Explore every episode of the podcast Mind & Matter
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
Regenerative Energy & the Light Inside You | Jack Kruse | 221
Short Summary: A mind-bending dive into evolutionary biology and health through a biophysicist’s lens, with Dr. Jack Kruse delivering provocative insights about biology, medicine, and health.
About the guest: Jack Kruse, MD, is a neurosurgeon known for integrating biophysics into medicine. He challenges conventional biochemistry with his “leptin prescription” and decentralized health approach.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Jack Kruse joins host Nick Jikomes to explore the Great Oxygenation Event’s role in shaping life, linking it to modern health via biophysics over biochemistry. They discuss oxygen’s impact on metabolism, the significance of deuterium-depleted water, and sunlight’s influence on the leptin-melanocortin pathway. Kruse shares his dramatic weight loss journey using sunlight and cold therapy, critiques modern tech-driven obesity, and unveils a controversial history of SV40 in vaccines, tying it to cancer spikes.
Key Takeaways:
The Great Oxygenation Event (2.1-2.4 billion years ago) drove life’s shift to oxygen-based metabolism, with cyanobacteria as key players.
Kruse argues biophysics, not biochemistry, explains evolution, spotlighting light as life’s fundamental driver.
Deuterium-depleted water is important for enabling our cells and mitochondria to use energy from the TCA cycle without “shocking” the body.
Sunlight exposure boosts nitric oxide, reducing food needs via the leptin pathway, challenging diet norms.
Kruse lost 133 pounds in 11 months using sunlight and cold therapy, inspiring his “leptin prescription.”
He links obesity to indoor tech lifestyles, disrupting heme proteins and mitochondrial function.
SV40, a virus in 1950s polio vaccines, may connect to cancer rises, a story Kruse says was buried by centralized science.
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Short Summary: A deep dive into the science of oxidative stress, antioxidants, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
About the guest: Pamela Maher, PhD is a professor at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases, oxidative stress, and antioxidants.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Pamela Maher discusses her research on cell death mechanisms, including apoptosis and ferroptosis, and their roles in health and disease. They discuss how oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species can damage cells, the body’s antioxidant defenses like glutathione and studies on natural compounds—fisetin, curcumin, and cannabinol (CBN)—that may protect against brain cell loss. The conversation covers CBN’s mitochondrial benefits in aging mouse models and broader risk factors for dementia, like obesity and hearing loss, emphasizing early intervention.
Key Takeaways:
Apoptosis is a controlled cell death process vital for development, while ferroptosis, linked to oxidative stress and iron, causes cells to burst and is tied to diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Oxidative stress arises when reactive oxygen species overwhelm antioxidants, damaging DNA, proteins, and cell membranes, especially polyunsaturated fats.
Glutathione, a key antioxidant, relies on cysteine and declines with age, but supplements like N-acetylcysteine might help, though tolerability varies.
Cannabinol (CBN), a THC byproduct, protects mitochondria and improves memory in aging mice, hinting at therapeutic potential beyond cannabinoid receptors.
Middle-age risk factors like visceral obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hearing loss significantly increase dementia risk, but hearing aids can reduce it.
Related episode:
M&M #165: PUFAs in Brain Health & Disease, Dietary Fats, Brain Lipids, Nutrition | Richard Bazinet
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Short Summary: A detailed examination of shamanism with anthropologist Manvir Singh, blending evolutionary theory and vivid storytelling.
About the guest: Manvir Singh, PhD is an anthropologist at the University of California, Davis. His new book, "Shamanism: The Timeless Religion," comes out on May 25, 2025.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Manvir Singh discusses shamanism’s role as a universal human practice, exploring its roots in cultural evolution, cognitive tendencies, and persistence across history and modern society. They discuss how shamans use altered states to address uncertainty—like healing or divination—while examining shamanism’s interplay with centralized religion, its psychological benefits, and parallels in today’s world, from tech gurus to medical placebos.
Key Takeaways:
Shamanism is a widespread cultural practice involving specialists who enter altered states to engage with unseen forces, often for healing or managing uncertainty.
It’s not an archaic precursor to modern religion but a recurring expression of spiritual beliefs & practices, competing with other forms.
Techniques vary widely—dance, music, psychedelics—but only about half of shamans historically used psychoactive substances.
Modern parallels include tech CEOs and money managers who project exceptionalism to influence others, echoing shamanic charisma without trance.
Open-label placebos (where patients know it’s fake) still work, suggesting rituals alone can trigger healing, much like shamanic practices.
Singh sees shamanism as a cognitive technology, not inherently good or bad, shaping how we cope with chaos across cultures and time.
Related episode:
M&M #86: Shamanism, Psychedelics, Social Behavior, Religion & Evolution of Human Culture | Michael Winkelman
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Short Summary: How environmental chemical exposures affect neurodegenerative disease and health.
About the guest: Gary Miller, PhD is a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University. His research bridges pharmacology, toxicology, and neuroscience to explore neurodegeneration, particularly Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Gary Miller talks about neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, exploring their age-driven nature, early detection challenges, and environmental risk factors such as pesticide exposure and head trauma. They discuss the emerging field of exposomics—studying lifetime chemical exposures—and its potential to uncover links between pollutants, diet, and disease, while highlighting protective factors like caffeine and nicotine, and the role of technology in advancing prevention and treatment.
Key Takeaways:
Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s & Alzheimer’s worsen with age, but early intervention could slow progression & improve quality of life.
Parkinson’s symptoms often appear after significant dopamine neuron loss, but subtle signs like handwriting changes or gait issues might be detectable earlier.
Environmental factors, including pesticides & air pollution, increase neurodegeneration risk, while caffeine and nicotine surprisingly lower Parkinson’s incidence.
The exposome—total lifetime exposure to chemicals—offers a new lens to study health, revealing how pollutants & diet interact with our biology.
Ultra-processed foods & common chemicals like PFAS (in packaging) raise exposure levels, but simple steps like air filters or less processed diets can help reduce risks.
