Finding Genius Podcast

Derek Künsken, the author of The Quantum Magician, delivers an interesting account of his background and path to science fiction writing. Künsken is a passionate writer of science fiction and fantasy predominantly, and his love of all interesting subjects, people, and places keeps him fueled and always pushing to create more. Since he was ten years old, Künsken has been singularly focused on his desire to write and create. Künsken talks about his journey from early childhood through his university work in molecular biology, to working with street kids in Central America, and how he finally came back to his first love—writing. He discusses his work, from short fiction to novels, and highlights the relevant physics that are featured heavily in his writing as he weaves tales about extreme situations in the universe and the existence of life in other environments. Künsken contrasts the novel world vs. the movie world and how film and TV don't usually, because of the time limitations, delve deep into hard science. He describes that in the novel world, it is much easier to go into detail and explain the science that is involved in the subject matter, sometimes simply because there is just more of an opportunity in the written novel to elaborate and get into the fine details. And he delivers an interesting perspective on early science fiction film and television. In his discussion, he explains how Star Trek, the TV show, didn't go deep into any actual science of the technological devices they used but rather took an interesting look at the impact of such scientific technology on those who were able to access it. Künsken gives an overview of his method for creating The Quantum Magician, and discusses what intrigued him, and compelled him to write the novel. He explains that it was actually his own personal anxiety about the progress and direction of technology that was a motivating factor. He wanted to look at the uncomfortable questions that could come forth, such as what happens when people are given the opportunity to engineer their children before they are born, by changing their DNA, and how would a society function in space with no police presence, etc. From biological quantum computing to eleven-dimensional space and wormholes, to time travel and beyond, Künsken describes how he wanted to allow himself to push his most thought-provoking scientific and technological ideas. And he details his process for implementing the math, science, neurology, and technology into his work, describing his use of research coupled with his own personal knowledge from his university studies. The science fiction author provides his personal thoughts on the genre in general and some of its common tropes and structures. He states that science fiction is particularly good at delivering cautionary tales. He talks about the unintended consequences of advanced science in a practical sense and how society may interpret the use of this science and technology as it advances, and the legal implications as well. As a guest speaker at many world conferences on scientific topics, Künsken states that he is constantly meeting interesting minds in the scientific world, and he explains that amazing new scientific ideas and theories are being pushed forward at an astounding pace by these inventors of the future.

Adam Cooper, co-founder of GasMob (gasmob.co), provides an interesting overview of how technology is changing everything we do, even how we fill our gas tanks. To say Cooper is pumped about the future of GasMob's fuel-filling technology would be an understatement as he is brimming with ideas about the many benefits his company's app can offer to individuals and businesses everywhere. Co-founders Adam and Brad Cooper grew up in the thriving metropolis of NYC, specifically Manhattan, and through the years they observed that the increased need for residential properties in a city with a finite amount of land, surrounded by water, was creating a desperate situation for motorists who sought an easy fill-up. In fact, Adam Cooper states that there are as few as fifteen gas stations remaining to serve an estimated 1.4 million households that own a vehicle that requires gas. With massive real estate projects taking over most of the incredibly valuable lots once inhabited by petroleum resellers, the majority of gas locations exist, inconveniently for many, either on the northern tip or western edge of the island. Cooper discusses how he wanted to find a solution to the long lines, inconvenient locations, and the hassle, thus GasMob was born. With a background in finance and a strong passion for technology, Cooper reached out to his current partner, a respected oil and gas family, to launch the service. Cooper talks about their platform and their initial foray into offering custom solutions as an amenity for residential and commercial properties, as opposed to a simply on-demand market model, though Cooper does expect to fully expand into on-demand further as well. Cooper provides details about how the service works for users, from initial sign up, to scheduling, and how property owners are pleased to have an additional amenity to attract residents. Cooper relates how it is as simple as opening your gas tank cover, locking your car, and letting GasMob handle the rest—filling your tank in the scheduled window you select and locking up your gas tank afterward, all while you enjoy your day or engage in work, never having to consider it or be hassled to do it yourself. Cooper discusses the development of the app and how his team at GasMob is closely following every technology advance to continually update and improve their services. GasMob was brought to life by a team of talented developers led by a CTO who understands that technology and innovation go hand in hand. And as technology advances, their team continues to seek opportunities to partner and expand. The gas delivery guru discusses GasMob's push to partner with entities that can help to capitalize their future endeavors as they continually innovate and target emerging markets. He talks about their work with companies who have fleets and some of the newer companies that could be in need. He describes their delivery trucks, the sizes and dimensions, and how their delivery vehicles are designed specifically for each unique purpose. Additionally, Cooper provides specific detail on the backend portal that fleet owners can view to dig deep into the individual analytics for their entire fleet. And as Cooper states, currently the company's focus is to provide the absolute best service for fuel delivery, but he expects that the future will see GasMob expand into other auto-related services as well.

