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    Science

    Mind & Matter

    Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.

    The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.

    Not medical advice.

    At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.

    As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.

    I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.

    My beliefs:

    • Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
    • All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
    • Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.

    Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:

    • “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
    • “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
    • “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
    Advertise

    Copyright: © 2025 Nick Jikomes

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    Latest Episodes:
    Population Genetics, Personal Genomics, History & Human Evolution | Razib Khan | Episode 91 Oct 10, 2022
    Show notes

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    Nick talks to genetics researcher & writer Razib Khan. Razib did graduate work in genetics at the University of California-Davis and recently founded a genomics data startup. He also runs a Substack, "Unsupervised Learning," where he writes a lot of fascinating articles on the subjects of human evolutionary & population genetics, personal genomics, and more. Nick and Razib discussed: how the story of human evolution has changed over the past two decades; genomics technology & ancient DNA; Neanderthals, Denisovans & ancient humans; personal genomics (e.g. 23AndMe, Ancestry.com); Razib's experience as a writer on Substack.
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    How Does Ketamine Work & Is It Addictive? | Christian Lüscher | Episode 90 Oct 04, 2022
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    Nick talks to Christian Lüscher, MD, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of Geneva whose lab studies the cellular mechanisms that underlie drug reinforcement, dependence and addiction. Dr. Lüscher talks about the nature of addictive drugs in the brain, how ketamine works, and the latest research from his lab look at how ketamine's unique effects within the brain's reward circuitry enable it to be psychoactive & reinforcing, but have a very low addiction liability (in rodents). He also discusses what this research may mean for the use of ketamine as a therapeutic treatment for depression in humans.
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Neuroscience of Aggression, Sex, Behavior, Hormones, Emotion & Consciousness | David Anderson | Episode 89 Sep 28, 2022
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    Nick talks to neuroscientist Dr. David Anderson, a professor at Caltech whose lab studies the neurobiological basis of animal behavior and emotion. They discuss: technologies for understanding cause-and-effect in the brain; neurobiological basis of animal behavior, including aggression/fighting, mating, feeding, and social behavior; how hormones such as estrogen regulate behavior; emotions, feelings, and consciousness; and David's new book, "The Nature of the Beast."
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Depression, Serotonin, SSRIs, Psychiatry, Mental Health & Social Media | Joanna Moncrieff | Episode 88 Sep 20, 2022
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    Nick talks to psychiatrist Dr. Joanna Moncrieff about depression. What causes it? How do SSRIs work? How well do antidepressants work? What are the risks & benefits of long-term antidepressant use? What is the evidence that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance (too little serotonin) in the brain? How is social media & technology influencing mental health?
    Learn more about topics in psychiatry.
    *This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Sociology, Social Psychology, Homelessness, Drug Addiction, Cultural Capital, Elite Overproduction & Decline of Civilization | Leighton Woodhouse | Episode 87 Sep 14, 2022
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    Nick talks to journalist & documentary filmmaker Leighton Woodhouse. They discuss: homelessness & drug addiction; religion & ideology; sociology & social psychology; the social function of laws and norms; economic vs. cultural capital & the "overproduction of elites"; institutional science; civilizational decline & the future of American society.
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Shamanism, Psychedelics, Social Behavior, Religion & Evolution of Human Culture | Michael Winkelman | Episode 86 Aug 31, 2022
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    Nick talks to anthropologist Dr. Michael Winkelman, who was a professor at Arizona State University for many years, where he studied topics related to shamanism as practiced by early hunter gatherer societies, and other topics related to human cultural evolution. He is now retired and conducts independent research from Brazil, where he now lives. They discuss: what shamanism is & the core features of shamanic ritual practices across historical hunter gatherer cultures; how the various ritual practices associated with shamanism were used by forager societies (e.g. symbolism, group dance and drumming) & the use of psychedelics; evolution of shamanism & religion from prehistoric times to the present; role religion and spiritual practices have played in human evolution; how human culture is akin to virtual reality & how human ritual practices help sculpt the narratives that form within human cultures that regulate human behavior; future of religion & spirituality in the modern age & whether the use of psychedelics as entheogenic substances might have a role to play in that.
    *Not medical advice

