Toggle light / dark theme

Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W5FWUN5w2Q
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/cv8729-sb.
See below for guest bio, links, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

*GUEST BIO:*
Jeffrey Wasserstrom is a historian of modern China.

*CONTACT LEX:*
*Feedback* — give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey.
*AMA* — submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama.
*Hiring* — join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring.
*Other* — other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact.

*EPISODE LINKS:*
Jeffrey Wasserstrom’s Books:
China in the 21st Century: https://amzn.to/3GnayXT
Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink: https://amzn.to/4jmxWmT
Oxford History of Modern China: https://amzn.to/3RAJ9nI
The Milk Tea Alliance: https://amzn.to/42DLapH

*SPONSORS:*
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
*Oracle:* Cloud infrastructure.
Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/oracle-cv8729-sb.
*Tax Network USA:* Full-service tax firm.
Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/tax_network_usa-cv8729-sb.
*Shopify:* Sell stuff online.
Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-cv8729-sb.
*LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-cv8729-sb.
*AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drink.
Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/ag1-cv8729-sb.

*PODCAST LINKS:*

Main episode with Michael Levin (June 2024): https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlN6E8KrxcYCWQIHg2tfkqvR

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e.

Become a YouTube Member Here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join.

Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org.

Support TOE:
- Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!)
- Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE
- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE
- TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch.

This week, researchers uncovered the negative pressure mechanisms plants use to communicate stress. Linguists found that the melody of spoken language in English functions as its own, distinct language. And there was also depressing news! Like the Trump administration slashing NASA’s budget, which could scrap the James Webb Space Telescope right at the beginning of its operational life (they’re also pushing to scrap the completed Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope before its launch).

Additionally, researchers found that the video game Dark Souls has positive psychological effects on players; a physicist made a new contribution to the theory that the universe is a computational process; and scientists in Spain mapped the brain connectivity patterns of psychosis patients:

A team of scientists used the popular video game Minecraft to explore how humans combine individual instincts with social cues when learning in complex environments.

By tracking players’ actions and visual focus in a simulated foraging task, they discovered that success depends not on using just one strategy, but on being flexible, adapting between solo exploration and social observation. This novel experiment bridges a long-standing gap between traditional studies and real-world learning, revealing that human intelligence thrives on adaptability, especially in uncertain environments.

The uniquely human edge: social learning across generations.

03/14/56, episode 42
This episode provided by the Old Time Radio Researchers Group.
www.otrr.org.

I’ve had bad mornings, but not like this. Guy Berkhart wakes up screaming on June 15. He dreams of an explosion and something hitting his head. The same thing happens again the next day, and the next day, and the next. IEEEEEE. Only two people aren’t affected by this “deja vu all over again.” (Quoting Yogi Berra, not the writer of this story, Frederik Pohl.) A combination of Halloween III, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and Groundhog Day. You’re led to think one thing, then another, then another twist. (from “The Critical X Minus One” by Jim Fanisher)

Credits (Goldin): Frederick Pohl (author), Fred Collins (announcer), George Lefferts (adaptor), John Larkin (narrator), Daniel Sutter (director), Les Damon, Ginger Jones, Bob Hastings, Connie Lembcke, Stan Early, Kermit Murdock, William Welch (producer)

A study has shown that a dangerous game of “brinkmanship” between rival genes in mammals could help explain why many fertilized eggs don’t result in a new life.

Within the genome, genes can be in conflict, where opposing chromosomes act in their own evolutionary interest. Although this tussle between male and female genes is commonly understood, what determines the winner—or if there even is one—has long proven elusive.

Biologists from the University of Bristol and University of Exeter have demonstrated that a dangerous game of “brinkmanship” could provide the answer, where the stakes are increasingly raised resulting in either the boldest being triumphant or mutual self-destruction. The paper is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.