Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes

Professor Nathan Lents studied biology at St. Louis University and then completed his PhD at St. Louis University’s school of medicine in Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences.  PhDs need residencies, too, so he did his postdoctoral training in cancer genomics at NYU and loved New York so much that he stayed and is now a Professor at John Jay College in Manhattan and director of the honors program.  He maintains the Human Evolution Blog and his podcast is called This World of Humans.  

His book, Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes, discusses the beauty of our flaws.  We are not the well-oiled machines that we think we are.  In today’s episode we start by discussing how this book caused an unexpected run-in with the intelligent design folks, and then get into the cognitive biases and heuristics that help shape our reality and how this, while designed as an advantage, can frequently be a disadvantage in our modern world.  We then get into the design flaws, like the vitamins that we should be able to make ourselves but can’t, vitamins and minerals we absorb poorly or in the wrong place, and finally end on the paleo diet and intermittent fasting.  You’ll have to listen to the end to find out which this evolutionary biologist advocates and why.

He can be found at NathanLents.com

This medical podcast is your physician mentor to fill the gaps in your medical education. We cover physician soft skills, charting, interpersonal skills, doctor finance, doctor mental health, medical decisions, physician parenting, physician executive skills, navigating your doctor career, and medical professional development. This is critical CME for physicians, but without the credits (yet). A proud founding member of the Doctor Podcast Network!

Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to connect, dive deeper, and keep the conversation going. Let’s grow! 

Disclaimer:

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.