Wild Connection

Truth Lies and Consequences with Lee McIntyre

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there is a lot going on in the world and a lot of misinformation being spread. This past week YouTube committed to removing anything containing anti vaccine misinformation. That includes anything related to vaccines causing autism, which they don’t, cancer, which they don't, microchips, which they don’t have, and so on. In an unprecedented step they also committed to terminating the accounts of anti-vaccine influencers that spread this type of false information. It is timely because Youtube came up in this week’s episode. In a time of mistrust, misinformation, and propaganda, we need voices of truth, voices of clarity, and voices of reason to cut through all the noise. One of those voices is that of this week's guest Lee McIntyre (insert credentials). He's a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and Science at Boston University and he is the author of the new book: How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason

 You can find this latest book and his others by visiting his website:  leemcintyrebooks.com

You can also follow him on Twitter @LeeCMcIntyre

How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason. It is among other things a guide to how all of us, not just scientists, can tackle the machine of deception and obfuscation of facts. And we need this help. On Tuesday September 28th a man in Illinois died after a month-long battle with...rabies. I know you probably thought I was going to say covid, but no rabies. He had an interaction with a bat and was bitten. He refused the post exposure treatment when offered, which led to what must have been an excruciating and horrible death. It was the first time someone died of rabies since 1954. The treatment he refiused was a combination of human rabies immune globulin, basically an antibody cocktail and a series of rabies vaccine shots (3 of them). Three shots is also how many you need to pre-protect yourself. There was no information on why he refused treatment. All the chatter I have heard has been about anti-vaxx and its important to consider that we don’t actually know why he refused. The reason I bring this up is not because the treatment costs a ridiculous 10K with insurance in most places in the the US while it is $20 per does in Mozambique, for example. I bring it up because a new MRNA rabies vaccines was in human clinical trials in 2017. Rabies, though rare was chosen as the first virus to test the new MRNA technology for a few reasons. According to Dr Armbuster and colleagues, 1) the virus was well understood so they knew exactly what to target, 2) we have had an effective vaccine for a while now so there was great baseline data to compare the new vaccine with the old one, 2) trials in mice and pigs showed good results 3) and most people hadn’t been exposed to rabies so they could get clean responses. I’ve got a link to the paper below. The point is that by the time the covid vaccine was underway we had already had several years of human clinical trials on the safety of mrna vaccine for rabies, of course. Yet that was not the conversation we were all having about how lucky we were that scientists had been trying to solve a problem- cheap safe, non-needle deliverable vaccines for rabies and because of that we were ready to move on using the same technology for a new virus. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6963972/

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For the Love of K9s with John-Tyler Binfet

Hi Everyone and welcome back to Wild Connection: The Podcast. This week’s episode is pretty special because we are talking about how service animals not only improve well-being but sometimes they save our lives by the love, kindness, compassion, and attentiveness they give us. One thing that came up in the episode that I have not spoken about is the loss of my support, my family,  my beloved companion, best friend, my joy and my breath for 18 years, Senor Antonio Buttones. I’m not ready to talk a whole bunch about him or the loss, but I do want to acknowledge that the love we share with other animals can open us up to connecting with others. And that is the focus of this week’s episode. 

This week's guest Dr. John Tyler Binfet, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. His research looks at understanding the benefits of canine-assisted intervention using certified therapy dogs in young children, young adults, and well also the rest of us! He's the founder of B.A.R.K- Building Academic Retention through K’9s and the Director of the Center for Mindful Engagement.

You can find information on the B.A.R.K. program here: https://bark.ok.ubc.ca

The Center for Mindful engagement here: https://education.ok.ubc.ca/research-partnerships/centre-for-mindful-engagement/

Dr. John-Tyler Binfet 's website is: https://education.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/john-tyler-binfet/

You can keep up with him and the B.A.R.K program on Twitter @kindnessprof and @barkubc

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What‘s All the Phallus About?

Hi Everyone! Welcome back. We’ve been on a bit of a break here at Wild Connection: The Podcast but we are back and this is the start of Season 2. And to kick things off we are talking penises, personality, and well maybe even penises with personality. This week's guest guiding us through these fascinating topics is Associate Professor J Matt Hoch of Nova Southeastern University.  

