Finding Genius Podcast

Tony Altar, PhD, Senior Scientific Fellow and Advisor of Verge Genomics, delivers a thorough overview of new mechanisms and treatments for brain illnesses. Altar is helping to guide Verge forward with his 35+ years of experience helming CNS drug discovery and development teams, from initial concept to commercial productivity and success. Altar is the former Global Head of Neuroscience at Otsuka. During Altar's tenure he led his team in the discovery and FDA approval of aripiprazole (Abilify™) for multiple uses in bipolar disease, depression, as well as schizophrenia. Altar was also the Chief Scientific Officer at Assurex Health, CSO of Psychiatric Genomics, and he co-founded the Regeneron vision program, and led teams at Genentech. Altar discusses his background and how he became interested in the brain and the potential problems that can develop. He talks about his time as a high school student when there was a lot of use of psychedelic drugs in the community. As a curious high school scientist in the making, Altar's scientific mind wondered… if a single molecule could create temporary psychosis and states of euphoria, etc. then could the mechanism of psychiatric illnesses perhaps share the same features? Completing his high school studies in advance, Altar began a volunteer position at the Neurobiochemistry Lab at the Brentwood Veteran's Administration, which accelerated his interest in disease and brain issues. As Altar explains there are 20,000 genes, approximately, in the human body and the brain expresses almost half of those. And fortunately, it is now possible to study all 20,000 of them to understand the coding of proteins and measure mRNA in diseased tissue. The mRNA is 'messenger RNA,' a subtype of RNA. The mRNA are molecules that carry a portion of the DNA code to other parts of a cell for processing. Altar discusses cell types and neurons and how various brain diseases impact them. He explains how some neurons are more vulnerable and thereby more susceptible to succumb to disease. He talks about the various methods and companies that are working toward solutions to treat schizophrenia and other mental health issues. Altar explains the mechanisms of Parkinson's Disease and how changes can be very subtle. He explains the loss of dopamine neurons and the impact that has, and he details some of the protective mechanisms and explains why cells die. Altar talks extensively about enzymes, and brain injection therapies that are utilized for better results due to the fact that the brain is not easy to access, and intravenous solutions may or may not get to the brain. Verge was founded by some of the industry's best machine learning experts and neuroscience drug developers. And Altar and his fellow Verge contemporaries are excited about the amazing advances in computational genomics and new insights into neuroscience that are creating great progress in drug discoveries, that can help combat neurodegenerative diseases.

Peter Sullivan, founder of Clear Light Ventures, discusses his extensive work in the environmental health community. Sullivan has been an important voice in the environmental health community for many years. His work has been heavily focused in many important areas, such as toxic metals screening, electromagnetic field safety and awareness, as well as the environmental factors that play a role in autism. His company, Clear Light Ventures, seeks to improve overall human health and functioning via the removal of environmental health threats. Sullivan talks about the journey toward his current career in environmental health, discussing his own health issues as well as his children's. He states that with chronic disease, by the time you notice symptoms, it's usually many things not just one thing, that is impacting your health and how you feel. Sullivan talks about all the gadgets, wearables, and other electronic devices that we take for granted and utilize, but what could they be emitting, and how could they be impacting our health? Sullivan discusses mercury poisoning and its effects, as well as the health symptoms and effects of various environmental toxins. Sullivan introduces the ways we can all reduce our exposure to environmental toxins. He explains that there are many things we can do, such as either turning off our smartphones at night, or making sure that they are not sitting right by our beds when we sleep. Something as simple as moving the device away from your bed area could help a great deal. As he explains, dropping exposure can be achieved by distance, the further away we move the device from our bodies, the more we decrease our exposure. Sullivan goes on to discuss sperm damage and potential DNA damage, and how wireless radiation could be one of the big suspects. Sullivan talks about other ways we can keep ourselves safer. We can turn off phone chargers, routers, and anything that is receiving or emitting, that could be causing potential health issues. The environmental toxins expert goes into detail on some of the kinds of meters that are available on the market such as EMF meters and meters that measure wireless radiation, magnetic fields and electric fields, and other factors. All of these, along with dirty electricity, are to be avoided if at all possible. You can also seek out the help of an expert who specializes in the area and can make assessments for you in your home. Sullivan's work on detoxification and EMF has been featured in many current books and periodicals and he is a celebrated authority and expert in the field of environmental toxin exposure.

