Mind & Matter

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 show notes & transcripts.* If you enjoy my content and want to further support M&M, please read this* Try the Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for $50 off. 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/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindandmatter.substack.comNick 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 & AI, customer segmentation, data science, and more.To access the full episode, become a premium subscriber:* 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* Try the Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Use code MIND for $50 off. 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/subscribe

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 & PTSD; memory formation and the function of newly born adult neurons; 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 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/subscribe

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 the legal marijuana industry; Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome; how consumers can discern whether cannabis products are safe & consistent.* 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/subscribe

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; menopause & multigenerational parental care; childhood psychosis; 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 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/subscribe

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 thinking; 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 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/subscribe

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 the evolutionary & ecological contexts they evolved to survive in enables us to build a holistic picture of the general principles underlying feeding behavior. Topics discussed include: Macronutrients (protein, fats & carbohydrates) and micronutrients (sodium, calcium); the 'protein leverage hypothesis' & how this explains the modern obesity epidemic; how different diets can promote fat weight, longevity, or reproductive success; the optimal macronutrient composition for weight loss; the comparative biology of feeding behavior across animals like humans, gorillas, spiders, wolves, etc.The discussion is based on their book, "Eat Like the Animals: What Nature Teaches Us About the Science of Healthy Eating."* 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/subscribe

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 intake; whether psychedelics like psilocybin may be useful for treating obesity and other metabolic disorders. * 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/subscribe

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; endocannabinoids & exercise; how microbiome composition influences the brain & motivation to engage in exercise; prebiotics & probiotics; circadian rhythms & eating patterns.* 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/subscribe

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 details relates to the quest to discover novel psychedelic-derived compounds with therapeutic benefits, as well as the inspiration Ryan received from reading Alexander Shulgin's famous book, PIHKAL.* 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/subscribe

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 & what it does to brain activity; AI & ChatGPT.* 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/subscribe

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 inclusion in the "TwitterFiles" and the suppression of speech on social media; what he thinks of Elon Musk after meeting him; his thoughts on the future of public health governance in the US.Related episodes:* M&M #61: Public Health, Pandemics, Epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2 & COVID Public Policy | Martin Kulldorff*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice* Full audio version: [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [Elsewhere]* Full video version: [YouTube]* Support M&M if you find value in this content. 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/subscribe

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 transplantations.* 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/subscribe

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 cannabinoids that our own bodies produce, and plant cannabinoids associated with the Cannabis plant (e.g. THC, CBD, THCV, and CBG). They cover a number areas of physiology and systems in the body, including inflammation, brain injury, the blood-brain barrier, gut health, and the cardiovascular system. Towards the end, Saoirse also described why she eventually made the transition from academia to the private sector, and motivated her decision to do so despite having been a successful researcher and being granted tenure as a professor.* 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/subscribe

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 what extent we can think about brains like computers; the difference between neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the brain, including some discussion of what specific neuromodulators like dopamine and serotonin do in the brain; and we also discussed some of the research his lab is starting to do on serotonergic psychedelics, including how he thinks about whether the subjective effects of psychedelics are likely to be important for the therapeutic and neuroplastic effects.* 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/subscribe

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/subscribe

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 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/subscribe

Nick talks to biological anthropologist & neuroscientist Dr. Terrence Deacon, who is a professor of biological anthropologist at UC-Berkeley and a leading thinker on the evolution of language, consciousness and human cognition. They discuss: how end-directed systems, such as life, can emerge from non-life; how complexity evolves once life originates; the origins of sentience and a sense of self; the evolution of the nervous system and consciousness; information, value, and "aboutness" in the universe; 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 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/subscribe

Nick talks to neuroscientist Dr. Kent Berridge, a professor of psychology & neuroscience at the University of Michigan. They discuss: the neurobiology of the brain processes rewards and generates pleasure & motivation; the difference between "liking" and "wanting"; hunger and whether food addiction is similar to drug addiction; emotion and consciousness; 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 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/subscribe

