Finding Genius Podcast

On December 1, 2017, China passed a policy banning the import of plastics from several foreign countries, including the US. For over a year now, this policy has been in effect and the plastic has been piling up, with much of it actually being redirected to other developing countries. In other words, the problem of plastic waste and what to do with it is not new—it's just shifting to other parts of the world. But it's also forcing Americans to face what's becoming an increasingly pressing question: how do we go about handling the millions of pounds of plastic waste we're producing each year? Sahadat Hossain, Ph.D., P.E., is a professor at the University of Texas Arlington Department of Civil Engineering who is working on a solution that utilizes a characteristic of plastic which makes it particularly problematic in landfills: non-degradability. Since plastic does not degrade, it takes up a significant amount of space in landfills and prevents other materials from degrading, which just worsens the problem. However, the non-degradability of plastic makes it a particularly useful material in civil engineering pursuits, and this is the focus of Dr. Hossain's work. His work in this realm began with an investigation into the use of plastic waste for slope-stabilizing pins, which led to a well-funded project in 2013 that proved immensely successful. With one pin containing about 500 plastic bottles, and 600 pins used in just one project, Dr. Hossain and his team recycled about 300,000 plastic bottles. Now, imagine how much plastic waste could be recycled if a similar technique was used in the construction of roadways. This is exactly what Dr. Hossain is focusing his research efforts on now, and he joins the podcast to discuss all the details of what this would entail the challenges that must be overcome and the current, ongoing application of this technique in India. Interested in learning more? Tune in and visit http://www.uta.edu/faculty/hossain/Home.html.

Most of us are familiar with the self-righting movement of tortoises and turtles—it's a display that serves as entertainment for some, and wonder for others, but for Alex Abramson, it served as inspiration for a new drug delivery system for insulin and other biologic drugs. He has engineered an ingestible, self-orienting pill that is designed to deliver tiny injections in the stomach wall, thereby removing the need for subcutaneous injections such as those that diabetics have to self-administer. How does it work? Once the pill is swallowed, it is designed to land at the bottom of the stomach within five minutes and orient itself toward the tissue wall where the drug needs to be delivered. Equipped with a hydration-based actuator, the pill senses the humidity of the stomach environment and inserts a drug-loaded post directly into the stomach tissue with a needle less than one millimeter in diameter. The post then dissolves and allows for systemic uptake comparable to subcutaneous injection. Abramson is a Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering at MIT, and for the past four years, he's been working closely with Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that has sponsored this project. The project has been published, multiple studies using large animal models have been completed, and they are looking to bring the product into clinical trials within the next two years. Among other topics, Abramson joins the podcast to discuss how the shape and density distribution of the pill was inspired by the shape and density distribution of self-righting tortoises, what prevents perforation of stomach tissue with injection, why the sensor was designed to detect humidity rather than acidity, and the many benefits of this system of drug delivery that you probably haven't even thought of. Tune in for all the details, and follow this link https://youtu.be/w7UTwEPYD4M to watch a video on how exactly the pill works.

Addiction, relapse, and acute overdose are the three core features of cocaine abuse, and researchers have figured out a way to make lab mice completely immune to them. How is this possible? Xiaoyang Wu and Ming Xu are researchers at the University of Chicago who have joined forces to tackle the problem of cocaine addiction, for which there is currently no FDA-approved treatment. The key to their method involves the naturally-occurring cocaine-degrading enzyme known as butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), CRISPR gene editing, and skin grafting. The procedure involves removing a patch of skin from a donor mouse, genetically modifying the skin cells within that patch of skin to produce high amounts of BChE, and then grafting those genetically-modified skin cells back onto the same mouse. Once the enzyme hits the bloodstream, it reaches every location in the body that requires a blood supply, and therefore reaches the central reward center where cocaine addiction develops. By degrading cocaine faster than it can accumulate in the mouse's system, the high levels of this enzyme protect the mouse from cocaine overdose, addiction, and relapse. Wu and Xu offer fascinating and informative insight on what could potentially be the first-ever FDA-approved treatment for cocaine addiction. Press play for all the details.

