Disappointing. It was pretty much two guys bloviating sophomorically. Funny thing is, I actually agree with a lot of the sentiments they expressed (about America needing to grow up and accept that it is no longer going to be the dominant world power), but the factual inaccuracies and gross mischaracterization of certain eras were distracting, and the rambling conversation was frustrating—I know they mentioned Turchin’s name once or twice, but did they ever talk about his ideas? Anyway, if someone wants a good discussion of Turchin, try the episode from The Nietzsche Podcast that’s devoted to him—way better.

Fascinating podcast. Too bad it ended.

I am agreed with the author of "Speech Matters." As a 68 year old who grew up in a world in which people still knew how to read and write, let alone speak, I am appalled by the two generations of so-called "adults" who have followed after my generation. It is as though education has been deliberately dumbed down for fifty years. That said, it's not just language skills that have been dumbed down. I've been following the latest developments in archaeology, anthropology, etc. since I was 7 years old and I witnessed, as a young adult, in the 1970s, the effects of the Creationists' attempt to bar education in evolution and anthropology from public school science classes. I am absolutely disgusted with the widespread ignorance of the public, many of whom don't even know the meaning of the word "paleolithic."

Razib needs serious voice coaching. Spencer is a joy to listen to. We have an epidemic in this country of young people who do not pronunciate, try to jam words too fast, ignore pauses called periods...Annoying as hell nasal vocal fry… It sounds like a sick child seriously congested.Please take this to heart, many of us decide each moment to stay or go. If speaking is part of your profession, take lessons like you did for the actual subject matter! Of course, I am only the audience.

One of the best science podcasts I’ve heard since I started chasing them around 2006. Funny, concise, deepest and up to date. Invaluable context for the constant stream of gene stories and revelations.

Probably the most high quality Podcast I have found, in terms of depth of substance and quality of speaking. I am a lay person with a fascination for genetics/evolution and ancient people, and so I appreciate the academic references presented in a way I can absorb and understand them. Thank you Razib and Spencer! Keep up the great work!

Spencer has one of the best broadcasting voices ever. He is a fantastic story teller and as one of the pioneering scientists in anthropological genetics has the knowledge and scientific chops to make this topic understandable and even more interesting than it already is. Razib is one of the best interviewer’s ever (see his interview with Chris Stringer). With many years as a blogger journalist he also has scientific chops of his own and a great speaking and writing style. As an interested layman who reads the scientific papers when they come out, I’m always anxious to see Razib’s interpretations and reviews on his blog and to listen to them on The Insight.

‘The right to free speech is what America friggin stands for!’ After he said ‘if you are MAGA, you should stop listening now bc this will upset you’ This has zero to do with free speech. He was warning you he was about to sound even more dumb than usual.

Utterly phenomenal podcast. Should be used as a teaching tool in schools. Highest possible recommendation!!

Usually a very interesting show. In the June 3rd episode Spencer really went off the deep end. It seems as though his collectivism is raging out of control. That might be a hazard of having a Marxist as one of his main mentors. His thoughts on when and why countries have been “great” or will be “great” in the future was bordering on the ridiculous. If the government of any country does anything “great” it’s just a sign that they’re exploiting, suppressing and propagandizing the individuals in that country more effectively than the average government. The Chinese government never has been and never will be “great”. I don’t care how many probes they land on the dark side of the moon.

Wells is a brilliant person but obtuse on non scientific topics. I think its safe to say Spencer has bad a case a Dunning-Kruger when it comes to politics. His concern of how the world views the US is nothing short of regurgitated NPR globalist prattle. But..... Razib has it right. Go Texas ! Spencer..... Go back to Indonesia with your TDS. You should stick to making meat helmets with Dr Evil in Rangoon, let Razib do the podcast.

the first 45 minutes is a mix of superficial and sometimes misleading history (Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne into Little Rock in 1957 using that old law.) and a cliche heavy, insight light anti-American rant. Skip that and it still isn't as good as it could have been (yes, we know, Americans have all the faults of every other group of humans), but it's woth listening to.

