Dreams are one of the most mysterious aspects of human existence, and we still don't fully understand the strange phenomenon known as dreaming. For thousands of years, human beings have taken action in the waking world based on information they encounter in a dream -- and, every so often, people have felt their dreams aren't just reminding them of the past or re-contextualizing the present. Instead, in virtually every culture and in every era of recorded history, people have claimed their dreams also, sometimes, tell them about the future. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they delve into the science of dreams, and the conspiracies our own brains may hatch against us.
Did Part 1 leave you informed and now you need a pep talk? Get ready for an absolute banger of an encore episode with 5 experts: René Brooks of BlackGirlLostKeys.com, TEDTalk speaker and How to ADHD YouTuber Jessica McCabe and neuroscientist Dr. Jahla Osborne of University of Michigan. What is it like to get diagnosed? How do you know which medication – if any – is right for you? Why is there such a spike in ADHD diagnoses during the pandemic? Autism and ADHD: what’s the deal? What accommodations should a person ask for? How can you have a strong relationship with one (or more) ADHD brains? What if your boyfriend juggles flaming swords for fun? Sure there are tips and tricks, but get ready for the pep talk and self-acceptance honestly everyone needs to hear. Plus: two cameos from past Ologists: Dr. Tiara Moore (Forensic Ecology) and Dr. Adam Becker (Quantum Ontology). Oh, and how this relates to Alie’s own Dadbrain. HERE WE GO.
The scariest clown to ever appear on screen drives a storyline involving a fictional tribe in Maine. “IT: Welcome to Derry” uses horror writer Stephen King’s 1986 novel as a jumping off point. The hit HBO Max miniseries provides a new Native American theme to the plot with some veteran Native talent in front of and behind the camara. It is one of the notable projects from 2025, a list that also includes Sterlin Harjo’s “The Lowdown”, the TIFF Best Canadian Feature winner, “Uiksaringitara,” and SXSW Documentary Feature Special Jury Award winner, “Remaining Native.” We’ll recall some of the best film and TV projects from the year and see what’s in store for 2026.
GUESTS
Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of Red Pop! News
Jason Asenap (Comanche and Muscogee), writer, critic, and filmmaker
Sunrise Tippeconnie (Commanche, Navajo and Cherokee), director of programming at deadCenter Film and co-host of the Reel Indigenous Podcast
Kimberly Guerrero (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Salish and Kootenai), actress, screenwriter, and professor at the University of California, Riverside
Favorite films and television shows of the year
Sunrise Tippeconnie:
Tiger – (documentary short), director Loren Waters
Drowned Land – (documentary), director Colleen Thurston
Here’s an extended interview with IT: Welcome to Derry star Kimberly Guerrero speaking on her role of Rose in the television series. She starts off describing her early career in Hollywood.
In the fourth installment of his series on the Darién Gap, James talks to migrants at Lajas Blancas reception center north of the Darién, who can often be stuck there for months without the money to continue their journeys.
A team of researchers are actively sifting through archival documents, artifacts, even artwork to expand the story of Indigenous slavery. The Native Bound Unbound project includes interactive maps, digitized documents, and recent interviews with descendants whose ancestors endured enslavement. The publicly available digital archive aims to document every instance of Indigenous slavery in the Western Hemisphere to illuminate where and when slavery took place, and the lasting effects for Indigenous communities and their descendants. This is an encore show so we won’t be taking calls from listeners.
GUESTS
Philip J. Deloria (Yankton Dakota), professor of history at Harvard University
Theresa Pasqual (Acoma Pueblo), executive vice president of Indigenous Affairs at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and the former tribal historic preservation officer for the Pueblo of Acoma
Estevan Rael-Galvez, executive director of Native Bound Unbound: Archive of Indigenous Slavery
Break 1 Music: Crossroad Blues (song) Lakota John (artist) Lakota John and Kin (album)
We offer projections for the year to come in tech. What might happen with our big beautiful bubble of overinflated assets, overinvested infrastructure, and overhyped technology? Plus, we speculate about what if we did bloodsport, but for billionaires?
Standing Plugs:
••• Order Jathan’s book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
Since before the dawn of recorded history, humans have been haunted by rumors of monsters beneath the waves -- and, as time wore on, it seemed at least some of those legends were based in truth. Today's question: could any sea serpents, leviathans or other cryptids remain alive in the modern day? Tune in to learn more.
A historically devastating salmon die-off on the Klamath River in 2002 was among the influences putting Amy Bowers Cordalis (Yurok) on her path of conservation. She recounts that moment, along with her family’s multigenerational fight to save their ties to the river, in her memoir, “The Water Remembers.” She is an instrumental voice in what became the largest river reclamation project in U.S. history.
The story of the Blackfeet Tribe’s revitalization of their historical ties to buffalo is the subject of the documentary “Bring Them Home”/“Aiskótáhkapiyaaya.” The film is directed by Blackfeet siblings and Oscar-nominated actor Lily Gladstone (Blackfeet) is the narrator and executive producer.
Tribes and tribal organizations are still waiting for the dust to settle after a year of unprecedented upheaval and funding cuts from the federal government. We’ll get an assessment of what happened and what this moment in time means for food sovereignty going forward.
GUESTS
Carly Griffith-Hotvedt (Cherokee), executive director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
Amy Bowers Cordalis (Yurok), executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, and author of “The Water Remembers”
Ivy MacDonald (Blackfeet), writer, director, and cinematographer
Ivan MacDonald (Blackfeet), filmmaker, director, and producer
Break 1 Music: Honor Song (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Hear the Beat (album)
In part three of his series on the Darién Gap, James talks about what drives Venezuelan and African migrants to make the journey through the Darién Gap.
In the ancient days, when medicine and spirituality were inseparable, people often used rituals and invocations to elicit help from divine sources. This practice continues today, through a number of techniques collectively known as faith healing. But what is it, exactly? How does it work? Could mere physical touch from the right person heal otherwise incurable medical conditions? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into fact and fiction of faith healing.