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Biochemistry of Psilocybin Production, Psychedelic Tryptamines & Magic Mushrooms | Dirk Hoffmeister | Episode 85 Aug 24, 2022
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    Nick talks to pharmaceutical microbiologist Dr. Dirk Hoffmeister, who is professor at the Hans Knöll Institute in Germany. Professor Hoffmeister has a background in botany and mycology, the study of fungi. His lab studies various aspects of fungal biochemistry & molecular biology, including the biochemistry and molecular genetics of psilocybin production in magic mushrooms.

    We spoke about various topics in mycology, mostly related to Psilocybe mushrooms. This included: how psilocybin is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan; the ecological reasons for why some mushrooms produce psilocybin; why magic mushrooms turn a vibrant blue color when they are physically damaged; the production of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) by certain species; the ecology of Psilocybe mushrooms; other areas of mycology that his lab studies.
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Climatology, Climate Change, Computer Modeling, Green Energy, Politicization of Science | Judith Curry | Episode 84 Aug 17, 2022
    Show notes

    Send us Fan Mail

    Nick talks to climatologist Dr. Judith Curry, the former chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research interests have included hurricanes, atmospheric modeling, air-sea interactions, and a variety of other areas in climate science. She runs Climate, Etc., an online blog focused on climate science. She is also writing a new book called, “Climate Uncertainty & Risk,” which she described towards the end of the podcast. They discuss: how Earth’s climate has changed over time and how climate scientists measure this; what computer models are used for in climate science and what their strengths & weaknesses are; tropical storms and severe weather events; CO2, methane, and other greenhouse gasses; different forms of energy, such as oil, natural gas, solar, wind, and nuclear; how she thinks about the tradeoffs between different energy sources in terms of their abundance, environmental impact, costs, and other factors; the politicization of climate science and why certain branches of science are especially prone to it.
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Prescription Drugs, Psychiatric Medicine, Big Pharma & the Medicalization of Everything | David Cohen | Episode 83 Aug 10, 2022
    Show notes

    Send us Fan Mail

    Nick talks to Dr. David Cohen, a professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. His research looks at psychoactive drugs (prescribed, licit, and illicit) and their desirable and undesirable effects as socio-cultural phenomena “constructed” through language, policy, attitudes, and social interactions. They discuss: prescription psychiatric drugs, including SSRIs, benzodiazepines and stimulants (e.g. Adderall); the history of how some of the most widely prescribed psychiatric drugs came to be so popular; how pharmaceutical companies go about marketing these drugs and the conditions they aim to treat to both physicians and the public; the quality of the evidence supporting their use; what we are learning about the potential for dependency, long-term health effects, and actual level of benefit that comes from chronic psychiatric drug use; why many psychiatric drugs are increasingly prescribed in combination; and more.
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


    Inflammation, Memory, Epigenetics, Skin Health, Stem Cells, Tissue Repair & Cancer | Shruti Naik | Episode 82 Aug 03, 2022
    Show notes

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    Nick talks to Dr. Shruti Naik, assistant professor of pathology & medicine at the NYU Langone. Her lab studies the interactions between immune cells, epithelial cells, and microbes in barrier tissues that interface with the environment (e.g. skin, lungs & gut). They discuss: inflammatory memory; how cells store memories of inflammation epigenetically; how skin cell regenerate and repair tissue damage; stem cell biology; cancer, and more.
    *Not medical advice.

    Support the show

    Support my work:

    • Good Chemistry: Personalized, science-based health consulting. Work with Dr. Nick Jikomes directly.
    • Affiliate Partners: Visit this link to see my affiliate partners and get discounts codes for products & services to support health.

    For all the ways you can support my efforts.


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