Interesting opinion, you aren’t old enough to have seen federal troops being sent into Little Rock to enforce federal integration law against the express orders of the state government or Governor Wallace calling up the state troops to oppose integrating schools. We really were in fear of a second civil war in those years. Luckily the state forces backed down. We are in a time of civil protest with the aim of reforming police behavior and an unfair social system. The protests have widespread support, including from the generals. This is not the same as civil war, even if it looks that way to someone in Indonesia. I live in Seattle and things look different to me. I have seen much worse in my 73 years.

Razhib is an amazing host who creates some great content but Spencer has really gone off the rails with his Covid-19 commentary to the point it makes it difficult to trust his analysis on anything.

I’ve been hooked on reading everything I can get my hand on RE: ancient DNA, human prehistory/migrations, and historical genetics since reading David Reich’s “Who We Are and How We Got Here” in 2018. Sadly Reich has not written further books, and there is very little scientifically grounded exploration of these topics in pop science literature. Razib is a compendium of knowledge on every aspect of this area. He is endlessly intellectually curious, speaks precisely and with obvious authority that comes from scholarship. Please keep at it Razib. I recommend your work to everyone so inclined.

I heard an interview with Spencer on the Mindscape podcast and thought I’d check it out. Totally blown away. I’ve been binging to catchup and I really enjoy the discussion about the state of genetic research and how thinking has changed. Impacts on archeology, history, anthropology. They go everywhere. It gets nerdy (stuff I don’t understand at all but wish I did) but they come back up recap the deep and move on.

As usual, Spencer and Razib give a tremendously interesting and informative podcast. Their efforts are soured slightly by Spencer Wells’ giddiness over the rise of China and the obvious decline of the United States and the West more generally. Kinda embarrassing for a smart, nuanced guy to speak like he does sometimes. He goes as far as to call for a “Nuremberg style” trial for Donald Trump while praising Xi Jinping’s China die their supposedly robust science. Bizarre deal.

A “genocidal” decision? Nuremberg war crime? Spencer, seek a doctor’s help for your TDS.

Spencer, your delivery in this podcast is excellent. More please. I am in my last semester off college and I don’t really have time for pleasure listening. The transition to online classes has doubled my workload. This podcast is an example of how I learn well. Thank you Brude McKee

Spencer Wells is one of the brightest minds out there for population genetics, and a great speaker. Really profound insights (pun intended) here if you’re interested in all as to how modern man became, well modern.

I would totally wear a t-shirt that says “Denisovan Supremacist” or even “Homo Erectus Supremacist”, make this happen Razib!! For those who are confused....start listening to this podcast. If you are a history/science/fantasy nerd....you’ll be entertained and taught many anew things I promise!!

Discussion of cutting-edge genetics is linked with expert historical commentary. Nothing is like it.

So great that a podcast like this exists. I voraciously consume news and commentary regarding genetics and ancient DNA. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning every time I see a new Insight episode in my feed. Keep up the great work!

So glad to have you guys back! As someone with a background in History, I find this podcast amazing insightful. I called the Neanderthal admixture back in 2006 and my Paleoanthropology professor dismissed the idea as impossible. I like that this podcast is open to change as the data changes! Paleoanthropology could learn a thing or two from that mindset!

Even to a non-scientist the podcasts are fascinating. Keep them coming.

I just dropped by because The guests looked interesting but Razib broke in so offen the poor experts couldn't get a word edge wise God. What an egomaniac

Razib Khan and Spencer Wells are tag-team interviewers who use the podcast format to their advantage. Each episode is a deep dive on a narrow topic. Sometimes it's these two experts riffing with each other (Neanderthal ancestry of most humans), other times it's an interview. Three recent episodes have been particularly rewarding, to this reader: 1. Lee Berger discussing new discoveries of hominid fossils in South Africa. 2. Genetic genealogist Roberta Estes filling in the details on how the Golden State Serial Killer case was cracked. 3. Razib’s interview of cardiologist Amit Khera on integrating polygenic risk scores into the practice of medicine. That's a lot of ground to cover, and this podcast does it very, very well.

