Polymath World Channel

SHARKS

Dr Kim Holland is Research Professor at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology.  Known as the 'Shark Lab', together with his team Dr Holland runs the sharks and predators research institute of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, located on Moku o Lo'e (Coconut Island), in Kane'ohe Bay on O'ahu. Holland's work specialises in the organismic and supraorganismic biology of marine organisms. Given the unique settings, they take advantage of this by blending rigorous laboratory work with well-focused field experiments to investigate the behaviour, physiology and ecology of sharks and other marine species. Dr Holland has been doing this since the 1980s and is a pioneer of small boat research and the use of tagging. Innovating this into shark research, he launched the HIMB Shark Research Group and now engages in some of the most groundbreaking tiger shark work on the planet, using acoustic and satellite tracking.

I loved our conversation and you will be gripped by his stories and explanations of this innovative conservational research effort into these magnificent and vital creatures.

Bio: https://www.sharktagger.org/kimhollandbio

Lab: https://himbsharklab.com/

Education: https://www.himb.hawaii.edu/ReefPredator/Team.htm

Tracking Tiger Sharks: https://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/projects/sharks/

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

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#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #Sharks #TigerSharks #MarineBiology #Oceanography #Hawaii #UniversityOfHawaii #Conservation #Ecology #PacificOcean #SharkTagging #SharkConservation #FieldWork #WeatherDependency #DataAnalysis #AnimalTracking #ResearchMethods

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History of science and religion

Dr Nick Spencer is the best-selling author of books such as "Magisteria", "The Political Samaritan" and "Playing God". After studying undergraduate and masters degrees in English at Oxford University, he did a 2nd masters degree in literature, before a PhD in political philosophy and theology at Cambridge.  He is Visiting Research Fellow at the Faiths and Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London and a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion. He has worked as senior research fellow in London at Theos Think Tank and writes across many media outlets on bioethics, politics, history and religion.

His master work "Magisteria" is a tremendous volume on the history of science and religion in the west and can be found in all major book shops. Nick and I had an interesting discussion on bioethics for Premier Unbelievable a year ago which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJWRBz8Kyzs

See Nick at Theos Think Tank: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/authors/3/nick-spencer

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #HistoryOfScience #Religion #Ethics #NickSpencer #Galileo #Darwin #Bioethics #Genetics #ScienceAndReligion #WelfareState #PolymathWorld #DrNickSpencer #HistoryOfReligion #TheosThinkTank #PoliticalTheology #Magisteria #Renaissance #Reformation #GalileoAffair #Evolution #GeneticEngineering #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Secularism #ChristianNationalism #History #GeneEditing #Philosophy #PhilosophyOfScience #Theology #TheologyAndScience

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PHILOSOPHY

Julian Baggini is an English philosopher, journalist and the author of over 20 books about philosophy written for a general audience. He is co-founder of The Philosophers' Magazine, and has written for numerous international newspapers and magazines. His best-selling books include The Edge Of Reason, How The World Thinks, How The World Eats, The Godless Gospel, and Atheism: A Very Short Introduction. He has spoken and written globally for major outlets and we have met for several episodes of Premier Unbelievable. Julian is a patron of Humanists UK and a strong voice for atheism and secularism in the UK and abroad. He studied philosophy at the University of Reading before doing his PhD at UCL. He is an honorary research fellow in philosophy at the University of Kent.

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #Philosophy #PhilosophyOfMind #PhilosophyOfReligion #Atheism #Secularism #Humanism #Reason #Rationality #Enlightenment #God #Debate #Religion 

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Oceanography: Filming whales

Howard and Michelle Hall are diving and underwater photography royalty. Few people have brought the world of whales to us as much as they have. Some of the most incredible footage of blue, humpback and grey whales has been shot by them. Their work has greatly benefitted both science and environmental awareness over the past 35 years. I loved hearing their stories and am sure you will be inspired by their incredible journey.

