Factually! with Adam Conover

Instead of debunking religious beliefs, what if we investigated where religion comes from, and why it’s virtually universal across human cultures? Anthropologist and “How Religion Evolved And Why It Endures” author Robin Dunbar joins Adam to discuss the origins of religion. He describes how touch, laughter, and song bonded people together, and the social role of religious rituals such as sin-eating. You can purchase Robin’s book here: http://factuallypod.com/books

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The IPCC Report is one of the biggest, most important scientific projects ever undertaken by humankind, bringing together thousands of scientists from around the world to collect and evaluate our most up-to-date knowledge on climate change. Today on the show, Adam speaks with one of the lead authors of that report, Sarah Burch. Sarah explains where we are, where we’re headed, and what we can do to stop it, straight from the horse’s mouth; and she shares why she is optimistic about humanity’s future. You can follow her work at @SarahLynnBurch.

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We’ve known about climate chance since the 80s. So why has action been so slow? Journalist and author of Fire and Flood, Eugene Linden, joins Adam to discuss how climate change went from an issue of non-partisan agreement to one that is highly politicized. They explore 30+ years of climate inaction, and how the novel idea of “going core-ward” could be one solution to carbon emissions. You can order his book here: http://factuallypod.com/books

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The 1960’s are often depicted as the the golden age of air travel, but the reality for the stewardesses who worked the skies was far from gilded. “The Great Stewardess Rebellion” author Nell McShane Wulfhart joins Adam to explain the ludicrous conditions that flight attendants worked under, and how their effort to unionize and fight back sparked changes that still benefit working women today. You can pre-order her book here: https://bit.ly/3vgyjaM

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The early Internet was open, exciting, and deeply optimistic. So how did we end up, just a few decades later, with one that’s closed, exploitative, and makes most of us incredibly depressed? Longtime Internet gadfly and author of How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, Cory Doctorow, joins Adam to break down how the Internet has changed for the worse, and what we can do about it. Check out his book at https://factuallypod.com/books

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Why do we have such a cultural aversion to human poop, when it’s so fascinating and useful? Stay with us: in this episode, science journalist Lina Zeldovich and author of the new book The Other Dark Matter educates Adam on why poop is an awesome substance, the history of sewage and how we should rethink poop’s role in our lives. Check out her book at http://factuallypod.com/books

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Around the world and for most of history, human societies have been dominated by men. Why? Professor and author of the forthcoming “The Great Gender Divergence”, Dr. Alice Evans, joins Adam to explain how male governance springs from systems of inheritance, why matrilineal systems tend to convert to patrilineal ones, and why we’re seeing progress on gender equality around the world. You can follow Alice's work on Twitter at @_alice_evans

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China is now one of the world’s most powerful nations. But how did its unique and formidable language shape its rise? Jing Tsu, the author of Kingdom of Characters, joins Adam to explain the history of the Chinese language, and the amazing innovations that brought it into the modern world. Check out her book at http://factuallypod.com/books

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Why is housing so expensive, when other human needs like food are relatively cheap? Brookings Senior Fellow and author of Fixer-Upper, Jenny Schuetz, joins Adam to explain why our entire system is tilted to protect wealth rather than provide housing, and how we can change the system to fix that. Pick up her book at http://factuallypod.com/books

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The American conversation about reparations is sadly narrow. But what if reparations could address not just the sins of the past, but the injustices of the present? Olufemi Taiwo, author of the new book Reconsidering Reparations, joins Adam to explain. Check out his book at http://factuallypod.com/books

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