I was recently in Iceland, a place I love for the nature, the people, and the cultural history. When in Iceland something you might notice is that there are a lot of museums. Tiny one dedicated to roses and large ones like the Reykjavík Art Museum. And then there is the Phallological Museum in Reykjavik that JMatt and I were discussing. Foro two evolutionary biologists you can imagine the thrill and fascination but I would encourage everyone, if you visit Iceland to explore this gem of a museum. I’ve got the website up in the show notes. They are committed, even serving waffles in the shape of penises. For a mere 20$ you will get a lesson in evolution and have fun shopping the gift store. Then as you head out around the country you will notice that the phallus appears naturally in rock formation and artificially in human constructed monuments. Like the Amazon symbol once you start seeing it, you can’t unsee it and it is everywhere. Here are a few examples:

The Phallological Museum is definitely worth a visit and you can check them out here:

 https://phallus.is/en/

If you want to keep up with Dr. Hoch you can See the exciting work his lab is doing at https://honors.nova.edu/faculty/jeffrey-hoch.html and follow him on Instagram @Jmatthoch 

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Subterranean: Fracking and its consequences with Colin Jerolmack

Hi everyone and welcome to another great episode of Wild Connection: The Podcast. We were off for two weeks working on a few projects so more on that in the coming weeks. This week I talk with Colin Jerolmack, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at NYU about his book Up To Heaven And Down To Hell: Fracking Freedom And Community In An American Town

I recorded this before the monster heat wave that hit the pacific NW and British Columbia. Why is this relevant? Methane is probably the most consequential greenhouse gas and that is what is involved in most cases with extraction using hydraulic fracking. Whether we like it or not, believe it or not, climate change is here and methane is a big part of that consequence since it is a much more potent global warming gas. 

To keep up with Colin and his work you can follow him @Jerolmack
You can find out more about his book Up To Heaven And Down To Hell: Fracking Freedom And Community In An American Town here

and on Amazon

If you want more information on Fracking this is an interesting article:

https://epic.uchicago.edu/events/event/the-fracking-debate-the-pros-cons-and-lessons-learned-from-the-u-s-energy-boom/

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Optimistic Conservation with Craig Bruce

Welcome back everyone for another great episode of Wild Connection the Podcast. One of the many reasons I love doing this podcast is getting to highlight some of the people I have known or worked with in the area of conservation. I have been so fortunate to connect with some incredible people over the years and my guest this week, international wildlife conservation expert Craig Bruce, is one of them. As you will hear Craig has dedicated his life to conservation, sustainable utilization, and community engagement. Although the latter two are rather trendy right now, he has been practicing both for a long time. In many ways Craig has lived the life I dreamt of years ago when I read Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens, two biologists that struck out on their own path to study hyenas and lions in the Kalahari desert. I never imagined I would end up in academia, or the Academy. Instead I was sure that I was going to be more like Craig, doing realon the ground conservation in communities for species around the world. His impact, like his personality, has been large and I am grateful that he is my friend and that I was able to have him on the show.

In this episode we invite you to think about how we can and should come together, work together, have respect for one another, understand each other, help each other while being committed to protecting all the species that we share the planet with so that they and we can continue to be, well, alive. 

If you want to keep up with Craig and the critical work Jamma International is doing, here are a few links:

www.jammainternational.com

https://www.facebook.com/jammainternational

https://www.linkedin.com/company/21610505/admin/

https://www.instagram.com/jammainternational/

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Next Sunday is Independence Day in the US and I am going to talk about wildlife independence. What are the rights of other species for autonomy and freedom in a world dominated by humans? What are some of the most recent legal decisions that are beginning to redefine our relationship and how much further should be go? All that and more next week. 

Thanks for supporting the show and keep an eye out for how you can sponsor an episode.  

If you like the show theme music that's thanks to George Nardo of Luna Recording Studios in Tucson AZ. https://lunarecording.com

The Way of the Booby

Happy Father’s Day Everyone and this week’s episode features one of the great dads that co-parents with mom. The Nazca Booby. I am talk to Dr. Dave Anderson, a biologist and professor at Wake forest University about these incredible birds, what they teach us about parenting, stress, and how we change the ways we cope after trauma. We also learn how important dads are to the success of a Nazca booby family. And not just in boobies, but also in albatrosses. 

His work, along with that of several colleagues is revealing how the lifestyle and needs of these pelagic seabirds is putting them squarely in the crosshairs of commercial fishing fleets that roam unregulated and unmonitored on the high seas leaving destruction in their wake. 

This ties to a recent documentary released by Netflix called Seaspiracy which follows the trail of plastic straws and lands squarely at the foot of commercial and industrialized fishing. Reducing the amount of fish one consumes can help. 