John Fennelly, CEO of Lionbridge (lionbridge.com), delivers an informative overview of the translation services industry, its global expansion, and how technology is changing the industry. Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. is a successful software and professional services company that specializes in language translation, e-learning translation, localization, software testing, internationalization, interpretation, software development, software testing, and content development services and strategies. Lionbridge's CEO discusses the history of Lionbridge and their goal to provide a more personalized way to translate. CEO John Fennelly is a seasoned leader and pioneering innovator in localization and translation services. His strong leadership has helped to produce significant organic growth at Lionbridge, now with over 6,000 employees on board ready to assist businesses, helping them connect with their customers anywhere in the world. Before Fennelly's tenure at Lionbridge began he was the CEO of HireRight, a proven leader in the HCM technology space, where he led a major turnaround effort that culminated in record revenue and earnings growth leading to the profitable sale of the company. Fennelly has a long history in the information services and technology sector, working at notable companies such as Thomson Reuters, SunGard, and others. The translation entrepreneur highlights the many ways Lionbridge can help companies succeed globally. He details the value of rolling out new products globally to customers in a manner which all documents, websites, user guides, and more are translated with accuracy for the intended readers, wherever they are, in whatever language that is needed. He discusses his broad team of close to 30,000 translation freelancers who work diligently to ensure quality is delivered for every client and their company or business, by understanding a company's brand and unique messaging. And he details the importance of grasping various factors such as the differences between literal and nuanced translations that will resonate with the local market, driving interest and consumer connections. While English is widely used as a base language for many businesses, there is still high demand for direct translation into a large number of varied languages globally. Fennelly states that the history of translation services was largely based in the translation of technical documents, the ancillary parts of the system or product, but now with so many voice-activated devices coming to the market, the translation of those is changing Lionbridge's space rather dramatically. Fennelly provides his thoughts on the future of translation services, and how machine learning is an integral part of where the business model is going now that voice-activated services are able to interact with people in their native language. And Lionbridge plays a major role in helping companies train their machines. Lionbridge believes that at its core, communication is always human, and the specialized Lionbridge community works tirelessly to add understanding to your data, and nuance to machine translation. As companies continue to seek new opportunities, customers, and markets for their brand, Lionbridge seeks to move forward with them, assisting them with connections, delivery, and training for translation services at the highest level. Fennelly talks about the need for translation companies to transition from service-based to technology-based companies, and how some are falling short as technology expands at a blistering pace. As Fennelly states, companies that can successfully navigate that transition will be well positioned for success, and those that cannot will suffer.

As a traditional internal medicine physician, John Limansky began to notice that many of the most common and chronic diseases suffered by his patients were based around diet and lifestyle, and he soon acknowledged the importance of not just treating the symptoms of any particular illness, but understanding the underlying mechanism that contributes to so many of them. Dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes...the list goes on...but what do they all have in common? They're driven at least in part by dysfunctional mitochondria, which is due to lifestyle factors, environmental toxins, and nutrition. With this understanding, Dr. Limansky began to realize the necessity of treating people one-on-one, which means starting with an extremely detailed questionnaire and assessment, gathering information on an individual's genetic and metabolic profile, and then creating a tailored plan based on that patient's current state of health and overall health goals. In order to share the knowledge and insights he's gained over the years with people worldwide, he founded biohackmd.com, a website that allows anyone to access resources for learning biohacking techniques and implementing the optimal diet for leading longer and more healthful lives. Dr. Limansky touches on a range of insightful topics, including the problem with the standard treatment for prediabetes and diabetes, the effect of exercise and sleep patterns on insulin sensitivity, tools for achieving and maintaining health goals, and the surprising benefits of sitting in a sauna for just 20 minutes a day, four times a week. Hit play for the full conversation, visit biohackmd.com, visit him on social media, or reach out with questions at john@biohackmd.com.

