Zombified: Your Source for Fresh Brains

Athena Aktipis and Dave Lundberg-Kenrick talk with a delightful mix of thinkers sharing their delicious brains on all topics having to do with zombification and what it means for who we are. A production of Zombified Media and Arizona State University.

About the show

Is something taking over your brain? Zombified is a podcast about how we are vulnerable to being hijacked by things that are not us. From microbes hijacking behavior, to humans influencing each other, to our brains being taken over by social media, we talk about why zombification happens, why we are susceptible to it, and what we can do about it. Hosted by Dr. Athena Aktipis, a Psychology Professor at Arizona State University and the founder of the Zombie Apocalypse Medicine Alliance, and co-hosted by zombie enthusiast Dave Lundberg-Kenrick, “Zombified” takes a radically interdisciplinary approach to the science of zombification. If you enjoy fresh brains, this podcast is for you!

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Episodes

  • The Rise of AI: Andrew Maynard

    October 10th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 37 mins

    The Dawn of AI is here! But where does that leave us? Will it improve our lives, zombify us, or completely replace us? We talk to tech expert, thought leader and futurist Andrew Maynard about whether or not we can peacefully coexist with the advancing algorithms or whether we are at the beginning of the robot apocalypse.

  •

    Russian Shenanigans: Scott Ruston

    September 26th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  2 hrs 4 mins
    conflict, tech

    Who is that person saying awful things to you on-line? A Russian agent? A zombified member of the opposite political party? Or just your own crazy relatives? We talk to Research Professor and strategic communications expert Scott Ruston about ways enemies of the state may actually be turning us against each other.

  •

    Parasitized: Kelly Weinersmith

    July 4th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 32 mins
    biology, parasites

    Do you like the idea that bugs could crawl right out of your eyes, and that fungus could control your brain? That's weird, but this episode is for you! Join us for a rollicking fun conversation with parasitologist and science communicator extraordinaire, Kelly Weinersmith, about the weird and wonderful world of parasites!

  •

    Psychedelified: Shane Mauss

    May 31st, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 19 mins
    comedy, drugs, mind-expansion, psychedelics, shane mauss, zombies

    Behold the twisted paths of the mind, where laughter and shrooms dance a cosmic Macarena. Delve with us into the mind-bending musings of comic and psychonaut Shane Mauss, to awaken our inner selves from the slumber of the undead, and to discuss how psychedelic tourism may create it's own zombie society. Prepare for a mind-expanding mix of science and comedy!

  •

    Mental Immunity: Andy Norman

    May 16th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 17 mins

    Bad ideas are attempting to take root inside your brain! Listen to this episode with Andy Norman (author of Mental Immunity) to learn how to protect your brain without having to quarantine your mind!

  •

    The Mad Scheme: Gary Dirks

    May 9th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 28 mins

    Can we harness the sun and reach the Green place, or has the world become too addicted to guzzaline? Witness our discussion with Gary Dirks - Senior Director of ASU's Global Futures Laboratory - as he guides us beyond the mad scheme to a better tomorrow.

  •

    Educational Zombification: Meredith Small

    May 4th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 36 mins

    Constant testing. Unhealthy lunches. Underpaid teachers. Are our schools in an apocalypse? Or is everything actually fine? We talk to life-changing author Meredith Small about how we can help all kids survive and thrive in our often-zombifiying educational system.

  •

    The Cult of Academia: Nicole Barbaro

    May 2nd, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 34 mins

    Are you looking for a way to expand your mind and learn ancient secrets for the low price of only $70,000 a year? Then join the Cult of Academia - where after only eleven or so years, you can compete for the job of cult leader! We talk with recovering academic Nicole Barbaro about her daring escape from academia and attempt to deprogram others - through her work at the Heterodox Academy and her Bookmarked Reads Substack.

  •

    Resistance: Mzilikazi Koné

    January 17th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 20 mins

    Are you tired of being zombified by indoctrination, incarceration, and educational institutionalization? Join the resistance with this week's guest Political Science Professor Mzilikazi Koné and spread the wonderfully contagious dream of freedom and resistance!

  •

    The Twitterpocalypse: Steven Beschloss

    January 10th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 20 mins

    Is Twitter heralding the end of society as we know it? We have an apocalyptically great time talking to award-winning author (and passionate tweeter) Steven Beschloss about the good, the bad and zombifying aspects of social media, including his personal successes and struggles trying to use Twitter to build a virtual space for true dialogue. In the aftermath of the Twitterpocalypse, can we build a new social media world that is a public good that makes all of our lives better? Tune in to find out!

  •

    Digitizing Humanity: Liz Grumbach

    December 22nd, 2022  |  Season 4  |  58 mins 52 secs

    Whose voices get to carry on after death, and whose stories get buried with time? In this suprisingly optimistic episode, we talk with Liz Grumbach about the future of the human-tech interface and the way that technology can be used as a tool for understanding ourselves and our place in the world. We also chat with her about the social factors that decide who gets silenced, and how the field of Digital Humanities is giving a new voice to the silent dead.

  • Prezombification: Bob Cialdini

    December 8th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  1 hr 10 mins
    business, cialdini, influence, persuasion, presuasion

    Has your brain been turned into a fertile ground for the planting of other people's ideas, goals and influence? In this episode, we talk to best-selling author Bob Cialdini about 'pre-suasion,' the idea that you can make people more receptive to persuasion by setting up the context and situation in certain ways. Learn about your own susceptibilities to influence, how to tell if you're being zombified, and how we can use these techniques to zombify ourselves for good!

  • Refusing to Die: Season 4 live premier

    December 8th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  54 mins 37 secs

    Are you barely alive or feeling a little undead? Well, it's time to crawl out of the ground and re-embrace this messy, wonderful thing called livin', with our new season of Zombified!