Finding Genius Podcast

To put it mildly, Dr. Lawrence Bonassar is an expert on tissue engineering; prior to working as a professor at the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, he served as a faculty member of the Center For Tissue Engineering at UMass Medical School and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in orthopedic research at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Center for Biomedical Engineering at MIT. He's also on the editorial board of the journal Tissue Engineering, and head of The Bonassar Research Group. His work is focused on bringing engineered tissues to the clinic as a way of treating tissue degradation that occurs with aging and disease. The tissues he and his team are engineering are responsible for providing mobility and mechanical functions in the body and include articular, meniscus, and intervertebral disk cartilage. He explains the complexity of intervertebral disks, which are composed of a combination of different types of cartilage and an end plate, and the challenges present in creating them in the lab and ensuring that they will fit any individual patient. The engineering of these tissues is aided by imaging technology that allows Dr. Bonassar and his team determine the correct length, width, depth, and overall shape of an implant based on a patient's existing anatomy. Dr. Bonassar discusses the science and technique underlying the development, implantation, and effect and function of these tissues once in the body, as well as the results they've seen in studies using these implants in Beagles with intervertebral disk disease. Tune in to hear all the details and learn about the future direction of this research. Learn more by visiting https://bonassar.research.engineering.cornell.edu/.

Media coverage on the prospect of self-driving cars leading the future of transportation has been almost entirely positive, highlighting the potential benefits and avoiding discussion of the numerous questions that remain. At first, Christian Wolmar, a pundit and author who's been an authoritative source on transport matters for over 25 years, swallowed the hype surrounding this new form of technology. But he didn't have to look too closely to realize that the hype was undue, with too many technical and social objections to ignore. On today's episode, he delivers an overview of the many concerns with driverless cars, and the many challenges that would need to be overcome in order to realistically and safely consider a future in which they are the primary means of transportation. Tune in for an important and informative conversation on this emerging form of technology that's generating excitement, fear, and uncertainty. Visit http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/ to read all of Wolmar's recent articles.

Unexplained and profound fatigue, a general feeling of achiness in the muscles, higher perceptions of pain to touch and pressure, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, poor sleep, never feeling rested, gut issues…the list could go on. These are many of the symptoms experienced by those who have fibromyalgia, a condition that for much of its history in the world of conventional medicine has been poorly understood, misdiagnosed, untreated, or altogether dismissed as unreal. But for those who deal with these symptoms on a daily basis, it is very much real and can make life next to unbearable. Dr. David Brady didn't learn much about the condition during medical school, and what he did learn proved to be incorrect or overshadowed by doubt in the legitimacy of the condition. But as he continued to see patients who presented with the same or similar collections of signs, he was compelled to take a deeper look into how the condition should be characterized, understood, and treated. As the author of The Fibro Fix: Get to the Root of Your Fibromyalgia and Start Reversing Your Chronic Pain and Fatigue in 21 Days, Dr. Brady has developed a toolbox of treatments and methods to address the needs and alleviate the symptoms of his patients, and the very last tool he ever uses is often the immediate go-to in conventional medicine: pharmaceuticals, which are not designed specifically for fibromyalgia, but merely repurposed and relabeled drugs used for other conditions, such as depression or epilepsy. Not only are these drugs largely ineffective, but linked to countless side effects. Dr. Brady discusses how he approaches the assessment of patients who may have fibromyalgia, the elimination process that leads him to feel confident in his diagnoses, and the alternative approaches he takes to the treatment of the condition, which includes heart rate variability exercises, improving quality of sleep, naturally increasing the levels of serotonin in the body, using herbal medicines that calm the central nervous system, making dietary changes, and implementing meditative and other relaxation practices in the daily routines of his patients. Interested in learning more? Visit https://www.fibrofix.com/ and https://drdavidbrady.com/.

At the Institute of Molecular Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Christopher Reinkemeier is a Ph.D. student who's involved with a project that's providing breakthrough evidence of the ability of synthetic organelles to carry out complex tasks in living cells. How complex? One of the most complex and important processes that cells carry out: translation or the synthesis of proteins. In the body, translation involves hundreds of organic molecules, but the synthetic organelle Reinkemeier has helped to develop requires just five components, which, once in a living cell, recruit all of the other necessary components of translation. Reinkemeier provides an in-depth discussion about the science behind what they've created, and the significance of the fact that it's capable of modifying one messenger RNA (mRNA) for the production of one, specifically modified protein. Tune in for all the details.

