Zombified: Your Source for Fresh Brains

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

57 episodes of Zombified: Your Source for Fresh Brains since the first episode, which aired on June 4th, 2019.

  • The Infopocalypse: Kristy Roschke

    April 7th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 17 mins
    fake news, media literacy, social media

    Do you feel like your neurons are getting taken over by your smartphone, tablet, computer or TV? Then the infopocalypse has probably already infiltrated your brain. In this episode, journalist and media literacy expert, Kristy Roschke, explains how we get hijacked by the constant stream of information we consume from our devices. She also shares tips for keeping your brain safe from manipulative information that could compromise you, hurt those you love, or destroy civilization all together. Listen now to protect your brains—and the world!

  • Shabamified: Josh Kurz & Wendy Roderweiss

    March 23rd, 2021  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 13 mins
    science communication, storytelling

    What would your kids do if they were stuck in the zombie apocalypse and you were nowhere to be found? That’s the premise of Shabam!, a podcast where the story of the zombie apocalypse is a vehicle for explaining science and infrastructure to audiences of all ages. We talk to creators, Josh Kurtz and Wendy Roderwiess, about the challenges of communicating scientific ideas and how to use engaging storytelling and silly voices to create a compelling narrative that is both interesting and informative. Listen with your kids, so they learn how to survive if you get eaten by a zombie!

  • Zombie Politics: Mary Ziegler

    March 16th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 17 secs
    abortion, politics

    Does politics turn us into zombies? We talk with law professor, Mary Ziegler, about the politics around the abortion debate and how a personal, medical issue can get hijacked for political ends. We also chat about the ways that politics can make us see others—specifically those who don’t agree with us—as zombies. If you think you or somebody you don’t agree with might be a zombie, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode.

  • Famished: Cathryn Townsend

    March 9th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 23 secs
    anthropology, hunger, ik, starvation

    What happens to humans when they are not just hungry, but truly famished? In this episode we talk with anthropologist Cathryn Townsend about the ways that starvation can change who we are and how we relate to one another. She completed fieldwork with the Ik people of Uganda who were vilified as selfish and nasty by Colin Turnbull 50 years ago when he observed their society mid-famine. Cathryn explains how the Ik are just as generous as the rest of us—and why it’s problematic to blame culture for human selfishness. This is the episode you’ve been hungering for.

  • Social Web: Tamas David Barrett

    February 16th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 30 mins
    friends, social networks

    Do you ever have the feeling that your friends are talking about you behind your back? In this episode we talk with interdisciplinary social scientist Tamas David-Barrett about why we might actually want our friends to talk about us behind our backs. We also talk about how smaller family size has caused a fundamental shift in the structure of the social networks that we inhabit, and chat about giving unusual gifts to strangers at Burning Man. Listen to this episode and get caught in Tamas’s web of intriguing ideas, fascinating findings and sensational stories!

  • Influenced: Robert Frank

    February 10th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 38 mins
    influence, peer pressure, virtue signaling

    If all the cool kids jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too? Should you? Many of us grew up with parents, guidance counselors, and school assembly lecturers teaching us to resist peer pressure, go our own way, and ignore the zombie crowd. And people online will quickly call you out for “virtue signaling” and “humble bragging” if you so much as mention how you rescued that eagle that got hit by your yacht. But are peer pressure and virtue signalling all bad? In today’s episode, we talk with brilliant (and popular!) economist and author Robert H. Frank about when you should go along with the crowd, and when you should get the crowd to go along with you. Listen to it, and then brag about it to your friends!

  • Perfect storm: Clyde Cain

    December 22nd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 17 mins
    disaster, emergency, survival

    What do you do when the shit hits the fan, and the government isn’t there to help? When need overwhelms infrastructure, we all need to work together to survive, but figuring out how to actually help each other isn’t so easy. This episode’s guest, Clyde Cain, leads the Louisiana Cajun Navy, which is a group of volunteers that help people during floods, storms and other emergencies. Clyde talks about how to stay calm during a disaster and what drew him to this unconventional life of service.

