Hep B or not Hep B: The 303rd Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying

On this, our 303rd Evolutionary Lens livestream, we discuss the recommendation to stop vaccinating newborns against Hepatitis B, as just handed down by ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) for the CDC. Why were newborns whose mothers do not have Hep B, being vaccinated against a disease that is contracted through sexual activity and dirty needles? We discuss claims of “safe and effective,” risk stratification, the childhood vaccine schedule, and what “individual-based decision-making” will mean for parents and doctors. Then, new research: tattoo ink induces inflammation in lymph nodes, and changes the immune response to vaccination. Finally: an homage to Tom Stoppard, playwright extraordinaire, author of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Arcadia, and so much more. RIP.

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Mentioned in this episode:

ACIP Hep B recommendation: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2025/2025-acip-recommends-individual-based-decision-making-for-hepatitis-b-vaccine-for-infants-born-to-women.html

Retsef Levi on Hep B rec: https://x.com/cdcgov/status/1996967080793358366

RFK on vaccines: https://x.com/seckennedy/status/1997104582128754854

Capucetti et al 2025. Tattoo ink induces inflammation in the draining lymph node and alters the immune response to vaccination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(48), p.e2510392122: https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2510392122

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Holding Screen
00:06:03 Heather Heying Returns!
00:18:18 New Hep B Vaccine Recommendation
00:32:08 How Parents Should Think About Vaccines
00:42:23 The Downside of the Hep B Vaccine
00:46:46 Pharma is Not Your Friend
00:56:47 Why Poisonous Plants Yield Medicine
01:02:54 Impatience in Medical Freedom
01:05:16 Vaccine Policies of "Other Countries"
01:11:22 Tattoo Ink and Inflammation
01:17:42 Tom Stoppard: Playwright & Screenwriter
01:21:13 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
01:26:06 Arcadia Act 1, Scene 1