In this episode of the Isn't Life Curious? podcast we meet virtually with gardener and author Jeff Lowenfels to discuss the magic that occurs in the microscopic world just beyond our eyes. Jeff just published a new book, Teaming with Bacteria, that unveils the incredible role of the Rhizophagy cycle by which plants act as "ranchers" to tend bacteria, bring them in for shearing, and then send them back to pasture for a time before the process starts again. Jeff explains how plants feed on these bacteria in a mutually beneficial way to get nitrogen and growth hormones while the bacteria get a safe space to exist with minimal competition.

But what does all of this mean for the common gardener or farmer? It means we can grow plants in an even smarter, mindful manner that takes advantage of the Rhizophagy cycle to reduce the need for fertilizers and excess inputs!

Check out Teaming with Bacteria (as well as the other three books from the "Teaming..." series) from Timber Press: https://www.workman.com/products/teaming-with-bacteria/hardback
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Life is a curious thing. Let's explore it together! Subscribe to Isn't Life Curious? and learn more about the show at http://www.isntlifecurious.com

Recently the DEA announced their intention to reschedule 5 lesser known promising psychedelic compounds with no apparent reason. Led by biotechnology company Panacea Plant Sciences and friends, the natural products research community pushed back against the DEA, ultimately taking them to court. And to most of the community's surprise, this effort proved successful. In this conversation we sit down with David Heldreth, Jr. of Panacea Plant Sciences to get his perspective on this story while reflecting on the absurdity of having to fight to protect access to natural compounds for research. Isn't life curious?

Learn more about Panacea Plant Sciences: https://panaceaplantsciences.net/
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The DEA's original proposed rule to schedule 5 psychedelics: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/14/2022-00713/schedules-of-controlled-substances-placement-of-4-hydroxy-nn

How closely have you examined your deeply held beliefs? How confident are you that your beliefs are true? What are the reasons you have that give you your level of confidence in your belief?

In this episode we take a critical look at beliefs. Beliefs of all kinds. Belief in God, karma, the law of attraction, ghosts, spirits - anything. In this episode of Isn't Life Curious? I had the chance to sit down for a conversation with Anthony Magnabosco - a leader in a movement that seeks to critically examine and question deeply held beliefs through repeated non-confrontational questioning known as Street Epistemology. Anthony has spent the past eight years or so engaging strangers in short respectful conversations that challenge the participant to pick a deeply held belief and explain why they believe what they believe is true. In Socratic fashion, Street Epistemology relies on repeated questioning to peel away the "baggage" that is stacked on top of a belief so that the core ideas at the center of the belief can be exposed and examined.

Anthony has had several hundred chats (many of them on camera and uploaded to his YouTube channel) on a variety of claims including Gods, ghosts, karma, law of attraction, and a variety of social and political topics. He is a Founder and the current Executive Director of the new nonprofit organization Street Epistemology International. Anthony has given dozens of talks and workshops on Street Epistemology at conferences and events domestically and internationally in an attempt to spread practice of this method far and wide in hopes that it will help lead to a more reasonable and thoughtful society.
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Learn more about Street Epistemology at http://www.streetepistemology.com

Psychedelic retreat centers have become big business, providing a way for curious minds to engage in psychedelic treatments in areas where they are legal. One perfect example are retreat centers located throughout South America where participants gather to drink the strange cocktail of tryptamines and harmalines in a brew called “ayahuasca”. But are these treatments effective?
Dr. Simon Ruffell is a psychiatrist that has specialized his research on understanding exactly what goes on in these ayahuasca ceremonies and how they impact the physical and mental health of participants. To do so, Dr. Ruffell traveled to Peru to spend time in the jungle participating in ayahuasca ceremonies, collecting data from participants and even following up with participants long after a ceremony to understand just what might be going on.

In this episode of Isn’t Life Curious? we dive into this strange world of ayahuasca to unpack both the science and philosophy surrounding this psychedelic brew as we continue our mini-series, Serious About Psychedelics.
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To learn more about Dr. Ruffell’s work with Ayahuasca, check out The Ayahuasca Foundation at https://www.ayahuascafoundation.org/research/the-team
Stay curious and take it easy!