Howard Hall Productions is a natural history film production company specialising in marine wildlife and marine conservation films for television and large format theatre.  The company is owned and operated by Howard and Michele Hall. Howard and Michele Hall are perhaps best known for their underwater IMAX films.  In 1994 Howard directed the first underwater IMAX 3D feature, Into the Deep.  In 1998 Michele produced and Howard directed the IMAX feature Island of the Sharks.  In 2005 they returned to the IMAX 3D format by directing and producing Deep Sea 3D which was awarded Best Picture at the Giant Screen Cinema Association Conference and Best Large Format Film at Wildscreen 2006.  In 2009 the Hall’s released Under the Sea 3D.  This film won best cinematography at the Giant Screen Cinema Association Conference in 2009 and Best Documentary at the International 3D Society in 2010.  Howard was director of underwater cinematography for Primesco Productions’ Lost Worlds, MacGillivray Freeman Films’ The Living Sea, the IMAX 3D feature Return to Hubble, and was underwater cinematographer for MacGillivray Freeman’s Journey Into Amazing Caves.  In 2002 Howard was underwater sequence director and Michele was location manager for MacGillivray Freeman’s IMAX feature Coral Reef Adventure, a film in which both are featured on camera.  The Hall’s latest IMAX film, Secrets of the Sea 3D https://secretsoftheseamovie.com/#theaters , was released in 2022 and was a coproduction between Howard Hall Productions and Oceanic Research. Of the five highest grossing 3D films produced by IMAX Corporation, two were directed by Howard Hall.  Into the Deep has earned box office receipts of over $70 million and Deep Sea 3D has earned over $96 million. Between them, Howard and Michele have won seven Emmy Awards.  Howard has produced and/or directed many award winning natural history television films including a National Geographic Special which he co-produced with Michele, and four episodes of the PBS series Nature.  Howard also directed and Michele produced the award winning five-hour series Secrets of the Ocean Realm for PBS.   The Hall’s most recent film, Soul of the Ocean, is a 78-minute feature length film that was finished in 2022. Howard holds a BS degree in zoology from San Diego State University.  He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Michele is a Registered Nurse and holds a B.S. degree in Health Sciences.  She is a member of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Women Divers Hall of Fame.

Website: Howard Hall Productions | Natural History Film Production and Stock Footage Library - https://www.howardhall.com/

Howard and Michelle's Video Library: Howard Hall Productions - Contributor of Nature Stock Footage - https://www.naturefootage.com/contributor/profile/howardhall/howard-hall-productions?user=vip

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.
 
Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #Whales #UnderwaterPhotography #MarineBiology #Oceanography #WhaleConservation #Diving #Filmmaking #HumpbackWhales #BlueWhales #WildlifeDocumentary #Dolphins #Ecology #Conservation #MarineScience #Science #Cinematography #Animals #Documentaries

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PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Dr Philip Goff is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Durham. He is one of the main thinkers behind panpsychism today and a proponent of this perspective on the role of mind and consciousness in the universe. He recently converted to what he calls a heretical form of Christianity which sees God as limited when it comes to the problem of evil. His recent book Why: The Purpose of the Universe details both and was highly engaging. He has a rich and colourful background and it was great to dive into his story of growing up to become a philosopher.

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #Philosophy #PhilosophyOfMind #Panpsychism #Theism #PhilosophyOfReligion #Theodicy #Theology #Consciousness #FundamentalParticles #PhysicalUniverse #Experience

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ASTRONOMY AND HISTORY

Dr Simon Mitton is a Fellow of 3 Royal Societies, a Life Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge University, and an incredible astronomer whose career has spanned one of the greatest eras of astrophysics. He is the biographer and former student of the legendary Sir Fred Hoyle and now is set to release the most comprehensive biography of Georges Lemaitre on the centenary of his most famous paper on the Big Bang. Simon had a front row seat whilst working alongside Hoyle, Stephen Hawking, Lord Martin Rees and many others and it was such a pleasure to recount them with him.