Nick talks to Dr. Amir Englund, a psychopharmacologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College, London. Dr. Englund's research focuses on the effects of cannabis, medical marijuana and specific cannabinoids (e.g. THC, CBD, THCV) on human cognitive function. They discuss topics including: what is the addiction liability of marijuana? What are the acute & chronic cognitive effects of THC, including how it impacts memory & executive function; how the effects of THC can be modulated by cannabinoids like CBD & THCV; the relationship between marijuana & THC and psychosis (e.g. schizophrenia); 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 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/subscribe

Nick talks to molecular physiologist Dr. Dudley Lamming, a professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose lab studies how the body responds to the nutrient and calorie content of food. We discuss: how the protein and amino acid composition of food impacts metabolic health & aging; branched chain amino acids & disease; sex differences between males & females in how diet affects health; fasting, calorie restriction & fasting; 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 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/subscribe

Nick talks with Dr. Anil Seth, a neuroscientist and professor of cognitive & computational neuroscience at the University of Sussex. The conversation is all about the neuroscience of consciousness, which is the subject of his Dr. Seth's book, “Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.“They touch on everything from what consciousness actually is, whether or not neuroscientists can measure different levels of consciousness in the brain, what characterizes psychedelic experiences and non-ordinary states of consciousness in terms of the brain, and the nature of perception. In particular, they discuss ideas related to the notion that our conscious perceptions are a kind of inference, or guess, our brain’s are making about the world, as well as the idea that all of our conscious perceptions are "controlled hallucinations."They also discuss: exteroception (perceiving things outside the body, like objects); interoception (perceiving things within the body); and emotion. Lastly, Nick gets Anil’s take on whether consciousness is an evolutionary adaptation and psychedelics.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to neuroscientist and writer Dr. Erik Hoel. Erik is a professor of biology at Tufts University. He received his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin, where he studied under the sleep and consciousness researcher, Giulio Tononi. He did postdoctoral work at Columbia University, where he used information theory and other analytical tools to explore the biological basis of consciousness. He has come up with the so-called Overfitted Brain Hypothesis of dreaming, which explains the potential adaptive function of dreams by drawing analogies to techniques used to train Deep Neural Networks in the world of machine learning. Erik and Nick discuss the biology and phenomenology of dreams and sleep generally, including some of the various theories for why we sleep. They also discuss Deep Learning (on a very basic level) and Erik described the Overfitted Brain Hypothesis of dreaming. They also discuss fiction and the arts, including Erik’s new novel and the potential evolutionary reasons for why humans create and consume fiction, as well as some technology-driven developments that are reshaping how we create and consume written work online.* 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/subscribe