For more information on Dr. Dave Anderson's work you can keep up with his lab here: http://wfu.me/biolab/anderson/index.html

and on Twitter @wfuandersonlab 

If you're enjoying the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on Twitter: @WildConnectPod

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There is also a YouTube Channel where you can find a range of videos, some of them tied to podcast episodes. More are on the way so subscribe to Wild Connection TV

 

A JEDI's Heart with Dr. Thomas RaShad Easley (a.k.a. RaShad Eas)

Welcome back everyone and this episode is really special. A few years ago I had the honor and privilege of meeting Dr. Thomas Rashad Easley aka RaShad Eas. He is a certified diversity consultant and the Assistant Dean of Community and Inclusion at the Yale School of the Environment but he is so much more. He’s also a passionate human being, a former campus pastor, a scientist, a forester, an author, a musician,and a fierce not holding back, I am here kind of man. And luckily for me, my friend. And wouldn’t you know it he agreed to come on my podcast to talk about some truths surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, leadership, his music, and his upcoming book, Mind/Heart for Diversity. As always our conversations are real and heart-centered and he is a true JEDI.

You can keep up with Dr. Thomas RaShad Easley a few ways. 

Website: https://rashadeasley.com/home

Twitter: @RashadEas

Instagram: @RaShadEas

And of course the Yale Heartwood Podcast

If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on Twitter: @WildConnectPod

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Song of the Cicada

Welcome back everyone. This is episode 17 and this week I’ve got a special guest who is going to talk about something happening right now. You say cicada I say cicada and Dr Floyd Shockley says cover your ears because it's going to be LOUD.  

Right here in the United States, primarily along the eastern seaboard it was a magical time beginning around mid-May. Brood 10 was emerging and this only happens for this group every 17 years. That means this generation was laid in 2004! The next generation of brood 10 won’t happen until 2038! Even though I recorded this episode a few weeks ago they are still around making their final gasp of air before all of them die hopeful the next generation will survive and carry the torch. These periodical cicadas are unique to the eastern U.S. This week's guest is entomologist Dr. Floyd Shockley, who is the Collections Manager for the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Him and I talk all about these true bugs and the importance of museum collections. You can follow him on Twitter @Beetle_Guy

And you can connect with the museum @NMNH

If you want to hear one of the three species of Brood X sing their love song check out this link. 

One of many cookbooks is the Cicada Cookbook and you can find it on Amazon. 

If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on Twitter: @WildConnectPod

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There is also a YouTube Channel where you can find a range of videos, some of them tied to podcast episodes. More are on the way so subscribe to Wild Connection TV

The Lost Locust

Welcome back to Wild Connection: The Podcast. I’m your host Dr. Jen and this week I am back with Dr. Jeffrey Lockwood, Prof of Natural Sciences and Humanities at the University of Wyoming. He’s also a librettist and This week we are talking all about locusts. From the Pharaohs of Egypt to the cattle farmers of the present, locusts have a pretty bad reputation. We’re talking a plague of biblical proportion and its happening right now. 

If you want to eat some locusts here is a good recipe:

https://www.greenprophet.com/2013/03/feasting-on-locusts-a-recipe-from-moshe-bassons-kitchen/

You can keep up with Dr. Lockwood via his website

https://www.jeffreylockwoodauthor.com

On Twitter: @J_A_Lockwood

If you want to watch the Opera Locust you can find it here:

Scene I             https://youtu.be/L_4xzj7gAjA  

Scene II            https://youtu.be/KyK4jQwcfcw 

Scene III           https://youtu.be/tuq1U815e6Q 

 

And to buy a copy of Locust (the story of the Rocky Mountain locust): https://www.amazon.com/Locust-Devastating-Mysterious-Disappearance-American/dp/0465041671. 

 

If you are digging the show subscribe and share it so others can enjoy it too. You can follow the show on Itunes, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Also follow the show on Twitter: @wildconnectpod

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There is also a YouTube Channel where you can find a range of videos, some of them tied to podcast episodes. More are on the way so subscribe to Wild Connection TV

Conscripted: Our unholy alliance with insects featuring author Dr. Jeffrey Lockwood

Today's episode is all about insects and is a theme for the next 3 weeks. I discovered Dr. Jeff Lockwood, a Professor of Natural Science and the Humanities at the university of Wyoming, when I was doing research for episode 9, Love is a Battlefield, I came across his work sharing how insects have been used as weapons in human warfare. That stopped me in my tracks and I knew I had to dig deeper. After much digging and reading it was clear that I needed two episodes to cover this special topic. This is Part I. From direct attacks and using insects to cause disease to indirect attacks by destroying agricultural crops and starving your opponent to death, humans have an uneasy and well ugly history with some insects. Join us as we talk about his book Six-legged Soldiers .

You can keep up with scientist, author, and librettist Dr. Jeffrey Lockwood by visiting his website at 

https://www.jeffreylockwoodauthor.com

Twitter: @J_A_Lockwood

I was inspired by his book to design a cover for this episode. As always the talented Krys Hookah brought my vision to life with this amazing piece. You can find more of her work at her store You can also folder her on Instagram @KrysHookuh