STEM-Talk

Today we have planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee and STEM-Talk host Dr. Ken Ford in a wide-ranging conversation about NASA’s ambitions to return humans to the Moon as a stepping stone to sending astronauts to Mars. Pascal is making his third appearance on STEM-Talk. Much of his research focuses on asteroids, impact craters, and the future human exploration of Mars. Pascal and Ken have a lively discussion about the growing momentum for space exploration. Pascal is a researcher at the SETI Institute, a not-for-profit NASA program focused on searching for extraterrestrial intelligence in an effort to understand and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe. He also is the co-founder and chairman of the Mars Institute, and director of the Haughton-Mars Project at NASA Ames Research Center. Last year, Pascal received significant news coverage for his discovery of a giant volcano along with a possible sheet of buried glacier ice in the eastern part of Mars’ Tharsis volcanic province. This was the first geological find of this magnitude since the other major volcanos on Mars were discovered back in the 1970s. Show notes: [00:03:06] Ken welcomes Pascal back to STEM-Talk and starts our interview by mentioning the developments in space exploration over the past few years, including civilian space missions, NASA’s Artemis program which aims to send humans back to the moon, and commitments to a manned mission to Mars. Given Pascal’s career in advancement of space exploration, Ken asks if Pascal is excited by these recent developments. [00:04:43] Ken explains that for a couple of decades Pascal has spent his summers visiting Devon Island in the Canadian arctic archipelago, which is the largest uninhabited land on Earth. When Pascal was last on STEM-Talk, his annual trip to Devon Island was cancelled due to COVID-19. Devon Island has unique geological characteristics that are in some ways similar to those on Mars. Since 2001, Devon Isalnd has been the home of the Haughton Mars Project (HMP). Ken asks Pascal to talk about the advances in this project since his last appearance on STEM-Talk. [00:07:59] Ken mentions that while much conversation has been centered on a human trip to Mars, a mission to return humans to the Moon and establish a permanent base is a more immediately feasible goal in the short term. Ken asks Pascal to talk about the importance and significance of such a mission. [00:12:06] On the topic of a Moon base, Ken explains that NASA’s Artemis project aims to send humans to the south pole of the Moon. Pascal has written a paper on that topic titled “An Off-Polar Site Option for the NASA Artemis Space Camp.” Ken asks Pascal what he sees as the primary weakness in the south pole location. [00:20:25] Ken agrees with Pascal’s perspective on sending humans to the lunar south pole, and the two discuss the problems with focusing human space exploration on romantic ideas such as “living off the land.” [00:22:24] Ken follows up on the previous questions by mentioning that in Pascal’s aforementioned paper, he suggests setting up a lunar base at the floor of the Clavius crater. Ken asks Pascal to talk about Clavius and why it is a potentially good permanent location for a moon base. [00:27:56] Ken asks Pascal how confident he and the community at large is in the Sophia finding of water. [00:29:00] Ken notes that contemporary interest in human space exploration appears tied to current geopolitical issues, much like the first space race between the US and USSR. Today, interest in space travel is closely linked with relations between the US and China. Ken asks Pascal to discuss this and how he believes the US should view this current situation. [00:35:43] Ken asks Pascal what he knows about the China’s current plans for a lunar mission. [00:34:36] Ken talks about a meeting at IHMC that addressed power-beaming to the lunar surface. [00:39:01] Ken notes that there is a lot of talk these days about not not only traveling to Mars, but also colonizing Mars. Ken asks Pascal where he believes this sentiment is coming from and what are some of the challenges associated with colonizing Mars. [00:46:48] Ken notes that last year Elon Musk made an announcement to his SpaceX employees that he expects 1 million people to be living on Mars in the next 20 years. Ken asks Pascal what his thoughts are on this. [00:53:28] Ken asks Pascal to talk about a paper he published discussing a previously unrecognized volcano on Mars. Given that it was generally accepted for decades that all the volcanos had been accounted for, Ken asks Pascal to talk about the story of his recent discovery. [01:02:44] Ken pivots to a discussion of the Moons of Mars, specifically Phobos, asking Pascal to talk about the nature of this Moon. [01:07:42] Ken mentions that docking on Phobos and then going from Phobos to Mars would likely be a safer strategy for early Mars missions than landing directly on Mars from Earth. [01:12:30] Ken starts a discussion about Perseverance, as well as the new Japanese mission that may bring back Mars rocks from Phobos. Ken asks Pascal about Perseverance’s collection Mars’ of rock samples that NASA plans for a mission to bring those Mars rocks to Earth. Ken asks it is worth the cost of a mission to collect these samples and what we might learn if we are successful in getting these samples to Earth. [01:17:09] Ken wraps up our interview asking Pascal what year it was that he started working at NASA Ames, which turns out to be the same year Ken started working at NASA Ames. Links: Pascal Lee bio Learn more about IHMC STEM-Talk homepage Ken Ford bio Ken Ford Wikipedia page  