Gillian Szollos had always struggled with obesity, but it wasn't until she began having seizures in 2014 that she realized something was really wrong, and that something needed to be done about it. The medications she was prescribed did nothing but worsen the seizures and produce unbearable side effects; she was at the end of her rope, and willing to try anything. That's when her husband stumbled upon a seizure support group that introduced him and Gillian to the ketogenic diet. One of her doctors laughed it off as being effective only for children, while her other doctor had never heard of it; after just two weeks of adhering to a keto diet, Gillian was completely seizure-free and has remained so for four years now. Unlike the pharmaceuticals she'd been taking prior--which caused horrific side effects--the ketogenic diet came with a 90-pound weight loss, increased energy, and the resolution of her pain associated with fibromyalgia. To this day, Gillian remains an outspoken proponent of the ketogenic diet, aiming to share her story and what she's learned through her website, Keto for Life, which can be found at www.ketoalldayeveryday.com. Gillian touches on the importance of remembering that we are individuals with different epigenetic and metabolic expressions, stressors, and lifestyles and that these factors impact how any one individual will respond to the keto diet--even she'll admit that it's not for everyone. Visit her website to learn more, and look for her at KetoCon this June in Austin, TX.

There are a variety of exogenous ketone products on the market today, many of which are consumed by athletes and people looking for a natural source of energy to increase their endurance and physical performance. Most of these products, however, have to be consumed in relatively large volumes and have high quantities of artificial sweeteners. That's not the case with HVMN Ketone--the world's first ketone ester sports drink shown to increase endurance, athletic performance, and cognitive ability. Brianna Stubbs, Ph.D., is a research lead at HVMN Ketone and joins the podcast today to discuss the difference between the ketone salt products that have been on the market and the ketone ester used in the HVMN Ketone drink, and why ketone esters are far superior to ketone salts. By virtue of the fact that ketone esters are more potent than ketone salts, the drink can be consumed as a quick shot, rather than an unpalatable 16 ounces of liquid filled with artificial sweetener and a salty undertaste. Research on the benefits of ketone esters and the ketogenic diet, in general, has shown that beyond the ability to improve cognitive and physical performance, increased ketones in the body can boost brain metabolism and slow or prevent the progression of cognitive deficits such as Alzheimer's. Interested in learning more or trying it for yourself? Tune in and visit hvmn.com.

For over 10 years, Ross Taylor tried to stick to a high-quality ketogenic diet while travelling the world for work; he quickly realized that accomplishing the two simultaneously was no easy task. "It's easy when you're not home to find proteins or vegetables...but getting enough fat--if you want to make fat your primary source of calories--is not always easy when you're not home," says Taylor. It was from this idea and this idea alone that Taylor and his wife decided to found a company--uniquely named DropAnFBomb--with the goal of producing natural, high-quality, low-carb, high-fat snacks well-suited for the individual who's constantly on the move and determined to stick to a healthy ketogenic diet. DropAnFBomb sells nut butters and six different oils, each conveniently packaged in a pouch for easy portability. Free from fillers, artificial sweeteners, and really anything you can't pronounce, these products just made sticking to the keto diet a whole lot easier. They started the company from the ground up, with no background experience in the food industry whatsoever. Taylor discusses the challenges they've faced, the successes they've had, what's on the horizon, and how to try out these snacks for yourself. Tune in for all the details and check out www.dropanfbomb.com.