Related episode:
M&M #145: Epigenetics, Hormones, Endocrine Disruptors, Microplastics, Xenoestrogens, Obesogens & Obesity, Inheritance of A
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Short Summary: Do elephants and other animals have language-like abilities, such as the ability to use individual names to refer to themselves and others?
About the guest: Michael Pardo, PhD studies animal behavior at Cornell University, where he focused on animal communication and cognition. His work includes extensive field research with African elephants in Kenya.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Michael Pardo, PhD talks about his research on animal communication, focusing on whether African savanna elephants use vocal "names" to address each other. They explore the broader context of vocal communication across species like dolphins, parrots, and marmosets, discussing how these systems compare to human language and what they reveal about its evolution. Dr. Pardo shares details of his fieldwork in Kenya, elephant social structures, and their behaviors like mourning the dead, while also touching on the challenges and joys of studying animals in their natural habitats.
Key Takeaways:
Elephants may use unique vocal rumbles to address specific individuals.
Dolphins use signature whistles as "calling cards," sometimes imitating others’ whistles to get their attention, hinting at a form of naming.
Elephant society features female-led family groups and dispersing males.
Elephants show intriguing behaviors like visiting carcasses and covering them with dirt, suggesting an awareness of death uncommon in most animals.
Human language evolution may have evolved gradually from simpler communication systems, as seen in various species, rather than emerging suddenly.
Studying less charismatic animals like chickens could uncover surprisingly complex communication, broadening our understanding of cognition in nature.
Related episode:
M&M #20: Language, Symbolic Cognition, Evolution, Origins of the Human Mind
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Short Summary: The science of cancer and immunity with Dr. Roychoudhuri, blending cutting-edge research with everyday implications like aspirin’s role in fighting tumor metastasis.
About the guest: Rahul Roychoudhuri, PhD is a Professor of Cancer Immunology at the University of Cambridge. His research bridges basic science and clinical applications, focusing on immune responses to cancer development and spread.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: The immune system’s role in detecting and fighting cancer, particularly how cancer cells evade immunity through selection pressures and microenvironment manipulation. They explore cancer initiation via mutations and inflammation, metastasis mechanics, and a surprising link between low-dose aspirin and reduced cancer spread, spotlighting new research on T cells and thromboxane. The discussion ties in dietary fats, aspirin’s anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects, and the potential for new therapies to prevent metastasis.
Key Takeaways:
The immune system constantly surveils and eliminates early cancer cells, but surviving cancers evolve to dodge detection.
Inflammation can both spark cancer growth and be exploited by tumors to suppress helpful immune responses.
Cancer metastasis, responsible for ~90% of cancer deaths, involves cells breaking off, traveling, and adapting to new sites.
New research shows aspirin may curb metastasis by lowering thromboxane, a lipid-derived blood clotting factor.
Human data hints aspirin reduces metastasis risk in cancers like breast and colorectal, but trials are ongoing.
Daily low-dose aspirin (75-100 mg) is used for heart health, yet its cancer benefits need more study. 600 mg per day has been observed to reduce metastasis rates in colon cancer patients, but chronic use of that dose carries some risk (ulcers, bleeding).
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Short Summary: How dietary fructose affects the growth rate of cancer.
About the guest: Gary Patti, PhD is a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, holding appointments in chemistry, medicine, and genetics
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Nick Jikomes talks to Dr. Patti, exploring how cancer cells metabolize sugars like glucose and fructose, focusing on a recent study showing fructose indirectly boosts tumor growth in mice via liver-produced lipids called LPCs. The discussion covers cancer biology basics, Warburg effect, tumor microenvironments, and systemic metabolic impacts of cancer, while also touching on dietary implications, fasting, and the complexities of nutrient use in cancer progression.
Key Takeaways:
Cancer cells often rely heavily on glucose, excreting it as lactate even when oxygen is available (Warburg effect), but take up more than their mitochondria can handle.
In a study, high fructose diets accelerated tumor growth in mice by 4x, not because cancer cells use fructose directly, but because the liver converts it to LPCs, which tumors use to build membranes.
Tumors are not just cancer cells; they recruit healthy cells in their microenvironment, and their metabolic effects ripple across the entire body, altering distant tissues.
Excessive fructose consumption may worsen tumor growth, but cutting it poses little risk and could benefit cancer patients, pending human studies.
Fasting may reduce cancer initiation risk in animals, but its effect on existing tumors is less clear and could worsen wasting (cachexia) in late stages.
The body tightly regulates blood glucose via the liver, so simply cutting dietary glucose won’t starve tumors, highlighting cancer’s metabolic adaptability.
Related episode:
M&M #200: Dietary Fats & Seed Oils in Inflammation, Colon Cancer
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Short Summary: How diet shapes the gut microbiome and impacts health, with microbiologist Dr. Peter Turnbaugh breaking down the complex science.
About the guest: Peter Turnbaugh, PhD is a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, where he leads a lab studying the gut microbiome’s role in nutrition and drug response.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Nick talks to Peter Turnbaugh discuss the pitfalls of oversimplified diet labels in research, Turnbaugh’s studies comparing plant-based and animal-based diets in humans, and how these shifts rapidly alter gut microbes and short-chain fatty acid profiles.
Key Takeaways:
The term “high-fat diet” in research is often misleading, as it can include high carbs and vary widely, complicating study comparisons.
In a 2014 study, switching humans to a plant-based (high-fiber) or animal-based (ketogenic, no-fiber) diet changed their gut microbiome within one day, showing its remarkable adaptability.
Ketogenic diets reduce Bifidobacterium in the gut, which may lower inflammation-linked immune cells (Th17), potentially aiding conditions like multiple sclerosis.
Short-chain fatty acids (e.g., butyrate) don’t just come from fiber; they persist even on zero-fiber ketogenic diets, hinting at alternative microbial pathways.
Gut microbes can activate or deactivate drugs, like antibiotics or digoxin, suggesting microbiomes may explain why drugs work differently across individuals.
Ketone bodies like BHB alone can mimic some ketogenic diet effects on the microbiome and immunity, simplifying research and hinting at therapeutic potential.