Nick Jikomes talks to Dr. Steven Laviolette, a neuroscientist at the University of Western Ontario. They discuss how different types of drugs impact emotion, cognition, brain development and the development of psychiatric conditions (e.g. addition, schizophrenia); drug interactions (THC + CBD, THC + L-Theanine, CBD + Omega-3 Fatty Acids), how drugs can affect brain development when consumed during adolescence, or by pregnant women; how cannabinoids interact with opioids in different ways.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to genetics researcher & writer Razib Khan. Razib did graduate work in genetics at the University of California-Davis and recently founded a genomics data startup. He also runs a Substack, "Unsupervised Learning," where he writes a lot of fascinating articles on the subjects of human evolutionary & population genetics, personal genomics, and more. Nick and Razib discussed: how the story of human evolution has changed over the past two decades; genomics technology & ancient DNA; Neanderthals, Denisovans & ancient humans; personal genomics (e.g. 23AndMe, Ancestry.com); Razib's experience as a writer on Substack.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to Christian Lüscher, MD, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of Geneva whose lab studies the cellular mechanisms that underlie drug reinforcement, dependence and addiction. Dr. Lüscher talks about the nature of addictive drugs in the brain, how ketamine works, and the latest research from his lab look at how ketamine's unique effects within the brain's reward circuitry enable it to be psychoactive & reinforcing, but have a very low addiction liability (in rodents). He also discusses what this research may mean for the use of ketamine as a therapeutic treatment for depression in humans.* Read the companion article to this episode.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to neuroscientist Dr. David Anderson, a professor at Caltech whose lab studies the neurobiological basis of animal behavior and emotion. They discuss: technologies for understanding cause-and-effect in the brain; neurobiological basis of animal behavior, including aggression/fighting, mating, feeding, and social behavior; how hormones such as estrogen regulate behavior; emotions, feelings, and consciousness; and David's new book, "The Nature of the Beast."* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to psychiatrist Dr. Joanna Moncrieff about depression. What causes it? How do SSRIs work? How well do antidepressants work? What are the risks & benefits of long-term antidepressant use? What is the evidence that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance (too little serotonin) in the brain? How is social media & technology influencing mental health?* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to journalist & documentary filmmaker Leighton Woodhouse. They discuss: homelessness & drug addiction; religion & ideology; sociology & social psychology; the social function of laws and norms; economic vs. cultural capital & the "overproduction of elites"; institutional science; civilizational decline & the future of American society.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to anthropologist Dr. Michael Winkelman, who was a professor at Arizona State University for many years, where he studied topics related to shamanism as practiced by early hunter gatherer societies, and other topics related to human cultural evolution. He is now retired and conducts independent research from Brazil, where he now lives. They discuss: what shamanism is & the core features of shamanic ritual practices across historical hunter gatherer cultures; how the various ritual practices associated with shamanism were used by forager societies (e.g. symbolism, group dance and drumming) & the use of psychedelics; evolution of shamanism & religion from prehistoric times to the present; role religion and spiritual practices have played in human evolution; how human culture is akin to virtual reality & how human ritual practices help sculpt the narratives that form within human cultures that regulate human behavior; future of religion & spirituality in the modern age & whether the use of psychedelics as entheogenic substances might have a role to play in that.* Click here to download audio, watch video, or read show notes & transcripts.* Read this if you enjoy my content and want to further support M&M. 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/subscribe

Nick talks to pharmaceutical microbiologist Dr. Dirk Hoffmeister, who is professor at the Hans Knöll Institute in Germany. Professor Hoffmeister has a background in botany and mycology, the study of fungi. His lab studies various aspects of fungal biochemistry & molecular biology, including the biochemistry and molecular genetics of psilocybin production in magic mushrooms. We spoke about various topics in mycology, mostly related to Psilocybe mushrooms. This included: how psilocybin is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan; the ecological reasons for why some mushrooms produce psilocybin; why magic mushrooms turn a vibrant blue color when they are physically damaged; the production of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) by certain species; the ecology of Psilocybe mushrooms; other areas of mycology that his lab studies.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to climatologist Dr. Judith Curry, the former chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research interests have included hurricanes, atmospheric modeling, air-sea interactions, and a variety of other areas in climate science. She runs Climate, Etc., an online blog focused on climate science. She is also writing a new book called, “Climate Uncertainty & Risk,” which she described towards the end of the podcast. They discuss: how Earth’s climate has changed over time and how climate scientists measure this; what computer models are used for in climate science and what their strengths & weaknesses are; tropical storms and severe weather events; CO2, methane, and other greenhouse gasses; different forms of energy, such as oil, natural gas, solar, wind, and nuclear; how she thinks about the tradeoffs between different energy sources in terms of their abundance, environmental impact, costs, and other factors; the politicization of climate science and why certain branches of science are especially prone to it.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to Dr. David Cohen, a professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. His research looks at psychoactive drugs (prescribed, licit, and illicit) and their desirable and undesirable effects as socio-cultural phenomena “constructed” through language, policy, attitudes, and social interactions. They discuss: prescription psychiatric drugs, including SSRIs, benzodiazepines and stimulants (e.g. Adderall); the history of how some of the most widely prescribed psychiatric drugs came to be so popular; how pharmaceutical companies go about marketing these drugs and the conditions they aim to treat to both physicians and the public; the quality of the evidence supporting their use; what we are learning about the potential for dependency, long-term health effects, and actual level of benefit that comes from chronic psychiatric drug use; why many psychiatric drugs are increasingly prescribed in combination; 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 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/subscribe

