Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.
The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.
Not medical advice.
At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.
As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.
My beliefs:
- Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
- All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
- Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.
Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
- “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
- “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Mind & Matter
Systems Biology, Personalized Medicine, AI & the Future of Health | Lee Hood | 205
Short Summary: Deep dive into systems biology and personalized medicine, exploring how technology and data can revolutionize health care, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and the future of medicine.
About the Guest: Dr. Lee Hood is a pioneering scientist with a 60-year career in biology, notably at Caltech and the University of Washington. He co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology and has significantly contributed to molecular immunology and the Human Genome Project, holding a PhD in biology.
Note: Podcast episodes are fully available to paid subscribers on the M&M Substack and to everyone on YouTube. Partial versions are available elsewhere.
Key Takeaways:
- Systems Biology: Understanding complex biological systems by analyzing how individual components interact.
- Data-Driven Health: Use of genomic and phenomic data can lead to personalized health strategies, enhancing wellness and preventing chronic diseases before they manifest.
- AI in Medicine: AI can augment human capabilities in medicine, acting as a vast knowledge base to assist physicians in diagnosis and treatment, potentially leading to a partnership model between AI and human doctors.
- Chronic Disease: Much of the chronic disease burden could potentially be mitigated through lifestyle changes rather than solely through pharmaceutical interventions.
- Future Drug Development: The traditional focus on single-target drugs might shift towards multi-modal strategies, recognizing diseases like Alzheimer's might be a metabolic disorder.
- Peptides and New Therapies: Small peptide drugs are emerging as potential new treatments due to their ability to interact with a range of biological molecules, offering new possibilities beyond traditional small molecule drugs.
- Environmental Impact on Health: While personal behavior significantly influences health outcomes, environmental factors like exposure to toxins can also play critical roles in disease development.
Related episodes:
- M&M #204: Preventive Medicine, Personalized Nutrition & Changing Your Microbiome | Momo Vuyisich
All episodes (audio & video), show notes, transcripts, and more at the M&M Substack
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