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #Astronomy #Astrophysics #CambridgeUniversity #FredHoyle #GeorgesLemaitre #HistoryOfAstronomy #HistoryOfScience #SimonMitton #GeorgeLemaître #ScienceWriting #CosmicMicrowaveBackground #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GravitationalWaves 

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GEOPHYSICS

Professor Bob White is a Fellow of the Royal Society and Emeritus Professor of Geophysics at Cambridge University. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1994, and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2016. In 2018 he was awarded a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, which is their highest award, in recognition of a lifetime’s achievement in research. He is also a Fellow of the Geological Society, an elected Member of the International Society for Science and Religion and several other professional bodies; he serves on many of their committees. Since 1988 he has been a Fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, prior to which he was a student and Research Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He led a research group investigating the Earth’s dynamic crust: in particular the way in which enormous volumes of volcanic rock are produced when continents and oceans rift apart, and the movement of molten rock under active volcanoes. He has organised many overseas fieldwork projects and supervised over 55 PhD students at Cambridge, many of whom are now prominent in academia, industry, government and education. His work at sea has taken him to the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and his research group is currently investigating the internal structure of volcanoes in Iceland. His scientific work is published in over 350 papers and articles. He is emeritus director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in Cambridge.

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #Geophysics #EarthScience #Volcanoes #Continents #EarthsCrust #OceanScience #Iceland #MoltenRock #Earthquakes #SeismicWaves #VolcanicEruptions #Geology #Mapping #SeismicActivity

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SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

How can we live on Mars?

Dr Tiffany Vora is a synthetic biologist from Silicon Valley and a leading space scientist. A graduate in biology from New York University before doing her PhD at Princeton, she was present in the explosive booms of genomics, systems biology, computational biology and genetic engineering - and we will talk about all of them! She became Visiting Assistant Professor at the American University in Cairo then Instructor for the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Her research draws on all fields of biology and chemistry to push the frontiers of humans living off-world and using these breakthroughs to improve life on earth. A true futurist, Dr Vora lives innovation in not only research but as a founder and co-founder of multiple startups. She is the Singularity Fellow in Biotechnology at Singularity University  https://www.su.org/  and an advocate for women in STEM.

• See her TED talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nqEDo5ER94
• See her presentation at the Mars Society Conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY9tKgMJ-MY
• Join Dr Vora's blog and see her website here: https://www.tiffanyvora.com/

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #SyntheticBiology #MarsExploration #Biotechnology #SpaceScience #GeneticEngineering #Innovation #Terraforming #ComputationalBiology #FutureOfBiotech #SpaceMissions #Mars #Crispr #Alphafold #GeneEditing #Biology #MolecularBiology

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SIMONE WEIL: Dr Chris Thomas and Dr Alex Carter

Together with Dr Chris Thomas, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Dr Alex Carter from Cambridge University, we discuss the incredible thought, writings and legacy of the philosopher Simone Weil. A true treasure, she is perhaps the most underappreciated and best kept secret in philosophy. Someone whose life and writings were immense for philosophy of religion, feminist and political philosophy, join us as we dive deep into this incredible philosopher.

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #PhilosophyOfReligion #ContinentalPhilosophy #PoliticalPhilosophy #FeministPhilosophy #SimoneWeil #Philosophy #Religion #Mysticism #Suffering #Labor #Feminism #PoliticalTheory #Existentialism #Truth

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ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS and THEOLOGY

Dr Gillian Straine is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. A tremendous mind, she did a PhD in atmospheric physics at Imperial College London when she suffered from lymphatic cancer, undergoing a long and painful chemotherapy journey. Contracting cancer at such a young age was a significant blow and although she recovered, her journey of healing took much longer. Here she rediscovered her passion for the humanities and pursued theology. Eager to help as many as possible to recover physically, psychologically and spiritually from serious ill health, she became a priest and now runs a health and wellbeing charity that has served thousands of cancer sufferers and the terminally ill. She has written two books on cancer recovery and science and religion.

The Polymath World Channel brings you interviews with extraordinary researchers and academics working on the frontiers of their disciplines. Meet and hear from scientists, professors, lecturers, researchers, engineers, philosophers and astronauts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe. New episodes every Wednesday.

#PolymathWorldChannel #PursueExtraordinary #Physics #AtmosphericPhysics #Cancer #ScienceAndReligion #Healing #God #Theology #Theodicy #Wellbeing

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