Christian Lüscher, MD, PhD is a neuroscientist and neurologist who runs a research lab at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Dr. Lusher's lab studies the mechanisms that underlie drug reinforcement and addiction in the brain and he is an expert in the neuroscience of drug addiction. Christian Lüscher talks to Nick Jikomes about: what is addiction is and what some key parts of the brain and neurotransmitter systems are involved in drug addiction; differences in the addictive potential of different types of drugs, ranging from stimulants (e.g. cocaine, nicotine, caffeine) to cannabinoids (e.g. THC), opioids, and psychedelics; the difference between addiction vs. dependency, habitual vs. goal-directed behavior; latest research on how dopamine & serotonin systems in the brain are both involved in drug-seeking behavior.* Support M&M if you find value in this content.* Full audio only version: [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [Elsewhere]* Full video version: [YouTube] [Odysee]* Episode transcript below. 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/subscribe

* Download .WAV audio version* Watch video version* Show notes & episode transcriptsNick talks to Dr. Shruti Naik, assistant professor of pathology & medicine at the NYU Langone. Her lab studies the interactions between immune cells, epithelial cells, and microbes in barrier tissues that interface with the environment (e.g. skin, lungs & gut). They discuss: inflammatory memory; how cells store memories of inflammation epigenetically; how skin cell regenerate and repair tissue damage; stem cell biology; cancer, and more.SUPPORT M&MThe Amino Co., shop science-back amino acids supplements. Use code ‘MIND’ to save 30%.Athletic Greens, comprehensive daily nutrition (Free 1-year supply Vitamin D with purchase).Follow Nick's work through Linktree.Buy books by M&M guests.Organize your digital highlights & notes with Readwise (2 months free with subscription).Sign up for the weekly Mind & Matter newsletter. 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/subscribe

Nick talks to neuroscientist Dr. Margaret McCarthy, whose lab at the University of Maryland studies the origins and mechanisms of sex differences in the brain, the endocannabinoid system, and neural basis of animal behavior. They discuss: the nature of sex differences observed in the mammalian brain, including differences in the susceptibility to various diseases and disorders of the brain; differences in juvenile play behavior in males vs. females, and how these can be altered by sex hormones and cannabinoids; sex differences in brain development that lead to sex differences in behavior; how the endocannabinoid system influences brain development and behavior; how cannabis use during pregnancy may influence brain development.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to science writer Matt Ridley, who most recently published the book, "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19" together with molecular biologist Dr. Alina Chan. They discussed what is known and still unknown about the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the latest developments in that mystery which have come to light in the past few months; the relationship between institutional science and politics; whether we are ever likely to know definitively the origins of this virus, 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 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/subscribe

Nick talks to medicinal chemist Sam Banister, who is co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Psylo, a biotech startup focused on developing next-generation psychedelic medicines. They discuss: the past, present, and future of psychedelic science; Sam's journey from academia to biotech startup co-founder; Alexander Shulgin; psychedelics like psilocybin, DMT, and others; and psychedelics & society. * 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/subscribe

Nick talks to neuroscientist & geneticist Dr. Kevin Mitchell about: 'Nature vs. Nurture,' the genetics of brain development, autism & schizophrenia, human brain and psychological variation, synesthesia, agency & free will, 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 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/subscribe

* Download .WAV audio version* Watch video version* Show notes & episode transcriptsNick talks to neurologist & neuroscientist Michael Fox, MD, PhD about his recent work mapping out an "addiction remission network" in the brain. They discuss addiction, brain networks involved in addiction, neurotechnologies like Deep Brain Stimulation and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Parkinson's Disease, and more.USEFUL LINKSAthletic Greens, comprehensive daily nutrition (Free 1-year supply Vitamin D with purchase).Try Levels Health to monitor your blood sugar & optimize your diet.Follow Nick's work through Linktree.Buy books by M&M guests.Organize your digital highlights & notes with Readwise (2 months free with subscription).Sign up for the weekly Mind & Matter newsletter. 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/subscribe

