Mind & Matter

Send us Fan Mail Nick talks to Elizabeth Hobson, PhD, whose lab studies the evolution of decision-making, social cognition, social networks, and dominance hierarchies using a combination of naturalistic field observations of animal behavior combined with computational modeling and network analysis.  They discuss social behavior in animals, including when and why members of a group display aggressi...

Send us Fan Mail Nick talks to theoretical physicist Dr. Geoffrey West about the universal scaling laws that describe how organisms, companies, and cities grow and die. Dr. West is the Shannan Distinguished Professor and former President of the Santa Fe Institute, as well as author of, "Scale: The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies."  *Not medic...

Send us Fan Mail Nick talks to Dr. Matthew Hill about the role of the endocannabinoid system in regulating stress and emotional behavior. They also discuss how plant cannabinoids from Cannabis , such as THC and CBD, impact the endocannabinoid system.  *Not medical advice. Support the show Support my work: Good Chemistry : Science-based health consulting AquaTru : Water filtration devices that remo...

Send us Fan Mail Nick talks to paleoanthropologist John Hawks about the story of human evolution. Listen to a more recent conversation with John Hawks. Support the show Support my work: Good Chemistry : Science-based health consulting AquaTru : Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic &am...

Send us Fan Mail Nick talks to neurologist and plant medicine expert Dr. Ethan Russo about medical cannabis and related topics, such as cannabinoids (e.g. THC, CBD, CBG, THCV), terpenes (myrcene, limonene, beta-caryophyllene), endocannabinoid biology, and Ethan's thoughts on the legal cannabis industry, including whether the terms "Indica" and "Sativa" are meaningful. *Not...

Send us Fan Mail Nick talks to neuropsychologist Katrin Preller, PhD about psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin, empathogens like MDMA, and stimulants like cocaine. Katrin explains how each type of drug affects the brain differently and what that means for their impact on empathy, social cognition, and their addictive potential. *Not medical advice. Support the show Support my work: Good Chemistry...

Send us Fan Mail Hamilton Morris discussing his documentary series on psychoactive drugs, their science, cultural impacts, and misconceptions. Topics Discussed: Origins of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia: Started as a column and web series to provide honest, science-based discussions on drugs, countering 1990s media stigma. Drug education and media bias: Traditional scare tactics fail; honest informa...

Send us Fan Mail Nick talks to Peter Addy, PhD about the atypical, dissociative psychedelic, salvia. Peter is a psychotherapist and spent several years at the Yale, studying human experiences with atypical psychedelics such as Salvia divinorum .  Nick and Peter talked about salvia, including how it works and how it differs from other psychedelics, as well as dissociative and dysphoric effects, and...

Send us Fan Mail Jonathan Page, PhD is a botanist and entrepreneur with deep expertise in Cannabis. Nick and Jon talked about all things Cannabis science including the botany and natural history of Cannabis, the chemistry and biology of Cannabis and its psychoactive effects, and whether or not different types of Cannabis can cause different effects. Jon also shared amazing stories about transition...

Send us Fan Mail Bryan Roth, MD, PhD discusses his career studying how psychedelics and other psychoactive drugs affect the brain, the massive $27 million research effort he is leading to understand psychedelics and develop novel drugs for psychiatric disease, and the practice of zen meditation. *Not medical advice. Support the show Support my work: Good Chemistry : Science-based health consulting...

Send us Fan Mail Sean B. Carroll, PhD is an award-winning biologist, author, and filmmaker. Nick and Sean discuss everything from Sean's unique career trajectory and writing process, to dinosaurs and snake venom, to COVID19, the evolution of viruses, and why comedians and scientists are kindred spirits.  Support the show Support my work: Good Chemistry : Science-based health consulting AquaTr...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Nichols is a professor of pharmacology at Louisiana State University. He has been studying the molecular, genetic, and behavioral effects of psychedelics for nearly 25 years and is considered one of the world’s top experts on the biological effects of psychedelics in the brain and body. Nick spoke to Charles for almost two hours, covering a wide range of topics related to how...

Send us Fan Mail Brian is the author of the New York Times-bestselling book, "The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion With No Name." Brian is fluent in Ancient Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit, and spent over a decade putting together an incredible story about the intentional use of psychoactive plants in the ancient world, including scientific evidence for the ritual use of sp...