Jessica Brinkworth returns to Here We Are for her 4th time to give us an update on COVID! We talk about the spread of misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, booster shots, the neurological and cardiac side effects of COVID, the danger in over-exercising while infected with COVID, the new Omicron variant, the naïve guidance from the CDC, and a whole lot more!
Jessica is an assistant professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research addresses the physiological consequences of the human experience and evolutionary past, particularly those that affect innate immune system function. Jessica’s current projects focus on the functional divergence and diversification of primate immune systems, how past epidemics affect present day immune function diversity and how life experience affects the innate immune response. 
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Omicron? w/Jessica Brinkworth

Globetrotting and mind exploring comedian Shane Mauss interviews scientists each week on journey to answer the biggest questions about the meanings of life (as well as a bunch of other random stuff you never imagined you would care about). Favorite topics include: psychology, biology, evolution, cognitive biases, behavioral economics, mating, animal behavior, neuroscience, and the subconscious

Science

This episode comes from a conversation with the Director of Life Sciences here at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.


His research focuses on hibernation! Why do animals do it? What's the difference between say... torpor and taking a nap? Could humans ever hibernate? 


Plus, we get to dive into some other fascinating research about fish species, specifically, the very cute pupfish, which somehow live in the desert!


Learn more about Frank's work: https://www.unlv.edu/news/expert/frank-van-breukelen


https://www.shanemauss.com/⁠


Thank you for watching and for being an inquisitive being.

Hibernation w/ Frank van Breukelen

Today, I sit down with Andrew Kerr, head of the Dale Etheridge Planetarium in Las Vegas! 


Andrew is an astronomer and physicist who received his PhD for his work on the Gravito-Electromagnetic Effect and the Cosmological Constant.


In this episode, we talk about the state of planetariums, seek to understand the utility of constellations and star classifications, try to grasp the milestones and timescales that make up our universe, and project into the future of our solar system!


Learn more: https://www.csn.edu/student-life/discover-csn/planetarium 


https://www.shanemauss.com/


Thank you for watching and for being an inquisitive being.

Astronomy and Planetariums w/ Andrew Kerr

Today I'm at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville speaking with Kimberly Sheldon all about dung beetles!


Kim studies the patterns and processes that determine the distribution of species and use this information to predict impacts of anthropogenic change on species and ecological communities. 


Learn more about Kim's work: http://www.biogeographyresearch.org/

https://eeb.utk.edu/people/kimberly-sheldon/
To find out how you can learn more, be involved, and maybe even help, head to http://www.nimbios.org/

Dung Beetles! w/Kimberly Sheldon

Today I'm learning about virtual education and how technology is helping teach students about otherwise complex topics. 

Shalaunda Reeves holds a PhD in curriculum and instruction and her research interests focus on how people learn in virtual environments.
Learn more: https://tpte.utk.edu/people/shalaunda-reeves-phd/
https://www.shanemauss.com/
Thank you for watching and being an inquisitive being.



Virtual Education w/Shalaunda Reeves

Henry Gee is the author of ‘A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth’ - winner Royal Society Science Book Award 2022 and more notably, one of Shane's favorite books :)
Henry is a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and editor at Nature.  He is also a hilarious, charming, wonderful guy who articulates the story of our existence in a poetic and accessible way.
Learn more about him, his books, and his other writings here https://occamstypewriter.org/cromercrox/about-henry-gee/ 
The paperback version of this book is available for preorder now
Listen to Henry's first appearance on the show here: https://www.herewearepodcast.com/episodes/episode-360-46-billion-years-in-2-hours-henry-gee 

Omicron? w/Jessica Brinkworth

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