Nick talks to physiologist and neuroscientist Dr. Dominic D'Agostino about human metabolism & nutrition; fats, carbohydrates, sugar, and protein; ketogenic diet, ketosis, BHB supplementation; inflammation and polyunsaturated fats; personal health and metabolism monitoring; and general questions related to the quality of the nutritional information we receive from our institutions.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to anthropologist Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas, who is an associate professor at the University of Connecticut. His research interests center around human ritual behavior and the interaction between cognition and culture. They discuss his new Book, "Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living." Topics covered: Rituals vs. habits; the psychological purpose of ritual; ritualism as an antidote to anxiety; religion and spiritual practices; culture & the birth of civilization; the physiological and psychoactive effects of ritual; Ayahuasca and psychoactive drugs; rituals in sports, gambling, and other human activities; the evolution of language & symbolic cognition; religion, community & Burning Man.*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.* Support M&M if you find value in this content.* Full audio only version: [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [Elsewhere]* Full video version: [YouTube] [Odysee]* Episode transcript below.Full AI-generated transcript below. Beware of typos & mistranslations!Dimitris Xygalatas 6:20 Pleasure to be here.Nick Jikomes 6:22 Can you start off by just telling everyone a little bit about who you are? And what kind of background you have?Dimitris Xygalatas 6:27 Yeah, I am an anthropologist, and I'm also a cognitive scientist. I'm one of those rare hybrids. I work at the University of Connecticut, where I'm affiliated with both the anthropology and the psychological sciences department, and I run the experimental anthropology lab.Nick Jikomes 6:45 Yeah, so what, what we're going to talk about today is going to be a lot of ideas and concepts that you explore in your new book called ritual, how seemingly senseless acts make life worth living. I read it in the past week or so. And, you know, I just wanna start by saying, I love the book, I thought it was excellent. I, I've had several guests on who have a new book, or just published a book on. And I usually read parts of those books, this is only the second time that I actually finished the entire book, because it was just so fascinating. One of the things that was fascinating about it was, I mean, you cover a lot of ground. And there's a lot of areas where my understanding of something was pretty much turned on its head, or I started to see things from a brand new vantage point. But you know, as the title suggests, the book is all about ritual. And we're going to explore lots of lots of stuff related to ritualistic behavior, and human cultures. I thought we would just start with some of the basics here to get people grounded. Can you start off by describing the difference between habits and rituals, and what characterizes each of these things?Dimitris Xygalatas 7:52 So obviously, there are a lot of similarities between habits and rituals. Both involve repetition, something that becomes habitual. But if you look at the kinds of things that people consider to be rituals, versus the ones that they consider to be habit habits, you will see that ritual involves a sense of specialness, even sacredness, and then this doesn't have to be in a religious sense. So one way to put it is that habits are one way of taking something useful, and turning into a routine that we can execute mindlessly. Rituals, on the other hand, take something that is that appears to be non utilitarian or useless, and turn this into something special. So a lot of people when I ask them to define ritual, or to give me examples of their daily rituals, sometimes they will say, Oh, brushing my teeth, is a ritual. Now, of course, in the, in the study of ritual, we say that there are as many definitions of ritual, as there are rituals, scholars, so we don't all agree on our definition. But for me, my definition, you know, in my book, brushing your teeth is not a ritual. Why? Well, because it serves an obvious purpose. It is a utilitarian action, that you just turned into something habitual just so that you're able to perform it and as a tool. Now, if you were to wave your tooth person there three times every morning, with the belief that this will cleanse your teeth, or with no belief at all, just because it's part of your tradition now that it would be a ritual and if somebody came into the bathroom while you were doing this cleansing ritual and interrupted, then you're also feel morally upset. That's another thing about our rituals, we feel very personally invested in them. And the studies show that when when our rituals are interrupted when You feel upset, and we find it morally important.Nick Jikomes 10:04 You make this distinction between habits being causally transparent. And rituals being causally opaque what what does that mean?Dimitris Xygalatas 10:14 It means that when I perform a utilitarian action, there's a clear connection between the actions that I'm performing, and the outcome. If I use a knife to slice a loaf of bread, the outcome is very obvious, it's it will, it will allow me to eat the bread. But if I use a ritual, knife to cut a ric

