In this 80th in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we discuss the state of the world through an evolutionary lens. In this episode, we once again discuss the “lab leak” hypothesis for the origins of SARS-CoV2, as this week a letter published in Science has helped it gain yet more credibility in mainstream scientific circles. We then discuss ivermectin, a decades-old drug with a well-established history of efficacy against many human pathogens. What is its mechanism of action? What do Covid case rates in Africa, against a background of on-going prophylactic use of ivermectin for other conditions, suggest about its possible efficacy against Covid? Is it safe for children? Also, what does the FDA require of a new drug or treatment to grant Emergency Use Authorization? Does Merck have an opinion on the matter? How about the media? Finally, we discuss cicadas: when they’re coming back, why they do what they do, and why you’re lucky you’re not infected by Cordyceps fungus. Get $15 off your first order at Public Goods at https://www.publicgoods.com/darkhorse or with code DARKHORSE at checkout. Mentioned in this episode: Bloom et al 2021. Investigate the origins of COVID-19. Science 372(6543): 694. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6543/694.1 Jacobsen, R. 2021. Top researchers are calling for a real investigation into the origin of covid-19. MIT Technology Review, May 13, 2021. https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/05/13/1024866/investigation-covid-origin-wuhan-china-lab-biologists-letter/ DarkHorseLive episode 61, in which we first discussed ivermectin at some length: https://youtu.be/KfbBvvPVFdw Saha, J.K. and Raihan, M.J., 2021. The binding mechanism of ivermectin and levosalbutamol with spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Structural Chemistry, 1-8: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11224-021-01776-0 Kaur, H., Shekhar, N., Sharma, S., Sarma, P., Prakash, A. and Medhi, B., 2021. Ivermectin as a potential drug for treatment of COVID-19: an in-sync review with clinical and computational attributes. Pharmacological Reports, 1-14: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43440-020-00195-y Hellwig, M.D. and Maia, A., 2021. A COVID-19 prophylaxis? Lower incidence associated with prophylactic administration of ivermectin. International journal of antimicrobial agents, 57(1): 106248: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924857920304684 Guerrero, R., Bravo, L.E., Muñoz, E., Ardila, E.K.G. and Guerrero, E., 2020. COVID-19: The Ivermectin African Enigma. Colombia Médica, 51(4). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33795896/ Levy, M., Martin, L., Bursztejn, A.C., Chiaverini, C., Miquel, J., Mahé, E., Maruani, A., Boralevi, F. and Groupe de Recherche de la Société Française de Dermatologie Pédiatrique, 2020. Ivermectin safety in infants and children under 15 kg treated for scabies: a multicentric observational study. British Journal of Dermatology, 182(4): 1003-1006. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31344258/ FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization Guidelines: https://www.fda.gov/media/97321/download Bannister, A. 2021. Don’t mention Ivermectin; it’ll upset the vaccine rollout. BizNews, May 12, 2021: https://www.biznews.com/thought-leaders/2021/05/12/mailbox-ivermectin#.YJz_DMT20RU.whatsapp Merck Statement on Ivermectin use During the COVID-19 Pandemic, February 4, 2021: https://www.merck.com/news/merck-statement-on-ivermectin-use-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/ No evidence ivermectin is a miracle drug against COVID-19 – fact-checking by the AP on December 11, 2020: https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-afs:Content:9768999400 Dr. Pierre Kory testifies before the Senate, December 15, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28YV8TfTieE Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance: https://covid19criticalcare.com YouTube Cancels the U.S. Senate. Washington Post op-ed by Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson on February 2, 2021: https://www.wsj.com/articles/youtube-cancels-the-u-s-senate-11612288061 Map of periodical cicada emergences: https://cicadas.info/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/map2021-scaled.jpg Marshall, D.C. and Cooley, J.R., 2000. Reproductive character displacement and speciation in periodical cicadas, with description of a new species, 13‐year Magicicada neotredecim. Evolution, 54(4): 1313-1325. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.0014-3820.2000.tb00564.x Everything you always wanted to know about Magicicada: https://web.archive.org/web/20110720091755/http:/insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/Michigan_Cicadas/Periodical/Index.html Lovett, B., Macias, A., Stajich, J.E., Cooley, J., Eilenberg, J., de Fine Licht, H.H. and Kasson, M.T., 2020. Behavioral betrayal: How select fungal parasites enlist living insects to do their bidding. PLoS pathogens, 16(6): 1008598. https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1008598