Prior to becoming an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Columbia Basin College, Dr. Zana Carver immersed herself in the world of biological research, where she learned a lot about the way chemicals move through and interact with the human body. But perhaps more than anything, her drive to become the author of The End of Chronic Fatigue sprang from her experience with the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, and the consequent surgery to remove her entire thyroid. On today's podcast, she discusses her experience as a patient on thyroid suppression hormone (TSH) for over ten years and what it was like to be taken off of TSH in the direction of her doctor. She also talks about the differences between T4 and T3 levels, recent research on and the relationship between chronic fatigue syndrome and low thyroid hormones, what happens to reverse T3 in our bodies when we're under stress, misdiagnoses associated with thyroid problems, and a load of insight into the biochemistry of thyroid disorders. Learn more by visiting thyroidcode.org, and find her book on Amazon.

In this podcast, Cecelia Doucette, Technology Safety Educator, Education Services Director at Wireless Education, talks in-depth about the many potential toxins in our environment. Doucette is a technical writer and public health safety advocate. Her extensive background in the understanding of, and writing about, technology has motivated her to now educate the public and work for important policy change. Doucette provides an overview of electromagnetic fields, commonly referred to as EMFs, and the ways they are impacting our general health. She discusses wireless technology and how the now ubiquitous digital technology introduced significantly more electromagnetic fields into our environment that we come in contact with daily. Doucette says that these EMFs are affecting our bodies on a cellular level. Doucette is a leader in the fight to change public policy. She helped push Ashland Public Schools in Massachusetts to become the nation's first to implement, Best Practices for Mobile Devices. Doucette delves into other work she has been involved with in terms of public health, and she outlines how EMFs can affect our health. She delivers information on how we all can do more to avoid potential threats, such as home-based solutions—hardwiring cellphones to access the internet, and so much more. And she explains the steps she took to hardwire her own home. Doucette talks about the satellites and antennas in our environment and how they too could impact our health.

Today's episode features Paul Ehrlich, co-author of The Population Bomb. This book, published in 1968, predicted that the earth's growing population would soon surpass a sustainable number. Dangers of continued population growth, Ehrlich predicted, would lead to global pollution, famine, economic collapse, and exhaustion of resources such as food and water. Ehrlich argued that a growing population would threaten the existence of humanity as we knew it in 1968. Now that the global population has doubled since the book's publishing, we revisit Ehrlich's predictions and compare them to current events. In this episode, Ehrlich discusses what he believes to be the "optimal" amount of people that the earth may sustain, as well as the barriers we face in reaching that population. Listen in for a fascinating discussion on history, ethics, and the current trajectory of the human race.

Dave Stetzer, founder of Stetzer Electric, discusses his company, his early work and long career in the field of electricity. Starting in 1974, Stetzer Electric made a name for itself as the go-to company for electrical services, from electric motor repair and rewind, to commercial as well as industrial electrical contracting, and power quality analysis. The company also distributes a registered product, STETZERiZER® Power Line EM Filters. Stetzer discusses his 30+ year career in the field as an electrician and electricity specialist. Getting his initial training during his years in the United States Air Force, his interest in electricity grew and Stetzer was buzzing to begin putting his skills to work in the private sector. He discusses the many changes, the kinds of loads (linear versus non-linear), and the problems that can exist, detailing issues that pertain to the electrical grid. Alarmingly, Stetzer states that since 1998, 70% of all current in North America that travels out on high line wires returns to the substation via the earth, which causes a wide array of technical problems with equipment as well as human and animal health problems. Stetzer explains the codes that prohibit the earth from being used in this manner, but utility companies are still using the earth in spite of codes. Stetzer explains how much current we are getting in our everyday lives, and the implications for health problems and disease. For over a decade, Stetzer has been troubleshooting power quality problems and dirty electricity (electrical pollution, stray voltage), that exists in the US and around the globe. Utilizing his expertise in the field, Stetzer developed the STETZERiZER® Filter, which is the first power line EM (electromagnetic) filter. Stetzer discusses motor starts and dirty electricity, and the cumulative effect on animals, such as dairy cows. He explains his startling results, finding that cows that were getting shocked from stray power, etc. produced less milk, and his observations were consistent from farm to farm. Stetzer details how every computer and gadget we use can potentially be putting current into our environment and possibly creating a negative health impact. Stetzer details how his STETZERiZER® Filter works. He talks about how the filter lowers the numbers and shorts out higher frequencies that are detrimental. And the filter actually causes meters to even read more accurately.