Dr. Volodymyr Koman, a postdoc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), discusses his work with cell-sized robots and explains their many possible uses in our ever-increasing technological world. Dr. Koman received a BS in Applied Physics from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, then an MS in Photonics from Ghent University, before moving on to earn and complete his Ph.D. in Photonics at the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. Dr. Koman has a particular fascination with cell-sized robots and his work is focused in this area currently. Dr. Koman discusses their cell-sized robots and how they arrived at the name of 'colloidal nanoelectronic state machines' for their groundbreaking tiny robots. He describes state machines as simple robots with several states on board, essentially state machines that are doing computations on board of the particle. Dr. Koman describes his team's fascination with nature, which caused them to pose questions such as, can we think like nature? Their work takes the question into the test phase, as they seek to make advanced cell-size 'state machines' or robots that can form tissues and create bigger structures. These minuscule robots can sense their environment, store data, and complete computational tasks. They consist of tiny electronic circuits comprised of two-dimensional materials, riding along atop minuscule particles known as colloids. Dr. Koman explains how these tiny state machines can communicate with each other while completing tasks. He expounds upon their vision for the future of these infinitesimal robots. Dr. Koman provides details on the structures and circuits of their tiny state machines, and how they hope to effectively allow them to transform and change shape. These machines will look very different from our current machines and from our cells, Dr. Koman states. The cellular-size technology expert provides further information on uses within the bloodstream. One particular area of expansion for the technology could be for diagnostics. By combining these tiny objects with complex circuitry, it may open up possibilities for the creation of devices that could be utilized to carry out diagnostic journeys into the human digestive system. Colloids can exist in environments and move about in ways that other materials simply cannot, which makes them particularly attractive for specialized tasks. Dr. Koman talks about the future of robotics and his team's outlook for their advanced tiny robots. From bloodstream to tissue, the uses and possibilities are nearly limitless.

The mutualistic relationship between the acacia plant and a certain species of ant is fascinating: the plant produces an addictive chemical substance that attracts a certain species of ant, and the ant survives off this substance while providing protective benefits for the plant. As another example of the amazing ways in which plants leverage chemicals to their advantage, tomato plants that are overeaten by caterpillars have the ability to produce chemicals that induce cannibalism in caterpillars. How do plants know to respond in these ways? How do they know which chemicals to produce and when to produce them in order to protect themselves in these ingenious ways? According to Dr. Frantisek Baluska from the Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany at the University of Bonn in Germany, the answer is that plants have a rich mental life that is far more complex than previously thought. Although there is a growing body of research that suggests a form of true plant cognition, mainstream science still largely reserves words such as 'sentient', 'intelligent', and 'problem-solving' for humans only. But Dr. Baluska argues that plants are masters of chemistry and that this mastery indicates the presence of complex cognitive mechanisms similar to those found in the human nervous system. Dr. Baluska discusses a range of topics—all of which are the perfect mix of intriguing and informative, leading you into the world of the masters of chemistry. Tune in and visit https://www.thethirdwayofevolution.com/people/view/frantisek-baluska for more.

McKeown was a chronic asthmatic who suffered from regular wheezing and coughing for more than twenty years before he discovered the Buteyko Method. After mastering the method, he has been completely free of symptoms, as well as medication, since the late 90s. Today, McKeown is a qualified practitioner after training with Professor Buteyko, the originator of the method. McKeown talks about his background and how his own struggles with issues such as asthma, constant stuffy nose, and mouth breathing motivated him to find a solution. As he explains, having these issues can seriously impact the quality of our sleep, and as such McKeown used to wake up very tired often, before discovering Buteyko. Further, the Buteyko practitioner delves into the various techniques people can use to decongest their noses, to allow clearer breathing through the nose. The nose, in fact, is so important, that it is responsible for over 30 functions in the human body, so it's clear that we want to keep it clear! As McKeown explains, nasal issues that prevent quality nasal breathing can contribute to so many problems from dry mouth/inflammation, to learning difficulties, reduced IQ, decreased productivity, and much more. The breathing expert talks about blood vessels and how breathing affects carbon dioxide levels. Blood circulation and breath are directly connected. Anxiety, depression, and high stress can greatly benefit from slower, fuller breathing. McKeown's book, Close Your Mouth, is a respected self-help book that offers an easy to follow, complete instruction set for the Buteyko Method, to help combat asthma, nasal congestion, and snoring. And the proof is in the results, as multiple clinical trials have proven that the Buteyko Method is highly effective and provides a true remedy for the reversal of asthma, resulting in 70% less coughing and wheezing, and an astounding 90% reduction in the need for reliever medication, and a remarkable 50% reduced need for preventer medication. McKeown talks about how he works with clients to help them develop an exercise plan that works for them. He can measure their breathing during their first visit and ascertain how they will be able to function in various exercises and periods of physical exertion. Through the Buteyko method, many people have found relief from their nagging, lifelong problems, and McKeown is helping to spread the word to the world, to help people find real solutions to their debilitating health issues.

