Finding Genius Podcast

Richard Bradbury specializes in parasitic diseases in humans, particularly zoonotic parasites, which indicates they were transmitted through other animals. He shares his vast knowledge of parasitology with listeners by discussing What are common parasitic diseases as well as less common human parasitic diseases still of concern, How he's focused on improving diagnostics as parasitic infection symptoms don't usually indicate the parasite type, and What areas are most vulnerable and how he's working to create systems to address this vulnerability. Richard Bradbury is a senior lecturer in the Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Biology Department at Federation University in Australia. His major focuses are on parasitology diagnostics and epidemiology; therefore, world health and prevention falls into his purview. He's especially done a lot of work on the Pacific Islands with soil-transmitted helminths. He adds that because parasites are usually a problem with underserved populations, locating where parasites tend to congregate before infecting humans is important to his work. He offers listeners several examples of parasites and their habits to show their reach. In Australia, for example, they have a really big problem with the Strongyloides stercoralis worm. Human hosts can have infections decades later and they are still having trouble with Vietnam vets suffering from these infections from their time in Southeast Asia. The immune suppressed are especially vulnerable and may die from infection. He also discusses his efforts with communities who are isolated and have less access to medical care and prevention measures. These include groups from aboriginal communities in Australia to rural Mississippi populations. He addresses common testing techniques and relays his own involvement with developing a single universal parasite test that uses next-generation sequencing. He also discusses a variety of parasitic infection symptoms and global efforts towards prevention. Find out more by searching his name in google scholar and research gate and see his website at Federation University: federation.edu.au/schools/school-of-science-psychology-and-sport/staff-profiles/staff-directory/bradbury. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

In evaluating COVID-19 and the financial crisis, Ronald Leven speaks both to the unprecedented nature that make predictions regarding world finances difficult to the economic principles that help us parse out what we do know. He addresses How "zombie businesses" are a concern and why the failure-and-launch dynamic powers the importance of emerging markets, Why one of his biggest concerns regarding our economics is a second wave of unemployment, and What are his thoughts on inflation possibilities and how to assess the stock market data. Ronald Leven is the W.R. Huff Professor of the Practice in the Department of Economics at Duke University and author of the monthly Market Voice newsletter. Before coming to Duke, he worked as an international economist with the New York Federal Reserve and with a variety of financial intuitions before spending several years with Thompson Reuters. In this podcast, he speaks to the U.S. economy as well as international markets and how emerging economies might look in the coming years. He emphasizes his concern that we will see a second wave of layoffs. Furthermore, he's worried that this layoff round will not be met with much government support and fears the potential for an increase in our homeless population. In addition, he discusses the effects of stimulus efforts and possibilities of inflation. In fact, he feels this is the first time in 30 years that we have a real risk of inflation because of this mismatch of artificial demand levels with supply constraints. He explains why this is a problem in more detail and gives his thoughts on how the Federal Reserve might respond regarding interest rates. He also addresses how our economy may suffer for a while from the "zombie company" effect, which means that companies which shouldn't be able to survive are able to because of stimulus efforts. Meanwhile these companies take resources, such as bank loans, but really aren't a contributing force. He explains how this makes for a weaker economy with less force and vigor. He also addresses how he evaluates the stock market numbers, what real estate seems to be doing, and what long-term impacts may exist in planning based on preparing for future COVID-like emergencies. You can access his newsletter Market Voice through his LinkedIn sight after requesting access. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Dr. Toeno van der Sar is an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, where he runs his own research group of five PhD students and a post-doc student. He joins the show today to discuss their work in the field of nanoscience and quantum nanotechnology. Tune in to discover: What makes a magnet a magnet How the behavior of electrons in a magnetic domain illustrates one of the main principles of quantum mechanics How to create a spin wave through magnetic materials in order to transmit information through magnetic materials without moving around any charge (and why this is significant in terms of computer processors and increasing computer speed) The focus of research in the Van der Sar Lab is on understanding the behavior of electrons on the nanoscale. More specifically, they are studying the collective behavior of electrons and atoms