STEM-Talk

Tommy Wood, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience and author of The Stimulated Mind, studies brain health across the lifespan. He argues adult brains remain plastic. He recounts classic plasticity experiments, explores neurobiology beyond neurons, and links cardiovascular and lifestyle factors to dementia risk. He previews practical strategies to boost cognitive reserve.

Wide-ranging science questions get clear, concise treatment. They tackle ChatGPT limitations, LLM training cutoffs, and retrieval strategies. Spacewalk training and why neutral buoyancy helps are explained. Discussions cover urolithin‑A trials, rapamycin’s short-term heart effects, ketamine–mTOR research, lithium links to Alzheimer’s, and L‑citrulline for aging blood vessels.

Francisco Gonzalez-Lima, a behavioral neuroscientist at UT Austin known for work on brain energy metabolism and methylene blue. He discusses methylene blue dosing and hormesis, noninvasive infrared brain stimulation (photobiomodulation) for cognition and mood, optical measures of mitochondrial engagement, device/safety details, and plans for trials in depression, autism, ADHD and aging.

Judith Curry, a climatologist and president of the Climate Forecast Application Network, returns to discuss critical insights from a recent U.S. Department of Energy climate report. She argues that the economic impact of climate change is overstated and highlights instances where aggressive mitigation strategies have had unintended consequences. Curry advocates for research on natural climate variability and critiques the prevalent apocalyptic narrative surrounding climate change, questioning the efficacy of proposed technological solutions and emphasizing the importance of adaptation strategies.

Michael Griffin, former NASA Administrator, and Lisa Porter, a leader in national security technology, dive into NASA's plans for lunar return. They argue that U.S. leadership in space is critical to counter China's advancements. The duo critiques the Artemis III mission, suggesting it’s fundamentally flawed and must be rethought. They propose a dual-launch approach to reduce risks and emphasize the need for clear mission execution and innovative thinking within NASA. Their insights highlight the urgent need to reclaim America’s position in space exploration.

Dr. Marina Walther-Antonio, an assistant professor and microbiome researcher at the Mayo Clinic, explores the critical connection between the microbiome and women’s health, especially in relation to gynecologic cancers. She discusses innovative methodologies inspired by astrobiology that could lead to early detection tests for endometrial and ovarian cancers. Marina also highlights health disparities, particularly affecting Black women, and the influence of factors like menopause on the microbiome's role in cancer. Her insights bridge the gap between environmental science and clinical applications.