Related episode:
M&M #203: Metagenomics, Microbiome Transmission, Gut Microbiome in Health & Disease | Nicola Segata
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Short Summary: The science of diabetes with Dr. Scott Soleimanpour, blending personal insights and cutting-edge research that gets into mitochondrial biology and more.
About the guest: Scott Soleimanpour, MD, is a physician-scientist at the University of Michigan, where he runs a lab studying pancreatic beta cell biology and mitochondrial quality control in diabetes.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Nick Jikomes interviews Dr. Scott Soleimanpour about the biology of diabetes, exploring the pancreas’s dual role in digestion and blood sugar regulation via beta cells, which produce insulin. They discuss type 1 diabetes as an autoimmune condition with rising incidence and complex beta cell issues, and type 2 as a progressive disease tied to beta cell failure, not just obesity. The conversation covers mitochondrial function in beta cells, lifestyle factors like diet, and the limits of current treatments, offering practical advice for prevention and management.
Key Takeaways:
The pancreas has two parts: the exocrine (98%) makes digestive enzymes, while the endocrine (1-2%) regulates blood sugar with hormones like insulin from beta cells.
Type 1 diabetes involves autoimmunity and intrinsic beta cell defects, with rates increasing due to environmental factors, not just genetics.
Type 2 diabetes hinges on beta cell dysfunction, not obesity alone—only 1 in 5 overweight people develop it, showing other factors matter.
Beta cells are energy-intensive and long-lived, relying on mitochondria; stress from overwork (e.g., excess insulin demand) can lead to failure.
Current diabetes drugs don’t rejuvenate beta cells; only TZDs (rarely used) preserve function, highlighting a gap in treatment.
Related episode:
M&M #140: Obesogens, Oxidative Stress, Dietary Sugars & Fats, Statins, Diabetes & the True Causes of Metabolic Dysf
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Short Summary: A rare, insider’s look at the messy realities of scientific research with Stanford’s Dr. John Ioannidis. The good, the bad, and the ugly about how scientific research actually works.
About the guest: John Ioannidis, MD, PhD is a professor at Stanford University in medicine, epidemiology, population health, and biomedical data science, with an MD from the University of Athens and a PhD from Harvard in biostatistics. He directs the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), focusing on improving research methods and practices. Renowned for his paper “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False,” he’s among the most cited scientists globally, tackling biases and reproducibility in science.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Key Takeaways:
Science’s “replication crisis” isn’t new—it’s baked into how tough and bias-prone research is, hitting all fields, not just “soft” ones like psychology.
Ioannidis’s famous claim, “most published findings are false,” holds up: stats show many “significant” results are flukes due to weak studies or bias.
Peer review’s a mixed bag—only a third of papers improve, and unpaid, tired reviewers miss a lot, letting shaky stuff slip through.
Publishing’s a $30 billion game with 50,000+ journals; big players like Elsevier rake in huge profits from subscriptions and fees, often over $10,000 per paper.
Researchers game the system—think fake co-authorships or citation cartels—boosting metrics like the H-index, which tracks papers with matching citation counts.
Ioannidis’s early COVID-19 fatality rate (0.2-0.3%) was spot-on but sparked a firestorm as politics warped science into “clan warfare.”
NIH funding’s clogged by red tape and favors older researchers, starving young innovators and risky ideas that could shake things up.
He’s building tools like a public database of scientist stats (4 million downloads!) to spotlight gaming and push for transparent, fair research.
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Short Summary: Personalized health monitoring with Professor Michael Snyder, blending cutting-edge science with practical tips and actionable insights.
About the guest: Michael Snyder, PhD is a Professor of Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine. He directs the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, which focuses on big data and health innovation. Snyder holds a PhD from Caltech and completed postdoctoral work at Stanford. His career has spanned yeast genomics to human health profiling. Currently, he leads research on advanced molecular and wearable technologies while spinning off companies like Q Bio to translate findings into real-world health solutions.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Nick talks to Dr. Michael Snyder about transforming medicine through personalized health monitoring, leveraging tools like wearables, continuous glucose monitors, and deep molecular profiling. They explore how diet, microbiome, and genetics shape metabolic health, delving into Snyder’s research on diabetes subtypes, short-chain fatty acids, and aging patterns. The conversation also covers practical technologies available today, like smartwatches and home blood tests, and their potential to catch diseases early and extend healthy lifespans.
Key Takeaways:
Medicine is shifting from sick care to proactive health care using comprehensive data from wearables and molecular profiling.
Diabetes has many subtypes, not just type 1 or 2, and treatments like drugs or diet should match an individual’s specific profile.
Dietary fiber boosts gut health by producing short-chain fatty acids, which influence gene expression and may reduce leaky gut risks.
Aging isn’t linear—big changes spike in the 40s and 60s, varying by person (e.g., heart, kidneys, metabolism), offering chances to adjust lifestyles early.
Wearables like fitness watches can detect illnesses (e.g., COVID, Lyme) days before symptoms by tracking heart rate shifts.
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KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
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Short Summary: Insider’s look at the COVID-19 pandemic response from a seasoned epidemiologist, unraveling myths and lessons with straightforward science.
About the guest: Martin Kulldorff, PhD is an epidemiologist and biostatistician with decades of experience in infectious disease monitoring and vaccine safety. He was formerly a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Martin Kulldorff discusses the COVID pandemic response, reflecting on the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, which opposed lockdowns in favor of protecting the vulnerable. They explore the virus’s fatality rates, asymptomatic spread, and vaccine efficacy, contrasting textbook epidemiology with real-world decisions. He critiques institutional failures, like the CDC’s misleading claims. He shares optimism for future pandemics with better leadership and public awareness.
Key Takeaways:
Lockdowns ignored basic public health principles, causing collateral damage like missed cancer screenings, while Sweden’s focused protection approach led to lower excess mortality.
Early data showed COVID’s risk was 1000x higher for older people, yet lockdowns didn’t prioritize them, unlike textbook strategies.
Asymptomatic spread made containment impossible, unlike Ebola, where isolation works due to clear symptoms.
