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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
Stephen Ezell, Vice President of global innovation policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, provides an overview of public policy and the innovations in technology that are impacting economic growth and security.
As Vice President of global innovation policy, Ezell is focused on trade, international competitiveness, science and technology policy, as well as manufacturing and services issues. Ezell discusses his background and explains the mission of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), which is a number one ranked science and technology think tank according to the University of Pennsylvania's think tank index. As he explains, their mission is to advocate for public policies that drive innovation-based economic growth across the US and around the globe.
Ezell explains how high performance computing is one of their important areas of focus because sophisticated, highest power computing systems are essential for all countries' economic competitiveness and national security. Ezell explains why super computers are important and how they can rapidly solve computational problems, detailing the reasons why this level of computing is needed in various areas, from national security to performance.
The global innovation policy expert discusses the level of computing that is necessary to participate in new technologies. He talks about the symbiosis and design of the systems, and software. As he explains, high performance computing use and adoption is equally important to production at a national level. Ezell discusses the various nations globally that are investing currently to expand their capacity and increase their abilities, to open new doors to possibilities, especially in the life sciences that deal with chemical and biological interactions, space travel, and many others. Wrapping up, Ezell discusses in great detail some of the incredible tasks that can be accomplished as nations take advantage of the advancing technologies.
Scott Smith, creator, and host of the Daily Boost podcast joins us to discuss the philosophies that he shares daily with listeners of the Daily Boost. His aim with these brief but uplifting episodes is to help listeners overcome obstacles, find their purpose, and find motivation; these concepts can be applied to both business and personal ventures. Each day, Scott delivers important messages on personal growth, productivity, procrastination, developing relationships, and more.
With over 10,000 podcast episodes recorded and produced, Scott Smith discusses where he finds his material each day and how he aims to help his listeners through these small but mighty episodes.
Feeling inspired already? Find the Daily Boost on iTunes and Spotify.
As an assistant professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Campinas, Brazil, Dr. Alessandra Sussulini studies metabolomics, which describes the set of all metabolites—such as sugars, lipids, and amino acids—in an organism and considers how those metabolites change under specific conditions. For example, what are the type and quantity of metabolites in a person who is in a state of health versus disease? How might metabolite populations change during or after treatment for a specific condition? What might metabolomics tell us the underlying causes of disease? These are the types of questions being investigated by Dr. Sussulini.
Most recently, her research has been focused on identifying biomarkers for bipolar disorder and treatment-resistant depression, as well as the use of ayahuasca for the treatment of drug-resistant depression, and more specifically, what the metabolic picture under ayahuasca use looks like.
Tune in to hear the full conversation.
Olives, chocolate, beer, and bread; what do these things have in common? They are all either started or driven by fermentation, the process by which—simply put—bacteria are deliberately introduced to an environment in order to crowd out harmful bacteria. Alex Lewin, health strategist and author, explains why he finds fermentation both fascinating and empowering. As the author of two books on the subject, Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond, and Real Food Fermentation: Preserving Whole Fresh Food with Live Cultures in Your Home Kitchen, Lewin has become quite the expert on all things fermentation.
He joins the podcast today to discuss the science behind it, how the body essentially carries out its own fermentation processes by forming alliances with good microbes in order to push out the bad, the digestive and nutritional benefits of fermented goods, how to make your own fermented goods, and so much more.
Tune in for all the details.
The temptation of smartphones is undeniable. Let's say you're having dinner with your family or friends as you feel the familiar buzz of a text message arriving to your phone. You could be having the most fascinating discussion, yet once that notification pops up, the temptation to check that notification is almost overwhelming. Many of us would be tempted to glance down if only to see who it was messaging us. These interruptions, however brief, can completely derail our train of thought and productivity.
Most of us aren't going to get rid of our smartphones, email or social media, so what can we do to minimize these distractions? Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, joins us today to discuss what actions we can take to minimize our distractions at work and at home, overall improving our focus and ability to stay present in all that we do. In this podcast, Nir also discusses the importance of habit-forming and its applications to habit-forming products such as apps and websites.
For more information and to purchase Nir's books, visit https://www.nirandfar.com.
Classic Darwinism places organisms at the center of evolutionary theory, positing that natural selection is the sole mechanism by which evolution occurs. In the 1970s, the ideas within Richard Dawkins' book, The Selfish Gene, initiated the first shift away from this by arguing that the true unit of natural selection is not the organism itself but the genes within the organism. Today, the way we understand evolution continues to change to include many more mechanisms of it.
Nathalie Gontier, Director of the Applied Evolutionary Epistemology Lab and faculty member in the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, joins the podcast today to discuss the nature of her work, which revolves around an investigation of evolutionary theory and an examination of different mechanisms and processes of evolution that extend Neo-Darwinism. She expounds on a number of topics, including an increasingly recognized mechanism called reticulate evolution, which is an evolution as it occurs by symbiogenesis and describes evolution as a network rather than a tree of bifurcating branches.
She also discusses what might lead to speciation, how epigenetic inheritance occurs, epistemological pluralism as it relates to evolutionary theory, multi-level selection, and how evolution is a process acting on everything—not just organisms or genes, but writing, cultural artifacts, ideas, and technology.
Tune in for a fascinating conversation that might change the way you think about life itself.
Learn more about her work by visiting https://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/en/noticia/07-02-2013/appeel-applied-evolutionary-epistemology-lab.