Today Ken interviews his co-host Dr. Dawn Kernagis about her new position as the Director of Scientific Research for DEEP, a UK startup that is pioneering a new era of ocean exploration. For listeners unfamiliar with Dawn’s background, she is a NASA-trained NEEMO Aquanaut, a Fellow of the Explorer’s Club Fellow and has been inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. In addition to co-hosting STEM-Talk for the past nine years, Dawn is also a Visiting Research Scientist at IHMC. Dawn’s research over the years has been focused on protecting the brain and nervous system of people working in extreme environments. Prior to joining IHMC, Dawn completed her Ph.D. and Postdoctoral training at Duke University, where she studied the genetics of decompression sickness and mechanisms of oxygen toxicity in divers. In today’s interview, Dawn talks about DEEP’s mission to create subsea stations that will allow humans to live and work permanently underwater. Show notes: [00:03:20] Ken reminds listeners of Dawn’s first STEM-Talk appearance as a guest on Episode 19 where she conducted the interview from the bottom of the ocean floor while she was a member of NASA’s NEEMO Mission 21. [00:04:13] Ken asks Dawn what she was like as a child. [00:05:48] When Ken asks Dawn what she was like as a child, she talks about how she was an annoying kid because she was always asking people questions like, “Why is the sky blue?” [00:06:49] Dawn talks about the different places she lived during her childhood. [00:07:34] Ken mentions that Dawn was inducted into the Women’s Divers Hall of Fame. He asks her how old she was when she first became interested in diving. [00:10:35] Dawn talks about how she wanted to attend the University of North Carolina after high school but ended up at North Carolina State University and then Duke University. [00:12:18] Ken asks Dawn to elaborate on her decision to change her field of study multiple times throughout her collegiate career. What follows is an interesting conversation about the importance of a person following their passion. [00:14:53] Dawn talks about cave diving and how she and her friends used to do deep dives of six and seven hours at a time. Dawn explains how this led to her obsession with ways to protect people who dive into extreme underwater environments. [00:18:28] Ken asks Dawn how she learned that some people have a genetic predisposition to decompression sickness. [00:21:32] The conversation shifts to Dawn’s Ph.D. journey and how Richard Moon, who was a STEM-Talk guest on episode 26, played a significant role in her development. [00:26:14] Ken and Dawn reminisce on the practice of performing academic research in libraries. [00:28:20] Ken points out that despite Dawn’s extensive experience in human physiology with respect to diving, her doctoral work focused on cancer-related research. He asks her to talk about that seemingly odd combination. [00:34:10] Dawn talks about two papers that emerged from this research. One paper addressed how genes with bimodal expression patterns not only define clinically relevant molecular subtypes of ovarian carcinoma, but also provide ideal targets for translation into the clinical laboratory. The other paper looked at precise microarray-based predictions of tumor behavior in breast cancer patients. [00:39:00] Ken asks Dawn to recount the story of how the two of them met. [00:41:52] Ken asks Dawn to discuss the paper she co-wrote with Dom D’Agostino on mitochondrial health and its relationship to potentially preventing oxygen toxicity during exposure to hyperbaric environments. Dawn goes on to talk about some of her other IHMC-related research. [00:43:22] Ken asks Dawn to discuss her acceptance into the Aquanaut Program and her participation during one of NASA’s NEEMO missions. [00:46:04] Ken asks Dawn to reflect on her time on NEEMO Mission 21, and if there are any key takeaways she can discuss. [00:49:04] Ken asks Dawn to describe saturation diving, the research involved, and the health implications on saturation divers that are not present in other forms of underwater exploration. [00:52:04] The conversation shifts to how Dawn became the Director of Scientific Research for DEEP, a UK startup that aims to “Make Humans Aquatic.” [00:55:02] Ken explains that DEEP is a company that is pioneering a new era of ocean exploration and asks Dawn to give a primer on the importance of better understanding the Earth’s oceans. [00:56:12] Ken mentions DEEP’s mission to expand human subsea habitation through research and innovation. Dawn explains some of the challenges associated with constructing underwater habitats. [00:57:36] Ken asks about DEEP’s goal to create a relatively permanent deep-sea human habitat, analogous to the International Space Station. Called the Sentinel System, the underwater habitat will serve as a place for researchers to live and work. [01:01:23] Ken explains that the Sentinel System will operate at a depth of up to 200 meters, which represents the epipelagic zone, or sunlight zone, which is the deepest point where light penetrates the ocean. To put this in perspective, the average depth of the ocean is 3,688 meters. Ken asks Dawn to talk about how little we actually know about what exists below the 200-meter depth of the epipelagic zone. [01:02:58] Ken mentions that NASA has a long history of using the sea as a loose analogue for space. With renewed interest in human space exploration of the Moon and Mars, Ken asks if the Sentinel System will help in the preparation for deep space missions. [01:05:10] Ken asks Dawn to discuss what other areas of research she is excited to explore once the Sentinel System is fully operational and in the water, including a project that involves IHMC. [01:06:50] Dawn gives an overview of  DEEP’s current testing and training facility, which  is located in the UK. [01:07:55] Ken asks Dawn to talk about DEEP’s increased presence in the United States and Florida, including a project with the Florida Institute of Oceanography. [01:08:47] Ken asks Dawn about an anonymous billionaire who is funding DEEP. [01:10:06] Ken asks Dawn about her responsibility of establishing DEEP’s first U.S. office in Raleigh, N.C. [01.11.03] Dawn ends the interview talking about how much she loves the work that she does. Links: Learn more about IHMC STEM-Talk homepage Ken Ford bio Ken Ford Wikipedia page Dawn Kernagis bio          

Dr. Mari Dezawa, a pioneer in stem-cell research and head of Tohoku University's Department of Stem Cell Biology, discusses her groundbreaking discovery of MUSE cells—unique stem cells with immense clinical potential. She shares insights into their role in regenerative medicine, particularly for treating neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries. Mari also highlights the importance of multicultural experiences in shaping her scientific journey and emphasizes the therapeutic promise of MUSE cells in optimizing health and longevity.