Natural immunity was downplayed despite 2500 years of evidence, leading to wasted vaccines on those already immune.
CDC falsely claimed vaccines stopped transmission, eroding trust when people got sick anyway, fueling vaccine skepticism.
mRNA vaccine boosters lack proper trials, and their long-term effects need rigorous study, not assumptions.
Kulldorff’s new Journal of the Academy of Public Health pushes open peer review to rebuild trust in science.
Related episode:
M&M #100: Infectious Disease, Epidemiology, Pandemics, Health Policy, COVID, Politicization
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Short Summary: Thyroid biology, offering insights into its role in metabolism, development, and longevity, making it a fascinating listen for those interested in how our bodies manage energy and health across the lifespan.
Guest: Diana van Heemst, PhD is a biologist at Leiden University Medical Center, specializing in gerontology and geriatrics. Her research focuses on the neuroendocrine biology of aging and longevity in humans, particularly involving thyroid functions.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and to everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Full Summary: Dr. Diana van Heemst explores the thyroid's critical role in metabolism, growth, development, and transitions across life stages. It discusses the thyroid's evolutionary history, its location in the neck, and how it functions through hormone secretion, specifically T3 and T4. The conversation covers the importance of nutrients like iodine and selenium, the impact of thyroid hormone on various bodily functions, and the implications for health conditions like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. It also touches on how thyroid activity might relate to longevity.
Key Takeaways:
Thyroid Hormones: T3 and T4 are crucial, with T3 being the active form that regulates metabolism, heart rate, and cognitive functions.
Iodine and Selenium: Essential for thyroid hormone synthesis; iodine is unique to thyroid hormones, while selenium is vital for the enzymes that regulate hormone availability.
Hypothyroidism vs. Hyperthyroidism: Hypothyroidism is more common, especially in older age due to autoimmune issues, leading to symptoms like fatigue and cold sensitivity. Hyperthyroidism can result from iodine excess or autoimmune conditions like Graves' disease.
Developmental Role: Thyroid hormones are vital for major developmental transitions, from birth to puberty, impacting brain development and metabolic adaptation.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
Short Summary: The complexities of neurodegenerative disease, particularly Alzheimer's, environmental influences like glyphosate, and the crucial role of nutrients like choline, with actionable insights into brain health management.
About the guest: Dr. Ramon Valazquez is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University, leading a research lab at the Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center. His work focuses on environmental factors related to Alzheimer's and other dementias, alongside developing therapeutic strategies.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and to everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere. Full transcript and other information on Substack.
Episode Summary: Dr. Ramon Velazquez explores neurodegenerative disease, with a deep dive into Alzheimer's, its pathophysiology including amyloid beta plaques and tau pathology. It examines the controversy around these proteins' roles in disease progression, the influence of environmental toxins like glyphosate on brain health, and the preventive potential of nutritional interventions, particularly choline.
Key Takeaways:
Neurodegenerative Disease Basics: Alzheimer's disease involves both amyloid beta plaques and tau tangles, with tau pathology more closely linked to clinical symptoms.
Environmental Impact: Glyphosate, a common herbicide, can cross into the brain, potentially exacerbating neurodegenerative pathways through inflammation.
Choline: Essential for brain function and fat metabolism, it’s often deficient in diets, particularly plant-based ones. Adequate intake might prevent or mitigate cognitive decline and related diseases.
Preventive Measures: Early nutritional intervention, like maintaining choline levels, could be vital for preventing neurodegenerative diseases. However, once symptoms are present, such interventions might not reverse existing pathology.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
Short Summary: The science of glycosylation, its impact on health, and potential treatments for congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDGs).
About the guest: Dr. Eva Morava is a pediatric geneticist originally from Hungary, who has specialized in inborn errors of metabolism, particularly CDGs. She has a background in pediatrics and genetics from training in Hungary and the U.S. and is director of the Inherited Metabolic Disorders Section at GGS.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and to everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
Episode Summary: Dr. Eva Morava discusses the critical role of glycosylation in biology, where sugars are not just used for energy but in modifying proteins to perform their functions. She explains how defects in this process lead to CDGs, a group of rare genetic disorders. The conversation covers the mechanics of glycosylation, clinical presentations of CDGs, current research on treatments including dietary interventions and gene therapy, and the broader implications of glycosylation in health, such as in liver disease and cancer.
Key Takeaways:
Glycosylation Basics: Sugars are attached to proteins (glycosylation) to modify their structure and function, influencing everything from clotting to immune response.
CDGs: These disorders are caused by genetic defects in the glycosylation process, leading to a wide array of symptoms because many proteins require glycosylation to function correctly.
Clinical Variability: CDGs can range from severe, multi-systemic presentations to relatively mild cases, affecting life expectancy and quality of life variably.
Therapeutic Approaches: Current research includes drug repurposing for enzyme activity enhancement, dietary interventions with special sugars like mannose, and gene therapy, with some trials underway.
Liver Connection: A significant portion of glycosylation occurs in the liver; thus, liver diseases like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can impact glycosylation.
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KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
Short Summary: How human culture and psychology have evolved, particularly exploring the unique psychological traits of "WEIRD" (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) societies, providing insights into why our minds and societies are the way they are today.
About the Guest: Joe Henrich, PhD is a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on applying evolutionary theory to understand the human mind and culture, particularly how cultural evolution has led to the emergence of WEIRD psychology.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and to everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
Key Takeaways:
WEIRD Psychology: WEIRD stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic, highlighting unique psychological traits like individualism and analytic thinking which are not universal but specific to Western societies.
Marriage & Kinship: The Western Church's marriage policies, promoting monogamy and the nuclear family, contributed to the dissolution of extended kinship networks, fostering individualism in Western societies.
Institutional Influence: Institutions in WEIRD societies, like universities and legal systems, focus on individual rights and mental states, contrasting with other cultures emphasizing group or kin loyalty.
Modern Challenges: Henrich touches on current issues like the impact of dating apps on mating markets, potentially leading to social instability due to increased male-female inequality in mating success.
