We kick things off Marie's bio / background for folks who missed our interview last season on BoA:Audio. We find out what made Marie decide to research volcanism and the Supervolcano story. We talk about the process of writing the book and how Marie co-wrote the book with her father Dr.John Savino.

We dive into the topic of volcanos with a little "volcano 101", to bring people up to speed on the ins and outs of volcanos. Marie explains why the "caldera" type of volcano is the most potent and dangerous of the various volcano types. She describes the process by which the caldera erupts and details how the nomenclature of "Supervolcano" (for calderas) came about, which is a fairly new development. We also touch on the difficulty in determining just how many calderas there are in the world today and Marie names some of the key and most famous calderas.

Moving on, we discuss the caldera that inspired Supervolcano: the eruption of Toba 75,000 years ago and "changed the course of human history." Marie details how the Toba eruption nearly wiped out the human race and inexorably changed the genetic fabric of the species. She also talks about how contemporary research seems to indicate that the eruption of Toba may explain more about humankind's evolution than the classic "Out of Africa" theories. We then discuss the "population bottleneck" that resulted from Toba's eruption and how that may account for the tremendous diversity amongst the human species. Marie speculates on why the human race was fortunate enough to survive the Toba eruption.

Looking at a broader picture of the Toba eruption, we talk about the concept of "cellular memory" and the theory that perhaps the "memory" of the Toba eruption was somehow imprinted onto human DNA. We look at volcanos in myths, legends, and religion and how the phenomenon has always been a part of our collective culture. We find out if the old pop culture idea of "sacrificing virgins to the volcano" is a true situation that has happened.

Marie explains why the caldera in Longvalley, California, is the most dangerous in the world today, despite not being the biggest supervolcano. She also clears up a major misunderstanding about the Yellowstone caldera that is being perpetuated in contemporary esoteric circles. Marie also tells us how, sadly, there is nothing that scientists can do to prevent a Supervolcano eruption and that the key issue is surviving the post-eruption world.

We then "war game" what would happen if the Longvalley caldera were to erupt in contemporary times. Marie explains some of the early warning signs for a caldera eruption, notably "harmonic tremor." She details the ash dispersion and how that has a dramatic effect on the global climate and infrastructure. Marie also explains why areas like the East coast of the US would be severly affected by a West coast caldera eruption, despite being so far away. Regarding the ash fall that would result from a caldera eruption, Marie explains the wide-ranging effects of such a downpouring of ash around the world. She also reveals how such an eruption would have a global effect on socio-economics and how no country would be spared the effect of the event.

We find out if there is a timetable to this sort of thing or are we left to the whim of nature as to when a caldera will erupt. Marie details what people can do to prepare themselves for the aftereffects of a supervolcano eruption, but also cautions for people to retain a sense of perspective on the potential disaster. Wrapping up the Supervolcano discussion, we find out how long scientists have known about the Yellowstone caldera, since it seems to have just broken into the mainstream in the last few years. We also find out where folks can pick up a copy of Supervolcano.

Moving on to other esoteric discussion, we discuss the issue of female researchers in the world of the paranormal and why it seems like they receive less prominence than the male researchers. Marie explains how she is fortunate, as a writer, to be able to take more risks that researchers, male or female, who are focused purely on one genre of esoterica. Marie expresses her disappointment with how the ghost hunting field is portrayed on television, which is very far from how it is in real life. We talk about women in Ufology and how they seem to be either often attacked for their ideas or relegated to niche specializations. Marie laments the lack of scientific training in many ghost hunting groups and we both speculate on what will become of the field once the proverbial "bubble" bursts and the fad winds down. We also discuss the oversaturation of ghost hunting and the people in esoterica who are overly focused on their field of research.

Heading towards the close, we find out about Marie's future books that are in the works. She previews her next book 2013 which drops this coming July. Marie explains why this book will be much different from the usual books that tackle the subject of 2012. She also previews the following book 11:11 (co-written with former BoA:Audio guest Larry Flaxman), which is due out in February of 2009.

Marie D. Jones has been involved with the paranormal in one way or another for most of her life, which led to a fascination with quantum physics and the writing of her new book, “PSIence: How New Discoveries In Quantum Physics and New Science May Explain the Existence of Paranormal Phenomena.” Marie is also a New Thought/Metaphysics minister and spiritual counselor. She holds a Master’s Degree in Metaphysical Studies has also studied Wicca, goddess traditions, mythology and comparative religion. She worked as a field investigator for MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) in Los Angeles and San Diego in the 1980s and 1990s.

Marie is a widely published author. Her book, “Looking For God in All the Wrong Places,” was chosen as the “Best Spiritual/Religious Book of 2003” by the popular book review website, RebeccasReads.com, and the book made the “Top Ten of 2003” list at MyShelf.com. Marie has also co-authored of over three-dozen inspirational books for Publications International/New Seasons, including ”100 Most Fascinating People in the Bible,” “Life Changing Prayers,” and “God’s Answers to Tough Questions” and her essays, articles and stories have appeared in “Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul,” “Chicken Soup to Inspire a Woman,” “If Women Ruled the World,” “God Allows U-Turns,” “UFO Magazine,” “Alternate Realities,” “Unity Magazine,” “Whole Life Times,” “Science of Mind Magazine” and many others. She is also a popular book reviewer for such websites as BookIdeas.com, and CurledUp.com.

Married, with one son, Max, she now resides in San Marcos, California where she continues her pursuit for knowledge of both the natural, and the supernatural.

Her blog is psience.blogspot.com and her formal website is mariedjones.com

www.mariedjones.com
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1 Hr 15 Min.
6.8.08
326
Marie Jones