Toshihiro Shioda, MD, Ph.D., serves as Associate Professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School and is a Member, MGH Cancer Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Shioda discusses his lab's work in regard to cellular biology. Shioda's lab studies a wide variety of issues such as the various roles and actions of certain estrogens and antiestrogens pertaining to breast cancer in humans, pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics of estrogens as well as xenobiotic environmental estrogenic substances, and the impact of environmental materials and bioactive food elements on fetuses during early development, just to name a few. Shioda discusses primordial germ cells in detail, commonly referred to in the scientific community as simply, PGCs. As he states, PGCs are the basis for study for much of their lab research. By generating PGC-type models, the lab team members are able to study many areas related to cellular science. Shioda has published on multiple topics related to the field. The Harvard researcher is particularly interested in the various ways that primordial germ cells produced, and tested, within his lab are similar to typical, natural germ cells. Shioda talks about the possibilities for his team's research, and how, notably, these types of cultured cells could provide a useful model in which to intensively study germline epimutations produced by an assortment of exposures. Continuing, Shioda talks about chemotherapy and the effects on men and women. He details some of the papers they have published on their studies of epigenetics. Epigenetics is defined as the study of heritable phenotype changes, changes that don't require or pertain to alterations within the DNA sequence. Shioda explains some of the difficulties researchers encounter. Specifically, in regard to fully comprehending germline exposure risks, there is a greater need for effectual, reliable models for important mechanical studies. Shioda and his research team utilize the most advanced tools related to stem cell biology as well as deep sequencing technology to produce germ cell models, with the intent of performing more toxicological tests that hopefully will provide answers to impact human health in a positive way, for cancer research and more.

"The fascinating thing about the [termite] mound is that…it's not just this big pile of dirt; it has complex architecture, it's differentiated in structure…and it has a function—it serves to capture wind energy in the environment, and that helps power the gas exchange needs of the termite colony located underground, so it's literally a lung made from soil," says J Scott Turner, explaining one of his well-known discoveries that contributed to the theory of collective intelligence. His discoveries not only led to a greater understanding of a South African species of termite and their enormous mounds which pepper the Cape Town landscape, but opened the door to many more questions which would influence the direction of his career moving forward. As a physiologist, professor, and author, J Scott Turner has made it his life's work to understand where and in what way physiology, adaptation, ecology, evolution and philosophy intersect. He joins the podcast to discuss what he's learned over the years, including the different ways in which organisms construct and adapt to their environments in ways that resemble superorganism assemblage, animal architecture as expressions of physiological needs, the ways in which human gut flora interact with their environment, the cellular cooperation and mutual accommodation that's present in the development of malignant cancers, and the fluid relationship between hereditary memory and function. Tune in for all the details, and learn more about his work by visiting jscottturner.com or reaching out with questions via jsturner@syr.edu.

Sleep: it's essential for our health, mental well-being, work productivity, quality of life…the list continues. Identifying sleep issues, however, can be a long and difficult process. Why? Sleep is difficult to measure, which means it's hard to generate the data that's necessary in order to better understand and address sleep problems. Why is it difficult to measure? According to Roy Raymann, Ph.D., true measurements of sleep—those that are more objective than simple questionnaires—are obtrusive, requiring multiple sensors on the brain, face, wrists, etc., which neglects the fact that comfort is a crucial element of good sleep. On today's podcast, you'll learn about a new form of technology 13 years in the making that could very well change the way sleep is studied from here on out. Among other accomplishments, Dr. Raymann has conducted research in sleep science for more than 25 years, his work has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, and he currently serves as Vice President of Sleep Science and Scientific Affairs at SleepScore Labs. He discusses the ins and outs of SleepScore's technology, which utilizes sounds waves, algorithms, and a whole lot of data processing to detect and translate micro-movements during sleep into useful data about sleep quality. All that's required is a small bedside device, which means no annoying sensors tacked to your head and no wires in your bed. Tune in to hear more about the SleepScore product and the extra features it includes, and check out https://www.sleepscore.com/ to learn more.