Future of Religion and Culture: The conversation speculates on the future evolution of religion and cultural practices, suggesting that religions fostering high fertility and communal support might gain prominence.
Related episode:
M&M #129: Biological Sex, Sexual Selection, Sex Behavior, Mating Strategies, Sexual Orientation, Monogamy & Polygyny | David Puts
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Short Summary: Deep dive into systems biology and personalized medicine, exploring how technology and data can revolutionize health care, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and the future of medicine.
About the Guest: Dr. Lee Hood is a pioneering scientist with a 60-year career in biology, notably at Caltech and the University of Washington. He co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology and has significantly contributed to molecular immunology and the Human Genome Project, holding a PhD in biology.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and to everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
Key Takeaways:
Systems Biology: Understanding complex biological systems by analyzing how individual components interact.
Data-Driven Health: Use of genomic and phenomic data can lead to personalized health strategies, enhancing wellness and preventing chronic diseases before they manifest.
AI in Medicine: AI can augment human capabilities in medicine, acting as a vast knowledge base to assist physicians in diagnosis and treatment, potentially leading to a partnership model between AI and human doctors.
Chronic Disease: Much of the chronic disease burden could potentially be mitigated through lifestyle changes rather than solely through pharmaceutical interventions.
Future Drug Development: The traditional focus on single-target drugs might shift towards multi-modal strategies, recognizing diseases like Alzheimer's might be a metabolic disorder.
Peptides and New Therapies: Small peptide drugs are emerging as potential new treatments due to their ability to interact with a range of biological molecules, offering new possibilities beyond traditional small molecule drugs.
Environmental Impact on Health: While personal behavior significantly influences health outcomes, environmental factors like exposure to toxins can also play critical roles in disease development.
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Short Summary: Deep dive into preventive medicine, personalized nutrition, and systems biology, providing listeners with actionable insights on optimizing health through diet & microbiome management.
About the guest: Momo Vuyisich is a biologist with a background in government science, focusing on drug development before shifting to preventive medicine. He holds a PhD in biochemistry and is currently Chief Science Officer of Viome, a startup company dedicated to personalized health through microbiome analysis.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and for free on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
Episode Summary: Dr. Vuyisich discusses the transformative potential of preventive medicine by drawing parallels between human health and systems biology, particularly through the lens of the gut microbiome. He explains how Viome uses comprehensive testing (stool, blood, saliva), providing personalized dietary and supplement recommendations based on individual physiological data. Covers the complexity of diseases like IBD, the impact of modern lifestyle on our microbiome, and more.
Key Takeaways:
Disconnection from Nature: Modern lifestyles have disrupted our symbiotic relationship with nature, leading to microbiome degradation through factors like antibiotics, preservatives, and hygiene practices.
Personalized Nutrition: Viome's approach involves tailoring food recommendations & supplements to an individual's unique microbiome and physiological needs, highlighting that food impacts can vary greatly between individuals.
Testing for Prevention: Regular testing with tools like Viome's full body intelligence test can help in making informed dietary changes to prevent diseases before they manifest.
Lifestyle Over Medication: Many chronic conditions can potentially be managed or prevented through lifestyle adjustments rather than lifelong medication, emphasizing the need for a preventive rather than reactive strategy.
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Short Summary: A deep dive into the enigmatic world of sleep, exploring its biological functions, evolutionary origins, and diverse manifestations across different species.
About the Guest: Nicola Segata, PhD is a professor at the University of Trento in Italy.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
Episode Summary: Dr. Segata explains metagenomics, the study of genetic material from multiple species, and how it has revolutionized microbiome research; microbiome transmission from mother to child; stability and plasticity of the microbiome throughout life stages; obesity and cancer; influence of diet, lifestyle, and medications like antibiotics on microbiome composition.
Key Takeaways:
Microbiome Variability: The human microbiome varies significantly between individuals and is influenced by genetics, environment, diet, and lifestyle. Thus, personalized approaches to microbiome health may be necessary.
Transmission and Acquisition: Microbes are transmitted vertically from mother to child at birth and horizontally through personal interactions. This transmission can influence health outcomes over one's lifetime.
Impact of Diet and Drugs: Diet, particularly coffee consumption, can significantly shape the microbiome, with some bacteria growing in response to specific dietary components. Medications like antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors can also markedly alter microbial communities.
Health Implications: The microbiome is linked to various health conditions, from metabolic diseases to cancer, with some treatments like fecal microbiota transplantation showing promise in altering microbiome composition for health benefits.
Ancient vs. Modern Microbiomes: Studies on ancient microbiomes, like the Iceman's, suggest that modern urban microbiomes differ from those of our ancestors, potentially impacting modern health issues.
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Short Summary: A deep dive into the enigmatic world of sleep, exploring its biological functions, evolutionary origins, and the diverse manifestations across different species.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
About the Guest: Vlad Vyazovskiy, PhD is a Professor of Sleep Physiology at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics at Oxford University.
Key Takeaways:
Sleep as a Mystery: Despite extensive research, the fundamental reason why animals sleep remains elusive, with no comprehensive theory yet agreed upon.
Local Sleep Phenomenon: Sleep might not be a whole-brain event; even within a sleeping brain, different areas can be in different states of activity or rest.
Sleep in Animals: Sleep varies widely among species, from micro-sleeps in penguins to unihemispheric sleep in dolphins, suggesting sleep could serve multiple, context-dependent functions.
Synaptic Homeostasis: The hypothesis suggests that sleep could be crucial for renormalizing synaptic connections formed during wakefulness, although this idea is still under scrutiny.
Hibernation & Torpor: These states relate to sleep but involve significant metabolic changes, possibly acting as survival mechanisms by conserving energy and reducing detectability by predators.
Psychedelics & Sleep: Research shows psychedelics like 5-MeO-DMT can induce states where animals show signs of sleep in their brain activity while physically active, hinting at complex interactions between brain states and consciousness.
