Music
One of the prevailing assumptions about IQ is that it is fixed at birth. But is that really true? And if not, then how do our environments shape our intellectual potential? Exposure to chemcials like PCBs, phthalates, and hydrocarbons, as well as heavy metals like mercury and lead, has been shown to have deleterious effects on brain development and function. And in the United States, people of color are the ones most likely to be affected by these intelligence-lowering chemicals: hence the term, and subject of episode 17, environmental racism. Large corporations are out here poisoning people en masse, black Americans are far more likely to live in "sacrifice zones", and the Flint, Michigan water crisis is worse than you thought it was. This one's terrifying, and part two is coming next week. Before that: Kevin updates us on his grad school apps, Lakers fans do mental gymnastics, and Dane rants about old school Upper East Side doormen. Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano (https://www.instagram.com/chris_giuliano_gs/). Works Cited: Harriet A. Washington: A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind (https://www.amazon.com/Terrible-Thing-Waste-Environmental-American-ebook/dp/B07F65ZFFV)