Offspring Magazine

The Anthropocene is the current epoch in human history, proposed as a time period, during which human activities produced enough impact to constitute a distinct change on Earth’s geology and ecosystems, for example, climate change. In this episode, Srinath and Leonie talk to Dr. Thomas Bruhn, a research group leader at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, where his projects focus on how cultivating mental qualities, such as mindfulness, can contribute to sustainability.  They discuss the difference between simply generating knowledge and integrating the already existing forms of knowledge into the society outside academia. Thomas talks about the importance of sustainability in relationships and how the larger systemic change happens through the emergence of relationship patterns that manifest in small changes in every one of us. Thomas talks about the role of meaningful conversations in generating new insights and the challenge of establishing such connections. They also discuss the lack of utopian outlooks for the future that we could get excited about.  Learn more about Dr. Bruhn and his work: https://www.iass-potsdam.de/en/people/thomas-bruhn Dr. Bruhn’s book: “Mehr sein, weniger brauchen – Was Nachhaltigkeit mit unseren Beziehungen zu tun hat“ (Bruhn, T.  & Böhme, J., 2021): https://www.beltz.de/sachbuch_ratgeber/produkte/details/45242-mehr-sein-weniger-brauchen.html How to experiment with different forms of communication in a scientific context:  Creating space for reflection and dialogue: Examples of new modes of communication for empowering climate action (Fraude et al., 2021) https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_6001281_1/component/file_6001282/content Dr. Bruhn’s research at the climate negotiations:. Enabling new mindsets and transformative skills for negotiating and activating climate action. Lessons from UNFCCC conferences of the parties. (Wamsler et al., 2020) https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_6000224_2/component/file_6000225/content Episode Art: Photo by Noah Buscher (https://unsplash.com/@noahbuscher) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/) You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/MaxPlanckPhDnet If you have any feedback, comments, or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you soon!

In the first episode of season 3, Bea talks about diabetes and obesity to Professor Jens Brüning, a Director of the Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research in Cologne, as well as head of the clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Preventive Medicine at the University Hospital in Cologne. About 10% of the people worldwide have diabetes and it is one of the leading causes of death in the world, with its prevalence steadily increasing over the past few decades. Bea and Jens talk about the diabetes epidemic and the link between diabetes and obesity. Jens explains the two types of diabetes, the function of insulin, ghrelin, and leptin, and the role genetics and lifestyle play in diabetes and obesity. He also clarifies pre-diabetes and gestational diabetes, and sheds some light onto the connection between diabetes and COVID-19. Jens emphasises the importance of sports for metabolism, in general, and in diabetes, in particular. The two also discuss how realistic the plans for a miracle pill that could replace sports are and the importance of eating with your circadian rhythm. Professor Brüning’s lab: https://www.sf.mpg.de/research/bruening Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research: https://www.sf.mpg.de/en Facts in the description from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes Episode Art: Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya (https://unsplash.com/@towfiqu999999) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/) You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast  YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/MaxPlanckPhDnet If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de  Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog  Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar  Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus  See you soon!

In this bonus episode, our hosts (Adrian, Allison, Bea, Emanuele, Niko, Renee, and Srinath) officially close Season 2 of the podcast. They talk about the experiences they made when creating their episodes, their areas of interest, how they go about finding and inviting their guests, the feedback they receive, and, most importantly, about their plans for Season 3. If you want to see the faces behind the voices, head over to our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/MaxPlanckPhDnet Episode Art: Photo by Jukka Aalho (https://unsplash.com/@jukkaaalho) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/) You can follow our hosts here: Adrian Lahola-Chomiak: https://twitter.com/AdrianLahola Allison Lewis: https://twitter.com/OswaldsMom Beatrice Lansbergen: https://twitter.com/BeatriceLansbe1 Emanuele Antico: https://twitter.com/Antico1E Nikolai Hörmann: https://twitter.com/HoermannNikolai Renee Vieira: https://twitter.com/VieiraRenee Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/MaxPlanckPhDnet If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you very soon in Season 3!