Related episodes:
M&M #43: Sleep, Dreaming, Deep Neural Networks, Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence, Overfitted Brain Hypothesis, Evolution of Fiction & Art | Erik Hoel
M&M #16: Sleep, Dreams, Memory & the Brain | Bob Stickgold
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Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
About the Guest: Alex Wiltschko holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard, focusing on olfaction. He transitioned from academic research to AI at Google before founding Osmo, where he applies his expertise in digitizing scents. He aims to innovate in areas like fragrance design and health applications.
Episode Summary: Dr. Wiltschko explores the science of smell, discussing the divide between aroma and olfaction studies and how biological metabolism influences scent. He explains how only a tiny fraction of molecules emitted by strawberries are responsible for their smell, illustrating the precision of olfactory perception. The conversation also covers how Osmo is working to digitize scent, creating technology for safer, custom fragrances and potential future applications like non-invasive disease detection through scent.
Key Takeaways:
Aroma vs. Olfaction: There's a significant distinction in how the chemistry of scent creation (aroma) and brain processing of scents (olfaction) are studied, with little crossover between these fields.
Biological Metabolism and Scent: Scent molecules are often byproducts of biological processes, with a complex relationship to nutrition and survival cues.
Digitizing Scent: Osmo is pioneering the use of AI to digitize and manipulate scents, potentially revolutionizing fragrance design and detection technologies.
Fragrance Innovation: The company focuses on creating unique, safe, and affordable fragrances for smaller brands, leveraging AI for quick design and production.
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The complex science of dietary lipids (fats) and inflammation, with actionable advice for managing health through dietary choices.
Note: Full episodes are available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and are free on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
About the guest: Tim Yeatman, MD is a surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at the University of South Florida, also serving as an Associate Center Director for Translational Research and Clinical Innovation at the Tampa General Cancer Institute. Ganesh Halade, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, focusing on cardiovascular diseases with research centered on inflammation and resolution signaling.
Episode summary: Explores the link between dietary lipids, particularly omega-6 fatty acids from seed oils, chronic inflammation, and cancer. It starts with a historical perspective on cancer as an inflammatory disease, referencing the work of Rudolf Virchow, and delves into how modern diets have shifted to include an imbalance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, leading to chronic inflammation. Includes insights from a recent study by Yeatman and Halade on lipid dysregulation in colon cancer, explaining how this imbalance can contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases. The conversation also touches on lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and sleep, and how they interact with lipid metabolism to affect health outcomes.
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Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and freely on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
About the guest: Ben Potter, PhD is an archaeologist & Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. James Chatters, PhD is a retired archaeologist and paleontologist. They recently published a paper on the diet of the Clovis people of North America at the end of the last Ice Age.
Episode summary: Nick talks to Dr. Potter & Dr. Chatters about: the Clovis culture and initial human colonization of the Americas; human diet since the last Ice Age; ancient human diets; hunting of Mammoths and other large herbivores; Clovis technology & culture, including projectile weapons; and more.
Related episode:
M&M #160: Diet, Hunting, Culture and Evolution of Paleolithic Humans & Hunter Gatherers | Eugene Morin
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and full video versions are free on YouTube. This episode will not be posted on YouTube due to the controversial nature of the content.
About the guest: Jessica Rose, PhD is a computational biologist who has been studying and analyzing data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Responding System (VAERS) related to COVID.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Rose discuss: Vaccine Adverse Event Responding System (VAERS); analysis of VAERS data for COVID; mRNA technology; spike protein persistence & lipid nanoparticles; common adverse events reported for the Pfizer & Moderna shots; myocarditis & menstrual irregularities; IgG4 antibodies, molecular mimicry & autoimmunity; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #196: Vaccine Contamination & Fiat Science | Kevin McKernan
M&M #100: Infectious Disease, Epidemiology, Pandemics, Health Policy, COVID, Politicization of Science | Jay Bhattacharya
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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Full episodes are available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and free on YouTube. This is a free, partial version.
About the guest: Andrew Cutler, PhD is a machine learning engineer who has studied natural language processing, psychometrics & personality using quantitative methods. He writes about the origins of consciousness on his Substack, "Vectors of Mind"
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Cutler discuss: language & recursion; human evolution & the origins of "higher" consciousness; symbolic cognition, social intelligence & metacognition; creation myths & ritual cults throughout history; snake cults in human history; the intentional ingestion of snake venom in the present-day; the "Stone Ape Theory" of consciousness; the origins of civilization; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #141: Evolution, Language, Domestication, Symbolic Cognition, AI & Large Language Models | Terrence Deacon
M&M #1: Psychedelics, Civilization, Religion, Death & Plant Medicine | Brian Muraresku
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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Full episodes are available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and free on YouTube. This is a free, partial version.
About the guest: Rosemary Bagot, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University and the Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Neurogenomics. Her lab studies the neurobiology of stress at the molecular, circuit, and behavioral levels.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Bagot discuss the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) Axis, cortisol and hormonal responses to stress; neural circuits related to the perception of threats & stressors; resilience & early life stress; sex differences & individual variability in stress response; epigenetics & transgenerational effects of stress; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #183: Calorie Restriction & Fasting: Aging, Immunity, Health Biomarkers, Stress, Genetics | Gary Churchill
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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About the guest: Jibran Khokhar, PhD is Associate Professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology at Western University in Ontario. His lab studies the neurobiology of the co-occurrence of psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia with substance use disorders.
Episode summary: Nick and Kevin discuss high comorbidity among mental illness, the dopamine reward system, antipsychotics & other psychiatric drugs; the relationship between THC (marijuana) and psychosis; sex differences in the brain; nicotine e-cigarettes (vaping) compared to smoking; and more.
Related episode:
M&M #113: Alcohol Toxicity, Vaping vs. Smoking, Tobacco, Nicotine, Marijuana, Cannabis Terpenes, THC, Toxicology, Health Effects of Vaping | Echo Rufer
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
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Full episodes are available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and free on YouTube. This is a free, partial version.
About the guest: Kevin McKernan is the founder and Chief Science Officer of Medicinal Genomics. He has worked in biotechnology since the early 1990s, when he was involved in the Human Genome Project.