Kevin Boyd, DDS, MS, discusses his innovative medical theory known as Darwinian Dentistry. Dr. Boyd's theory and hypothesis is based on the study of prehistoric fossil remains of human ancestors and could offer much information about the past, and future, of children's health care. Dr. Boyd is a board-certified pediatric dentist with over two decades of experience.
Dr. Boyd explains the history of evolutionary medicine, commenting on some of the early pioneers of medicine who looked at modern diseases that seemed to be a function of cultural industrialization. Dr. Boyd discusses pathogens and causes, and focuses on how people adapt over geological time to gradually changing environments, and he discusses how it all impacts the genome. He cites examples of mammals that experience illnesses and survive to live another day, within the context of evolutionary fitness. Continuing, Dr. Boyd discusses tooth decay and why we now need orthodontists, considering the history and the time chronology, meaning when that first entered the human condition. He explains how he adapted the model of evolutionary medicine specifically to evolutionary oral medicine, or Darwinian Dentistry, aligning his theories with his 20 years of expertise as a dentist.
Dr. Boyd discusses his work in pediatric dentistry, talking about orthodontics, and the management of anxiety in kids. Early oral evaluation, beginning at or around the ages of 3 or 4 is recommended, he states. Around this age, thumb sucking, pacifiers, or other oral habits can greatly influence the shape of a child's jaw, teeth, and even face.
The doctor explains the merits of early orthodontics, widening the jaw and airway, etc., and how there is clear evidence of kids doing better in school, ending their bed wetting, and experiencing many behavioral improvements, after orthodontic procedures. He provides further information on the many problems that can be created and caused by crowding of
the airway, and how early orthodontic procedures can facilitate and improve potential problems.
David Ewing Duncan, journalist, researcher, and author of many books, including the celebrated, Talking to Robots: Tales from Our Human-Robot Futures, provides an interesting overview of his work and life.
Duncan's written work is focused on new discoveries and their many important implications in the life sciences. He has a particular interest in artificial intelligence and robotics. Duncan has authored ten books, and they have been published in 21 languages to date.
Duncan talks about his background in writing and media in general. He gives an overview of his book, Talking to Robots: Tales from Our Human-Robot Futures. He provides details on the topics his book covers, including how robot and AI systems are built, what they say about us as a society and as creators, and what we might expect in the bold new future that is coming. As an author he takes a visionary look into possible futures—24 possible visions of human-robot futures to be exact. Duncan contemplates a future, with highly-detailed, incredible scenarios, considering the concept of Politician Bots, Teddy Bots, Warrior Bots, and even Sex Bots—all based in technology and in respect to how the future will adapt to our creations.
Duncan talks about smart technology, discussing where we are now in society in terms of utilizing technology such as Uber and others. He explains the ways that we interact with robots, and the importance of bringing ethics and morality into the development. Duncan expounds upon his view of where we are heading in terms of programming of systems, government regulation, etc. He provides his thoughts on the various kinds of bots that could exist in the near future. Duncan provides information about the subtle issues that relate to robotics, such as companionship. As he explains, many people like to connect with technology as a means of communicating or connecting, but the irony is we often connect with our technology more intimately than we do with real humans.
Duncan is a renowned science journalist for print, television, and radio and a regular contributor to Vanity Fair, Wired, The New York Times, Atlantic, and many others. In addition, he has been published in Fortune, Discover, National Geographic, Newsweek, and Outside. And Duncan was a special correspondent and producer for ABC's popular show, Nightline, amongst his many other accomplishments.
Our diet can play a huge role in how well, or not well, our bodies function. While we have an understanding of how our digestive tract processes food, there is a lot of ambiguity around what happens next. Dr. Semir Beyaz and his team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory aim to understand how what we eat affects us at physiological, cellular, and molecular levels. He joins us today to share some of his findings and future directions of his research. Listen in to hear more.
Dr. Beyaz acknowledges that there are a lot of claims around nutrition that are not scientifically backed. He encourages you to seek out primary literature when doing your own research. He recommends the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and FDA guidelines if you are interested in learning more about nutrition.
If you have questions about his research or would like more information, email him at beyaz@cshl.edu.
Imagine reaching above your shoulders to change hundreds of light bulbs in a row with no rest, day after day. It wouldn't take long for this to take a toll on your body--your neck, arms, shoulders, and back especially. Not many of us think about it, but this is essentially what's required of surgeons as they perform minimally-invasive laparoscopic procedures day in and day out. It was from this realization that Mark Doyle invented AIRFRAME, wearable upper body exoskeleton for surgeons in the operating room.
Soon after the prototype was made public, a number of manufacturers began expressing interest in trialing it, including BMW, Toyota, John Deer, and aerospace tech companies. It turns out that the exoskeleton prototype created by Doyle was not only perfectly suited for surgeons, but for industrial workers on assembly lines, painters, construction workers, and those who work within fulfillment centers and for maintenance operations in various industries.
Mark Doyle joined forces with Joseph Zawaideh to found Levitate, a company focused exclusively on providing this wearable exoskeleton for industrial workers who are forced into an ergonomic red zone due to the nature of their jobs. On today's episode, Zawaideh discusses the details of the product, describing how it's been proven to move workers from the red to green ergonomic zone, how it functions mechanically, and why it will never impede a worker's productivity.
Tune in to hear the full conversation, visit levitatetech.com to learn more, and don't hesitate to email your questions to info@levitatetech.com.
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