Mind & Matter

About the guest: Monique Smith, PhD is an assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of California-San Diego, where her lab studies the neuroscience of social behavior, pain, and emotion. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Smith discuss: the neurobiology of pain perception; social & empathy-like behavior in animals; emotion; brain mechanisms of MDMA; serotonin; and more.*This content is neve...

About the guest: Dominic D'Agostino, PhD is a researcher and professor at the University of South Florida, where his lab studies metabolism, human biology, and related subjects. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. D'Agostino discuss: ketosis and the ketogenic diet; effects of ketosis on diabetes, insulin resistance & metabolic health; effects on brain & mental health; relationship with exercise performa...

About the guest: Robert Lufkin, MD is a radiologist and professor at UCLA. His new book is called, " Lies I Taught in Medical School ." Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Lufkin talk about: the history of medicine in the United States; diet & lifestyle vs. pharmaceuticals in acute vs. chronic disease; diabetes, metabolic syndrome & insulin resistance; health institutions like the American Diabetes Asso...

About the guest: Stephen Sideroff, PhD is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UCLA. His new book is, "The 9 Pillars of Resilience." Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Sideroff discuss: childhood & developmental psychology; clinical & Gestalt psychology; stress & resilience; pharmaceuticals, talk therapy, and plant medicines; emotions & psychopatholog...

About the guest: Andrew Dillin, PhD is Professor of Molecular & Cell Biology at UC-Berkeley and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. His lab studies mechanisms of aging, mitochondrial biology, and related subjects. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Dillin discuss: cell biology; mitochondria & the endoplasmic reticulum; aging & autophagy; mitochondrial biology in neurons; diet, exercise, and o...

About the guest: Eske Willerslev, PhD is an evolutionary biologist and Professor of evolution at both the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Willerslev discuss: human evolution out of Africa; the origins of modern Europeans; hunter gatherers, early farmers, and pastoralists; genetics of human disease risk; evolution of diet & metabolism; evolution o...

About the guest: Georgia Ede, MD is a psychiatrist and author of, "Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, And Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health." Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Ede discuss: glucose vs. ketones for brain energy; metabolic health & insulin resistance; animal vs. plant-based foods; nutrients, anti-nutrients & plant t...

About the guest: Ryan Vandrey, PhD is a Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, where his lab studies the behavioral pharmacology of cannabis (marijuana), nicotine/tobacco, and other substances. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Vandrey discuss: marijuana; cannabinoids like THC; terpenes like limonene, myrcene, and pinene; the entourage effect; anxiety and other side...

About the guest: Matt Kaeberlein, PhD is a Professor of at the University of Washington and CEO of OptiSpan. His research focuses on the biology of aging and longevity. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Kaeberlein discuss: the biology of aging; mTOR, FGF1, growth & metabolism; sirtuins, NAD & NMN; longevity drugs like metformin & rapamycin; facts & myths about longevity molecules like resveratrol & ta...

About the guest: Mark Bear, PhD is a Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, where his lab studies the visual system, neuroplasticity, and the pathophysiology of amblyopia and visual impairments. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Bear discuss: the visual system in the brain, from the retina to visual cortex; critical periods of brain development; mechanisms of neuroplasticity; metaplasticity; amblyopia and...

About the guest: Kevin McKernan is the Chief Science Officer at Medicinal genomics and has been working the the biotechnology sector and conducting genomics research going back to his involvement in the Human Genome Project. Episode summary: Nick and Kevin discuss: basics of DNA and RNA biology; mRNA vaccines and how they work compared to traditional vaccines; the mRNA vaccine manufacturing proces...

About the guest: Luc van Loon, PhD is a Professor of Physiology of Exercise and Nutrition and Head of the M3-research group at the Department of Human Biology at Maastricht University. His lab focuses on the skeletal muscle adaptive response to physical (in)activity, the impact of nutrition on metabolism, and related topics. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. van Loon discuss: amino acid biology; branc...

About the guest: Tommaso Di Ianni, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Radiology & Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. His lab uses ultrasound technology and deep learning to study the brain. Episode summary: Nick and Dr. Di Ianni discuss: the current state of scientific understanding of ketamine; S-ketamine vs. R-...

