Mind & Matter

Short Summary: An 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. Originally from Sweden, he...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com 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 Stat...

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...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com 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...

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...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com Short Summary: Deep dive into preventive medicine, personalized nutrition, and systems biology, providing listeners with actionable insights on optimizing health through diet and microbiome management. About the guest: Dr. Momo Vuyisich is a biologist with a background in government science, focusing on drug d...

Short Summary: Deep dive into the complexities of the human microbiome, exploring its impact on health, disease, and even behavior. Dr. Segata gets into “metagenomics” (sequencing multiple genomes at once, from the same individual) and microbiome transmission between individuals. About the Guest: Nicola Segata is a professor at the University of Trento in Northeast Italy, where he leads a lab focu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com Short Summary: A deep dive into the enigmatic world of sleep, exploring its biological functions, evolutionary origins, and the diverse manifestations across different species. About the Guest: Vlad Vyazovskiy, PhD is a Professor of Sleep Physiology at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics at Oxf...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com 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, w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com This episode educates on the complex science of dietary lipids (fats) and inflammation and provides actionable advice for managing your 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. A...

Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and 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 Chatter, PhD is a retired archaeologist and paleontologist. They recently published a paper on the diet of the Clovis people of North Amer...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com 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. Full video version is currently available on X . About the guest: Jessica Rose, PhD is a computat...

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 stres...

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...

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 modu...

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...

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; th...

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...

About the guest: Thomas Weimbs, PhD is a molecular & cell biologist at UC-Santa Barbara. His 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...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com 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. The full version is also freely available to all on YouTube . About the guest: Nick Norwitz, PhD received his PhD in Physiology at Oxford University...

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 metaboli...

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 & f...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com Nick & Dr. Gary Churchill about a large-scale study using nearly 1,000 genetically diverse female outbred mice to test caloric restriction (20-40%) and intermittent fasting (1- or 2-day). The work reveals that these interventions extend lifespan on average and improve some metabolic markers, yet many expected...

About the guest: Ev Fedorenko is a neuroscientist. Her lab at MIT studies the neural basis of language, speech, and thought in the human brain. 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...

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 p...