Prof. of Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, Adrian Treves, is a wolf conservation expert who conducts independent research and advocates for future generations of all life. He joined George Knapp in the first half to discuss wolf conservation, the delisting of the species, and the slaughter taking place as a result. Modern-day dogs evolved from wolves, he pointed out, and there are archaeological records dating back around 40-45,000 years ago of "proto-dogs" that were somewhere between wolves and the dogs we know today. A healthy wolf population or a re-introduction of one can actually benefit the environment, said Treves, who added that wolves tend to keep deer on the move, which prevents them from eating vegetation down to the ground. Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare, he noted, though this has been cited as a reason for hunting them down.
After wolves were taken off the Endangered Species list in 2020 by the Trump administration (the Biden administration has yet to change this), states like Wisconsin embarked on special hunting seasons for gray wolves. Treves characterized the Wisconsin hunts as unethical, with hunters using snowmobiles and hounds to track and kill the animals, and exceeding the state quota. The red wolf is critically endangered in North Carolina with just a few of the creatures left, he reported. In addition to the overkill of the wolves, climate change, and reduction of their habitats are also reducing their populations. Treves is the director of the Carnivore Coexistence Lab, which studies various natural habitats and ways to protect livestock from predators, such as by using a flashing light system.
--------------
In the latter half, author and researcher Robert Guffey returned to continue the strange story of 'Project Chameleo,' in which a San Diego man named Damien was "gang stalked" and subject to bizarre experiments and mind control. The incidents began after Damien was accused of harboring a US Marine suspected of stealing materials from Camp Pendleton. At one point, Damien said he saw a black ball of amorphous energy move on the floor, and his apartment appeared to be growing and shrinking, Guffey recounted. When Damien eventually left town, he observed something akin to "mini-flying saucers" constantly following his van through multiple states. Guffey tracked down a scientist/inventor named Richard Schowengerdt, who had patents for a kind of optical camouflage that seemed to fit the descriptions of Damien's experience.
Schowengerdt admitted to Guffey that his technology could be used for psychological warfare-- making a foreign dictator think that he's seeing bizarre alien landscapes, for instance. And further, Schowengerdt believed that his technology was stolen from him and being used without his permission. Since Guffey first reported the story, other cases have come to light, such as a prominent New York radio host who said that he too was a victim of optical camouflage harassment. The host was able to capture video footage of people dragging equipment onto his property, and creating holograms to mess with his head. Schowengerdt reviewed the footage and data and confirmed in an affidavit that it appears to be the same cloaking and camouflage technology that he developed. For more, see the recap from Guffey's previous appearance.
KNAPP'S NEWS:
George Knapp shares recent items of interest including articles about making a digital replica of the human brain, and a breakthrough in 'warping' time:
- Scientists Make Breakthrough in Warping Time at Smallest Scale Ever
- The Quest to Make a Digital Replica of Your Brain
- Techno-optimism and the rule-of-threes: why the world will soon enter an era of mass flourishing
- Clearview AI aims to put almost every human in facial recognition database
- Astrobiologists Suggest the Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Entity
- Ghosts in Sherwood Forest? Investigators Provide Photos