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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
Dr. Eric Scerri, noted scientist and author of the book, "The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance," and many others, delivers a fascinating overview of the origin and importance of the periodic table.
Dr. Scerri is an experienced scientist who has logged many years in the field of chemistry. His formal education was primarily with the Universities of London, Cambridge, and Southampton. Interested in sharing his love of science with hungry young minds, Dr. Scerri spent a decade teaching chemistry at various private colleges in the London area. Dr. Scerri completed postdoctoral fellowships with the London School of Economics and Caltech then went on to teach again at Purdue University and Bradley University, eventually landing at UCLA in 2000.
The science expert talks about his background and how he became interested in the periodic table in his early childhood years. He recounts how the periodic table truly encompasses all the stuff from which everything is made. No other science has anything quite like it, which is remarkable and makes the periodic table that much more intriguing scientifically. He talks in depth about some of the more obscure elements and where they exist or might exist, in the universe. And he provides detailed information about the life of elements and their half-lives.
The chemist talks about the origin of the periodic table, as well as the discovery of the atom, etc. He explains many surprising insights that he has encountered in relation to the early equations that explained the complexity of the atom. He goes into detail about various equations from the pioneers of quantum mechanics that set out to explain the periodic table.
Dr. Scerri goes on to explain how superficial behavior can be misleading, and that deeper examination is required to fully explain and classify elements within scientific study. He talks about how every object is quantum mechanical, and that quantum mechanics is the more fundamental theory. Dr. Scerri discusses the various areas of his study and recounts some of the commonly asked questions he has fielded over the years in the many and various interviews he has taken part in.
Additionally, the science author explains how there is a fundamental unity of everything, and how this concept is often lacking in western philosophy and literature. He talks in detail about how science is, in fact, one unifying area, and that the individuals are less important than the overall advancement of science.
It's only within the last decade or so that there's been an understanding and growing appreciation of the ways in which cancer cells interact with the body, and the important clinical impacts of these interactions. Prior to this, the main focus was on developing therapies that only targeted the tumors themselves. However, due to the hyper-evolving nature of cancer cells and their ability to manipulate and adapt to the environment in ways that promote their growth, therapies designed to attack only them don't always provide clinical benefit for the patient.
Masoud Tavazoie, MD, Ph.D., is the CEO and co-founder of Rgenix, a company with a scientific approach to this problem that models the interactions between tumors and tumor microenvironments to not only learn more about the ways in which tumors communicate with the body, but also identify specific targets on immune cells that, when provided with novel therapeutics, will bolster the body's ability to mount an effective response against tumor growth. Since the therapies being developed by Rgenix don't necessarily act on the cancer cells themselves but on the body's ability to combat them, they have the potential to treat multiple types of cancer.
Rgenix currently has several drug programs in clinical development, and Dr. Tavazoie joins the podcast to discuss each of them, as well as a range of other important and interesting topics in this new and exciting realm of cancer technology.
Tune in and visit https://rgenix.com/ for more.
Imagine an experience so immersive it truly feels like you've been transported to another world or transformed to fit the mold of a flying bird, your seat moving in tandem with the visual experience, your feet hanging in mid-air. Imagine being able to conveniently access such an experience with the whole family, leaving with a newfound sense of insight, motivation, inspiration, and appreciation for life.
This is exactly the type of experience MacGillivray Freeman, the family filmmaking company based out of Laguna Beach, CA, aims to provide for as many people as possible. "We are really good storytellers and that's what we pride ourselves on, so being able to have something that is not only really cool and immersive but also emotional and inspirational, we strive for," says Shaun MacGillivray, president of MacGillivray Freeman. He goes on to explain the impressive and important impacts of their films. For example, by partnering with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Coca-Cola in a text-to-donate campaign inspired by their film To The Arctic, four million dollars were donated for a protected place for polar bears.
Shaun MacGillivray joins the podcast to discuss how the company began, how it's evolved, what they've accomplished, and what's in store for the future.
Press play to hear the full conversation, check out a handful of their films on Netflix and YouTube and learn more by visiting http://macgillivrayfreeman.com/our-story/.
With the creation of an entirely inorganic robotic system about the size of a red blood cell—just seven to ten microns in diameter—the team in the lab of Michael Strano at the MIT Department of Engineering is reaching previously inaccessible locations in the human body and various other environments found within and useful to industry, such as chemical reactors, oil pipelines, and soil matrices.
In 2018, they published landmark papers detailing two prototypes of these tiny robotic systems, one which was used as a component of aerosolizable electronics in which they were nebulized and sent through a pipe, light enough to travel along with the air flow. The robots were able to detect different chemicals and respond to light within the pipes, and then be gathered for the collection of data. The second prototype was launched into a body of water where it was capable of detecting various chemicals and responding to magnetic fields, and therefore able to detect nutrients in soil matrices that were good or bad for plant growth.
