Have you ever thought about how knowledge, sometimes thought of as facts, get from the scientists, to journalists, to the articles and videos on your screen? Turns out there is a pipeline taking science discoveries from the lab to the news media. This pathway is a useful and well-used system but it is not without problems. Information can be distor…

Ants and other eusocial insects have taken group living to the extreme and while we may not think of these animals as representative of human societies studying the fundementals of the evolution of and consequences of social living using ants makes a lot of sense. My guest Yuko Ulrich is a behavioral ecologist and group leader at the Max Planck Ins…

When's the last time you checked your butt? It could save your life. This episode I chat with Anthony Morgan, host of CBC's The Nature of Things, about their upcoming film Butt Seriously and so much more. As Anthony explains the idea for the arose because people are literally dying from embarassment by not getting their butt's checked out by a doct…

Two major breakthroughs in gene editing recently occurred and show how our ability to edit the human genome is rapidly increasing. This episode we dive into how these technologies work and how they were able to treat two diseases. One a rather mundane sounding cholesterol problem and the other an exteremely painful and potentially deadly condition …

Some recent episodes have really got me thinking about science communication and our responsibility as citizens to be informed. Also, about the challenges of being informed and of informing people about issues, discoveries and topics that will not only change our lives but could end them too. Contemplating these things led me to look back at the pa…

Responsible members of society should have some understanding of science. Hot take? I don’t think so. Decisions on personal and public health require some knowledge and look no further than debates surrounding the application and use of things like AI and gene editing technology. Citizens should have and use their voice to speak on these topics. An…

Psychedelics receive a lot of positive press regarding their potential as tools for introspection, therapy, and lifestyle or health improvements. And rightfully so, there is compelling evidence for their benefit in treating some mental health issues and a ton of anecdotal evidence and writings about the positive benefits both mentally and physicall…

How does one go from believing in every conspiracy under the fake moon to being an atheist activist dedicated to critical thinking and reason? Read the Bible. At least that’s what did it for this episode’s guest Calvin Smith. Calvin is podcaster, Tik Tok’er (check below for all his links and handles) and the social media manager for the Secular All…

Every other month it seems there is some news coming out regarding psychedelic assisted therapy. Just recently the FDA posted some draft guidelines for clinical trials. But the topic of today’s episode concerns psychedelics outside of a clinical setting. As some places move to decriminalize or even legalize the use of LSD, psylocibin and other psyc…

How can AI improve upon the design of mRNA vaccines? How much is too much when it comes to sperm donations? Turns out the Netherlands has a problem with serial donators. And a quick note on some interesting patterns in data associating smartphone usage with adolescent depression, anxiety, self harm, and suicide. Plus, a special debut of an excellen…

Whether or not you think bugs (including spiders) are gross or awesome you probably have some bias about these animals. This episode we talk with Dr. Catherine Scott (@Cataranea) about black widows specifically and how our biases influence the way we think about and research species like spiders and bugs more generally. Catherine studies black wido…

We’ve all seen The Last of Us right? The hit franchise is based on the real life Cordyceps fungus, but did you know the fungus doesn’t take over the brain? The true mechanism behind the zombie fungus is perhaps more terrifying. Also, there is actually a more compelling example of zombie parasites that receives shockingly little attention. In respon…

Patent law is not front of mind for most people with an interest in psychedelics it is an important story to follow. Just like cannabis before it or pharmaceuticals like painkillers and insulin, companies are looking to patent not only psychedelic molecules but peripheral technologies like delivery methods and in some extreme cases therapy protocol…

Friend of the show and go to source for weird internet stuff, Jared Cuthbertson, is back for our last episode of the year. This episode started as an experiment in Brad joining Tik Tok and seeing where the algorithm would take him. The guys chat about all things Tik Tok and social media. What is the future of content creation? Will Tik Tok replace …

Play. We all do it and we all know it when we see it. But what is play and why is it so crucial for brain development in a select group of animals (humans included) that do it? Dr.Sergio Pellis has studied play and specifically 'rough and tumble play' for decades and joins us to break down exactly what play is, how you study it and how it affects d…

Brad is solo this month and digging into his favorite topic...infectious disease! There is a report of possible 'herd safety' for COVID-19, a debate on the transmission route for monkeypox (is it sexually transmitted or just transmitted during sex and why that matters), plus a few interesting tidbits regarding hemorrhagic fevers Ebola and Marburg v…

Jonathan Pettit, professor at the University of Aberdeen joins to discuss the amazing story of how C. elegans, a rotting plant eating worm, changed biology. This is a story of an intrepid group of researchers who set out to "tame a metazoan" and ended up with one of the most important model systems for developmental biology, genetics and more! You …

The great Jay Ingram, author, broadcaster, and science communicator returns to talk about the latest season of Anthropomania, his fascinating podcast that explores the weird and complex ways humans interact with wildlife. Brad and Jay discuss a range of topics that come up on season 2 of Anthropomania, from our relationship with chickens, to the co…

Surprise, surprise, the latest big, well controlled, credible trials of ivermectin for COVID-19 found no effect. But this episode isn't about the illogical and frankly wrong arguments of the ivermectin for COVID booster club. Instead Brad and veterinarian / research scientist Dr. John Gilleard are here to restore the reputation of the anti-parasiti…

Marvin Däumichen from the Mind Foundation joins to talk about uniMIND, an international network of journal clubs discussing all things related to psychedelic research and the uniMIND Symposium 2022 Synergies & Crossroads taking place Friday April 9th 2022 in Maastricht. Marvin also gives his take on the importance of the scientific approach for inv…

Brad is joined by Ethan Brown, founder and host of the funniest podcast about climate change, The Sweaty Penguin. They discuss using humor as an approach to serious topics like climate change, how honesty and nuance need to be embraced for truly honest discussion and some specifics about climate change and climate change solutions that show it's no…

The panel of regular, everyday citizens reconvenes to discuss the ridiculousness that is the protest/occupation in the capital city of Ottawa. Why are they there? What are the many reasons this protest cannot be taken seriously? How worrisome is it that conservative politicians both provincial and federal seem ready to embrace this madness and atte…

Brad and Brad reconvene in 2022 to discuss the many ethical questions surrounding the first ever pig to human heart transplant. Brad also calls attention to a deadly virus and the hope of a vaccine against it (no not that one). They also pay tribute to the humble old magnet and give a quick update on fusion technology. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Hea…

The usual end of year episode is hear and the Brads unite to talk about their picks for the big stories of 2021 and some quick thoughts on what's in store for 2022. Thanks everyone for the listens and support. Have a happy new year!! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Head to www.twobradforyou.wordpress.com to subscribe to, donate to and follow the show on …

Malaria is quite possibly the deadliest infectious agent of all time, possibly playing a major role in human history and quietly killing half a million people a year. Finally, a vaccine has been developed to help fight this parasite. To explain why it's been so hard to develop a vaccine for malaria and just how this one works Brad spoke with immuno…