Finding Genius Podcast

Most of know that the climate is changing, and it's changing rapidly--in ways that will continue to cause environmental degradation and extinction. Most of us also want to do something about it, but have a hard time seeing how we can really tackle such a big problem on the individual level. How can MY choices actually affect the future? After all, I can't just decide to ban deforestation or switch everything over to clean energy. What is it that I CAN do? According to biologist, author, and environmental consultant Mary Ellen Harte, PhD, the answer lies in a solution that's just as important as protecting the forests and becoming global leaders in clean energy technology, but not talked about nearly as often: family planning. By preventing unintended pregnancies through free and effective family planning services, we can slow the growth of the population. This approach will not only address the problem of climate-changing pollution, but also the relationship between population growth and stress, physical and psychological problems, and higher crime rates. In her work, Dr. Harte emphasizes the importance of environmental economics, and encourages people to seek out and vote for the political leaders who do the same. On today's podcast, you will learn: Why the issue of climate change is so politicized in the U.S., but not in other countries Whether or not technology can address the magnitude of climate change that's occurring What will likely happen if the right solutions are implemented quickly, and what will likely happen if they aren't To learn more about how the environment is being affected by climate change, Dr. Harte recommends checking out The Daily Climate. To find a free online copy of the book she co-authored called Cool the Earth, follow this link http://www.cooltheearth.us/.

In this podcast, Jonathan Hull, Business Development Head at Thryve Inside (thryveinside.com), discusses probiotics weight loss, microbiome testing, the importance of gut health, and the latest evolution in microbiome products. Hull talks about the early origins of Thryve, and explains how they grew from solely a microbiome testing company into a manufacturer of individualized probiotics designed for improving overall gut health. Hull describes the kinds of probiotics they offer, and how their offerings are based on testing results. As more people are discovering that GI health is an important key to overall health, new products are making their way to the marketplace, but it's important to know which ones are right for you. Hull continues his discussion on gut health by discussing many various gastrointestinal conditions and gut distress. Hull expounds upon the latest evolution in microbiome products, and he explains how academic and business/industrial leaders alike are interested in expanding research of microbiome issues. Hull explains how the microbiome is incredibly influential with overall body health. Wrapping up, he discusses consumer-based genetic testing, and the ever-growing interest in microbiome issues. In this podcast: Which microbiome products could be right for you? Genetic testing and microbiome testing—what can they tell you? The expanding interest in gut health

Dale R. Pfost, PhD, Director and Cofounder, Microbiome Therapeutics, delivers an interesting overview of microbiome therapeutics, prediabetes treatment, and more. Dr. Pfost has more than 25 years of solid leadership experience in the biotechnology industry. He has held many important executive positions at numerous respected companies, and was the Chief Executive of six biotechnology companies, most recently as the founding CEO of MicroBiome Therapeutics. Dr. Pfost earned a BS degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his PhD in physics from Brown University. Dr. Pfost explains the premise of his company, Microbiome Therapeutics. As he states, the field of the microbiome encompasses a wide range of human health issues. With the increase in popularity of probiotic foods, clearly there is a strong interest in improving gut health through diet. Dr. Pfost states that through his 30 years of experience in the biotechnology field, the microbiome arena is one of the richest and broadest paradigm shifts in biotechnology and health food in particular. The biotechnology expert talks in depth about cells, probiotics, and the processes that take place in our lower guts. He discusses caloric intake and "the loop" as he calls it, delving into the repopulation that takes place in the gut, using prebiotics, etc. to help the microbes produce short chain fatty acids. Continuing, he talks about the gut hormones, and the connection between the gut and brain. Dr. Pfost explains how it is important to increase the production of good things, such as short chain fatty acids, while decreasing the production of the bad things—such as hydrogen, gas, methane, and sulfide. Dr. Pfost discusses intermittent fasting, in its various forms. And as he explains, you're fasting not only yourself but the microbes as well. He discusses the keto diet and other nutritional aspects of various diets, and how they impact microbes. In this podcast: How prebiotics could help microbes produce short chain fatty acids The benefits of probiotic foods The connections between the gut and brain

Did you know that about half of the bottled water on the market has a pH of four? You may be wondering what that even means and why it matters. On today's episode, Dr. Kim Kutsch, owner of CariFree, is welcomed back to the show to discuss what he's learned over the course of his career as a dentist, and how it can greatly benefit your health. After spending years "drilling and filling" cavity after cavity, Dr. Kutsch finally had enough: he knew he needed to fill in the educational gaps left by the dental school, which meant he needed to understand the root cause of cavities and the disease mechanism at play. Why do some people get so many cavities despite flossing and brushing every day, while others go their whole lives with less-than-ideal oral hygiene and not one cavity? Are genetics or environmental factors at play in dentistry? "It all goes back to the pH in the mouth," he says. He continues by discussing the interplay between the drop in pH (i.e. the increase in acidity) that occurs every time we eat or drink, and the body's mechanism of compensating for that by coating the mouth and teeth with saliva, an alkaline solution that decreases acidity, bringing the oral microbiome—the collection of bacteria and other microbes that live in the mouth—back to neutral pH, which is about 6.5. When this interplay becomes unbalanced, it can wreak havoc in the mouth. This means that the less saliva someone produces, the less protected their teeth. This is troublesome, considering the fact that roughly 70% of the U.S. population is on at least one prescription medication, and the number one side effect of all prescription medications is dry mouth—a decrease in the production of saliva. Tune in to learn about Dr. Kutsch's preventative approach to this problem and so much more, including: What the CariFree toothpaste, rinse, and gel are composed of and why they are so effective at preventing cavities How poor oral health and having caries (i.e. cavities) is a risk factor for fatal diseases How the healthy oral microbiome functions in the mouth Visit carifree.com to learn more.

You leave your house in the morning and are immediately hit with the acidic taste and smell of the thickest air you've ever experienced. You walk by ancient cathedrals and forests and lakes, only to notice them dissolving away and slowly dying from this thing called "acid rain." For Gretchen Cara Daily, Ph.D., this became a part of her ordinary experience as a teenager growing up in Germany. At the time, millions of people were demonstrating in the streets, protesting the environmental degradation and corporate activities which were leading to the slow death of everything beautiful in their lives. Dr. Daily was strongly impacted by these events, and she's carried them with her as a source of motivation and insight throughout her life and career. She currently serves as Director of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. "Looking back to my upbringing, we solved the problem of acid rain…and I feel we can rise to the task of changing the way we think about how we live on the planet, how we fit in with the rest of life, and we can crack open a path that harmonizes people and the planet, nature, the climate system, jobs, human well-being, so that's what I'm focused on," says Dr. Daily. In today's episode, she discusses the enormous value of investing in nature to secure vital natural infrastructure that contributes to our lives in ways we might not even acknowledge, but rely upon each day. This includes everything from our morning cups of coffee to our mental and physical health. She explains the goal of the global initiative called the Natural Capital Project, which is to shine a light on the connections between nature and our well-being, the causes of environmental problems, the importance of making education on environmental science accessible to everyone, and the need to quantify the value of nature in ways that can be integrated into financial and policy decision-making practices. By tuning in, you'll discover: · How to create better access to green space in otherwise totally urbanized environments, and how this can improve mental and physical health · What percentage of humanity now lives in cities, and the projected percentage by around 2050 · How satellite images can indicate the economic status of a geographic region Learn more by visiting https://naturalcapitalproject.stanford.edu/.

Fedor Galkin, Project Manager at Insilico Medicine, Inc., discusses his work studying the microbiome, human genotypes, and aging/longevity. Galkin graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in Bioengineering & Bioinformatics. His work focuses on human microbiome aging clocks based on deep learning. Interestingly, the microbiome can serve as an incredibly accurate biological clock, able to predict the age of many people within just years. Galkin discusses the earliest microbiome aging clocks and recent advances, and the technology that is behind them. Some of these technologies can make assessments based on an individual's blood biochemistry and gene expression levels, etc., but as he states there has never before been a clock that predicts age based on gut microbes. Galkin discusses their work in detail, discussing how they select and look at the microbes. Galkin explains the correlations and organization in the microbes, and how with age, things fluctuate. He details how they observe the changes that show age, and how certain conditions, such as diabetes will make the gut microbes appear as a much older person. Continuing, the bioengineering expert talks about nutrients, and how supplements, etc. can impact the biological systems. And he explains how their work on the species level is ongoing, but that they hope to delve deeper into the functional and genetic level as well, in their continued study of the human microbiome. In this podcast: What is a microbiome aging clock? How nutrients play a role in the gut microbiome The role of supplements in biological health