Today we have our good friend and colleague Dr. Andrew Koutnik on the show. Andrew is a research scientist who studies the influence of nutrition and metabolism on health, disease and performance. He specializes in Type 1 diabetes and works with a wide range of people to improve their metabolic health and athletic performance. Andrew is a visiting research scientist at IHMC and has worked with Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NASA, and the Department of Defense to develop evidence-based strategies for overcoming complex health challenges. He is a graduate of Florida State University and earned his Ph.D. in medical sciences at the University of South Florida, where he worked with another good friend of ours, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, who has been a previous STEM-Talk guest. Show notes: [00:02:50] Dawn welcomes Andrew to the show and asks him about his website, andrewkoutnik.com, the quote on the site’s homepage “Demystifying complex science to help you thrive in your health journey,” and the tagline “Challenging the status quo of metabolic health, human performance, and the management of type1 diabetes.” [00:05:31] Ken asks Andrew how old he was when he first learned he had Type 1 diabetes. [00:08:32] Dawn asks why Andrew believes his Type 1 diabetes is one of his life’s ultimate assets? [00:12:51] Ken mentions that Andrew grew up in Tallahassee and that despite suffering from childhood obesity, he was relatively athletic as a child. Ken asks Andrew to talk about his childhood. [00:14:20] Dawn asks Andrew to talk about the weight-loss journey he underwent as a teenager. [00:17:25] Dawn shifts gears to ask Andrew about how he got into science, mentioning that when he was younger, he never saw himself becoming a scientist. [00:20:19] Dawn asks if it is true that Andrew was the sort of kid who would constantly asked questions. [00:22:11] Dawn asks Andrew if it is true that after enrolling at Tallahassee Community College, it took him a while to decide on his major. [00:22:58] Ken asks Andrew to talk about the impact that his undergraduate anatomy and physiology class and professor had on his journey. [00:24:44] Ken mentions that after graduating from FSU, Andrew went to the University of South Florida where he worked with Dominic D’Agostino, who is both a previous STEM-Talk guest and a current colleague of Andrew’s. Ken asks Andrew how he met Dom. [00:27:46] Dawn asks Andrew how he came to work in Dom’s lab. [00:29:00] Dawn asks Andrew if his wife is still in touch with her former roommate, who connected Andrew and Dom. [00:29:21] Ken asks Andrew to touch on some of the research he did with Dom while he was pursuing his Ph.D. [00:31:49] Dawn shifts gears to talk about Andrew’s work in metabolic health and Type 1 diabetes. Dawn explains that a study published by the University of North Carolina found only 12 percent of Americans were metabolically healthy. Additionally, researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found in 2022 that only 6.8 percent of Americans had good cardiometabolic health. Dawn asks Andrew how he works with people who want to improve their metabolic health. [00:34:19] Ken asks Andrew for his thoughts on the sentiment that a ketogenic diet is hard to sustain. [00:36:55] Ken mentions that  Andrew was part of a review that looked at carbohydrate restriction for diabetes, which is a practice that had been in use since the 1700s. It fell out of favor once insulin was discovered in the 1920s. Ken goes on to explain that carbohydrate restrictive diets, like the ketogenic diet, have regained popularity for the treatment and management of diabetes, weight-loss and a range of other health issues such as migraines, cancer and depression. Ken asks Andrew to first explain the history of carb-restrictive diets as a treatment of diabetes. [00:39:43] Ken asks Andrew to talk more about the aforementioned 2021 review and its argument in favor of a medical nutrition therapy for diabetes management. [00:47:21] Dawn quotes a passage from the American Diabetes Association website that reads, “Before insulin was discovered in 1921, people with diabetes didn’t live for long. There wasn’t much doctors could do for them. The most effective treatment was to put patients with diabetes on very strict diets with minimal carbohydrate intake. This could buy patients a few extra years but couldn’t save them. Harsh diets, some