in magnets, which are used in many devices, including hard drives and MRI scanners. It is Dr. Van der Sar's belief that a better understanding of magnetism could be used to develop new ways of computing. He explains how and why magnets work the way they do, how the electrons within a magnet interact with one another in a way that creates a magnetic field, even far away from the material, and why the spin and position of electrons can never both be the same according to the Pauli exclusion principle of quantum mechanics. Dr. Van der Sar's main interest is in the dynamics of spins in magnetic materials. He explains what a spin wave is, how one can be created, and how spin changes depending on the temperature to which a magnet is subjected, or the material within which it exists. He also discusses spin waves as a way to transport information through magnetic materials and how this could be applied to computer processing. He shares the details of the projects he's currently working on in the lab with spin wave conductors, and the new technique he's using in order to detect the magnetic fields generated by spin waves in magnets. Press play to hear the full conversation and visit https://www.tudelft.nl/en/faculty-of-applied-sciences/about-faculty/departments/quantum-nanoscience/van-der-sar-lab/ to learn more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Professor of parasitology at Calgary University, John Gilleard, joins the show to discuss his work and research on parasites and how they become resistant to drugs. In this episode, you will learn: How Haemonchus contortus can sense and respond to changes in the climate surrounding its host, and how transmission of Haemonchus contortus is dependent in part upon the environment of the host What types of drugs have been developed to treat parasitic infection with Haemonchus contortus and what effect they have on the parasite What it means to take a genetic approach rather than a pharmacological approach to the problem of antiparasitic drug resistance As a model for studying antiparasitic drug resistance, Gilleard uses Haemonchus contortus, a sheep parasite known as the "king" of drug resistance. He discusses what makes this such a good model for studying various parasites, and details its life cycle, how transmission occurs, what triggers inhibited development of the parasite, what types of drugs have been developed and how Haemonchus contortus becomes resistant to them, whether there is a tradeoff for the parasite to becoming resistant to an antiparasitic drug, recent research on understanding the genetics of C. elegans, the value that could be gained from taking a wider approach to the study of antiparasitic drug resistance (e.g. metabolomics, proteomics), the challenges posed by the genetic variability of worms, and what's on the horizon in terms of further research in the field. Tune in and learn more at https://vet.ucalgary.ca/contact-us/john-gilleard. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Senior Research Fellow at Duke-NUS Medical School, Dr. Anthony Tanoto Tan, discusses his work in the field of immunopathology as it relates to both hepatitis B and the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 situation. In this episode, you will learn: What role T cells play in the immune response to infectious diseases, and how they store "memory" of certain pathogens How T cells differ from antibodies, in general and in the context of COVID-19 What it might mean that people who have never been exposed to the SARS-coV-2 virus have specific T cells for it For the past 10 to 15 years, Dr. Tan has been trying to understand the immune system response to disease, and its role in clearing infectious diseases. With a special focus on hepatitis B, which causes an infection and can proceed to liver cancer, he ended up researching adaptive T-cell therapy for liver cancer. With expertise in the analysis of virus-specific T cells, Dr. Tan and his team began researching the T cell response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus with the goal of determining whether there are differences in the immune response in people who are asymptomatic or have a mild case of the virus, and people who develop severe symptoms. They are also trying to understand how the T cell response changes over time, from the acute phase of the infection through to resolution of the infection. Dr. Tan discusses the details of his recent publication on this research, which shows that people who were infected with SARS-CoV-1 17 years ago still have SARS-CoV-1-specific T cells. Not surprisingly, SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were found in individuals who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Of particular interest is the finding that people who have NOT been exposed to either virus were shown to have SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells. This suggests that a proportion of unexposed individuals have a preexisting immune response to the virus that's causing COVID-19. Whether the function of this immune response is protective is the question that remains. In addition to these topics, Dr. Tan talks about the processes in innate and adaptive immunity, how T cells behave during pathogenesis, what causes T cells to have a faster response to infected cells, which proteins to target with a vaccination, and much more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

