SKRAPS: Deep Dive

We talked before about the different ways to make a career in science. We've had people from finance, and entrepreneurs driving the start-up world. We've even had a scientific illustrator. There's one area of science and technology that we're covering for the first time today -  this one is near and dear to our hearts because it's something that we at Skraps hope to achiev...

Recently, one of our loyal listeners sent a very kind message.  It was extremely appreciate of our PsychedeRx series and asked a key question about how we went about doing the music as they referred to. That's when I realized that what I had taken as a necessary and mandatory part of our podcast was appreciated by the listener. It was a very pleasant evening and I ended up smiling the whole e...

This re-run was triggered by a news article of a horrible event in Ecuador where a prison riot killed 68 people. Such type of events are becoming increasingly commonplace due to organised crime. The rioters and instigators must be dealt with appropriately to control the violence, but beyomnd that where does that leave us? We can take one stance, which is drugs are bad and all drug dealers must be...

It's the climate change summit week.  So in preparation for everyone, we wanted to re-run this crucial episode that we hope everyone gets to listen to.   She gives a personal viewpoint as a scientist, coming from a coal-mining family and being the first graduate in her family to going on to be the Vice-Provost and Chief Research Officer of Villanova University.  Dr. Amanda Grannas leads us a...

It's the start of Season 4 of SKRAPS. So first, credit where it is due, thanks so much for the support! Have you ever wondered where the food you eat comes from? No, we do not talk about your carbon footprint or the location of the farm  Food and flavour evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, likes and dislikes in our mind so much so that a particular flavour you smell, taste, love, dislike can...

If you’ve listened to the PsychedRx series, or ever contemplated experiencing psychedelics, you’ve probably asked yourself what a trip is really like. Well, I’d very much like to tell you what it’s like, but it’s much like trying to describe an exact shade of purple velvet. It’s deep, rich, bright, dark, it changes as the light shifts. When you touch it, everything changes. It’s different in the m...

October 4, 2021  marked the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine to Dr. David Julius and Dr. Ardem Parpoutian .  This episode goes behind the relevance of their findings and why it is such an important moment for a field that brings together biology, physics, chemistry and medicine.  Key Reviews to dig into:  TRP channels: Click here Piezo channels: Click here

Hello all,  This is JoJo, your friend and co-host of SKRAPS.   I grew up around construction. Tradesmen and experts at the crafts of building and repairing homes were omnipresent in my childhood. From a very young age, I knew more about framing than I did about Barbie dolls. I was comfortable in the world of power tools and knew the importance of “measure twice, cut once” before I knew my multipli...

Join us to listen to the bi-weekly news round up on all things #NeuroTech and #BioelectronicMedicine. This week we talk about academic news with Cleveland NeuroTech Entrepreneurs workshop, UConn hiring spree in Engineering with focus on NeuroTech. On industry side, we cover Rune Labs, Tivic Health, Opinions on Nyxoah and their FDA breakthrough designation, Axonics/ Medtronic Patent Rulings.  Plus...

Over the ten episodes in this series, it’s clear that we are enthusiastic about the future of psychedelic medicines. There are so many potential applications for responsible, physician-assisted therapies that it almost seems as though psychedelics are a silver bullet, or a little black dress - perfect for any occasion and applicable to myriad diseases and conditions.  Not to contradict ourselves,...

New molecules, new IP, new opportunities. How can investors be induced to support the massive, but necessary funds required to support the important and carefully regulated research necessary to bring psychedelic therapies to market. Not to be crass, but if something isn’t going to bring a profit, it’s unlikely to receive much funding, regardless of how much good it might do, certainly not enough...

Mushrooms changed the world in the 20th century, some say.  Others say, psychedelics are older than humankind. But instead of synthesising molecules and providing it people in a clandestine manner, what if, proper systematic drug discovery and development was done to make psychedelics better? In this penultimate episode of PsychedeRx, we explore a few more stops before we part ways from this...

