#80 – Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose and Enron Failed. Warren Buffett’s Great Ability

Is evil genetic? Why is Warren Buffett so interested? Have you ever met a person who left you wondering, “How could someone be so twisted? So evil?” As our regular listeners know, every 10th show is on a non-financial topic; however, it usually all ties in with money in some way. In this rather unusual show Jason takes a diversion to discuss the genetic components of evil with professor and author of Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend Barbara Oakley. Barbara is an associate professor of engineering at Oakland University in Michigan, where she does research on the effects of electromagnetic fields on biological tissues, as well as on novel antenna designs. One of the few women to hold a doctorate in systems engineering, Oakley is a recent vice president of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. She has been at the forefront of efforts to expand the bioengineering profession and has won teaching-related awards from such organizations as the National Science Foundation. Oakley’s work has appeared in publications ranging from The New York Times to the IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience.