23. Jill Neimark - Marveling at Nature’s Resilience

Utility + Function

Jill Neimark is a veteran science journalist and author of adult and children's fiction. She is a former contributing editor at Discover Magazine, she also written for Scientific American, Science, Nautilus, Aeon, The New York Times, NPR, Quartz, and Psychology Today. She published the adult nonfiction book, coauthored with bioethicist Stephen Post, PhD, Why Good Things Happen to Good People. She has also written five children’s books and one novel, Bloodsong.

"Humans truly are part god part devil," - Jill Neimark.

The theme of this episode is resilience. Jill Neimark invites us to marvel at nature. She speaks of the failure of the human species to quell overpopulation and overconsumption in the face of climate change, and the flaws that snag us despite our talent for planning and foresight. She also delves into the potential post traumatic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, as well as the way giving is written into our DNA--and how genetic hardwiring contributes to our ability to face adversity as a species.