Dr. Kevin Moore, Professor of Hepatology at the University of College London, joins us today to discuss liver health, ailments, and function. In this episode, we learn all about specific conditions that affect the liver, such as fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatitis. Dr. Moore discusses the causes of fatty liver disease, whether or not there are effective medications to treat it, and what we, as patients, can (and shouldn't) eat and drink to keep our livers in optimal health. Dr. Moore also discusses how chronic alcohol intake can harm the liver, and whether or not that damage can be mitigated later on in life. Tune in to hear Dr. Moore provide an overview of liver function tests, what they mean, and specific things you can do to keep your liver healthy.

We are all familiar with gravity's effects on Earth, but many of us have yet to learn what gravitational waves mean in the context of the Universe. Dr. Eliu Huerta, head of the Gravity Group at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, joins us today to answer our simple and complex questions about gravitational wave analysis. A theoretical astrophysicist by training, Dr. Huerta's research focuses on developing artificial intelligence that aids scientists in detecting and analyzing gravitational wave observations. These observations provide information about black holes and neutron stars in the Universe. Dr. Huerta explains how we quantify gravitational waves, and answer questions varying in complexity, from "What is gravity?" to "What is gravity in the context of space-time?" Tune in to hear about the previous, current, and future fascinating technologies of astrophysics. For more information, visit http://gravity.ncsa.illinois.edu/ and http://www.ncsa.illinois.edu/.

In this podcast, Dr. Katharina Lederle, a noted sleep and fatigue specialist at Somnia, provides a detailed overview of the importance of a good night's sleep. Dr. Lederle's company, Somnia, seeks to educate the public and offer skills that can help people improve their sleep quality. Achieving better sleep can result in a significantly happier, healthier life. Somnia's program works to resolve sleep problems and improve overall sleep habits. Dr. Lederle and her team of sleep specialists provide individualized services, including one-on-one private consultations designed to analyze an individual's sleep problems and generate solutions. Dr. Lederle grew up in a rural area near an army base, and the sounds of helicopters offered her a comfortable auditory background for optimum sleeping. But her dad had a totally different reaction, and this intrigued her, which may have ultimately led to her career in the study and improvement of sleep. Dr. Lederle goes into detail about sleep cycles and she explains chronotypes, which are the behavioral presentation of one's internal circadian rhythms. A particular chronotype is one's desire to sleep and sleep better, at a particular time during a 24-hour cycle. As Dr. Lederle explains, everyone needs to discover their own chronotype and avoid input from society on this matter, because everyone has their own ideal chronotype that works best for them. Dr. Lederle discusses sensitivity to light, and how light affects our internal body clocks. As she states, we are designed to sleep through the night and work in daylight hours, because our abilities in regard to night vision are quite poor by comparison. Dr. Lederle uses her wide base of sleep knowledge and a hands-on approach, combined with her years of practical experience in sleep science and sleep therapy to help people feel better and get the quality sleep they need.

As a post-doctoral associate at The Schmidt Lab at the University of Florida, Dr. Young Hye Song is working on utilizing naturally-derived biomaterials to develop in vitro disease models and create scaffolds that can be used for nerve repair. She discusses the types of biomaterials being used and the way they are produced, the difference between nerve regeneration in the central versus peripheral nervous system, the process of desterilizing peripheral nerves to create injectable hydrogels for the treatment of spinal cord injuries, when this method of repair may be tested on humans, challenges inherent in this approach to spinal cord injury repair, and so much more. Tune in for all the details, and check out https://www.bme.ufl.edu/labs/schmidt/ to learn more about the latest from The Schmidt Lab.