Susan Stevenson, executive director, and Craig Mickanin, director, of the Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company, Novartis, based in Basel, Switzerland, deliver an informative overview of the incredible advances in gene therapy and transformative technologies that are rapidly changing the techniques medical professionals utilize to fight disease. Sue Stevenson is an experienced director with an extensive history in the pharmaceuticals industry. Her focus is in biologics, life sciences, validation, and cell biology. She holds a BS in chemistry from Western Maryland College as well as a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the distinguished Wake Forest University. Craig Mickanin holds a BS in biology and history from the prestigious William & Mary University, the second oldest college in the nation, and a well-respected cutting-edge research university. The Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) is the innovation engine and the NIBR team collaborates across various scientific and organizational boundaries, working for therapeutic breakthroughs for all patients. Novartis's stated mission is to utilize science-based innovation to address the world's most challenging healthcare issues. Novartis seeks to discover and develop breakthrough treatments and successful ways to deliver them to the world's population in need of care. Research and development (R&D) are at Novartis's core and a key component to their primary strategy. Stevenson describes Novartis's mission goal as it relates to disease treatment and prevention, specifically regarding cell and gene therapy. She discusses a few of their gene therapy methods, including the process of removing some of a patient's cells, to modify those cells to, in essence, fight a particular tumor type, and then reintroducing the cells into the patient's body so that the cells can get to work destroying the tumor. This cell therapy is an example of ex vivo therapy. Stevenson also outlines some of their early development on injectable options for cell delivery and the clinical studies that are going on currently. The biochemistry Ph.D. details their exciting work that she hopes will bring truly amazing medical advancements to patients worldwide, such as restoring blindness, restoring hearing, and curing cancer, as well as some other in vivo studies that are showing promise. Mickanin discusses his early work and provides some insight into how technology advances have helped buoy the transformative aspect of the field. He discusses current stem cell studies and the extent of their use in the industry. Mickanin details some of the aspects of the CRISPR technology, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Mickanin states that the system allows researchers to induce double stranded breaks into virtually any genome with specificity, and Novartis has been investing significant resources into the research. And Stevenson adds how their use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology will aid them in the process of introducing cells that can prevent disease or disease complications. She lays out the intricacies of the CRISPR/Cas9 and her hopes for its use ongoing, in future discovery and delivery of treatment options for patients. Mickanin provides an overview of how ex vivo strategies and in vivo strategies are determined, and the issues that are involved when making a choice as to how to move forward with either for treatments. Stevenson discusses the expectations for the future and MIT studies that indicate perhaps as many as forty new gene therapy medicines may be released by the year 2022.

Dr. Vincent "Ben" Bocchicchio, doctor, author, and health-oriented fitness expert delivers an interesting and important analysis of the body, exercise, and diet connection, and how we can all make positive changes that will improve our health significantly. Bocchicchio has over 40 years of experience in the fitness and health industry. He is a sought-after expert whose practical methods for achieving optimal health combine science with effective body conditioning and technology for top results in weight loss, and fitness. Dr. Bocchicchio was the pioneer developer of slow resistance training, a fitness technique that literally revolutionized the way people exercise. Bocchicchio's book, Fifteen Minutes to Fitness: Dr. Ben's Smart Plan for Diet and Total Health, outlines a sensible and rational approach to diet and exercise. Bocchicchio's method produces significant results by working with physiology and it is a must-read for fitness and health professionals. Bocchicchio discusses his early years as a serious athlete and the fitness experts who influenced his journey. He talks about the history of health and fitness and the struggle to bring good fitness ideas into mainstream consciousness. The fitness guru discusses the development of his celebrated slow resistance training techniques known as 'smart training.' He describes his program as high intensity and it has garnered successful results for many of his clients and followers, from elite athletes to the average health-conscious person. As he details, his program requires just two 15-minute sessions per week to see a real impact on health and energy, as well as increase of metabolism. Bocchicchio provides insight on his thoughts behind the development of the smart training techniques. Bocchicchio states that he wanted to look at how our earlier ways of living impacted good health. He talks about how early humans did not have carbohydrates but had to exist on fish and fowl that required humans to hunt, which was an intensive workout. Bocchicchio provides some detailed information on insulin resistance and the negative impact of carbohydrates, and how our bodies truly don't need them. He describes the process of fat cell storage, and how the prevalence of sugar in so many of our foods is leading to health problems. Essentially, Dr. Bocchicchio states that the consumption of carbohydrates is akin to ingesting insulin. And while a full diet and exercise plan is the best option, simply cutting carbohydrates is one step that everyone can take for their health. And Bocchicchio goes in-depth about the methods our bodies use to burn fat and sugar, and how fasting can provide an opportunity for the body to initiate an intensive energy burning process. When we eat, as Bocchicchio states, we are sending a metabolic signal to our bodies to store energy, and when we fast we are telling our bodies to burn energy. He outlines how intermittent fasting can be an option for people who want to stimulate their burn. Bocchicchio details the many types of exercise and workout plans that people invest their time into, and he stresses the importance of high-intensity exercise because it releases adrenaline, which in turn forces the body to release stored fat. He explains that steady state cardio exercise is good for overall health but that it will not change one's metabolic status or make the body leaner. He states that in order to achieve the best results for metabolic purposes, essentially pushing the body to burn more energy, that we must work harder at a high-intensity level, which can only be done in short blocks of time due to the intensity it requires. The diet and fitness expert delivers an intensive overview of other factors that drive insulin resistance and the dangers of sugar loading. He talks about exercise techniques and gives specific examples of methods that everyone can use to improve their exercise regimens and general health. He discusses safe, productive, and intermittent exercising and the benefits of keeping a regular routine. Bocchicchio explains his personal workout routine and the advantages of working each set of muscles to failure, thus pushing the workout to a high-intensity level that maximizes the metabolic benefits. And he wraps up his thorough analysis of health and fitness by discussing some of his partnerships with various fitness groups and brands, as well as the tools one can use to exercise efficiently and intensely, for optimum health.

