Show Notes
Peter Watts is a notorious science fiction author with a fascination of the outer edges of biology, fractured minds and a taste for the dark and confronting. We dive into the lessons the living world and our own nature can teach us when contemplating the destiny of this civilisation, our species and the fate of the planet. Check out Peter's insightful blog and backlist (including many complete novels, free to read)
Sign up to Recombination Nation on Substack for free weekly articles. Read Shane's book, Taming the Apocalypse, about the future of post industrial biological technology.
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James Shapiro has spent a life time studying the evolvability of life and its capacity to change itself and the mechanisms by which it changes on multiple different levels with countless mechanisms. For an in depth read on his theories check out Evolution: A View from the 21st Century Or explore his website The Third Way- Evolution in the Era of Genomics and Epigenomics,
Andrew Cutler started out researching LLMs and the analysis of the fundamental elements of human personality but has since branched out into explorations of the evolutionary origin of modern human consciousness (hinted at in countless oral histories shared by multiple cultures today). Check out more of his work at Vectors of Mind on Substack.
Jacob Wolki is an innovator and advocate for regenerative farming, running a direct to consumer mixed livestock farm in rural Australia. We talk about the impact of animal genetics on the viability of such operations, and the impact of new technology on the perpetual challenge of marketing and sales. Check out Wolki Farms website Follow Jacob on twitter or Facebook.
Ashley Fitzgerald took the path less travelled, through a PhD on subsistence agriculture in the USA, to a stint of idyllic rural life in Uruguay, then back into the bubbling cauldron of American suburbia. We discuss the lessons learnt from this life of creative and hopeful responses to the challenges of our time, Follow Ashley on twitter Subscribe to Doomer Optimism on substack Or catch their own interviews on YouTube or any major podcasting app.
Stefan Schmitz is the executive director of Crop Trust, an international non-profit working to preserve crop genetic diversity and support food security across the globe. The organisation was a key contributor to the Svalbard seed vault along with countless similar organisations in less dramatic locations. We discussed the potential for amateur crop breeders to collaborate with large institutions.