Recombination Nation

Shane and Cimbri resume their conversation, pivoting back to the all too common challenge of young people living in urban or suburban environments who want to escape to less crowded places, plus all the things they can do with their energy in the meantime.

Subscribe to Cimbri's substack- https://iwritetoyoufrombabylon.substack.com

You can check out Cimbri's activity on Reddit- https://www.reddit.com/user/Cimbri/

Find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks to Greg Willkeen about his Bactelium project, aiming to develop a suite of food safe microbial communities that can provide food security from the most basic feedstock resources. We also delve into his crop breeding work developing a starchy storage squash, and discuss the evolving backyard microbiology community thriving across the world.

Check out Greg's substack blog - https://bactelium.substack.com

His main webpage for Bactelium- https://www.bactelium.com

And donate to support his work- https://givebutter.com/food-security-today

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks with Brad Neil, an expert in the improved English writing system called Quikscript and all round conscript and conlang enthusiast. We delve into the history of spelling and writing reform, how technology could catalyse a popular English reform in coming years, and Brad evaluates Shane's own ideas about creating a post-industrial writing technology.

You can check out Brad's Quikscript page here- https://friedorange.xyz/quikscript/intro.html

And explore a wide range of conscripts here - https://www.omniglot.com

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks to his not too distant neighbour Darren, from Herbalistics nursery, about his amazing work crossing Australian crop relatives of citrus, sweet potatoes and a long list of medicinal plants.

Check out Darren's online nursery and blog- https://herbalistics.com.au

And his beautiful collection on instagram- https://www.instagram.com/herbalistics/?hl=en

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks to Dr Eugene McCarthy for a third time, delving into the implications and applications of hybridisation driven change in organisms.

You can read more detail about Eugene's theory here: https://www.macroevolution.net/human-origins.html

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane has a deep discussion with Klaus Lotz from PermaDynamics, a syntropic farmer from New Zealand whose origin story traces back to working with the originator of this fascinating method in Brazil. We cover dairy goats, tree crops, and the specifics of living in a broader intentional community founded on permaculture principles.

Read more of Klaus' work at his main website: https://www.permadynamics.co.nz

Immerse in beautiful photos of the property: https://www.instagram.com/permadynamics/

Check out the Sapp app for selecting the best local trees and plants: https://www.sapp.earth

Find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks to Dr Philip Bell about his ground breaking theory of viral eukaryogenesis. It is well established that important parts of our cells, the energy producing mitochondria, originated from a free living bacteria that were absorbed and incorporated into every complex living thing on the planet. Dr Bell has looked further back into evolution and discovered that the nucleus at the heart of the cell originated from a free living virus, a bold theory which is slowly gaining acceptance.

You can read a popular science article on the theory here- https://www.quantamagazine.org/did-viruses-create-the-nucleus-the-answer-may-be-near-20201125/

You can read a research article summary here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.858064/full

Watch a full seminar on the theory- https://youtu.be/9sTYggbjV5U?si=TAOT8kre2UDZeaUr

Find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane and Steve have a stimulating chat about his extraordinary life, the seed industry, soil nutrition and health and finding a new community on the bottom of the world. Steve's book "Gardening When it Counts" was one of the most influential books in Shane's life, not because it changed his abstract thoughts. Instead it changed how he acted in the world. This is probably the longest episode recorded but worth every minute.

Check out Steve's extensive list of books- https://www.amazon.com/stores/Steve-Solomon/author/B001JRWZS8?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=97788a39-aee1-424c-915d-4febcd30231e

Many more free articles and books here - https://soilandhealth.org/steve-solomons-home-page/#

Get in touch with Steve by listening carefully through to the end of the episode.

Find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks with Capello about his experiences establishing diverse hazelnut groves in the Ozarks, integration of sheep grazing, and deeper thoughts about the potential role of animistic/shamanistic world views in response to the unfolding end of industrialisation.

Recommended reading

Joseph Henrich - "The WEIRDest People in the World" (re: cultural adaptation and knowledge transmission)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_WEIRDest_People_in_the_World

Dave Jacke & Eric Toensmeier - "Edible Forest Gardens" (two volumes) (re: food forest layering and production)- https://au.permacultureprinciples.com/product/edible-forest-gardens-volume-1/

Find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks with Julian Gough, philosopher turned cosmologist, about his stunning theory extending Smolin's Cosmic Natural Selection. If organisms and ecosystems can evolve, then perhaps entire universes are part of a chain of variation and selection as well. Recent observations from the James Webb space telescope have supported many of Julian's boldest predictions and the scientific establishment is beginning to pay attention.

Read more about Julian's work at his substack: https://theeggandtherock.com

A great starting point on Blowtorch Theory: https://www.irishtimes.com/science/space/2025/04/24/beyond-the-big-bang-irishmans-universal-evolution-theory-challenges-accepted-cosmology/

Find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/