Siegfried Hekimi is a professor of biology at McGill University and head of The Hekimi Lab where he and his team specialize in the study of aging. Hekimi delivers an informative overview of the complex, and often unknown, processes that produce aging, and the work his lab is involved with to try to uncover the mechanisms that accelerate, and retard aging, and why they do. Hekimi studied biology at the University of Geneva. After Geneva, Hekimi began work at the celebrated Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, UK, where he developed his method for using 'the worm' for translational studies on the biology of aging. While at Cambridge Hekimi identified the first mutants that supported the theory that aging could be manipulated genetically and that the process of inducing mild mitochondrial dysfunction can slow down the aging process of animals. Hekimi has worked and taught at McGill University for many years and is intensely focused on the important work his team is doing in the lab. Hekimi discusses their laboratory work in genetics and the study of aging, as well as the process of drug development to combat aging. By using mutants of the microscopic worm Caenorhabditis elegans as well as the mouse to study aging, Hekimi hopes to develop new methods for medical intervention on the aging process. The Hekimi Lab focuses on gene activities that have a direct affect on mitochondrial function, and they are particularly interested in the biosynthesis and function of ubiquinone (UQ, Coenzyme Q, CoQ), the obligate, diffusible relay in the complete mitochondrial electron transport chain. The lab's mission is to develop drugs that can alleviate diseases linked to ubiquinone deficiency. Hekimi discusses some of the surprising outcomes of his research, one major point being that free radical increase actually fights aging and prolongs life span, contrary to past scientific thought. He talks about his correlation between this study and research to mitochondrial damage, etc. He explains that free radicals are only potentially toxic because they are produced by various processes, and there are mechanisms within the cells that defend against this potential damage. As Hekimi explains, free radicals are in fact signaling messengers, which ultimately help cells stay in homeostasis by talking between compartments, etc. Hekimi states that the consumption of antioxidants has actually been shown to have no beneficial effects, contrary to widely accepted public opinion. He discusses his research with calorie restriction and metabolism, and the effects of mitochondria functioning at a slower rate. Some studies suggest that increased life span may actually be achieved by decreasing energy expenditure. By producing ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary energy carrier in all living organisms, more slowly, life span may possibly be increased. He talks about naked mole rats that live incredibly long lives, and yet their base level of free radical damage is exceedingly higher than mice or some other animals, which is further demonstrable evidence that the nature of free radicals is greatly misunderstood in the public consciousness. He explains that the same amount of damage happens in the mutant species but it happens over a greater span of time. Why this is happening in some and not others is one of the many questions that brilliant minds like Hekimi pose in their extensive laboratory research. The molecular biology expert explains the complexity of their research and how there are still very many unknowns in the general understanding of why aging occurs, why cellular damage happens and cannot be repaired, etc. He details some of their methods utilizing CRISPR and other work on drug development for mitochondrial diseases. Asking questions and searching for answers is precisely what Hekimi and his team focus on daily, and they hope to find causative links to explain why we age and how to slow the process in regard to disease and overall longevity.