As a genetics enthusiast, I love the high quailty science discussions in these podasts between Spencer, Razib and their incredible roster of guests. As a non-professional, I appreciate their frequent assessments of recently published papers, which help me separate out the chaff and identify which papers are worth tracking down to try to read, for myself. (Razib: that includes wading through supplements, even if I don't fully understand them...) The show notes on their website for each podcast are an excellent resource for further investigation. In short: the perfect combination of news you can use, in depth analysis and fascinating discussion.

I love paleoanthropology and population genetics, but after college I ended up in a field that isn’t even remotely related to those interests. Enter this podcast! As someone who isn’t in the field and no longer has access to fancy, expensive research journals, this podcast is a nice way to stay current on the ever changing landscape of genetics, paleoanthropology, and human migration. The hosts are knowledgeable about the topics and clearly have an excellent scientific background in the field, but they also strive to make the topic accessible for people who are interested but aren’t trained in genetics. I highly recommend the podcast for anyone interested in these topics, as this field is quickly changing and very exciting, and this podcast can help keep you current and more informed.

You guys just love your y-chromosomes and go on and on about them. Enough.

Especially after having DNA test from National Geographic and other add ons from Helix and Insitome. Very knowledgeable hosts and guests. This podcast and their blog are regularly coming up with different slants on our past and how we became us. This is not for somebody, but everybody. And when you know your DNA and you converse with others who have had theirs done too, then you really have a conversation. More is being learned about DNA all the time, and we will all learn together a little bit at a time who and what we are and how we became that way. You need to do this. However, the production quality has really gone downhill, making some episodes very difficult to listen to. Clean it up, guys.

This is an excellent podcast content wise, but the production quality is increasingly slipping. Razib & Spencer, please take the time to make high quality recordings. It’s not easy or enjoyable to listen to garbled speech.

As a four-field trained Anthropologist, I recommend this podcast to everyone interested in learning about human populations across time. We know so much more now about our species than ever before and that’s thanks to the breakthroughs in genetics/genomics. It’s THE line of evidence that researcher and layperson alike must learn about to understand organic life in general and Homo Sapiens Sapiens in particular.

Great rapport between hosts, intriguing guests, timely, news-related science

Excellent podcast for you average everyday armchair popgeneticist

It’s like, so great.

I don't listen to many podcasts because I prefer to read, but I really like Razib and Spencer's podcast. I have listened to almost every episode so far and it has always been great. They explain things clearly, choose interesting topics and invite knowledgeable people to talk about them. I'm not in the field myself, but I read genomics papers on occasion and I try to keep up to date with the main results, so this podcast has been great to think more about this stuff.

I look forward to each episode. The DNA origins of man help me figure out how the world works.

Amazing range of guests and topics in the intersection of genetics and human history.

You will be hard pressed to find a more entertaining podcast covering the areas of human population genetics, archaeology, and history. The hosts are equally knowledgeable and engaging.

Wish there was a way to donate to show support

Fascinating podcast covering the field of population genomics. As a physician I had first become interested in the potential of medical genetics and more recently have become very interested in genetic genealogy. I found myself wanting to learn more and listening to these podcasts as well as supplementing my interests with additional reading has helped to fill that gap.

If nothing else, having listened to Razib Khan and Spenser Well's podcast for the year or so, there is increasing evidence that we are all related. The science is uncovering this fact. This reality does not take away from the uniqueness of a certain culture or language, but the differences appear to be superficial when the hardwire under the machine is uncovered. And the hardwire appears to increasingly indicate that we are all one.

I have always been interested in anthropology and more recently in paleoanthropology. I find in facinating how migrations impacted various populations around the world. It is those migration dynamics that has shaped the cultures of our world today. I admit there is a portion of the science I probably will never understand but it is the outcomes that interest me. Thanks Spencer and Razib

Two top scientists and entrepreneurs discuss the human story, the genetics industry, and what we can learn about ourselves from cutting edge science. This program gets into the hard science without dumbing it down or leaving novices behind.

I listened to every single episode of this podcast series. It's packed with super interesting information and really thoughful discussion.

Dis sho is da bomb!

I have listened to a few of their podcasts and I really enjoy them. Cutting edge genetic information plus interviews with interesting people.

Never fails to be of the best quality

This podcast is excellent in every way that matters. You will learn a lot.