Nick talks to cognitive psychopharmacologist Dr. Manoj Doss about the effects of psychoactive drugs on memory, including sedatives, stimulants, psychedelics, cannabinoids, and MDMA. They also talk about recent research on the effects of psilocybin on the human brain.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to neuroscientist Dr. Joseph LeDoux, who runs a research lab at New York University. His research focuses on the neurobiology of emotion, memory, and behavior. He has written several popular science books including, "The Deep History of Ourselves." They discuss: brain evolution; what is behavior? what are emotion and cognition, and how are they intertwined; consciousness, language, and memory.* 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/subscribe

Dr. Maayan Levy is an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, where her lab studies the communication between the microbiome and its host, with a focus on the gut microbiome and its relationship to diet, immune system function, and disease. We discuss: her recent study linking the ketogenic diet to lower risk of colon cancer; what the ketogenic diet is and what the metabolic state of ‘ketosis’ does in the body; molecules called ketone bodies, such as BHB, and the extent to which BHB supplementation can recapitulate some of the physiological effects of the ketogenic diet; how the microbiome influences the function and development of the immune system; and the hygiene hypothesis, the idea that modern human cultures may be too clean, or rely too heavily on antibiotics and other technology, and interfere with our microbiome in ways that may be detrimental to metabolic and immunological health.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to chemist & patent attorney Dr. Andrew Chadeayne, who is the CEO of the psychedelic startup CaaMTech. They discussed: the chemistry of magic mushrooms, including compounds beyond psilocybin, found in many species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms; the so-called entourage effect, the idea that multiple compounds found in plants and fungi might work together in a synergistic fashion to produce specific psychoactive or therapeutic effects; Cannabis and magic mushrooms; DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and novel DMT analogues; how we went from academia, to patent law, to founding CaaMTech; the prospect of developing novel psychedelic drugs, non-hallucinogenic psychedelic drug analogues, and some of the details on how these various drugs differ in terms of their chemical structure.* Click here to download audio, watch video, or read show notes & transcripts.* Read this to learn how you can support M&M further. 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/subscribe

Nick talks to Dr. Martin Picard, a biologist at Columbia University whose lab studies mitochondrial psychobiology, linking together molecular processes within mitochondria with human experience. They discussed; what mitochondria are and where they came from: their role in energy & metabolism; the mitochondrial genome; the importance of mitochondria in stress & aging; how exercise, diet, and genetics influence mitochondria biology; hair graying and whether it's reversible; the mind-mitochondria connection.* 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/subscribe

Nick talks to biologist Dr. Leonard Guarente about the biology of aging, life extension, health supplements, and related topics. Dr. Guarente is a Professor of Biology at MIT, where his lab has studied the molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging for many years. He is also the co-founder and Chief Scientist of Elysium Health, which uses the science of aging to develop health supplements to combat age-related decline and technologies to help consumers understand their rate of aging. Nick and Dr. Guarente discussed many topics related to aging, including: how and why aging occurs; whether humans can achieve immortality; NAD and the core metabolic processes of cells; resveratrol, pterostilbene, and other anti-aging molecules; epigenetics and technology that can be used to calculate biological age vs. chronological age. * Other M&M content about diet & metabolism.* Support M&M if you find value in this content.* Full audio only version: [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify]* Full video version: [YouTube] [Rumble] [Odysee]ABOUT Nick Jikomes:Nick is a neuroscientist and podcast host. He is currently Director of Science & Innovation at Leafly, a technology startup in the legal cannabis industry. He received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University and a B.S. in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 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/subscribe

Nick talks to cell & developmental biologist Dr. Blanche Capel. They discussed the nature of sexual reproduction and sexual dimorphism, including when these these things evolved, the evolutionary reasons for sexual reproduction, and the amazing diversity of mechanisms that determine the development of sexual traits across the animal kingdom; the contribution of genetic vs. environmental factors in sex determination, and how these vary across species; sex chromosomes, such as the X and Y chromosomes of humans and other mammals; sex hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen; as well as how gametes and gonads develop - these are the sex cells, such as sperm or egg, and the reproductive organs that produce them and the major sex hormones that shape sexual development; what we know, and don’t know, about the biology of puberty and sexual development after birth, as well as whether environmental factors, such as components of the diet an environmental contaminants, could be influencing sexual development.* 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/subscribe