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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Nick talks to mathematical biologist Dr. Alex Washburne about the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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