About the guest: Scott Zimmerman is an optical engineer and photobiology expert Episode summary: Nick and Scott talk about: how light interacts with the body and affects our cells; melatonin as an antioxidant;  how red & near-infrared light affect mitochondria; sunlight, fire light, and artificial light; incandescent light bulbs vs. LEDs; negative health effects of artificial light; sunscreen & ma...

About the Guest:  Bruce Blumberg, PhD is a Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology at UC-Irvine. HIs lab studies epigenetics, gene x environment interactions, hormones & endocrine disruptors, obesogens & environmental toxins, and more. Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Blumberg discuss: Embryonic development; hormones and hormone receptors; estrogen & xenoestrogens; environmental toxins, obesogens,...

About the Guest:  Clare Bryant, DVM is a Professor of Innate Immunity at Cambridge University. Her lab studies the innate immune system, pathogen detection, inflammation, and chronic disease. Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Bryant discuss: mechanisms of inflammation; inflammasomes & fatty acids; infection & disease; innate vs. adaptive immunity; chronic inflammation; allergies & allergens; the evolu...

About the Guest:  Guillaume (Will) de Lartigue, PhD is a neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center. His lab studies the neurobiology of eating, including how the vagus nerve senses internal stimuli in the gut. Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. de Lartigue discuss: gut-brain communication; the vagus nerve; gut hormones like leptin & GLP-1; weight loss drugs like Ozempic; glucose vs. fructose...

About the Guest:  Nicolas Glynos, PhD received his doctorate in Molecular & Integrative Physiology from the University of Michigan, where he studied the psychedelic drug DMT in the mammalian brain. Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Glynos discuss: the history of DMT research; the use of DMT in ayahuasca; whether DMT is found endogenously in animals; why plants produce DMT; pineal gland, DMT & melatoni...

About the Guest:  Terrence Deacon, PhD is a Professor in the department of Anthropology at UC-Berkeley. He has written many papers and multiple books about the evolution of human language, origins of consciousness, and related topics. Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Deacon discuss various aspects of biological evolution, from natural vs. sexual selection to gene duplication and the consequences of d...

About the Guest:  Robert Lustig, MD is a physician-researcher and expert of metabolic health. He is Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), specializing in neuroendocrinology with an emphasis on the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system. His research and clinical practice has focused on childhood obesit...

About the Guest:  Mark Mattson, PhD is a semi-retired neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins who ran a research lab at the NIH for many years. He wrote the book, "The Intermittent Fasting Revolution." Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Mattson discuss: intermittent fasting & diet; ketosis & metabolic switching; aging & neurodegenerative disease; exercise, stress, and neuroplasticity; and more. * More M&M cont...

About the Guests:  Sean B. Carroll, PhD is an evolutionary developmental biologist at the University of Maryland, who recently stepped down as VP of Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is the author of many popular science books, such as "Endless Forms Most Beautiful." Episode Summary: Nick and Dr. Carroll discuss developmental biology & genetics; evolutionary biology; genetics, g...

About the Guests:  Dr. David Nichols is a retired chemist and father of Dr. Charles Nichols, a researcher studying psychedelics at Louisiana State University. Episode Summary: Nick and David & Charles Nichols, PhD talk about: the history of psychedelics science from the 1970s to the present; DMT & 5-MeO-DMT; serotonin, inflammation, and psychedelics & anti-inflammatory drugs; psilocybin, ketamine,...

About the Guest:  Dr. Chris Knobbe is a physician (ophthalmologist), diet & nutrition researchers, and author of, "The Ancestral Diet Revolution." Episode Summary: Nick and Chris Knobbe, MD discuss seed oils & their health consequences; different types of seed oils (soybean, corn, sunflower, etc.); omega-6 fats like linoleic acid; fatty acid metabolism and oxidation; obesity, diabetes & metabolic...

Dr. Carolina Tropini is an assistant professor of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of British Columbia, where her lab studies the microbiome in health & disease. Topics covered: infant & vaginal microbiome, breast milk nutrients & C-sections vs. natural births; oral microbiome & cavities; gut microbiome & irritable bowel disease (IBD); fiber, short-chain fatty acids & probiotics; how gu...