Pedro J. Alvarez, George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, delivers an interesting overview of the important new technologies that can help provide clean water to global communities. Alvarez is truly passionate about science and engineering and has devoted his career to the study and research of the environmental implications and applications of nanotechnology, the water footprint of biofuels, bioremediation, antibiotic resistance control, toxic chemicals, and water treatment and reuse. He is the founding Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center on Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) at Rice University. Alvarez discusses his work at Rice, and his passion for bringing clean water to everyone, to support global health and economic development. The engineering expert explains the dangers of bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used to make plastics, and he details how it affects fertility and reproduction rates. He states that many contaminants are not regulated, and wastewater treatment often meets the bare minimum only. Unfortunately, many cans for foods such as soups, baby foods, etc., have linings that may contain BPA or similar compounds. He talks about the need for better water treatment, and discusses the micron-sized spheres that have been developed to capture and destroy BPA. Alvarez talks about their work utilizing technology and advanced materials to bring clean water to the global population, in areas where it is desperately needed. He explains how the original concepts were lacking in regard to energy efficiency and thus not adapted by industry. With new developments, energy usage can be cost-effective and exceedingly more sustainable. The technology expert delves into the processes that they use to develop these advanced technologies. As he states, water is somewhat of a difficult space to make changes within, and some barriers do exist. He explains the scientific methods that are utilized for the treatment of water. Fortunately this advanced technology can potentially work for other polluting compounds in addition to BPA. He details the scientific technology they use for treating wastewater and also drinking water. He cites specific examples of the use of their photocatalyst that showed it was capable of successfully treating the water in select communities, eliminating pesticides and fecal matter. Finally, Alvarez lays out their plans for future development and how they hope to expand, to help curb potential problems with contamination of water in many areas and industries. Professor Alvarez received a B. Eng. Degree in Civil Engineering from McGill University as well as MS and PhD degrees in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, which is more than the number of people suffering from cancer, diabetes, and heart disease combined. Considering this statistic, the current opioid epidemic isn't terribly surprising. And even over-the-counter medications have a variety of side effects that can lead to kidney, liver, and GI issues over time. For many of these people, there's a solution: Quell 2.0, a completely drug-free, wearable device that blocks lower-extremity pain signals by stimulating nerves with high-frequency electrical stimulation. No bigger than the size of a credit card, the device is worn comfortably and discretely around the calf and is the only over-the-counter therapeutic pain device that's been FDA-cleared for use while sleeping. This is important since there is a positive feedback loop between pain and sleep; pain leads to loss of sleep, and sleep loss leads to the exacerbation of pain. Frank McGillin, COO of Quell, joins the podcast to discuss all the details of how the product works, feedback from chronic pain patients who've used it, how long it takes to start working, the device's ability to track quality of life measures to provide users with useful information over time, and the soon-to-be-launched AI-assisted Quell product that utilizes years' worth of data to make the device smarter and more personalized to the individual pain sufferer. Interested in learning more or getting one for yourself? Tune in and visit quellrelief.com.

Louis Rosenberg, Ph.D., founder, chief scientist and CEO of Unanimous AI (unanimous.ai), delivers an insightful overview of the many ways that AI is improving human intelligence and yielding higher quality outcomes in many industries. Rosenberg is a seasoned scientific mind and has been instrumental in the success of many companies, public and private. He founded Unanimous AI as a means to further his interests in the study and development of collaborative systems, artificial intelligence (AI), as well as human-computer interaction. Rosenberg received a bachelor's and master's degree from Stanford University and then went on to complete his Ph.D., also at Stanford. He has spent many years developing for robotics, human-computer systems, and of course, virtual reality—an area of particular interest. Rosenberg discusses his extensive background in artificial intelligence, and human intelligence, and the bridge between. While he states that society often worries about people being replaced by algorithms, he underscores that people are actually very smart, and the goal is to use AI to amplify human intelligence. He discusses the use of groups… a swarm functionality as he calls it. In a swarm system, people can answer questions to a problem together, which increases overall accuracy. The AI can measure general confidence level, etc. and help to zero in on the most accurate answers to a question or problem. Regarding medicine, doctors are able to reduce errors significantly by using swarm / collective intelligence. Ultimately, people are smarter collectively than on their own, and AI is helping this to become a reality in business and industry. Rosenberg talks about the major companies, small businesses, universities and more that are taking advantage of swarm technology. As he explains, human knowledge provides an edge and AI is amplifying this significantly. He details some of their work implementing swarm-based predictive insights for upcoming products, entertainment, etc. The tech expert expounds upon their innovative technology and the many ways that everyone can get involved and utilize the swarm concept to increase their results, outcome, knowledge, etc. Additionally, Rosenberg discusses how predictive technology can help manufacturers better understand their markets. As a noted expert in his field, Rosenberg has been awarded an astounding 300+ patents globally for his contributions to innovative technology in the areas of virtual and augmented reality, AI, and of course, human computer-interaction.

Wynand De Beer has always had an interest in evolution as a mechanism for life on Earth, but it wasn't until about a decade ago that he really started diving into the study of it, guided by a question similar to the one that framed his doctoral work at the University of South Africa: is it possible to reconcile the Christian belief in creationism with the scientific evidence for evolution, and if so, to what degree? In the search for an answer, Wynand De Beer found himself immersed in Greek philosophy and surprised by what he was learning about cosmology, biology, and the connections between the two. He has since authored an account of all this and more, titled From Logos to Bios: Evolutionary Theory in Light of Plato, Aristotle & Neoplatonism. Wynand De Beer offers a compelling conversation that touches on a variety of topics, including the mathematical foundations of the cosmos taught by Pythagoras, Platonism versus Neoplatonism, Aristotle as the first Western thinker to analyze biological phenomena among pants and animals, the concept that matter is shaped by the soul, physical versus metaphysical realities, how quantum behavior might be compatible with notions of a higher reality, the inaccurate conflation between evolution and Darwinism, the standard scientific explanation of the mind and the rebuttals to it, and the potentially imminent merge between man and machine. Tune in for the full conversation and find his book on Amazon