In this episode we join my good friend and fellow science communicator - Peter Kleinhenz, MS. Peter is the co-producer and host of a wildlife web series called Wild Wander (look it up on YouTube!). Peter loves nature more than perhaps anyone else that I know, and he has dedicated his life to finding ways to inspire that same passion for wildlife in others. 
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In this conversation we explore what it takes to get people to care about the environment. We dive into Peter's background, how Wild Wander was started, ways technology can be leveraged to connect people with nature, Peter's experiences exploring hundreds of caves around the world, his research on chytrid fungus that is affecting amphibians and their ecosystems, the best rejection letter he has ever received and more!

Stay curious, and take it easy!

Check Out Wild Wander on YouTube!

Today we join farmer and permaculturist Mark Shepard to discuss practical solutions to surviving and thriving on planet Earth. Mark is the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises LLC, founder of Restoration Agriculture Development LLC and award-winning author of the book, Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers. Mark has also been a farmer member of the Organic Valley cooperative, the worlds largest Organic Farmer’s marketing co-op, since 1995. He is most widely known as the founder of New Forest Farm, the 106-acre perennial agricultural savanna considered by many to be one of the most ambitious sustainable agriculture projects in the United States.

Throughout our conversation we talk about Mark's journey to build New Forest Farm, lessons he has learned along the way, practical challenges to implementing permaculture and restorative agriculture techniques at scale, his experience studying permaculture under Bill Mollison, what modern permaculturists often misunderstand about permaculture, and much more!

You can learn more about New Forest Farm here: https://newforestfarm.us/
You can learn about Forest Agriculture Enterprises here: https://www.forestag.com/
You can learn about Restoration Agriculture Development here: http://www.restorationag.com/


Stay curious, and take it easy!

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Consider becoming a patron today at www.patreon.com/isntlifecurious

​In this episode of Isn't Life Curious? we join comedian Rodney Norman to talk about the meaning of life and what exactly he finds so funny about it all. Throughout the conversation we are joined by some of Rodney's friends including Leonard, the World's Worst Motivational Speaker, to unpack some of their most profound insights about what it means to be alive.
Get ready to discover all the answers you have ever sought about life and the universe! It's all packaged up for you in this single hour long conversation - available to you for free! (plus shipping and handling)
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You can learn more about Rodney and find tour dates, merch and more at www.rodneynorman.com 

Stay curious, and take it easy!

​In this episode of Isn't Life Curious? we continue our exploration of psychedelics that we began with Rick Doblin PhD in episode 2. This time we sit down with two natural products researchers that hope to revolutionize mental health treatment with nature's mind manifesting molecules - psychedelics. They are CEO, Chris Witowski PhD and CSO, Jacqueline Salm PhD, of Psilera Bioscience.
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In our conversation we talk about Psilera's work developing new methods of delivering psychedelics to patients as well as the development of new psychedelics that have not yet been explored. We discuss the ways in which psychedelics may impact mental health treatment in the near future, how common psychedelics affect the body and brain, and what we can expect from the future of psychedelic research. We also dive a bit into the philosophical as we explore the nature of consciousness, what it means to be a "psychedelic" and much more!

You can learn more about Psilera Bioscience at www.psilera.com

Stay curious, and take it easy!

​Is life special? Or is it just a happy accident that we are here?

Neil Manson, PhD is a philosopher and professor of philosophy at the University of Mississippi where he specializes in tackling these very questions. An expert on philosophy of science and philosophy of religion, Dr. Manson joins us as we dive down a metaphysical wormhole to explore the ways humans have tried to wrestle with our place in the universe. If there is a multiverse, what does that mean for our traditional concepts of God? If we live in a simulation, then what ethical obligations do I have to you or anyone else?

Take a deep breath and let's have an existential crisis together on this episode of Isn't Life Curious?!

Check out Dr. Manson's books "God and Design" here, and "This is Philosophy of Religion" here.

Enjoy! Stay curious, and take it easy!

​In this episode we are joined by Rick Doblin, PhD - the founder of MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. We discuss Rick's past and the series of events that opened his mind to the potential of psychedelics, why he is so passionate about ensuring that psychedelics are well-studied and available for therapeutic and religious use, common misconceptions about psychedelics, separating fact from fiction regarding the potential risks of psychedelics, and much more. This is the beginning of our "Serious About Psychedelics" mini-series that will be running throughout the show that will be exploring the science and cultural impacts of these "mind manifesting" molecules and what we can learn from them regarding human psychology, mental health, and consciousness itself.

You can learn more about MAPS at https://www.maps.org

Enjoy! Stay curious, and take it easy!