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Comment from listener
Date: February 24, 2009, 4:58 am

Oops, major editing glitch at 19:20…

Comment from Radiolab
Date: February 24, 2009, 11:34 am

Yeep. Thanks unnamed listener! The glitch is now fixed.

Comment from Zac Bentz
Date: February 24, 2009, 12:18 pm

Oh noes! You didn’t just use Zoe Keating’s music without a credit, did you? I mean, I know she’s been on the show a few times before, but have we learned nothing from the All Things Considered thingy?

Comment from sean
Date: February 24, 2009, 12:23 pm

great podcast guys! i’m running late to work because i couldn’t stop listening!

Comment from Tracy
Date: February 24, 2009, 1:00 pm

Good show, though I always cringe when I hear people use the term “Darwinism”. This was a phrase coined by creationists who wanted to classify evolution as a belief system. To many science minded people “Darwinism” is a term of derision.

You never hear about Galileoism, Newtonism, Pasteurism or Einsteinism.

Comment from arkonbey
Date: February 25, 2009, 3:53 pm

In all the marvelous hoopla over Mr. Darwin’s birthday, nobody’s mentioned that a CA band called Artichoke does the only biographical song about Darwin that I know of: http://artichoketheband.com/music/26-scientists-volume-i-anning-malthus/

@tracy: Galileoism! Sweet. All those geocentrists hate us and our heathen Galileoism!

Comment from Marc
Date: February 25, 2009, 7:00 pm

@ Zac: Awe! you beat me to it Give Zoe Keating a little plug… just a little one

Comment from Jason
Date: February 25, 2009, 7:18 pm

I’ve gathered that the song towards the end of the podcast is by Zoe Keating, but what’s it called? I really want to hear the whole thing, and I’m prepared to fork over the better part of a dollar to make that happen.

Comment from Ryan
Date: February 25, 2009, 10:11 pm

<3 Darwin. <3

One small complaint: I find solace in Darwin’s vision of a cruel, uncaring universe. In the knowledge that I am but a statistic on a survivability variable in a Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. That an excess of births and limited number of resources implies an inherent death rate. That comforts me in a way no religion can. I like knowing that no celestial being really thought my grandpa deserve Parkinson’s, that there was no malice behind my first cat getting eaten by a coyote, and that when I die, it’s not because I did something to offend some egomaniacal invisible man.

While for sure, most people that they’re talking about in that particular segment (ie those that don’t accept evolution) don’t find that comforting. But he said no one does. And I do.

Comment from Melissa
Date: February 26, 2009, 12:42 am

Ryan: I find it comforting too. The End is more restful and life more full. “It makes you feel kinda worse,” and theat “everyone” asks what is the meaning of human life. Do you not ask that?

Jason: I’m gonna say it’s Frozen Angels (fitting for the end of that section, I suppose) from the Natoma album. What say ye, Radiolab?

Jad: I would totally say I’m Robert Krulwich too.

Comment from Melissa
Date: February 26, 2009, 12:51 am

Ryan: Sorry, friend. What I meant above was that RK said that the uncaring universe “kinda makes you feel worse” but his “everyone” was about pondering the meaning of this here life, to be fair.

Comment from John Mahoney
Date: February 26, 2009, 11:13 am

“Excelsior idea”?? That’s new. Maybe you meant “eureka moment”? Either that or too many Marvel comics, or NY motto.

Comment from T
Date: February 27, 2009, 2:00 am

actually it’s Zoe Keating’s Sun Will Set

Comment from Aaron
Date: March 1, 2009, 1:54 pm

I really like the idea that Eva’s religious beliefs could be trumped by maybe an even deeper religious belief of her love for Charles. You did a great job at bringing that out… You’ve actually talked a lot about how love figures into science.

I would LOVE to hear a full episode about the evolution/neuroscience behind LOVE! (I know you had a live event that kind of addressed this, but not fully:)

It’s kind of a tricky subject and humans are a little bit weird in that we fall in love. Maybe you could look to other animals that display similar “love” behavior like prairie voles and titi monkeys.

