Report from the Foxhole: The 276th Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying

What happens when we commodify nature? The natural world is not doing well, and is not put here to do with as we want. How can we learn to appreciate nature, and environment, without jumping to conclusions about what is happening, or picking sides in an ideological battle that has nothing to do with actual wild nature? Also: how are DOGE cuts affecting scientists? Four people profiled in Science magazine reveal that some good science is being hit with chaos and uncertainty—but also that a lot of “science” funding that has been cut was suspect, at best.

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Mentioned in this episode:

But They Are Wild - https://naturalselections.substack.com/p/antipode-chapter-22

U.S. scientists’ lives and careers are being upended. Here are five of their stories:https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-scientists-lives-and-careers-are-being-upended-here-are-five-their-stories

Spread of Valley Fever: https://www.science.org/content/article/climate-change-may-be-driving-spread-deadly-fungus-u-s-southwest

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Timestamps:
00:00:00 Holding Screen
00:05:03 Welcome
00:06:36 Bret on Diary of a CEO
00:08:25 Dave Smith Throws Down the Gauntlet
00:12:53 Sponsors: Manukora, Fresh Pressed Olive Oil, and Caraway
00:24:50 Commercializing Nature
00:34:05 What the Right Gets Wrong
00:46:03 Fox Behavior
00:56:07 Bret’s Concern
00:59:35 Bret & Heather’s Travel Rule
01:07:25 What We’re Losing
01:13:03 Nature Expectations vs. Reality
01:22:12 Stories of Defunding “Science”
01:36:39 Heather’s Valley Fever Deep Dive
01:50:28 Columbia’s NIH Funding on Hold
01:57:53 Bret’s Reaction to Defunding Science
02:03:32 Closing