

Mind & Matter
Nick Jikomes
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)
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 4, 2022 • 46min
How Does Ketamine Work & Is It Addictive? | Christian Lüscher | 90
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Sep 28, 2022 • 1h 53min
Neuroscience of Aggression, Sex, Behavior, Hormones, Emotion & Consciousness | David Anderson | 89
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Sep 21, 2022 • 1h 26min
Depression, Serotonin, SSRIs, Psychiatry, Mental Health & Social Media | Joanna Moncrieff | 88
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Sep 15, 2022 • 1h 52min
Sociology, Social Psychology, Homelessness, Drug Addiction, Cultural Capital, Elite Overproduction & Decline of Civilization | Leighton Woodhouse | 87
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Aug 31, 2022 • 1h 34min
Shamanism, Psychedelics, Social Behavior, Religion & Evolution of Human Culture | Michael Winkelman | 86
Send us Fan MailNick 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 adviceSupport the showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Aug 25, 2022 • 1h 33min
Biochemistry of Psilocybin Production, Psychedelic Tryptamines & Magic Mushrooms | Dirk Hoffmeister | 85
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Aug 18, 2022 • 1h 48min
Climatology, Climate Change, Computer Modeling, Green Energy, Politicization of Science | Judith Curry | 84
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Aug 11, 2022 • 1h 21min
Prescription Drugs, Psychiatric Medicine, Big Pharma & the Medicalization of Everything | David Cohen | 83
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Aug 4, 2022 • 1h 7min
Inflammation, Memory, Epigenetics, Skin Health, Stem Cells, Tissue Repair & Cancer | Shruti Naik | 82
Send us Fan MailNick 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 showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts

Jul 28, 2022 • 1h 22min
Sex Differences in Brain, Endocannabinoid Biology, Juvenile Play Behavior, Cannabis & Pregnancy | Margaret McCarthy | 81
Send us Fan MailNick talks to neuroscientist Dr. Margaret McCarthy, whose lab at the University of Maryland studies the origins and mechanisms of sex differences in the brain, the endocannabinoid system, and neural basis of animal behavior. They discuss: the nature of sex differences observed in the mammalian brain, including differences in the susceptibility to various diseases and disorders of the brain; differences in juvenile play behavior in males vs. females, and how these can be altered by sex hormones and cannabinoids; sex differences in brain development that lead to sex differences in behavior; how the endocannabinoid system influences brain development and behavior; how cannabis use during pregnancy may influence brain development.*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.Support the showHealth Products by M&M Partners:AquaTru: Water filtration devices that remove microplastics, metals, bacteria, and more from your drinking water. Through link, $100 off AquaTru Carafe, Classic & Under Sink Units; $300 off Freestanding models.KetoCitra—Ketone body BHB + electrolytes formulated for kidney health. Use code MIND20 for 20% off any subscription (cancel anytime)Seed Oil Scout: Find restaurants with seed oil-free options, scan food products to see what they’re hiding, with this easy-to-use mobile app.SporesMD: Premium mushrooms products (gourmet mushrooms, nootropics, research). Use code 'nickjikomes' for 20% off.Lumen device: Optimize your metabolism for weight loss or athletic performance. MINDMATTER gets you 15% off.For all the ways you can support my efforts


