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BOA : Audio

5.20.13

Dr. Tyler Kokjohn

(3 Hours, 15 Minutes)


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BoA:Audio continues our work building a bridge between the paranormal and scientific communities as we welcome Dr. Tyler Kokjohn, who is both a professor of microbiology at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine as well as a keen observer of the esoteric and the esoteric research community. Over the course of this marathon conversation, we'll discuss the challenges facing UFO and Bigfoot research and the attempts to 'solve' these mysteries to those in mainstream science and academia. Additionally, we'll delve into scientific topics such as DNA, Alzheimer's Disease, brain trauma, and the possible dangers surrounding the ubiquity of hand sanitizers and cell phones. Plus, of course, tons and tons more.

Altogether, it is an epic edition of the program which spans three hours and covers a wealth of topics in both the paranormal and scientific worlds with our guest Dr. Tyler Kokjohn.

Full Preview: We kick things off with the standard bio / background on Tyler Kokjohn and find out how his interest in the paranormal evolved. This leads to us talking about how, in recent years, he has begun to reach out to members of the paranormal community to offer his insights and expertise, leading to mixed results and responses from researchers. From there we talk about the lack of solid evidence for the UFO phenomenon and what sort of methods could be used to collect better data or perform scientific methods to better understand the phenomenon. The conversation continues along the lines of what methods might be used to overcome the unpredictable nature of UFOs in order to study them better.

Our conversation then turns towards the problems surrounding the ETH and how it has become synonymous with UFOs, despite not having any solid proof to make that connection. This leads to the problem surrounding academia adopting UFO research and Tyler explains how this is more due to the lack of sufficient data rather than an institutionalized coverup. We then return to the 'big picture' of UFOs and talk about the challenges of 'proving' the 'ETs as time traveler' theories and Tyler reveals that there actually may be a way, via genetic testing, to prove if they were being truthful.

This segues into a discussion on alien hybrids and how people claiming to be alien hybrids have their claims easily proven or disproven by simple genetic tests. In light of these advancements in genetics and DNA testing, Tyler warns that creating doctored genetic information could be a problem that is on the horizon. This leads to us talking about the controversial Ketchum Bigfoot DNA work and Tyler shares his thoughts on the problems surrounding the study. We then get meta and talk about the need, as discussed on previous BoA:Audio programs, to build a bridge between the paranormal and skeptic camps.

Returning the Ketchum DNA study, we talk about how traditional peer reviewed scientific papers work and why the Ketchum study did not conform to the accepted standard. Tyler also differentiates between dismissing the Ketchum work and saying, outright, that this means that Bigfoot does not exist. We move on to talk about the Brian Sykes DNA research and what may become of that ongoing study.

Moving beyond the paranormal and into Tyler's work studying Alzheimer's Disease, he reveals how the research field is "in a major funk" where there is ongoing debates within the community over how to cure the disease. We also get Tyler's thoughts on the theories surrounding a connection between Alzheimer's and Mad Cow Disease. He also talks about brain trauma, both in soldiers attacked with IEDs as well as athletes experiencing concussions, which result in ailments resembling Alzheimer's Disease and how it may lead to further insights into the development of the ailment.

Looking at Alzheimer's Disease from a broader perspective, we find out why it seems to be so much more prevalent than it did in ancient times and if that is a result of environment, the increase in life expectancies, or merely an illusion caused by greater media awareness. Tyler also talks about research suggests that the human race is due to have the first decline in life expectancy due to a myriad of factors. Looking at another health-related issue, we discuss the ubiquity of hand sanitizer and ask Tyler if it presents a danger because people may be too disinfected all the time.

We then discuss another ubiquitous aspect of modern life, cell phones, and ponder whether the proliferation of such technology has been properly vetted or could end up being the cause of potential brain problems for society in the future. This leads to discussion on the pharmaceutical industry, including how it has evolved in recent years and focused more on fixing symptoms rather than looking for cures. Somehow we end up talking about the origins of Viagra and how the drug was actually discovered by accident. We also talk about the prevalence of drugs being sold over the Internet and how dangerous that trend has become.

Getting back to the realm of the paranormal and connecting it to our conversation about science, we reflect on how the world of microbiology and germs was undiscovered until very recently in human history, which should give hope for paranormalists that there are vast worlds existing around us that have yet to be discovered. Next we examine the infamous world of 'junk DNA,' long held a possible location for possible secrets related to esoteric mysteries, and find out if it truly may contain yet to be found revelations about the paranormal. This leads to us talking about how some people are sharing their personal genomes, which is a potentially dangerous trend.

Staying within the topic of personal genomes sharing, Tyler explains the dangers which may emerge from that information becoming accessible to health care providers, employers, or various other entities. We then end up discussing cloning, specifically human cloning, and talk about if and when that will eventually happen, despite laws which prevent such an action. We also talk about how submitting one's own DNA could end up becoming something encouraged by medical people as a way of disease prevention and then lead to nefarious other results.

Once again grappling with the topic of alien abductions and hybrids, we discuss how there are now medical tests to prove if a woman was pregnant and, thus, we can actually determine the veracity of tales where women claim to have had their babies 'stolen' by ETs. This leads to more talk about the need for cooperation between paranormalists and skeptics in order to find a common ground to solve these mysteries. Returning to the concept of hybrids, we discuss the statistical issues surrounding the 'hybrid alien invasion' theory and why, numerically, it simply doesn't work. Looking at the paranormal as a whole, we find out if science has studied ephemeral phenomena before and what methods it used to solve those mysteries, such as meteors.

Continuing our attempts to bridge the two camps, we talk about how it seems like both sides, the paranormal and scientific communities, must be going in the wrong direction, since neither side has definitively proven their case to be certain. This leads to some talk about ghosthunting and the issues which plague that field, such as 'special pleading' to strengthen research. We also smash the 4th wall of the paranormal research community and ponder if their motivation lies in solving mysteries or perpetuating them for financial or personal gain. We continue the meta conversation by discussing how Tyler believes there are more mainstream scientists interested in the paranormal, but they work behind the scenes so that they can avoid the circus that is esoterica.

Heading towards the close, we reflect on how even the most dubious stories and researchers in the paranormal field manage to remain a part of the culture, despite being discredited numerous times over. Tyler also muses how his work looking at the paranormal world has led him to better understand and interpret research. In light of his recent emergence in the paranormal field, we find out if Tyler is thinking of expanding his output in esoteric media. We also muse about the importance of having a life apart from the paranormal, since it allows you more latitude and less dependence on the paranormal driving your work. Closing out the conversation, we find out what may be next for Tyler Kokjohn as well as where people can connect with him online.




Tyler Kokjohn Bio

Dr. Tyler Kokjohn is a Professor of Microbiology at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and Adjunct Senior Scientist at Banner Sun Health Research Institute. He has had a wide range of research experiences, beginning over thirty years ago with work on human tumor viruses. For the last 15 years, he has been associated with Dr. Alex Roher’s group at Banner Health investigating the underlying biochemical causes of Alzheimer’s disease. That work has involved investigations into the aftermath of failed attempts to prevent AD by immunotherapy and the response of the brain to traumatic injury.

He first became interested in UFOs after hearing Frank Edwards talking about his book, “Flying Saucers, Serious Business” on TV early in 1967. He put those interests aside for decades, until reaching a point in his career where he could begin to examine and investigate UFOs and the paranormal taking full advantage of his scientific training and experience. All he knows, for certain, is that there are few easy answers.

Tyler can be found online at twitter.com/TylerKokjohn


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