  • Conspiracy: Chelsey Weber-Smith

    November 3rd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 15 mins
    american hysteria, apocalypse, conspiracy, fake news, illuminati, prejudice, zombie

    Who is really behind conspiracy theories? From the idea that the CIA killed Kennedy to the idea that people actually walked on the moon, we’ve all heard conspiracies ranging from the slightly plausible to the downright bizarre. But where do these theories come from? Are they themselves created by some nefarious shadow government? Or do they arise naturally as people attempt to make sense of the world. If you're curious to know the truth behind conspiracy theories, listen to this episode with guest Chelsey Weber-Smith. Chelsey is the host of the American Hysteria podcast, a former conspiracy theorist and expert on American cultural history. In this episode, Chelsey talks about growing up with a prepper parent, a close encounter with Bohemian Grove and the strange history of conspiracy thinking in America. Check this episode out - but only if you’re prepared for the truth!

  • Competified: Scott Brooks

    October 14th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 23 mins
    competition, soccer, sports

    Have you been zombified by competition? On this week's episode we talk with sociologist and assistant director of the Global Sport Institute at ASU about his experience as a competitive athlete, and his experience as a parent and coach, helping kids get the benefits of sports without becoming completely competified. No matter if you're a professional athlete, or spend all of grade school being picked last in gym class, you'll enjoy Scott's take on how sports and competition can be a force for good in today's zombified world.

  • Addicted: Matt Meier

    October 6th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 22 mins
    addiction, beer, coffee, drugs

    Drugs on the brain? From coffee and beer to opiates and bath salts, drugs have fascinating effects on our behavior, our desires and our personalities. In this episode we talk to addiction expert and clinical psychologist Matt Meier about being under the influence. We cover the serious side and the silly side of the many ways that drugs can zombify us. Once you start listening to this episode, you won't be able to quit.

  • Who's on your Z-team? Cam Carlson

    October 2nd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 20 mins
    apocalypse, survival, trust, zombie

    Who you gonna call in the zombie apocalypse? In this extraordinarily apocalyptic episode, we talk with Cam Carlson - one of the leaders of the Zombie Research Society, a doctor of public health, and an active duty officer in the US Navy - about how to put together your Z-team. We cover everything from the most important zombie apocalypse survival skills, to the challenges of going it on your own, to the all-important skill of how to build trust among strangers in the post-apocalyptic world. Also, Dave discusses the circumstances in which he would eat his dog.

  • The Toxopocalypse: Jessica Brinkworth

    October 2nd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 20 mins
    apocalypse, cats, parasite, toxoplasma gondii, zombie

    We've all seen how disease changes our behavior, but did you know that there are diseases that actually hijack our brains? In this episode we talk with immunologist and evolutionary anthropologist Jessica Brinkworth about the parasite toxoplasma gondii, perhaps best known for it's presence in kitty litter. Jessica explains the many ways that toxo zombifies us and other mammals, hijacking even our own cells to make them little zombies bent on perpetuating toxo. Toxoplasma gondii also plays a role in human behavior, affecting risk taking behaviors and vulnerability to schizophrenia. The toxopocalypse expands even outwards to the ecosystems we are embedded within, threatening species in our oceans and beyond. If you've ever wondered what evil lurks in your cat box, you'll definitely want to listen to this episode.

  • Apocalyptish Times: Season 3 live premier

    October 2nd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 17 mins
    apocalypse, art, cats, dance, medicine, pandemic, survival, zombie

    Join Zombified hosts Athena & Dave for an apocalyptish afternoon as we launch Season 3 of the Zombified podcast. We talk with immunologist Jessica Brinkworth and zombie apocalypse survival expert Cam Carlson about our current apocalyptish times. We also chat with Channel Zed director Ilana Rein, collaborating producer Erica O'Neil and host of the Dr. Zed Show, Joe Alcock. Don't miss the special appearance from Carl Flink and Black Label Movement. They join us in hazmat suits and describe their plans to dance their way from Minnesota to Arizona in an RV as part of Channel Zed's new reality show, Unreal World.