Cannibalizing Ourselves: how our brains and our bodies turn against us

From mutated genes in cancer cells to viral memes invading our brains, we are more vulnerable than we like to think. In this talk, I explain how cannibalistic forces can arise in the meat of our bodies and electrical signals of our brains, slowly eating us from the inside out. First, we look at cancer cells. They evolve within us to exploit the very cooperation that makes us viable multicellular organisms. They consume the resources in our bodies, cannibalizing healthy cells to turn them into raw materials for their own propagation. Second, we look at self-replicating brain-eating memes. From the Baby Shark (do-do, do-do-do-do) song to QAnon conspiracy theories, it is frightening how easily our brains can be consumed by socially transmitted information. Why do cancer cells and conspiracy theories both have the power to cannibalize us? I end by explaining how both of these cannibalistic forces gain their power from through a slow and pernicious process of natural selection. If you want to learn how to avoid being eaten alive, or at least how to be more aware while your body and brains are being liquified, you should definitely listen to this talk.