In this episode, Srinath talks to Hang Liu - PhDnet Spokesperson 2022, Lea Heckmann - PhDnet Spokesperson 2021 and Sarah Young - PhDnet Deputy Spokesperson 2021, but this time, its not about policy or about the network but about their science.   As Doctoral Researchers, scientific work is our primary objective and with these interviews we aim to show what science we pursue and how we balance scientific and extracurricular activities to manage time, thereby helping the network develop further as well.  Episode Art: Photo by Robynne Hu (https://unsplash.com/@robynnexy) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/) You can follow the guests here:  Hang Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hang-liu-20771b115/?originalSubdomain=de  Lea Heckmann: https://twitter.com/HeckmannLea  Sarah Young: https://twitter.com/SarahAEYoung  You can follow us on:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast  If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de  Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog  Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar  Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus  See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Bea talks to Prof. Benjamin List, director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung and 2021 Chemistry Nobel Laureate "for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis". Benjamin talks about his work, the pivotal point on the way to the discovery of organocatalysis, and what it means for pharmaceutical research as well as medicine and industry. We talk about mRNA technology, transition-metal catalysis and organocatalysis, basic research in organic chemistry, advances in the field, and questions that are yet to be answered. Benjamin talks about the role of creativity in chemical research, making chemistry greener, and the biggest challenge that is global warming. We also discuss the importance of communicating chemistry and the difficulty in translating its special language to illustrate its ubiquity in every part of our lives. Check out Benjamin’s lab: https://www.kofo.mpg.de/en/research/homogeneous-catalysis And read more about the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry here: https://www.kofo.mpg.de/20210910-chemistry-nobel-prize-for-ben-list?c=219043 and here: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2021/list/facts/ Episode Art: Photo by Hans Reniers (https://unsplash.com/@hansreniers) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/) You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Srinath talks to Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist, author, and one of the most famous science communicators about the biggest topic there is: the Universe.  We talk about Neil’s new book, A Brief Welcome to the Universe: A Pocket-Sized Tour, and the fundamental questions that he hopes to ask and answer to stoke curiosity. We also talk about quantum physics, identifying planets with alien civilizations, and the concept of the Multiverse, and Neil tells the story of how he got into physics from his early childhood, as well as how mathematics is the language of the universe.  And finally, we discuss his approach to communicating science, and our responsibility to communicate it effectively as early career researchers.  We also discuss how to talk science without being patronising, and how to encourage critical thinking.  Video podcast: https://youtu.be/kv0Eb8DvzPc  Check out Neil’s website: https://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/index.php  You can purchase his new book, A Brief Welcome to the Universe: A Pocket-Sized Tour here:  (Amazon-DE): https://www.amazon.de/dp/069121994X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_NQ9AM5EJB8JJFWNR0S6A  (Amazon-US): https://www.amazon.com/dp/069121994X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_NNVZXNZT75SQ1FZ4TB0A  His book, Cosmic Queries: https://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/books/2021-05-cosmic-queries.php  And his podcast: https://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/shows/2015-04-startalk.php  Episode Art: Background Photo by Enric Cruz López from Pexels  Neil Tyson : © Amazon (https://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/about/publicity-photos.php)  A Brief welcome to the universe: (https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691219943/a-brief-welcome-to-the-universe)  You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast  If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de  Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog  Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar  Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus  See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

This is the second part of our episode dedicated to Mental Health Awareness Week. In this episode, Bea continues her conversation with Dr. Mathias V. Schmidt, a Research Group Leader at the MPI of Psychiatry, this time focusing on the environmental factors that cause stress and how lifestyle changes can help us mitigate our stress. We discuss how stimulation might be beneficial for stress resilience, and talk about the possible interventions and ways to take control in stressful situations. Mathias highlights some of the most common symptoms of chronic stress and the signs that should encourage you to seek help. We specifically focus on the power of social interactions as a buffer and on social conflicts as one of the strongest stressors. We also discuss the differences between anxiety and stress, and the problems that could be caused by long-term exposure to either one. Check out Dr. Schmidt’s Research Group: https://www.psych.mpg.de/1496026/schmidt_m You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

This is the first part of our episode dedicated to Mental Health Awareness Week.  In this episode, Bea talks to Dr. Mathias V. Schmidt, a Research Group Leader at the MPI of Psychiatry, about the science of stress.  Mathias gives us an introduction to stress, how it is defined, the effect it has on our bodies, and how the stress response can be measured. We talk about the evolutionary importance and different types of stress, some that can be beneficial, as well as the traumatic and chronic stress that can arise when we are not in control of the situation. Matthias gives some examples of how stress can affect our system, leading to a higher risk for a number of metabolic, cardiovascular, as well as psychiatric diseases.  Mathias also discusses the reasons behind the major differences in people’s resilience and sensitivity to stress, and talks about the mixture of biomarkers that are starting to be used to detect vulnerability to stress.  Check out Dr. Schmidt’s Research Group: https://www.psych.mpg.de/1496026/schmidt_m  You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast  If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de  Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog  Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar  Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus  See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

Niko and Srinath talk to Philipp Dettmer, founder of Kurzgesagt, the YouTube science channel. They discuss how Kurzgesagt started, YouTube as a platform for science communication, and the process of creating their videos. They also touch on the challenges of working in an uncertain environment, interacting with the community, and their upcoming book.

In this episode, Bea and Srinath talk to Benjamina Bollag, founder and CEO of HigherSteaks, a UK-based cultured meats company that aims to recreate meat, starting with their first project, pork. Benjamina talks about the process of recreating meats: from taking a cell through guiding its growth in a bioreactor to creating the meat itself. Benjamina’s main motivation for founding HigherSteaks was to create a business that would have a high positive impact on people, and to this end, the cultured meats are a way to get rid of the dependency on the meat industry, while also targeting animal cruelty, antibiotic resistance, and related environmental issues. Together, our hosts and Benjamina discuss what it is like competing with a huge industry and founding a company with specialists from a diverse range of areas to enter a completely new market. To learn more about HigherSteaks, visit their website: https://www.highersteaks.com/ You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!