Episode summary: Nick and Kevin discuss: components of the COVID vaccines, including modified mRNA & lipid nanoparticles; DNA contamination in COVID vaccines; vaccine adverse events & IgG4 immune modulation; concerns with COVID PCR testing; origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; Fiat Science from the AIDS epidemic to today; how Big Pharma works with government regulators; decentralized medicine; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #149: DNA & RNA Biology, mRNA Vaccines, Vax Contamination & Side Effects, Spike Protein, Ivermectin, Hop Latent Viroid | Kevin McKernan
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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About the guest: Andrzej Slominski, MD, PhD is a dermapathologist and skin biologist who has spent decades studying skin biology, especially regarding endocrinology (hormones), stress response, photobiology, and more.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Slominski discuss: hormone production in the skin; vitamin D photobiology; risks and benefits of UVB light; skin cancer & sunscreen; protective effects of melatonin production in the skin; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #104: Benefits & Risks of UV Radiation & Sunlight, Skin Health, Vitamin D, Nitric Oxide, Evolution of Skin Color | Richard Weller
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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About the guest: Joshua Siegel, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist & systems neuroscience at New York University. He uses functional imaging to study the effects of psychedelics and other drugs on the human brain.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Siegel discuss: fMRI and how it works; relationship between neural activity and blood flow; functional connectivity & the default mode network of the human brain; the functional effects of psilocybin on the brain; the role that subjective & expectancy effects in psychedelics medicine; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #173: Psychedelics, Consciousness, Psychiatry, Psychology, Mental Health & the Entropic Brain Hypothesis
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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About the guest: Richard Cytowic is a neurologist, poplar science writer and professor at the George Washington University.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Cytowic discuss: the effects of smart phones and social media on the developing and adult brain; artificial blue light vs. broad spectrum natural light; attention & addiction to technology; sensory overstimulation & “virtual autism”; synesthesia and multimodal sensory perception; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M 78: Nature vs. Nurture, Neurogenetics, Personality, Autism, Schizophrenia, Synesthesia, Perception, Agency & Free Will | Kevin Mitchell
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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About the guest: Thomas Weimbs, PhD is a biologist at UC-Santa Barbara whose lab studies kidney function in health and disease.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Weimbs discuss: basic kidney biology; kidney stones and their causes, including dietary oxalates and fructose; the kidney damaging effects of common pharmaceuticals like Ibuprofen; the beneficial effects of BHB and ketosis for kidney health; the myth that high protein intake is bad for the kidney; kidney diseases and their causes; and more.
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About the guest: Nick Norwitz, PhD received his PhD in Physiology at Oxford University and is finishing his MD degree at Harvard Medical School. He is also an independent content creator focused on making metabolic health mainstream.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Norwitz discuss: blood lipids & cholesterol; high cholesterol levels and what they can mean for different people; the “lean mass hyper-responder” phenotype to carb restriction; ketogenic & carnivore diets; public trust in medical & science institutions; n=1 (“n of one”) science experiments; and more.
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About the guest: Nicole Avena, PhD is a neuroscientist at Mount Sinai. She studies the effects of sugar and diet on animal behavior and the brain. She is also the author of, “Sugarless.”
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Avena discuss: drug addiction vs. food addiction; glucose, fructose & artificial sweeteners; the extent to which sugar consumption can drive dependency & withdrawal; fructose metabolism & live health; sweetness & palatability; ultra-processed foods; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M 140: Obesogens, Oxidative Stress, Dietary Sugars & Fats, Statins, Diabetes & the True Causes of Metabolic Dysfunction & Chronic Disease | Robert Lustig
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice
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About the guest: Angel Nadal, PhD is a biologist in Spain whose lab studies endocrine disruptors (e.g. microplastics), hormones (estrogen, insulin), and the endocrine functions of the pancreas in health & disease.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Nadal discuss: endocrine biology of the pancreas; insulin and estrogen signaling in the pancreas; BPA, microplastics, and other xenoestrogens; pregnancy & fetal development; effects of hormone disruptors in males vs. females; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M 145: Epigenetics, Hormones, Endocrine Disruptors, Microplastics, Xenoestrogens, Obesogens & Obesity, Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics | Bruce Blumberg
M&M #124: Hormonal Contraception, Sex Hormones, Menstruation, Pregnancy, Puberty, Estrogens, Androgens, Effects of Birth Control on Cognition | Adriene Beltz
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
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About the guest: Gary Churchill, PhD is a statistician & geneticist at the Jackson Research laboratory in Maine. His lab uses a systems approach to investigate the genetics of complex biological traits in health & disease.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Churchill discuss: his recent papers looking at the effects of caloric restriction & intermittent fasting on nearly 1,000 genetically diverse mice; how dietary restrictions affect longevity, metabolic health, immunity, and hundreds of biomarkers; the role of genetics vs. diet in aging; and more.
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Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Fedorenko discuss: the relationship between language and thought; the extent to which language is for thinking vs. communication; Noam Chomsky’s Universal Grammar theory; Sapir-Whorf hypothesis; language acquisition & language learning; language networks in the brain; neuroanatomy & brain lateralization; large language models (LLMs) & machine intelligence; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #141: Evolution, Language, Domestication, Symbolic Cognition, AI & Large Language Models
M&M #20: Language, Symbolic Cognition, Evolution, Origins of the Human Mind | Terrence Deacon
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
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About the guest: Nir Lipsman, MD, PhD is a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist at the University of Toronto.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Lipsman discuss: neurosurgery; the blood-brain barrier and how it works; using focused ultrasound technology to non-invasively treat patients; regulatory impediments to clinical research; costs, constraints, and future applications of ultrasound tech for treating psychiatric conditions; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #168: Sleep: Neural Circuits, Orexin/Hypocretin, Hypothalamus, Neuromodulators, Stress & Cortisol, Sleep Drugs & Ultrasound Technology | Luis de Lecea
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
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KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
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About the guest: Marcelo Dietrich, MD, PhD is an associate professor in Comparative Medicine & Neuroscience at Yale University, where his lab studies the neural basis of behavior in mammals.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Dietrich discuss: maternal care behavior, mother-infant bonding, and feeding in infant mammals; neural circuits regulating hunger & satiety; brain development & early social learning; behavioral variability among individuals; and more.