GreenTech Environmental has been producing healthy air systems for at least ten years. Kristen Lawson explains their air purification system in this podcast, describing The difference between active and passive air purifier mechanisms and why active is better, How their systems combine activated oxygen, or ozone, and a proprietary active radiant catalyst (ARC), to imitate nature's outdoor system, and How these technologies provide air purification for viruses, allergens like pet dander, and other pathogens like bacteria. GreenTech Environmental's Vice President of Marketing and Ecommerce, Kristen Lawson, starts by describing how their ARC system imitates the effect of lightening's charged oxygen molecules. She mentions that the chemistry of air purification they utilize is similar to what NASA has done for decades. Her company has made it work in plug-in portable units that people can use in their homes as well as larger systems for commercial grade applications. Basically, this active system works in part by "hunting" down pathogens and deactivating them through oxygen-bonding. She mentions the versatility of their products and scalability, with their largest home unit covering up to 3000 sq. ft. She uses them in her own home and notices differences in eliminating odors and allergens. They even have refrigerator models and wearable units for people with allergies to keep their own area clear. While they haven't been able to test it on coronavirus reduction directly, she notes the air purifying system has been tested on a known surrogate virus with success. She notes that schools, airlines, and other travel industries have been ordering their commercial grade systems. For more, including available products, specifications, and educational videos, see their website: www.greentechenv.com. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Emily Fletcher joins the show to share her journey from New York City high-performance circles, to Rishikesh, India for a three-year meditation training program, back to the US to establish Ziva Meditation and the world's first online meditation training platform, Ziva Online. Tune in to discover: The powerful differentiation between mindfulness and the meditation technique used at Ziva How a 15-minutes deep rest meditation allows the body to heal itself from stress, and make you feel like you just took an hour-long power nap How the practice of manifestation can allow you to distinguish between addictive longings and intuitive desires What meditation benefits you probably haven't even thought of, and what it means to have "structured, unfocused time" each day Do you perform better when you're less stressed? Is it true that anxiety is making us stupid, sick, and slow? A lot of people would say "Yes," but a lot of those same people are also hesitant to try something that humans have been doing for thousands of years: meditation. It wasn't until Fletcher could no longer ignore the mental and physical consequences of prolonged stress that she tried it out herself. To her surprise, it quickly transformed her, improving everything from her insomnia to her graying hair. Even more to her surprise was the fact that more people don't practice meditation. She enrolled in a three-year meditation program in India, and upon return, she started Ziva Meditation and Ziva Online. Since then, she has taken a practical approach to meditation and taught 25,000 people to do the same. "The magic really happens when you're going in and getting rid of that stress from the past, that's what increases your IQ by up to 12 points, that's what reverses your body age by up to 15 years, that's what decreases your chance of being hospitalized; it's that eradication of the backlog of stress from ourselves," says Fletcher. She goes on to explain the three "Ms" of Ziva: mindfulness, meditation, and manifestation. To manifest, she says, is to consciously create a life you love. It's that simple. Fletcher talks in depth about all of this and so much more. Tune in for the full conversation and some inspiration. Learn more by visiting https://zivameditation.com/. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Prof. Igor Cestari works with two parasites for the most part: Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi, which respectively cause sleeping sickness and Chagas disease. He explains for listeners What scientists know about the progression of parasitic diseases in humans, How the lack of immune response to parasites is key to understanding how they survive in their host for so long, and How the combination of recent technology and science innovations, like CRISPR, will help curb infection rates. Igor Cestari is an assistant professor in the Institute of Parasitology at McGill University in Montreal. He gives listeners a solid image of parasitic life cycles and host-parasite interactions as well as why they're such successful life forms. For example, initial parasitic infection symptoms often mimic a cold or flu and then disappear. Therefore, it's hard to know that one is infected until more damaging symptoms reveal themselves. He discusses the parasitic diseases known as sleeping sickness and Chagas disease most specifically and gives some reasons why the parasites that cause these diseases are so successful. Their ability to fool the immune system is one such reason, and while scientists understand some of these mechanisms, there's still much they don't know. He teaches listeners about two interesting parasitic tricks, namely their ability to coat themselves in some sugars from the host cell that then hides them from the immune system. Another parasite is able to change its coating to one that the immune system lets by its defenses. Some of these techniques make it challenging to create a vaccine to stop the parasites. However, Professor Cestari says that new genome sequencing platforms have really helped in these efforts. He believes that the future is promising because of utilizing combinations of genomics and proteomics that seem to be making headway in stopping these infections. To learn more, see his website at McGill University: mcgill.ca/parasitology/faculty/igor-cestari. