Matt Ridley discusses an NIH invitation from Jay Bhattacharya to speak on scientific freedom and argues the COVID-19 pandemic was more likely caused by a lab leak than a natural spillover, citing Wuhan research on engineered sarbecoviruses, lack of an infected animal host, and alleged cover-ups. He says scientific institutions resisted debate, harming trust in science, and notes historical lab leaks and ongoing biosecurity and bioterrorism risks. Ridley also critiques overclaims about COVID measures and vaccines and connects pandemic-driven skepticism to climate debates. He then explains themes from his books on progress and on bird sexual selection, lekking, bowerbirds, and how female choice drives beauty, plus brief Darwin and family-history anecdotes.

00:00 NIH Invite and Lab Leak

01:08 Evidence and Coincidences

02:50 Establishment Pushback

04:49 Science Trust Fallout

07:00 History of Lab Leaks

08:34 Biosecurity and Terror Risk

10:32 Defining Gain of Function

11:57 Pandemic Cynicism and Policy

14:14 Climate Debate Parallels

18:44 Rational Optimist Progress

21:12 Neanderthals and Exchange

25:36 Gene Culture Coevolution

31:33 Bird Sex and Beauty Intro

33:56 Sexy Son Hypothesis

36:14 Sexual Selection vs Natural

37:10 Why Birds Look Beautiful

40:27 Wood Thrush Song Evolution

41:28 Bowerbirds Invent Art

43:26 Peacock Tail Debates

45:33 City Life Drives Evolution

47:47 Traffic and Telegraph Selection

51:42 Birds Are Poetry

53:18 Irish Elk Mega Antlers

56:25 Black Grouse Lek Video

58:13 Darwin Marries Cousin

01:00:45 Family Estate Through Centuries

01:03:59 Wrap Up and Invitation

https://x.com/mattwridley

https://www.mattridley.co.uk/blog/

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Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1

David Brett, founder of The New Westminster Times, discusses a talk he gave on “eco fascism,” which he says originated with Greenpeace founders. Citing Patrick Moore’s book and his work at Green Spirit Strategies, he argues environmental activism is “90% communications,” using media “mind bombs” (dramatic imagery, celebrities, and litigation) to shape public opinion against mining, oil, forestry, and pipelines. He says Moore, a Greenpeace co-founder, has been “airbrushed” and smeared as disinformation. Brett critiques films like Anthropocene, “Sue Big Oil,” climate-emergency messaging, Greta Thunberg rallies, and NGO “youth washing,” and says activists link climate to Indigenous grievance. He urges industry to invest in human-interest counter-messaging and local civic pushback.

00:00 Meet David Brett

00:26 Eco Fascism Origins

01:08 Mining Versus Activists

01:34 Patrick Moore Influence

04:06 Greenpeace Mind Bombs

07:14 From Whales to Politics

08:31 PR War Imbalance

11:59 Smearing Patrick Moore

16:04 Anthropocene Media Tactics

21:14 Critical Minerals Pivot

25:52 Pipeline Battles Canada

30:58 Greta Rally and Sacred Water

34:31 Climate Anxiety Messaging

36:04 Why No Pushback

36:52 Greenpeace Lawsuit Setup

37:35 Sue Big Oil Campaign

39:44 Fires and Weather Hype

44:37 Youthwashing at City Hall

47:00 How to Fight Back Locally

50:30 Human Stories Media Strategy

57:40 Eco Fascism Endgame

59:38 Climate Meets Indigenous Grievance

01:04:34 Media Gatekeepers and Alternatives

01:08:24 Wrap Up and Links

The Eco-Fascist War on Private Property: https://x.com/NewWestTimes/status/2012650288553906493

https://x.com/NewWestTimes

https://x.com/davidhbrett

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfsOXbN6XqqdL5v3ArKt-NA/videos

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Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1

Robert Cutler argues that climate patterns repeat about every 3,560 years (and 7,120), based on shifting proxy reconstructions—especially high‑resolution Greenland ice cores—and confirming with correlation analysis across Greenland cores, an Antarctic core, and lake sediment records from China and Alaska. He notes phase inversions possibly tied to ~2,400‑year Bray and Bond cycles and highlights alignments among events like the Younger Dryas, the 8.2 ka and 4.7 ka events, and the Dark Ages cold period. Cutler connects 3,560 to harmonics/subharmonics of Jovian-planet conjunction timing, the Jose cycle, and other periodicities (e.g., ~1,850 and ~890 years), suggesting strong non-subtle forcing possibly involving solar activity.

00:00 Meet Robert Cutler

27:27 Correlation Confirms 3560

31:05 Predictions and Next Steps

32:33 Where 3560 Comes From

34:04 Can Planets Modulate Sun

36:40 Solar Core Resonance Idea

40:39 Harmonics in Planet Orbits

41:56 Impulsive Conjunction Forces

43:44 JPL Data and Long Cycles

47:50 Grand Alignment Phase Markers

49:57 Jose Cycle and Barycenter

53:02 Hidden 890 Year Beat

57:14 Rapid Climate Event Timing

59:55 Harmonic Subharmonic Map

01:02:18 Summary and Open Questions

01:06:30 Reproducible Code and Tools

01:08:43 Next Steps and Wrap Up

https://x.com/RCutler34

A 3560-Year Jovian Solar and Climate Cycle: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27244.01925

Simple python script to download and plot climate and sunspot data with 3560- and 7120-year offsets: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/401300980_Simple_python_script_to_download_and_plot_climate_and_sunspot_data_with_3560-_and_7120-year_offsets

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Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1