmai
01:28:47 Yes, Bears Have Diapause
01:31:28 Strategy, Luck, or Dominance?
01:38:28 Overwhelmed Frogs
01:44:21 Why Are Frog Choruses So Loud?
01:50:31 What Counts as a Good Choice?
01:52:09 Clubs, Wingmen, and Bad Decisions
01:56:07 Hot Guys With Less to Say
01:57:04 Be Good to the Ones You Love
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."
I've noticed that there is a significant amount of "Experts" who have all ranging audiences over X, instagram, etc who claim to be all about MAHA, however, they spend all their time bitching and complaining about everything all the time. They are the ones that are the first to say "MAHA IS DEAD!" and shit on anyone else in the movement who realizes that fighting against the big industries isn't an over night operation. Indeed, the FAHA movement are imposters posing as MAHA who merely want to sling stones and arrows at those attempting to make change. And god forbid anyone in the MAHA movement make a compromise of any sort. Those in the FAHA will delight in joy while railing how right they were about everything, and how fooled everyone else is. Take Health Ranger (on X) for example, I think he is the finest example. He never once mentions the market forces at play, or the impossible beurocracies that have been established. ...
@bretweinstein & @heatherheying it's with much respect that I am reaching out in not-so-quiet desperation.
Our country is going to heck in a handbasket, you know this...
I most generically identify as a libertarian, an artist, an inventor, and perhaps a philosopher if I'm feeling particularly vain.
I've been building the infrastructure for what i believe the founding fathers would have given us if they had access to blockchain technology.
It is my E=MC2 of governance. there are only 3 laws, no taxes, incentives where they belong, radical transparency, and data driven justice.
I think it would be best for you to just go see it for yourself (note: rome wasnt built in a day)
I'll answer any questions pending a reply
Go to :
I'm all in on saving this place, we might just have to give up on the name "America", or get enough motivation to commandeer it (allegedly). I really don't care either way...
Anyway, get back to me!
Stay safe
I am trying to pass the Arizona Aviation Reporting and Scientific Inquiry Protection Act
And looking for supporters. The mission is simple: ensure that individuals can lawfully report unidentified aerial phenomena or pursue legitimate scientific research without risking their employment, professional credentials, or employer-controlled retirement benefits solely for doing so.
Starting at the state level offers a more tactical and achievable path than attempting to establish comprehensive federal protections. Arizona could serve as a starting point, with the potential for similar legislation to be introduced in other states.
Arizona is my home. I know the state, its communities, and its petitioning landscape well. It also has a long history of aerospace development, aviation operations, astronomical research, and scientific discovery.
The institutions and communities that could potentially benefit from such protections include:
Luke Air Force Base, its personnel, and surrounding aviation operations
...