China's Grip on Rare-Earth Elements and the Future of Global Energy Security
To build electric vehicles, solar panels, cell phones, and millions of other devices means the world must dig more mines to extract lithium, copper, and other vital building blocks. But mines are deep...
24 Feb 20241h 5min
mRNA Vaccines, Mask Mandates, and the COVID-19 Response (Paul Offit)
As a member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee and a former member of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices to the CDC, Dr. Paul Offit has been in the room for the creation of policies ...
20 Feb 20241h 13min
Foster Care, Family, and Social Class
Rob Henderson was born to a drug-addicted mother and a father he never met, ultimately shuttling between ten different foster homes in California. When he was adopted into a loving family, he hoped th...
17 Feb 20242h 7min
How U.S. Public Health Has Strayed From Its Liberal Roots
The Covid-19 response was a crucible of politics and public health—a volatile combination that produced predictably bad results. As scientific expertise became entangled with political motivations, th...
13 Feb 20241h 25min
Against the New Politics of Identity
In Against the New Politics of Identity, philosopher Ronald A. Lindsay offers a sustained criticism of the far-reaching cultural transformation occurring across much of the West by which individuals a...
10 Feb 20241h 28min
What Determines Who Succeeds in the NBA?
Former Google data scientist and bestselling author of Everybody Lies Seth Stephens-Davidowitz turns his analytic skills to the NBA. Shermer and Stephens-Davidowitz discuss: why some countries produce...
6 Feb 20241h 23min
Transforming Mental Health: Little Treatments, Big Effects
If you've ever wanted mental health support but haven't been able to get it, you are not alone. In fact, you're part of the more than 50% of adults and more than 75% of young people worldwide with unm...
3 Feb 20241h 7min
Overcoming Self-Censorship in the Age of Outrage
As a society we are self-censoring at record rates. Say the wrong thing at the wrong moment to the wrong person and the consequences can be dire. Think that everyone should be treated equally regardle...
30 Jan 20242h 11min
