Ground Truths

Joanna Stern, technology journalist and Emmy-winning filmmaker who spent 12 years at The Wall Street Journal, spent a year testing AI across daily life and health. She talks about uploading bloodwork to Notebook LM, AI-assisted mammograms and dental deep-cleans, compute and energy costs, chatbots as medical aides, AI therapists and trainers, robot companions, and autonomous rides.

Roxanne Khamsi, award-winning science journalist and author of Beyond Inheritance, explains how we are genetic mosaics shaped by somatic mutations. She explores single-cell sequencing, cellular competition and endo-evolution, how therapy can select resistant clones, immune-system hypermutation, brain mosaics, clonal hematopoiesis, and the idea of early intervention to prevent cancer.

Sebastian Mallaby, journalist and author who writes on finance and technology, discusses DeepMind’s rise and Demis Hassabis’s role. He covers AlphaGo’s pivotal win, the AlphaFold leap into biology, DeepMind’s mix of deep learning and reinforcement learning, and how missing the transformer revolution opened the door for rivals. They also tackle the AI arms race, safety dilemmas, and parallels to historical scientific crossroads.

Trisha Pasricha, a gastroenterologist and Harvard Medical School professor who studies the gut‑brain axis, walks through taboo bowel topics with science and humor. She covers propulsion, pliability, pelvic floor mechanics, fiber tips, the Bristol Stool Scale, gas science, transit timing, travel effects, and why cleanses are useless. Practical fixes and surprising research make the conversation lively and approachable.

Adrian Woolfson, molecular biologist, CEO of Genyro and author, explores synthetic biology and genome writing. He outlines biology’s shift from reading to writing life. He discusses AI-driven genome language models, democratized bioengineering risks, and bold applications for medicine, climate, and custom organisms.

Yo-El Ju, neurologist and sleep scientist at Washington University, studies sleep, Alzheimer’s, and REM sleep behavior disorder. She covers which sleep stages matter for neurodegeneration. She explains slow-wave disruption experiments, orexin antagonist effects on biomarkers, sleep regularity and disease risk. She also discusses wearables, naps, insomnia types, menopause impacts, sleep apnea treatments, and practical sleep habits.

Robert Wachter, Chair of Medicine at UCSF and author known for Digital Doctor, discusses AI's big-picture effects on medicine. They compare deep learning to LLMs. He recounts using an LLM as a subspecialty curbside consult and warns about hallucinations. They cover AI scribes, digital avatars, real-world testing, data interoperability, and training clinicians to orchestrate AI tools.

Kevin J. Tracey, neurosurgeon and pioneer of the inflammatory reflex, explains his decades-long work on the vagus nerve and immunity. He recounts the accidental discovery that vagal stimulation cuts inflammation. They cover the new FDA-backed rheumatoid arthritis trial, implant and one-minute daily stimulation, handheld vs implant devices, and prospects for lupus, Crohn’s, Long Covid, and autonomic measures.

Dan Buettner, author and explorer, shares his insights on the Blue Zones concept, where people live remarkably long lives. He discusses his findings in areas like Sardinia and Okinawa and the defining factors contributing to longevity, such as a plant-based diet and strong social ties. Buettner addresses criticisms regarding the validity of Blue Zones data and explains the mission of Blue Zones LLC in reshaping environments to promote healthier lifestyles. He also highlights exciting new developments, including a focus on health-adjusted life expectancy.

Jonathan Kipnis, a leading neuroscientist at Washington University, discusses groundbreaking findings about the brain's waste clearance system. He explains how meningeal lymphatics challenge the belief that the brain lacks a drainage system. Listeners will find insight into glymphatic flow, the role of astrocytes, and how sleep enhances waste removal. Kipnis also highlights the connection between immune surveillance and brain health, diving into how aging and autoimmune diseases affect lymphatic function and potential therapeutic approaches.