Gene Monterastelli, the founder of Tapping Q&A (tappingqanda.com), provides an overview of tapping as a therapy option to help people overcome obstacles in their lives. Monterastelli earned his degree from the Catholic University of America. His vast experience in various therapeutic techniques includes hypnotism, guided imagery, NLP, parts work, as well as meridian based tapping protocols such as EFT. Monterastelli talks about his background. He discusses how social anxiety led him to discover tapping. Monterastelli's road to recovery and healing from his anxiety issues were aided by this interesting therapeutic technique and he decided to share his knowledge with others in his eBook. His popular audiobook, Recovering Self: A Healing Manifesto is available for everyone, at no cost. Monterastelli recounts how his social anxiety had gotten so bad before he discovered the power of tapping, that he couldn't even call out his stop on airport shuttle buses, or help friends with favors that required a simple phone call to someone. In short, his life was in need of a solution, and he found it through tapping. Monterastelli talks about studies regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture and how it has been proven to be a useful tool in pain management and also in battling depression and phobias. He discusses the early work of tapping therapy founder, Dr. Roger Callahan, who first decided to take the concept of acupuncture and adapt it to a form of healing using only hands and fingers to tap meridian points, abandoning the needles, to provide benefits to more people. However, the algorithms of Thought Field Therapy (TFT) are rather complex, and thus one of Callahan's students, a man by the name of Gary Craig​, ​simplified the technique even more and thus became the founder of what we know today as EFT Tapping Therapy. Monterastelli talks about the tool-sets that people can utilize within the context of this therapy. He talks about the basic tenets of tapping that include tuning in to your issue (physical pain or emotion) and then tapping points. By moving from tapping point to tapping point, and talking through the problem, you can then conquer the problem. Monterastelli talks about trauma and how much tapping could be necessary to find relief and to recover. He talks about the many and various issues that tapping can be utilized to combat. The tapping expert discusses how tapping can be used in a clinical setting. He outlines how simply being present is important in the process. And he goes into detail about some of the kinds of issues that people can tackle by utilizing tapping. Monterastelli works with clients across the globe, one-on-one over the phone as well as through Skype. Some of the main areas he provides his expertise on are as follows: stress, limiting beliefs, anxiety, smoking, learning disabilities, pain management, and even relationship issues.

During his work as a doctoral student, Roman Teslyuk noticed that there was something missing in the world of geological research and mineral exploration: objective, big data analytics. In its place were less objective forms of localized analysis that were failing to take advantage of the massive amounts of archived data gathered from past research in the field. With the goal of advancing mineral exploration by leveraging all of the available data, Teslyuk founded Earth AI, a company that's focused on locating deposits of technology metals that are crucial components of growth in the high-tech industry, such as copper, zinc, nickel, lithium, and vanadium. With the use of a geological AI training system that learns from geochemical, magnetic, radiometric and multi-spectral remote sensing data from previously explored regions, the AI system generalizes all of the data and develops predictions for which locations have the highest likelihood of metal deposits. It takes the Earth AI team just two weeks to cover 100 square miles of land; traditionally, it would take the same amount of people months to search different locations based only on signs of mineralization—a much more expensive and less efficient method. Earth AI's technology currently boasts a success rate that's 50 times greater than the industry's. Tune in for all the details, and visit earth-ai.com to learn more.

When businesses have high volumes of contracts that need to be negotiated on a regular basis, they usually do one of two things: hire a big law firm to do it for them or use their in-house legal team. However, there are several drawbacks to both of these options. For example, when a company leaves it to a big law firm to handle, they spend more money, lose visibility on the process, and never build long-term relationships with the lawyers who do the work for them. And when these contracts are dealt with on an in-house basis, time and attention are taken away from other, more pressing and high-value tasks within the business. According to Lane Lillquist, co-founder of InCloudCounsel, there's a third, far superior solution that incorporates machine learning and not only provides a consistent stream of work for the attorneys who work for InCloudCounsel, but provides businesses with a personalized team of experts dedicated to the proper, efficient, and low-cost execution of their contract negotiations. In addition to discussing the ins and outs of how the service works, Lillquist talks about document abstracting, which is a process that is powered by machine learning and capable of scanning hundreds of pages of documents for answers to specific questions. Learn more by visiting https://www.incloudcounsel.com/.