Pingback from Can you easily reconcile Darwin’s theory with God’s creation? | Talk of the Day | STLtoday
Date: March 4, 2009, 9:40 am

[...] I found it fascinating when I listened to the most recent RadioLab podcast about Darwin that only 40 percent of people believe the theory of evolution — a theory that is nearly [...]

Comment from Abhijeet Lakhia
Date: March 4, 2009, 3:56 pm

You did not mention Erasmus Darwin (12 December 1731–18 April 1802) at all in your podcast on his grandson, Charles Darwin.
My awestruck opinion of Charles Darwin was slightly deflated on learning about the poems of Erasmus Darwin; “The loves of plants” and especially “The temple of nature” which pretty much lays out the basic theory of evolution. (socially safer to do it in a poem rather than a scientific theory)….BUT you should have given the granddaddy some credit during grandsunny Charles birthday party….no big deal of course, when are you doing a show on my proposed subject of synchronicity (more Jung than Police)

Comment from Chris Green
Date: March 4, 2009, 11:12 pm

Tracy,

You’ll find that the term “Darwinism” was *not* invented by creationists at all (though it is sometimes used by them to diminish natural selection by making it seem like “one man’s opinion” rather than a scientific theory massively supported by empirical evidence). Indeed, the term was first used by the co-discoverer of the theory, Alfred Russel Wallace, and was the title of his 1889 book, _DARWINISM: AN EXPOSITION OF THE THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION WITH SOME OF ITS APPLICATIONS_.

Comment from betty jo
Date: March 4, 2009, 11:39 pm

Thanks to all who helped identify Zoe Keating.
I came straight here, hoping to find out!

Comment from Tracy
Date: March 5, 2009, 2:20 pm

I stand somewhat corrected, though the term was actually coined by Thomas Huxley in 1860. Huxley wasn’t a whole hearted supporter of Darwin’s theory, but accepted most of it. However the term was co-opted by Charles Hodges, who was a Theology teacher and very much anti-Darwin. He published a book entitled “What is Darwinism?” in 1874. His conclusions were that Darwinism was atheism. The term is heavily used by the evolution deniers in an attempt to marginalize evolutionary science. I still cringe and think the term and think it should be struck from use in the science community. The term “Darwinism” is such a loaded term that seems to be more inflammatory rather than explanatory.

Comment from Lindsey
Date: March 6, 2009, 2:14 pm

Hey, that’s not fair inviting all of NYC to come see you for a book signing. Come to Denver!

Comment from Soledad Robledo
Date: March 6, 2009, 5:09 pm

It was a very interesting podcast. And that made me think that Radio Lab doesn’t need all those special sound effects to be a great show…
Isn’t it incredible that the most powerful country in the world doesn’t believe in Darwin?

Pingback from 生日快乐，Chuck! « Timeline 时间线
Date: March 7, 2009, 4:01 pm

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Comment from Liz B
Date: March 8, 2009, 11:35 pm

Soledad said: It was a very interesting podcast. And that made me think that Radio Lab doesn’t need all those special sound effects to be a great show…

Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa

That’s like saying Van Gogh didn’t need to use all those colors, because he was a great sketcher.

The sound design on radiolab is the greatest thing that has ever happened ever. I actually find it sort of painful to dip back into my normal podcast lineup which is so dry and bland compared to radiolab. Also if you listen there’s still a great design happening in the episode especially when Darwin plops things into his bathtub. The reason you probably didn’t notice it is because it is subtle and well done. Compared to say TAL which slams it’s music cues (and they are only music cues not a sound design) into you like a mac truck. (That being said I love TAL)

Also I second Aaron’s request for an episode about love. Although I don’t think humans are unique there, I think they figured out oxytocin by studying mice so that means mice at least experience that chemicals effect on the brain.

Comment from Anonymous
Date: March 9, 2009, 11:15 am

Yeah, I agree with Liz B! Don’t be such an antiprotool. j/k

Hey Radiolab crew, why no heads up about your spot on Morning Edition?

Comment from Anonymous
Date: March 9, 2009, 11:41 am

Namely:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101542962

Also, congrats on the shout-out at the end of the TAL “Bad Bank” show! They admitted to shamelessly ripping off your cohosting style!