Zeus gave Sisyphus the eternal punishment of forever rolling a boulder up a hill in the depths of Hades for his crimes of being a trickster and twice cheating death.  “Then I witnessed the torture of Sisyphus, as he wrestled with a huge rock with both hands. Bracing himself and thrusting with hands and feet he pushed the boulder uphill to the top. But every time, as he was about to send it to...

JoJo and I do a fortnightly (bi-weekly) newshour session on all things Neurotech spanning the academic and industry updates. This week we covered a few updates. Most important of all, it is the first women led chairing of Gordon Research Seminar Series as an add-on for Neuroelectronic Interfaces GRC . One of the co-chairs, Nikki Pelot joined us to give us an update for the session. Secondly, we ha...

Mike Jay is a renowned cultural historian and author of 4 fine books. We recently invited Mike to join us on our SKRAPS club session on Clubhouse app.  We were also joined by Krish Ashok on the stage. Krish is the author of Masala Lab, a book on the science of Indian cooking.  Mike's website: www.mikejay.net Find us on ClubHouse

A cast will help a broken bone to heal, a tourniquet will help to stop the bleeding in a limb, an aspirin will alleviate a headache, time (and ice cream) will help to heal a broken heart. But how do you heal a broken mind? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is but one of the psychiatric indications with inadequate, frequently ineffective treatment protocols, that has been in the psychedelic spo...

You asked for it and you get it! 

We discuss previously underappreciated personal stories of how the Psychedelic Renaissance was sparked since 1971.  Description:  1971 was the year when drug prohibition came into force. Did we tell you the story of how the tables were turned against the prohibition of drugs? Or did we tell you the hurdles that were needed to be overcome.  Well, that's exactly the point of the episo...

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Help ‘Em You can’t fight fire with fire. Or can you?  You can’t treat addiction with drugs. Or can you?  You can’t bandage bruises to a brain. Or can you?  You can never expect a cop to have compassion and fight the system. Or can you? There are so many dichotomies when it comes to life and how we think it should be lived. We’re already starting to see the strange way that u...

Conclusion: War on Drugs is wrong, unethical and impacts society in a bad way. There is no data to suggest it has worked. In case you missed it, here are some golden nuggets to justify why the war on drugs has been a failure. We are joined by Dr. Julia Buxton , Dr. Jo Neill and Dr. Alex Belser of Cybin Inc for some candid Q&A on this policy.  In addition, there are some fantastic resources bel...

Tomorrow, it is the 50th anniversary of the war on drugs. But we know the evidence collected since has shown that prohibition has only increased the problems. Join us for a session with experts for a live Q&A on Twitter Spaces.  How do you get access to Twitter Spaces session:  Join Twitter,  Follow Arun , JoJo and SKRAPS .   You will see a purple logo at the top when it is time for the sessio...

We’ve spent some time already on the definition of psychedelic - and we’ll spend more time before this series is over. But, Skraps is a podcast whose roots are run deep in the sciences, we couldn’t ignore the topic of the basic pharmacology of psychedelics. This episode is a primer for citizen scientists and holds some intriguing information for the bonafide scientists among us. As always, we don’...

“Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men? The Shadow knows!” But seriously - who knows? And are the men evil? Or is it their hearts? Or is it the means that they employ? Can their cause serve as cover? Can there be righteous justification for some of the horrendous things done in the name of self-preservation?  In the short gap between World War II and the Cold War, America was battling...

Drug discovery doesn’t happen in a vacuum. So much of the world’s geopolitical activities affect what happens both inside and outside of the lab. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide was such a curious drug that there were seemingly no limits to how and when it would be tested. Episode three of PsychedeRx kicks off with an LSD-laden military training exercise. Don’t laugh. It really did happen and we have t...

Peyote crosses the border and causes a riot. Drug companies want their taste, and psychedelics reach the social elite. What could possibly go wrong? In episode two of PsychedeRx, Peyote comes north to the good old US of A. And it’s not just for religious ceremonies anymore, either. Spanish conquistadors and European explorers, seeking to dominate the indigenous tribes, used Peyote to show force by...