JP Errico, a scientist and inventor specializing in neuroimmunology, discusses his groundbreaking work on vagus nerve stimulation. He shares insights into how this technique can significantly reduce inflammation and alleviate chronic diseases. JP delves into the intricate connections between the nervous and immune systems, linking autonomic regulation to mental health and aging. His innovative approach aims to create non-invasive solutions for serious health issues, showcasing the transformative power of lifestyle choices on overall well-being.

Dr. Karl Herrup, a neurobiologist and author of 'How Not to Study a Disease: The Story of Alzheimer’s,' delves into the critical flaws of the amyloid cascade hypothesis in Alzheimer’s research. He argues that this longstanding theory may be hindering real progress toward a cure. Joined by Dr. Tommy Wood, they discuss the complexities of diagnosing Alzheimer’s, the roles of DNA damage, and the need for innovative approaches to treatment. Herrup emphasizes the importance of rethinking research methods to better understand this multifaceted disease.

Today we have Dr. Frank Butler, a retired Navy Undersea Medical Officer and an ophthalmologist who served as a Navy SEAL platoon commander prior to attending medical school. Just a few weeks after our interview, President Joe Biden awarded Frank a Presidential Citizens Medal during a White House ceremony. The medal is one of the highest honors a civilian can receive and recognized Frank’s many contributions to civilian and military trauma care. Frank is credited with founding Tactical Combat Causality Care, also known as TC Three, which has transformed battlefield medical care and saved thousands of lives.  TCCC is now used throughout the U.S. military and much of the world. In today’s interview, we talk to Frank about his recent book, “Tell Them Yourself: It’s Not Your Day to Die,” which describes the challenges and improvements TCCC has experienced over the past three decades. Frank spent most of his 26-year career in Navy Medicine supporting the Special Operations community. He served a five-year stint as a Diving Medical Research officer at the Navy Experimental Diving Unit in Panama City, Fla., where he helped develop many of the diving techniques and procedures used by Navy SEALs today. Show notes: [00:03:31] Dawn opens the interview asking Frank what it was like growing up in Savannah, Ga., in the 50s and 60s. [00:04:40] Dawn asks Frank about his father, who was an industrial engineer, and who became director of urban housing in Savannah during a time when the city was developing public housing. [00:05:47] Ken asks Frank if it’s true that most of his family went into the medical field. [00:06:33] Ken asks Frank about his experience attending a Navy SEALs demonstration during his sophomore year of college. [00:08:09] Dawn asks Frank about his experience going through Navy SEAL training, particularly the Basic Underwater Demolition SEALs School. [00:09:29] Dawn asks if it’s true that five people in Frank’s family have become Navy SEALs. [00:10:08] Ken explains that after Frank left the SEALs in 1975, he had to figure out what to do next with his life. Frank talks about what led to his decision to go to medical school. [00:11:14] Ken asks Frank how he ended up at Jacksonville Naval Hospital to do an internship in family medicine. [00:11:46] Dawn explains that after Frank’s internship, he was assigned to the Navy Experimental Dive Unit. She asks him to talk about this experience. [00:12:25] Frank talks about some of the projects he worked on during this period. [00:14:43] Ken asks Frank how he decided on ophthalmology as his surgical specialization. [00:15:47] Dawn asks Frank what his experience as a resident at Bethesda Naval Hospital was like. [00:16:52] Dawn explains that after Frank completed his residency, he was assigned to Pensacola Naval Hospital. Dawn asks Frank how he ended up becoming the biomedical research director for the Navy SEALs. [00:18:48] Ken mentions that Frank worked on several important projects as research director for the SEALs, including battlefield trauma care, a tactical athlete program, improved treatment of decompression sickness, and the Navy SEAL nutrition guide. Ken begins by asking Frank to talk about his work on the tactical athlete program. [00:20:33] Dawn explains that another one of Frank’s projects as research director for the SEALs was the design of the Navy special warfare decompression computer. Dawn asks Frank to explain what a decompression computer does for a diver. [00:21:35] Dawn asks Frank to elaborate on the process of designing this decompression computer and the algorithm as well as the process of getting it approved for the Navy. [00:23:31] Ken asks Frank to talk about a program he worked on to promote refractive surgery. While this program was initially designed to improve combat vision for SEALs, the program has expanded to all active-duty service members, including aviators. [00:26:26] Dawn explains that Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) has been an incredible transformation in battlefield trauma care, with literature indicating that the protocols have saved thousands of lives. TCCC is now used throughout the US military and much of the rest of the world. Dawn goes on to ask about Frank’s book “Tell Them Yourself: It’s Not Your Day to Die,” which documents how TCCC has evolved over the three decades since it was first introduced, as well as the trials and tribulations the program endured. [00:28:04] Ken asks Frank to elaborate on the assertion in his book that, save for the use of helicopters in place of horse drawn carriages, pre-hospital battle trauma care was essentially the same as it was during the Civil War prior to TCCC. [00:30:05] Following up on the discussion of tourniquets, Ken mentions his memory of the outright ban of tourniquets in the Navy during his time in the service. [00:31:07] Ken asks Frank how he was able to take his realization that something needed to be done about battlefield trauma care and turn that into a Navy project. [00:32:58] Dawn asks Frank how, as program manager, he approached the conduct of the TCCC research project. [00:35:03] Dawn asks Frank why, even though the TCCC paper came out in 1996, TCCC was still not widely used in the U.S. military at the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. [00:36:14] Frank recalls the first unit to implement TCCC. [00:37:10] Dawn asks what other units followed as early adopters. [00:39:26] Dawn asks Frank how he helped implement TCCC throughout the special operations community. [00:43:11] Ken mentions that some units did particularly well in adopting TCCC and others struggled. Given this, Ken asks if the operational leader’s priority regarding TCCC impacts the implementation of it in the unit. [00:44:31] Ken asks Frank to speak on the adoption and implementation of TCCC in the rest of the military outside of the special operations communities. [00:47:32] Dawn asks Frank how he updated his recommendations for TCCC as new evidence from the war came in. [00:50:31] Ken asks Frank, other than tourniquets, what medical advancements to battlefield trauma care did TCCC usher in. [00:54:31] Ken mentions that while the TCCC innovation of carrying whole blood and performing pre-hospital blood transfusions has saved countless lives, the innovation still is not ubiquitous in the military or for civilian first responders. Ken asks Frank to talk about the complexities of a ubiquitous adoption of this practice, and what can be done to push it forward. [01:00:06] Dawn asks, in addition to tourniquets and whole blood, what are some of the TCCC innovations that are now being widely used in the civilian world. [01:03:19] Ken pivots to a discussion about ketamine. Ken notes that the U.S. military, as well as the militaries in other countries, have used ketamine as an anesthetic, especially since the war in Afghanistan.  Ken notes that the civilian world has been slow to adopt ketamine as a drug for pain relief. Frank gives his thoughts broadly on the use of ketamine as an anesthetic and his belief that it will become more common in civilian EMS units over the next five to 10 years. [01:07:34] For listeners who are interested in learning more about the medical uses of ketamine, Ken recommends Episode 165 with Dr. Jonathan Edwards. [01:09:03] Ken and Frank have a tangential discussion about ketamine as a treatment for suicidal ideation and depression. [01:11:11] Ken asks Frank, given that the TCCC protocols have been widely adopted in every area of the military, what is the basic level of competence in TCCC that every service member should have. [01:14:26] Ken asks Frank to speak to the situation in Ukraine with respect to combat casualty care. [01:17:23] Looping back to Frank’s book “Tell Them Yourself: It’s Not Your Day to Die,” Dawn asks why Frank took up the task of writing it. [01:21:20] Dawn asks Frank about the significance of the book’s title. [01:22:04] Dawn mentions that many people speak about how compelling the first chapter of Frank’s book is. Dawn asks Frank to talk about the writing process for this chapter. [01:25:05] Dawn mentions that one of Frank’s co-authors for his book is Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who is currently the physician to the president. Given that Frank was in the Navy and Dr. O’Connor was in the Army, Dawn asks Frank how the two of them met. [01:26:42] As we near the end of our interview, Ken asks Frank if he has any final insights to share about battlefield trauma care. [01:28:11] Ken comments on the importance of Frank’s book as a marker, so we don’t forget hard won lessons during times of peace. [01:29:47] Dawn closes our interview with Frank by mentioning that he is an avid diver and asks him what his favorite spot to dive is. Links: Frank Butler Presidential Citizens Medal Frank Butler IHMC lecture and bio Learn more about IHMC STEM-Talk homepage Ken Ford bio Ken Ford Wikipedia page Dawn Kernagis bio  