Albert Liu is a presidential fellow and member of Michael Strano's lab at MIT, and he has an extensive laboratory background. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation, explaining the ins and outs of this new technology, the challenges that come along with creating and powering such small systems, and the tradeoffs between artificial and biological systems.
Press play for all the details, and learn more by visiting https://srg.mit.edu/.
Mass producing colloidal electronics (with a video):
http://news.mit.edu/2018/how-mass-produce-cell-sized-robots-1023
Strano website:
Albert website:
Nature Nano reference:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-018-0194-z
Nature Materials reference:
Jarett Boskovich, cofounder and chief marketing officer at WowYow Inc. (wowyow.com), delivers a comprehensive overview of his AI-based company's exciting technology.
Boskovich has more than a decade of solid entrepreneurial experience and has worked with many successful Fortune 500 companies. With a distinguished background operating in sales and marketing, Boskovich seeks to bring all of his skills to WowYow Inc., the advanced AI-based company he cofounded.
Boskovich's company has developed sophisticated technology that can scan video content to unlatch fresh supply and demand sources that can solve an assortment of digital media problems. Boskovich talks about WowYow's position in the digital media space as a forward-thinking visual AI company. As he states, WowYow's AI can be used to identify, index, search, and monetize visual content, across multiple platforms and devices. It's people, places, products and things… in useable metadata delivery. As he explains, users can literally search video and unlock the data within. Imagine seeing a pro baller's sneakers in a game, and wanting to know what they are, and if you could buy them for yourself… WowYow can help.
The tech entrepreneur talks about the depth of data that companies can use to create business opportunities. He states that while many things can be identified in video content, not every piece needs to be, or should be, so the technology is expanding as are the safeguards. Boskovich discusses the kinds of content in which the AI can be utilized to assist consumers.
The innovative company seeks to turn the industry on its ear, to literally change how we interact with and monetize deep visual content to provide an intense, original experience for businesses and companies as well as consumers interacting from various devices and platforms. Boskovich has high expectations for his company, and the company is working continuously to expand further into augmented reality, television, gaming consoles, and virtual reality.
Moving forward, Boskovich states they will be rolling out many new platform innovations that will create all new ad experiences for consumers. As the technology expands, Boskovich will be working with his team to bridge all tech gaps to make the consumer experience more exciting and productive.
One in two people around the world who have dementia will never receive a diagnosis for it, and those that do will likely receive it too late for existing treatments to be helpful. This is a problem that's not only depriving patients of quality time, but also costing significant amounts of money due to earlier needs for residential care.
As it currently stands, testing for dementia usually begins only after a patient or their friends and family members notice cognitive impairment, usually in the form of forgetfulness. Once memory problems set in, however, it's usually too late to slow the progression of the disease. In addition, the current tests designed to identify and help a clinician diagnose dementia rely on rudimentary, pen-and-paper tests that depend heavily on self-reporting. Cognetivity is a company that's offering a new type of test that could change all of this.
COO of Cognetivity, Tom Sawyer, explains that much like blood pressure or cholesterol check, their test can be completed as part of a routine physical exam. The premise of the test is quite simple and involves showing patients different images for a short duration and then prompting them to say something about the content of the images they're shown. Capable of detecting very small changes in cognitive function and mild incompetencies that no test before it has been able to, it can identify pre-symptomatic stages of dementia 10 to 15 years before most people would receive a diagnosis today. This significantly earlier detection allows for the implementation of behavioral and lifestyle changes, mental exercises, and some medications in order to delay the progression of the disease and the need for residential care.
Tune in to hear the full conversation and visit cognetivity.com to learn more.
Miriam Kalamian, EdM, MS, CNS, discusses her work as an educator and nutrition expert, and talks extensively about the connection between diet and disease.
Kalamian has devoted much of her life to the study of nutrition. She is board certified in nutrition (CNS), bestowed upon her by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists. As a noted nutrition consultant and educator, she spends a great deal of her time focused on the importance of diet in an overall healthy lifestyle. And as a successful author and nutrition expert she is interested in the implementation of ketogenic therapies, and has written extensively on the topic. Kalamian holds a master of education (EdM) from Smith College and a master of human nutrition (MS) from Eastern Michigan University.
Kalamian discusses her background and what led to her current career focus. As she recounts, her world was rocked back in 2004 when her young son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Standard therapies did not stop the aggressive progression of his disease, and thus it was clear to Kalamian that she simply had to go in a different direction to fight for her son. After much reading and research, Kalamian discovered Dr. Thomas Seyfried's extensive research that was based on the ketogenic diet as a means to fight cancer. She discusses in detail, the journey she went through with her son, and talks about the ways in which the body turns up its power to fight, when a stricter diet commands the body to work efficiently.
The nutrition expert delves into the inner-workings of the body and its abilities to handle and process foods. She talks about the effects of too much protein in a diet, and explains what happens internally. She explains how cancer cells work and how exercise and diet combine to provide benefits. Kalamian explains fatty acids and ketosis, and the removal of glucose from the bloodstream. As she states, low-impact exercise, such as a nice walk, helps to remove glucose from the bloodstream in a safe and effective way. She explains that nutrition, when controlled, can benefit the body's health while simultaneously working against cancer.
