Mind & Matter

Send us a textNick 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.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.*Not medical adviceSupport the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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. *Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts

Send us a textNick 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.More neuroscience & genetics content here.*Not medical advice.Support the showAffiliates: Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app. AquaTru: Reverse osmosis water filters. Remove metals, microbes, endocrine disruptors and toxins from drinking water. $100 off AquaTru filters through link. KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime) Lumen device to optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. Code MIND for 10% off SiPhox Health—Affordable at-home blood testing. Key health markers, visualized & explained. Code TRIKOMES for a 20% discount. MASA Chips—delicious tortilla chips made from organic corn & grass-fed beef tallow. No seed oils or artificial ingredients. Code MIND for 20% off For all the ways you can support my efforts