Gregory Kuehn, MBA, President and COO of Prescient Metabiomics, formerly Metabiomics, discusses their innovative work in colorectal cancer treatment and the development of an advanced stool test for cancer. Kuehn holds an MBA from the University of Colorado and a BS from the College of William and Mary in molecular biology and computer science. Kuehn talks about their advanced work studying the microbiome to predict or associate with disease. Kuehn discusses their work at Prescient Metabiomics, a pioneer in the development of human microbiome and metagenomic technology. Their groundbreaking research has lead to the development of a non-invasive stool test for the early detection of colon polyps as well as colorectal cancer based on advanced examination of the human gut microbiome. Kuehn talks in-depth about their early work in inflammatory bowel disease, that led them to their current work studying how to prevent colon cancer. Kuehn discusses the detail that they have gone into studying the microbiome, looking at the complex relationships that the microbiome has with the entire body. He talks about biomarkers, toxins, and the functional relationship between the gut microbiome and human health. The cancer prevention researcher talks in detail about the various hypotheses that exist in their area of research, and why colon cancer has persisted. And Kuehn explains carcinogenesis and the early screening options. In this podcast: The mechanisms of cancer development How the microbiome can potentially provide insight into disease development Stool tests for cancer, how do they work

You might be familiar with slacklining as the art of balancing and walking on what looks like a thin string between two anchor points, but it can actually involve much more than that, such as sitting, kneeling, laying down, backbending, side planking, squatting, and every move you might associate with yoga. How is that even possible? The answer might best be answered by yoga and slacklining teacher, Dustin Lindblad. She joins the podcast today to discuss how she became involved in slacklining, the myriad benefits she's gained from slacklining, and why it's not as esoteric or impossible as it might initially seem. In fact, most people who have a true desire to master it, can. Tune in to discover: Why it's important to be mindful of your breathing and how relaxed your body is while slacklining What type of shoes Dustin Lindblad finds most helpful when slacklining How to get started as a total beginner

"We call them neglected tropical diseases…but the truth is, they're really diseases of extreme poverty; you ordinarily do not get a neglected tropical disease unless you live in extremely impoverished conditions where there's environmental degradation, poor-quality housing, inadequate sanitation," says Dr. Peter Jay Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He continues by explaining that contrary to what many people may think, these diseases are not rare, and they're not found only in developing countries: they are global health issues found right here in the United States, and affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Despite these numbers, the major pharmaceutical companies aren't focused on developing drugs or vaccines to combat their spread. As a result, these responsibilities fall on the nonprofit sector. Dr. Hotez discusses the efforts within this sector and by the National School of Tropical Medicine toward implementing vaccination for some of the most common neglected tropical diseases, including hookworm infection, Chagas disease, and schistosomiasis. In today's podcast, you will discover: Where some of the most common neglected tropical diseases originate, how they are contracted, and what they do to the body How the significant financial barriers to the development of vaccines in the nonprofit sector might be mitigated Which neglected tropical disease is a major cofactor in Africa's AIDS epidemic How much progress has been made toward developing vaccines for neglected tropical diseases Press play to hear the full conversation, check out Dr. Hotez's book, Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases: The Neglected Tropical Diseases and Their Impact on Global Health and Development, and learn more by visiting https://www.bcm.edu/education/schools/national-school-of-tropical-medicine/.

"I certainly believe that without our microbes, our immune systems wouldn't be primed, we wouldn't be able to digest many of the foods that we consume…and we wouldn't be able to protect from pathogens, so they basically do it all," says Dr. Jonathan Clayton, assistant professor (better known as "The Monkey Doc") at the University of Nebraska. Despite a growing amount of evidence suggesting that the human microbiome impacts us in significant ways, there's still so much we don't know. For instance, what can be learned about site-specific microbial communities within our body, or even throughout a single organ such as the skin? What can be said about the relationship between the gut microbiome and the brain, or between stress and the microbiome? How does diet impact the microbiome? How quickly can the microbiome change in response to different environmental stimuli? These are just a few of the questions that Dr. Clayton is interested in answering. By tuning in, you'll hear his take on all of this and more, including: What insights were gained from Dr. Clayton's biomedical research on the differences between the microbiomes of wild versus captive non-human primates How dysbiosis and diversity is defined in terms of microbiota What types of challenges are inherent in these areas of research, and where Dr. Clayton plans to direct future research