Humans have scalp hair. But why is human scalp hair so varied? Biological anthropologist Tina Lasisi wanted to find out. And while completing her PhD at Penn State University, she developed a better system for describing hair — rooted in actual science.
To hear more from Tina, check out these webinars: Why Care About Hair (https://bit.ly/3liJZ96) and How Hair Reveals the Futility of Race Categories (https://s.si.edu/3Dik6g8). And to dive deep into Tina's research, we recommend her paper, The constraints of racialization: How classification and valuation hinder scientific research on human variation (https://bit.ly/3DfDrOS)
Rob explores R&B sensation Aaliyah’s hit single “One in a Million” by discussing her meteoric rise to pop stardom at an early age, her innovative musical style, and her legacy.
This episode was originally produced as a Music and Talk show available exclusively on Spotify. Find the full song on Spotify or wherever you get your music.
For this week's free episode, we are unlocking the first episode of our new TMK Book Club Patreon series, which will be running biweekly for the next few months. If you want to hear more – and check out our large back catalogue of premium episodes – please subscribe on Patreon!
We dive into our next instalment of the TMK Book Club – “Control and Freedom: Power and Paranoia in the Age of Fiber Optics” by Wendy H.K. Chun. This is a foundational piece of critical theory and new media studies, and a necessary addition in the TMK pantheon. Published in the heady days of 2005, we provide some context about the state of the Internet, culture and politics at the time. Then we discuss the Preface and Introduction. You can grab a pdf of Chun’s book here: https://au1lib.org/book/2074091/cc12a3
Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! patreon.com/thismachinekills
Grab your TMK gear: bonfire.com/store/this-machine-kills-podcast/
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl)
RZA is a rapper, record producer, filmmaker, actor, writer, philosopher, and the mastermind of the legendary hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order
– Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil
– SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex and use code LEX to get a free security camera
– Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings
– BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off
OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(06:57) – Life and death
(14:16) – Quincy Jones
(19:39) – Quentin Tarantino
(23:05) – Kung Fu
(28:01) – Biggie
(29:48) – Tupac
(32:45) – Nas
(35:48) – Favorite verse
(39:46) – Who is God?
(44:56) – Wu-Tang Clan
(48:49) – Bruce Lee
(55:40) – Godfather
(1:01:36) – Veganism
(1:06:27) – AI
(1:10:41) – Chess
(1:14:00) – American Gangster
(1:19:55) – Creativity
(1:26:24) – Advice for young people
(1:29:47) – Meaning of life
The academic year is underway, and Professor Amar’s crazy teaching schedule, as usual, includes co-teaching with some of the greatest constitutional scholars in the nation. This semester Akhil is joined by Professor Edward Larson, whose amazingly wide range includes a PhD in History of Science in addition to his Harvard Law degree. So it is not surprising that as Professor Larson joins us for this episode, our discussion of George Washington ventures into GW the scientist. And speaking of scientists, Ed Larson also wrote a book on GW and Benjamin Franklin - was this an odd couple as it might first seem? We also take another shot at the James Madison vs. GW question while we’re at it. Oh, and religion shows up as well.
Children being born now will experience extreme climate events at a rate that is two to seven times higher than people born in 1960, according to a new study in the journal Science. The researchers compared a person born in 1960 with a child who was six years old in 2020. That six-year-old will experience twice as many cyclones and wildfires, three times as many river floods, four times as many crop failures and five times as many droughts. Read more about the study here. These extreme changes not only endanger the environment, they take a toll on our mental health. KNAU reporter Melissa Sevigny spoke with residents in Flagstaff, Arizona who are reeling from a summer rife with fires and floods. And NPR's Michel Martin spoke with two climate activists of different generations — Jasmine Butler and Denis Hayes — about their outlook on the planet's future amid new climate change reports. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
On today’s episode, NLW homes in on recent reports surrounding the Biden administration's plans for stablecoins. A new report from the Wall Street Journal says there is a debate between using the Financial Stability Oversight Committee to add new rules for stablecoins and to regulate stablecoin issuers like banks. The crypto industry’s big question seems to be: Will crypto institutions be allowed to play, or will big banks shove them out?
-
NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for bitcoin, is making it possible for thousands of banks who have trusted relationships with hundreds of millions of customers, to offer Bitcoin. Learn more at NYDIG.com/NLW.
-
“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Only in Time” by Abloom. Image credit: kentoh/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.