Comment from Anonymous
Date: March 9, 2009, 11:45 am

namely:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101542962
We donate money for this podcast! Please keep us in the know!

Also, congratulations on your shout-out at the end of the Bad Bank episode of TAL.

Comment from Anonymous
Date: March 9, 2009, 6:08 pm

Namely this one:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101542962

We’re your podcast posse! You’re supposed to let us know about this kind of stuff!

Comment from Adrian Russell-Falla
Date: March 15, 2009, 2:48 am

I take issue with “most of the planet still has problems with Darwin’s idea” which is a misrepresentation of the 40% statistic.

Among developed nations, that is *only* true of the population of the United States, with its disproportionately credulous tendencies.

Here, religion has continued to exert its anachronistic stranglehold on popular understanding.

This is not “fascinating” or “incredible” to me; it’s bloody horrific.

In all other modern countries, Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is overwhelmingly understood to be settled scientific fact; it is Theory in exactly the same sense that we have accepted and applied Newton’s Theory of Gravity, then Einstein’s elaboration of Relativity.

The world has — as sophisticated US “elites” have — long since moved on from debate and doubt about evolution into applications.

From Watson & Crick’s first isolation of DNA in just 40 years through the Human Genome Project, and Craig Venter’s literal trawling for gene sequences en masse through the world’s oceans, we are rushing headlong into the era of engineering new species and re-engineering others — inevitably including ourselves.

That 60% of Americans are blind to the advance of the life sciences is one of our country’s key weaknesses, and an index of how poorly our educational system is operating.

Comment from Geoff
Date: March 15, 2009, 1:41 pm

I’m with Soledad. The content of Radiolab is amazing, but sometimes the effects and silly voices make it almost painfully irritating.

Comment from Laura Beth
Date: March 21, 2009, 6:12 pm

Please explain why the need to know how we got here? What is the intent?What’s the goal of the endless debates between intelligent designers, creationists, and evolutionists.
From my research and life’s experience, what the heck does it matter?
What intelligent designer would design the system to fail as it seems to be. Humans, the so called top of the food chain, waiting in lines for kidney transplants, prostate cancer treatments, artificial hearts, etc…Not too intelligent from my view.
Creationists? Ya mean all the Christians who sink their teeth into Easter Hams, the body parts of pigs who are also part of Creation, just like every other species humans butcher, hook, trap, skin, experiment on, and torture in every way, shape and fashion?
Creationists, those Bible thumpers from the “heartland,” who are assisting in turning the planet into a feedlot, a waste lagoon, a cess pool of animal manure and methane that contributes 18% of ALL Co2 emissions KILLING Creation!
Evolution! Anyone think the human species is evolving???? To what? Some robotoid consuming locust programmed to produce, produce, produce…and then, when we are all used up,we are sent to our deaths like the cows, pigs and hens that have been reduced to units of production???
The point is MOOT. The earth is a gift, a miracle, and LIFE is precious, ALL LIFE.
The arguements seem to be more about ego and control than about doing anything to change the mess OUR species is making of this incredible sphere we shared with so many other species now disappearing at our hands.
A waste of airtime. Discuss how to manifest a new way of measuring success and wealth in terms other than monetary. Now that would be the creation of evolutionary intelligent design.

Comment from Laura Beth
Date: March 21, 2009, 6:25 pm

Enginnering species is criminal, regardless of how we got here.
It WAY crosses the ethical and moral boundaries.
The only purpose it serves is an already diabolic profit motive for so called scientists who have the public fooled, HAD, that their diseases are genetic rather than the consequence of DNA mutations from tens of THOUSANDS of chemical mutogens poured into everything..What a scheme.
How would the public even KNOW about the peversities being done in labs if the so called free press, including NPR, has no fair and unbiased discussions. I’ve heard Venter on Diane Rehm but NEVER any rebuttal from another point of view. NEVER. With Merck, Medtronic and Cargill benefitting from biotech scienc, one wonders just how free the press really is.
Thanks for this comment venue but the public is too busy worring about the manipulation of the economy.

