Mind & Matter

Nick talks to chemist & food scientist Dr. Selina Wang about: food quality & purity; cooking oils (avocado, olive, vegetable, etc.); fruits & vegetables; oxidation & purity of cooking oils; how to identify high quality, pure foods to purchase; and more. * Click here to download audio, watch video, or read show notes & transcripts. * If you enjoy my content and want to further support M&M, please r...

Nick talks to Dr. Luc van Loon, Professor of Exercise Physiology & Nutrition at Maastricht University, about topics in exercise science, health & nutrition. They discuss: macronutrients & energy; protein quality & digestibility; endurance & resistance training; plant vs. animal protein; muscle conditioning & muscle fibers; sleep & aging; muscle physiology & metabolism; and more. * Click here to do...

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com Nick talks to Dr. Iain Oswald, who has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Texas-Dallas and is principal scientist Abstrax Tech, a cannabis research and product development company. He is an expert in using cutting edge analytical chemistry techniques to study plant chemistry and has done a lot of work t...

Nick talks to board-certified toxicologist Dr. Echo Rufer. The conversation starts with a brief overview of what the science of toxicology is all about & a little bit about alcohol toxicity. They then discuss: differences between vaping and smoking; what toxins are produced through the combustion of plant material, especially tobacco & marijuana; cannabinoids like THC & CBD, as well as cannabis te...

Nick talks to Dr. Nathan Price, who is a professor at the Institute of Systems Biology and Chief Science Officer of Thorne HealthTech. They discuss topics related to his new book, "The Age of Scientific Wellness: Why the Future of Medicine is Personalized, Data-Rich, and in Your Hands." To access the full episode, become a premium subscriber: * Click here to download audio, watch video, or read sh...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.com Nick talks to Dr. Nathan Price, who is a professor at the Institute of Systems Biology and Chief Science Officer of Thorne HealthTech. They discuss topics related to his new book, "The Age of Scientific Wellness: Why the Future of Medicine is Personalized, Data-Rich, and in Your Hands."

Nick talks to Daniel Brady, PhD a neuroscientist who studied sensory systems in the developing brain. Dr. Brady is also the co-founder and CEO of Orita.ai, a startup using machine learning & AI to solve data problems for direct-to-consumer brands. They discuss: critical periods of learning, childhood brain development, neuroplasticity, synesthesia, language acquisition, Orita.ai, machine learning...

Nick talks to Daniel Brady, PhD a neuroscientist who studied sensory systems in the developing brain. Dr. Brady is also the co-founder and CEO of Orita.ai, a startup using machine learning & AI to solve data problems for direct-to-consumer brands. They discuss: critical periods of learning, childhood brain development, neuroplasticity, synesthesia, language acquisition, Orita.ai, machine learning...

Nick talks to Dr. Rusty Gage, a neurobiologist at the Salk Institute whose lab studies how genes & environment interact to influence brain development, including the process of adult neurogenesis. They discuss: what neurogenesis is and how it works; lifestyle factors that influence neurogenesis, such as exercise, intermittent fasting, etc.; molecular pathways involved in neurogenesis; depression &...

Nick talks with Nick Mosley, who is CEO of a cannabis testing lab called Confidence Analytics, which conducts analytical testing for legal cannabis products in Washington & California. They discuss: how analytical testing for cannabis products works; THC, CBD, and cannabinoid content; terpenes; pesticides, heavy metals, and microbial contaminants; the phenomenon of THC inflation & lab shopping in...

Nick talks to psychiatrist & neuroscientist Devanand Manoli, MD, PhD, whose lab at UCSF studies the neural basis of social behavior & attachment in prairie voles. As a psychiatrist, he also treats patients with childhood psychosis. They discuss: the neural basis of pair bonding, monogamy, and parental & sexual behavior; oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone & estrogen; evolution of behavior; menopau...

Nick talks to Dr. Paul Cisek, a neuroscientist at the University of Montreal who studies sensorimotor control & decision making. They discuss: the evolution of the brain from the earliest nervous systems to humans; metabolism & state control; the evolution of behavior; sensation, perception, cognition, decision making & consciousness; language & representation; why neuroscience needs evolutionary...