Related episode:
M&M #108: Monogamy, Sexual & Parental Behavior, Social Attachment, Oxytocin, Sex Hormones, Childhood Psychosis, Menopause & Brain Development | Devanand Manoli
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
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About the guest: Maxime Aubert, PhD is a geochemist & archeologist at Griffiths University in Australia. He specializes in the application of advanced analytical techniques to date the age of ancient rock art and hominin fossils.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Aubert discuss: the oldest known cave art and what it depicts; human evolution & interbreeding with different human sub-species; the origins of anatomically modern humans & advanced cognition; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #126: Evolution of Human Behavior, Anatomy & Diet, Homo naledi & the Cave of Bones | John Hawks
M&M #38: Human Evolution, Homo Naledi, Ancient Drug Use, Ritual Burials, Origins of the Human Mind | Lee Berger
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Nick Jikomes, PhD is the creator and host of the podcast. You can read more about him here.
Episode summary: Nick answers questions from listeners on topics such as: his scientific background & interests; staying up-to-date on research & selecting guests; thoughts on psychedelic science & drug use; questions related to diet, metabolic health & fat loss; controversial ideas worth considering; and more.
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: June Round, PhD is a microbiologist whose lab at the University of Utah studies microbiome-host interactions, gut microbiota, immunity, metabolism, obesity, and other disorders.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Round discuss: how the immune system and gut microbiome interact; dietary fiber & short-chain fatty acid production by gut microbes; nutrient absorption; obesity & metabolic syndrome; type I diabetes; cleanliness, development & the “hygiene hypothesis”; and more.
Related episode:
M&M #133: Infant Microbiome & Breast Milk, Oral Microbiome & Cavities, Gut Health, Fiber, Probiotics, Diet, Sex Hormones, Soy Foods & Estrogens | Carolina Tropini
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Gregory Scherrer, PharmD, PhD is a neuroscientist whose lab at the University of North Carolina studies the neural basis of pain, including its sensory, emotional, and cognitive components.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Scherrer discuss: the neural basis of pain sensation & pain perception; opioids & the opioid system; cognitive modulation of painful experiences; neural basis of placebo effects; endogenous opioid system; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #52: Pain Drugs, NSAIDs, Opioids, Oxycodone, Heroin, Fentanyl & the Neuroscience of Pain | David Roberson
*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
Special episode: Episodes in the Independent Scholars (IS) series are available in full to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack. This is a free, partial version.
About the guest: Steven Rofrano became interested in human health & food, including ancestral vs. modern diets, from personal experiences in diet & allergies during college. He is co-founder and CEO at Ancient Crunch, Inc., which provides alternatives to widely consumed ultra-processed snack foods. Before becoming an entrepreneur Steven studied mathematics at Yale University and worked as a software engineer.
Episode summary: Nick and Steven discuss: ancestral vs. modern foods; seed oils & polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); inflammation, allergies, and immunity; PUFAs, free radicals, and oxidative stress; the corrupting influence of private industry on food science; the history of seed oils; animal vs. plant fats; Steven’s food startup; and more.
Related episodes:
M&M #176: Bad Science, Nutrition Epidemiology, History of Obesity Research, Diet & Metabolic Health | Gary Taubes
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Gary Taubes is a researcher, science historian, and science journalist. He has written several books, including “Rethinking Diabetes.”
Episode summary: Nick and Gary Taubes discuss: the field of nutrition epidemiology and why it’s filled with so much junk science; social factors influencing scientific research; the history of obesity & diabetes research; the energy balance vs. carbohydrate-insulin models of obesity; fats, carbs & insulin resistance; and more.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Austin Argentieri, PhD is a researcher in the Analytic & Translational Genetics Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital with academic appointments at Harvard & the Broad Institute. His research focuses on large-scale analyses to to understand human aging.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Argentieri discuss: chronological vs. biological age; DNA methylation and aging clocks; proteomics and protein measurements in aging research; health, longevity, and human healthspan; and more.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Sean Hartig, PhD is an associate professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, where is lab studies adipose (fat) tissue, metabolic regulation, and obesity & energy balance disorders.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Hartig discuss: visceral vs. subcutaneous fat; white, brown, and beige adipose tissue; physiology of fat cells; obesity, insulin resistance, and leptin resistance; hormones & fertility; GLP-1 drugs for weight loss; and more.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD is a neuroscientist & psychopharmacologist. His lab at the University of California-San Francisco studies the effects of psychedelics and other drugs on the human brain, using neuroimaging and other approaches.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Carhart-Harris discuss: psychedelics & the human brain; functional connectivity & entropy in brain patterns; the “entropic brain” hypothesis of psychedelic drug action; psychiatry & depression; psychology, Carl Jung & Sigmund Freud; the FDA’s rejection of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD; latest research on psychedelics; and more.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Caetano Reis e Sousa, DPhil is an immunologist and Principal Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute in London. His lab studies immune system function, including its ability to fight infection and cancer.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Reis e Sousa discuss: dendritic cells & innate immunity; how the immune system recognizes pathogens, damaged cells, and cancer cells; gut microbiome & non-pathogenic bacteria; inflammation; vitamin D & gut-immune interactions; cancer; and more.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.
About the guest: Robert Barton, PhD is an evolutionary anthropologist and Professor at Durham University. He studies the evolution of the brain and behavior across species, including humans.
Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Barton discuss: mammalian brain evolution; how brain and body size scale across mammals; how metabolism relates to brain size and function; the evolution of the neocortex & cerebellum in primates & humans; the concept of “intelligence” and whether it relates to brain size; and more.
Athletic Greens: Comprehensive & convenient daily nutrition. Free 1-year supply of vitamin D with purchase.
KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + potassium, calcium & magnesium, formulated with kidney health in mind. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription.
MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn and grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Use code MIND for 20% off.