The effects of a ketogenic diet can have a significant impact on some cancer patients in combination with their doctor's other treatments and therapies. While keto may not be the sole solution, it certainly can enhance traditional medicine treatments.
Alyssa Crittenden, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, delivers a thorough overview of anthropology and diet.
Crittenden has spent many years deeply researching the evolution of human behavior, specifically as it pertains to nutrition and reproduction. With a keen interest in the many questions that circulate regarding what makes our human species so incredibly unique, Crittenden's research taps into the direct links between diet composition, growth/development, as well as the formation of families and child rearing.
Crittenden discusses her opinions on diet and nutrition. As a nutritional anthropologist, she is particularly interested in historical diets as they relate to what we know today. She delves into a discussion on the paleo diet. The paleo diet, short for Paleolithic diet, sometimes referred to as the caveman diet or stone-age diet is a complete diet that requires an individual to restrict their diet to foods thought to have been readily available to humans throughout the Paleolithic era. Crittenden explains the benefits of various diets and substitutes people can make to stay true to their particular diet. As she states, while the paleo diet is popular, many clinical nutritionists don't advocate it. From an anthropological perspective, she explains that the enlargement of human brains was related to higher quality food sources.
The Ph.D. discusses how many diets exist in our society, but most of the world does not have the same dietary options or access. She delves into some of the questions we ponder in relation to our food sources and diet and relates how our microbiome is directly impacted by not only foods we eat but also our environment. She talks about worms and insects and how many people in the world commonly eat them, though most Americans are quite averse to the idea. She explains how the harvesting of insects is more sustainable, as large animals require significant amounts of land for grazing. She details some of the statistics that relate to food growth and crop productivity. Incorporating insects into the diet, Crittenden states is perhaps one of the best ways that we can enhance our food supply, with a lower impact.
The professor discusses how access to adequate nutrition is still a privilege but not a right. Many people in the world are malnourished, unfortunately, and obesity adds another element that contributes negatively to global health.
Crittenden has worked extensively with the Hadza of Tanzania, East Africa — one of the world's few remaining hunting and gathering populations. Crittenden's work has been published often in academic journals and highlighted in notable media sources such as The New York Times, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Psychology Today, and many others.
It's already been successfully accomplished in mice: the joining of sperm and egg cells that were developed from skin-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), and the consequent creation of healthy infants. But could the same thing be done in humans? And if so, should it?
Dr. Hank Greely is the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law and professor by courtesy of genetics at Stanford University with expert knowledge on the social, legal, and ethical implications of various research endeavors in genetics and the biosciences. He's also the author of The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction, a fascinating book that focuses largely on the concept of embryo selection, which, aided by the latest developments in stem cell and iPS research, could become a reality in the coming years. Imagine being able to flip through a catalog of hundreds of options of embryos—some with a high likelihood of having blonde hair and brown eyes and a low risk of developing a certain disease, and others with a high likelihood of having brown hair , or blue eyes, or a high risk of developing that same disease.
Dr. Greely discusses a range of interesting topics, including the potential for the development of skin-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to allow hundreds of thousands of couples to have genetic children despite not having functional sperm and/or eggs, the potential for homosexual couples to have genetic children, and unibabies—the concept of developing an embryo created by egg and sperm cells from the same individual. What would that look like, and what's the next step after unibabies? Dr. Greely discusses all this and more, so tune in, check out his book on Amazon, and watch his Ted Talk by following this link
https://law.stanford.edu/directory/henry-t-greely/#slsnav-featured-video.
Many of us have fond memories of playing with Lincoln Logs and Legos as children, constructing cities and vehicles and whatever else we felt like we needed. As an assistant professor of mechanical engineering with courtesy appointments in biomedical engineering as well as electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Rebecca Taylor gets to play out a version of those memories every day in her lab. How? By engineering and developing control schemes for 'DNA origami'—tiny DNA-based electromechanical systems from which rafts or giant bundles or elastic hinges or any number of other conformations and features can be made. Once programmed to follow a certain pathway, these systems essentially build themselves, making for immensely powerful tools in bioengineering.
Dr. Taylor joins the podcast to discuss how exactly DNA origami works and the specific projects her lab is currently working on, which include the creation of microswimmers—tiny robots capable of swimming through the smallest passageways in the human body, such as capillaries measuring eight microns in diameter. Using DNA technology, Dr. Taylor and her team are able to control the assembly of these systems, dictating the level of stiffness, and where and how they'll function in the body. The future direction of Dr. Taylor's work will focus on engineering DNA origami that could act like molecular chaperones, facilitating their own more complex assemblies and changing shape dynamically, bending, twisting, carrying, and moving things into position in order to fulfill a variety of roles within the body.
Tune in for all the details, and stay up to date with the latest developments by visiting https://engineering.cmu.edu/directory/bios/taylor-rebecca.html.
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