prescribed as little as 450 calories a day, sometimes caused patients to die of starvation.” Dawn asks Andrew if he feels that this quote discourages the use of carb-restriction and medical nutrition therapy for diabetes management. [00:49:22] Dawn asks Andrew how the treatment of diabetes went from the use of insulin being prescribed along with carbohydrate restriction, to purely pharmacological interventions. [00:50:59] Dawn asks Andrew to talk about the significance of the fact that carbohydrates are the only macronutrient directly digested into glucose, making carbs the main determinant of postprandial glycemia and insulin requirements, which creates a mismatch between insulin kinetics and glucose. [00:55:29] Ken pivots to talk about the work of Jeff Volek at Ohio State University, one of the founders of Virta health, and our guest on STEM-Talk episodes 43, and 149. Ken goes on to explain that Virta offers nutrition-based approaches to losing weight and reversing diabetes. Virta has an impressive track record of success with Type 2 diabetes. The average weight loss for those using Virta’s system is 31 pounds, and enrollees reduced their medications by 63 percent. Ken asks Andrew why these are such impressive achievements. [00:57:07] Dawn asks Andrew about the concerns people have about low carbohydrate diets for diabetes. [01:00:24] Dawn asks, given that total medical costs for diabetes in the US is approaching a billion dollars a day, if Andrew could discuss how research into medical nutrition therapy for diabetes should become a priority. [01:02:44] Dawn pivots to talk about Andrew’s work in optimizing human performance, mentioning that he recently put out an article on Substack titled “Revolutionizing Sports Nutrition: New Insights on Low-Carb vs High-Carb Diets in Strenuous Exercise Performance.” Dawn explains that this article was based on a study Andrew and his colleagues published challenging the conventional thinking that carbohydrates were essential to athletic performance. Dawn asks Andrew to talk about the origins of the conventional wisdom that carb-loading is essential for athletic performance. [01:06:21] Ken asks Andrew to talk about the physiology behind the potential of low-carb diets to improve athletic performance in certain contexts. [01:08:47] Dawn asks Andrew to give an overview of his 2023 paper titled: “Low and High Carbohydrate Isocaloric Diets on Performance Fat Oxidation, Glucose and Cardiometabolic Health in Middle-Aged Males.” [01:13:41] Ken comments on how active, athletic and outwardly healthy-looking people being prediabetic is likely more common than people think. [01:15:35] Ken comments that this incidence of prediabetes in athletes appears to be most common in endurance athletes. [01:17:04] Ken explains that Andrew released a study earlier this year looking at the performance of triathletes who are adapted to very low-carb diets, as well as very high-carb diets. Ken goes on to explain that this study examined the belief that very low-carb diets would impair prolonged performance during strenuous exercise. Ken asks Andrew to explain the design of this study. [01:20:27] Ken explains that the aforementioned study produced three key findings, which he asks Andrew to walk listeners through. [01:23:48] Dawn notes that the ketogenic diet has become more popular in recent years, and that in response one can see numerous “keto-friendly” versions of typically high-carb foods, like breads and ice creams. Dawn asks Andrew what his take is on such products. [01:27:50] Ken asks Andrew if it is true that he has some interesting research findings coming down the pipeline soon. [01:28:36] Dawn wraps up our interview by asking Andrew if it’s true that he taken up jujitsu. Links: Andrew Koutnik bio Learn more about IHMC STEM-Talk homepage Ken Ford bio Ken Ford Wikipedia page Dawn Kernagis bio

Dawn and Ken tackle a wide range of intriguing listener questions. They debate the merits of print versus digital reading and how screens affect our brains. A fascinating discussion on grip strength emerges, linking it to longevity. They also delve into ketamine's potential in depression treatment, comparing it to its FDA-approved counterpart, esketamine. The hosts critique nutritional studies and explore the role of AI in healthcare, emphasizing accuracy and context. To top it off, a poignant commencement speech highlights self-invention and living with purpose.