Comment from Kevin Powe
Date: March 22, 2009, 6:50 am

Hey guys – great podcast… and hearing Zoe Keating’s Sun Will Set towards the end created a beautiful moment.

But not crediting the music? That’s weaksauce – you guys are better than that, and artists like Zoe deserve better than that. Also, I note I’m not the first to mention it, either.

A great followup link on the topic: http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/02/zo%C3%AB-keating-is-phenomenal-and-got-screwed-by-npr.html#comment-6a00d8341c59aa53ef011279022f0228a4

Pingback from Darwinvaganza! « The Book Mill
Date: March 25, 2009, 1:39 pm

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Comment from Azarai
Date: March 29, 2009, 1:15 am

Did u know Darwin plagarized the Origin of Species from a lower class assistant who originated the theory…

Comment from Chris W
Date: April 1, 2009, 11:55 pm

I also want to weigh in against the statement that reading Darwin makes you feel worse.

Radiolab did present another view, but Krulwich explained the anti-evolution cringe so eloquently.

This show talks frankly about the moral implications of science. Good. But creationism needs no more boosters.

Comment from Anonermous
Date: April 17, 2009, 2:56 pm

Laura Beth brought up interesting points (several comments up). She proved unequivocally that this podcast is a waste of everyone’s time because it is not necessary for us to know anything about this subject. “Discuss how to manifest a new way of measuring success and wealth in terms other than monetary,” she suggests as an alternative. I know, maybe we could measure success in total number of inane complaints from self-important tools on the internet. That way we could really say we’re winning! Consider it “manifested.”

Comment from Caleb W. Cliff
Date: April 22, 2009, 9:06 pm

It seems maybe people are still commenting, so I’ll give it a shot, too. Very wonderful podcast, as they all are. This article has a nice way of viewing Darwin’s evolutionary theory in a more positive light.

http://www.theamericanscholar.org/purpose-driven-life/

Here’s to us evolving into art! : )

Comment from Colin Purrington
Date: May 3, 2009, 11:03 am

In reference to the Gallup poll, I think the 6/10 fraction of evolution deniers is partly due to how the question is worded. I think a lot of the responders are simply voting that they WISH evolution was false, or that they WISH Darwin had “discovered” natural selection. If the question was worded differently, the responders wouldn’t see their response as some important decision between science and supernatural. Great podcast, folks. Really great.

Comment from Colin Purrington
Date: May 3, 2009, 11:07 am

“HAD NOT discovered natural selection,” rather!

Comment from Luis
Date: May 12, 2009, 3:53 am

I’ve always been very surprised why less than 50% of the American population believes in evolution, although “theory” is no longer a word used with evolution, since evolution is a fact. Then I ask to myself why people believe in a group of guys who wrote a series of papers to form a book titled Bible. With evolution you come to understand how living forms adapt to different environments, why we all share certain amounts of DNA, why so many things prove the Bible is wrong. So many evidences that go beyond the evolution process and some people still refuses to see what’s real, what’s real in their own daily lives.

My words might seem the words taken from a science vs. religion discussion, but no. Religious people can go on with their beliefs, despite all contradictions with real facts.

Comment from Thomas Paine
Date: July 4, 2009, 2:26 am

I’m with LizB on the artful use of sound… pure masterpiece! Being creative and interesting in the communication of ideas (and yes.. *gasp*…even scientific ideas) is such a delightful oddity, I thrill every time I encounter it. It makes interesting topics not only interesting, but vivid, rich and fun!

Great piece, as always. This one inspired me to pick Heiligman’s book for my book club…and a first…an assignment to listen to this podcast.
I’m tempted to assign listening to the “In Silence” podcast for even more fodder for a fascinating discussion on belief, being a group with members varying from different levels of thoughtful belief, to agnostics, once religious now agnostic/atheist/naturalists, and born ‘n raised atheists…for all a label’s worth…amazing individuals with life stories that swirl with and weave through these ideas. The themes here (in the book and your podcasts) should hit many personally meaningful chords for our group.
Thanks for the discussion.