It’s tempting to look at fossil fuels and global warming and conclude: a fuel that didn’t release greenhouse gases would solve our problems. Then we look at nuclear plants whose fuels are uranium and other elements. Splitting them doesn’t release greenhouse gases. They look like improvements. Why not switch to nuclear? The switch looks yet better when you consider other problems with fossil fuels. They release more than greenhouse gases:[…] Keep reading →

The notes I read episode 630: Simplifying Meditation Words and Meaning from were long, so instead of including them in the podcast notes, I’m posting them separately here. Longtime listeners know I meditate regularly, now 25 minutes every other day. I started in 2007 with a ten-day vipassana retreat and have done a few ten-days, plus some 5-days and 3-days. Mostly I pay attention to my breath or do body[…] Keep reading →

* “The average modal age of adult death for hunter-gatherers is 72 with a range of 68–78 years. This range appears to be the closest functional equivalent of an ‘adaptive’ human life span.” Would you be surprised that humans evolved to live to 72 years old? Wait, isn’t one of the greatest results of our technology and progress to advance human lifespan from 30 years old? How long do humans[…] Keep reading →

*”The average modal age of adult death for hunter-gatherers is 72 with a range of 68–78 years. This range appears to be the closest functional equivalent of an ‘adaptive’ human life span.” Would you be surprised that humans evolved to live to 72 years old? Wait, isn’t one of the greatest results of our technology and progress to advance human lifespan from 30 years old? How long do humans live[…] Keep reading →

Dr. Michael Gurven is Chair of Integrative Anthropological Sciences at the University of California Santa Barbara, a co-Director of the Tsimane Health and Life History Project, and Area Director of Biodemography and Evolution at the Broom Center for Demography. He has conducted fieldwork with the Ache of Paraguay, and the Tsimane and Mosetene of Bolivia. three South American indigenous populations. His research group studies how ecological and social factors shape behavior, physiology, health[…] Keep reading →

I grew up learning that American culture meant can-do. That we took on challenges as a nation and as individuals. When the going got tough, the tough got going. The bigger they come the harder they fall. Now we face a challenge: our lifestyles are lowering Earth’s ability to sustain life, already killing tens of millions a year, projected more. Anyone can tell that we as a nation and every[…] Keep reading →

I’ve described Tom Murphy’s textbook, Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet, the science book of the decade. He just published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Physics, one of the most important parts: how basic physical constraints limit how much our economy can grow. The paper is called Limits to economic growth. Quoting Tom’s blog post linking to the piece inline and in pdf, the “real” article [is] in[…] Keep reading →