Dr. JoAnn Manson, an acclaimed endocrinologist and epidemiologist known for her pivotal role in the Women’s Health Initiative, dives into vital discussions on women's health. She shares how her mother's battle with ovarian cancer fueled her passion for preventative care. The talk explores the complexities of hormone therapy in menopause, emphasizing tailored approaches and the societal shift needed towards prevention. Manson also highlights dietary impacts on breast cancer and heart disease, advocating for lifestyle changes to enhance women's overall well-being.

Dr. Hans Van Dongen, director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center, dives into how sleep loss and circadian misalignment affect brain function. He discusses his mathematical modeling of fatigue's impact on performance, revealing startling insights about cognitive deficits from chronic sleep deprivation. The conversation also highlights the biological basis of chronotypes and the serious implications for health, emphasizing the importance of proactive sleep management in high-stakes situations. Along the way, he shares personal anecdotes that shaped his path into sleep research.

Dr. Rudy Tanzi, a leading neuroscientist and an authority on Alzheimer's, shares his journey from musical inspiration to groundbreaking research. He discusses the significant role genetics play in Alzheimer's, including insights on genes like CD33 and TREM2. Tanzi also explores his innovative brain organoid models that mimic disease pathology, enabling faster drug screening. The conversation touches on the connection between exercise, the hormone irisin, and cognitive health, highlighting lifestyle's impact on aging and brain vitality.

Anurag Singh, chief medical officer at a Swiss life-science company, focuses on mitochondrial health and research into urolithin-A. He reveals how this gut metabolite can enhance mitochondrial function and improve muscle strength. Singh explains the importance of polyphenol-rich foods like pomegranates for producing urolithin-A. The conversation delves into the impact of lifestyle and antibiotics on the gut microbiome, alongside urolithin-A's potential benefits for longevity and performance, especially for athletes and older adults.

Dr. Kevin Tracey, a leading neurosurgeon and pioneer in bioelectrical medicine, shares his groundbreaking insights into inflammation and neuro-immunology. He recounts how personal loss shaped his scientific path and the importance of asking tough questions. The discussion highlights his discovery of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and its role in developing new therapies. Tracey emphasizes the potential of vagus nerve stimulation as a revolutionary treatment for inflammatory diseases, bridging the fields of neuroscience and immunology, and showcases exciting advances in bioelectronic medicine.

Ken, an expert on AI and global security, is joined by Dawn, a savvy speaker on health and technology. They dive into the recent FDA approval of a neural implant device for neuromuscular diseases, exploring its implications. The duo discusses the genetic factors linked to Alzheimer’s disease, particularly the APOE4 allele. They also tackle the trade-offs between ketogenic and low-carb diets, and why blood-flow restriction classes are often overlooked in gyms. Plus, Ken shares his favorite sci-fi author, making for a captivating blend of topics!