Nick talks to Dr. Stephen Simpson & Dr. David Raubenheimer, both professors at the University of Sydney who have been research collaborators for many years. Their research focuses on understanding animal feeding behavior, especially how & why different animals use their sensory systems in order to consume foods so that their diets contain the right balance of nutrients. Understanding animals in th...

Nick talks to Dr. Christoffer Clemmensen, who runs the Metabolism & Molecular Pharmacology group at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. His lab studies the biological basis of obesity & other metabolic disorders. They discuss: the causes of obesity; environmental and biological factors influencing predisposition to obesity; novel anti-obesity drugs; gut hormones & peptides regulating food int...

Episode Summary: Dr. Richard Weller talks about the dual nature of sunlight, discussing its risks like skin cancer alongside benefits such as reduced blood pressure, enhanced immune function, and lower all-cause mortality, while examining human skin evolution, vitamin D production, nitric oxide, and innovative new sunscreens. About the guest: Richard Weller, MD is a dermatologist and Senior Lectur...

Nick talks to biologist Dr. Christoph Thaiss, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His lab studies how the body detects & responds to environmental stimuli, with a focus on interactions between the gut microbiome, immune & nervous systems. They discuss: sensory systems of the body & basic principles of how they work; gut microbiome & the consequences of depleting it with antibiotics; end...

Nick talks to biochemist & biophysicist Dr Ryan Gumpper, a postdoc in Dr. Bryan Roth's lab at the University of North Carolina. They discuss the biochemistry, molecular biology & biophysics of serotonin receptors, including the molecular details for what happens when serotonin and tryptamines psychedelics (e.g. LSD) bind to 5HT2A receptors in the brain. They also discuss how understand these detai...

Nick talks to anesthesiologist & neuroscientist Dr. Alex Proekt, who runs a lab at the University of Pennsylvania, about altered states of consciousness. They discuss: NREM & REM sleep, anesthesia & anesthetic drugs like propofol; coma & vegetative states; sleeping pills like Ambien; the relationship between consciousness & the underlying brain dynamics; how ketamine differs from other anesthetics...

Nick talks to Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, who is a professor of medicine & economics at Stanford University. They discuss various aspects of the COVID pandemic, such as: how infectious, transmissible, and deadly SARS-CoV-2 is; mRNA vaccines, how well they stop transmission vs. severe COVID, and whether they can induce negative side effects such as myocarditis; how well masks really work; Jay's incl...

Nick talks to Dr. Sergiu Pasca, a developmental neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University. They discuss topics related to human brain development, the origins of neuropsychiatric disease like autism & schizophrenia, new technologies for studying brain development, stem cells, and recent experiments from Dr. Pasca'a lab utilizing brain "organoids," "assembloids," and human-animal transpla...

Nick talks to Saoirse O'Sullivan, PhD, a physiologist specializing in the physiological effects of cannabinoids. Dr. O'Sullivan ran a lab at the University of Nottingham for many years before becoming a consultant and Vice President of Translational Research at Artello Biosciences. Nick and Saoirse discussed some of the physiological effects of cannabinoids in the body, including endogenous cannab...

Nick talks to computational neuroscientist Dr. Zach Mainen, a neuroscientist and director of the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme at the Centre of the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal. His lab studies the neuroscience of decision making, neuromodulation & behavior using both experimental and computational approaches. They discuss: what kinds of things animal brains are actually computing, and to wha...

Nick talks to mathematical biologist Dr. Alex Washburne about the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. * Click here to download audio, watch video, or read show notes & transcripts. * If you enjoy my content and want to further support M&M, please read this . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindandmatter.substack.com...

Nick talks to experimental psychologist Dr. Harriet de Wit, a professor at the University of Chicago whose lab studies the behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs on humans. They discuss: the effects of MDMA on emotional perception and touch sensation; the effects of microdosing LSD; THC's impact on memory. * Click here to download audio, watch video, or read show notes & transcripts. * If you en...