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Co-Founder and CEO Sebastian Weidt tells listeners about exceptional advances his company has made and challenges still to be met. He covers The basics of how his company works with trapped ions and improved coherence time to create more accessible and useful quantum computing systems, The current engineering innovations they're trying to develop to ensure successful integration, and How quantum computers could change the world by their ability to solve complex problems with massive implications. Universal Quantum aims to build a new kind of quantum computer, says CEO Sebastian Weidt. Quantum computing's impact on society stems from the ability to solve problems contemporary computers could never tackle. In this podcast, he explains how they've developed a number of technologies to get closer to this goal of using the advanced capabilities and applications of quantum computers. For example, he explains how they use trapped ions to form cubits, which are more lenient with temperature. This also enables longer coherence time. He adds that they use microwave radiation to manipulate the atom states and ions and explains the advantages of microwave radiation over other techniques like lasers. He describes more of how this technology works and how they've addressed some of the general problems quantum computing presents. Universal Quantum is tied to a program at the University of Sussex, where a number of prototypes exist, and the company is able to integrate their research. Currently, they are working on engineering challenges that have made scaling to larger systems difficult. He says they've gotten a handle on some good innovations that will allow their first machines to utilize numbers of cubits not seen before. A significant additional challenge involves integration. Therefore they're developing custom chips that can be connected. He discusses algorithm work as well and says one of the impacts he's most excited about involves quantum computing applications for the pharmaceutical space, thereby allowing tremendous progress in chemical reaction problem-solving. For more, see their website: universalquantum.com. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Classically-trained concert pianist and film composer, Matthew Zachary, was about to graduate from college and attend film school when he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Twenty-five years later, he joins the podcast today to share his story as a brain cancer survivor, discuss what he's learned along his journey, and explain how his podcast and nonprofit organization, Stupid Cancer, helps others who face a cancer diagnosis. Tune in to learn: How the idea and motivation behind Stupid Cancer came to Zachary long after his experience with a brain cancer diagnosis What challenges are faced specifically by people in their teens and twenties who are diagnosed with cancer, and how Stupid Cancer aims to address these challenges (e.g. how brain cancer treatment can affect fertility and family planning) What's missing in the conversation about cancer, and how Zachary aims to supply it "It didn't really sink in that I was going to die, and I think that was just a good, natural thing to feel…I never really thought it was going to be anything, out of that invincibility complex…until I was cured…the scariest day, when I finally felt mortal, was when everything was over…then I was terrified," says Zachary. He continues by explaining why he thinks he felt this way and what may have led him to enter remission. After spending years in advertising and marketing, he discovered patient advocacy and people in their twenties, who just like him, had received a cancer diagnosis. Around the same time, he noticed a void in the space of cancer patient advocacy that he filled with what he wished he'd had when he was sick. "I built the brand and I built the community that I wish I'd had that really did resonate…and that serves a real niche purpose at the right time," he says. The mission of Stupid Cancer is to give a community to and be the voice of young adults facing cancer, and provide advocacy, research and support to advance a cure. He explains the unique needs and challenges of those who are in their twenties and facing a cancer diagnosis, and how Stupid Cancer addresses these needs and challenges. In particular, he discusses how fertility rights are intimately tied to cancer and the conventional treatments for it. He also talks about what it means to change the conversation about cancer, so that it more directly and authentically addresses what goes on for the individual who experiences cancer—not what the doctors and academic and experts say about it. If you're looking for your community or just want to talk to someone about your condition or experience, Zachary recommends visiting https://themighty.com/ and https://www.talkspace.com/. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK