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
Sleep, Mitochondrial Metabolism & Oxidative Stress | Gero Miesenbock | 257
The biological roots of sleep are tied to mitochondrial metabolism.
Episode Summary: Dr. Gero Miesenböck discusses the evolutionary and metabolic basis of sleep, exploring how mitochondrial energy production in neurons, particularly in fruit flies, drives the need for sleep to manage harmful byproducts like reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxides. They discuss how sleep-inducing neurons sense these byproducts, the role of mitochondrial dynamics, and the broader implications for why all animals, from jellyfish to humans, require sleep. The conversation also touches on how body size and metabolism influence sleep needs across species.
About the guest: Gero Miesenböck, MD is a professor of physiology at the University of Oxford, renowned for his pioneering work in optogenetics and his research on the neurobiology of sleep using fruit flies and mice.
Discussion Points:
- Sleep is universal across animals, even in jellyfish without centralized brains, suggesting a fundamental metabolic purpose tied to mitochondrial energy production.
- Mitochondria produce energy efficiently using oxygen but generate reactive oxygen species that can damage cells through lipid peroxidation, necessitating sleep to repair this damage.
- Sleep-inducing neurons in fruit flies contain sensors that track lipid peroxidation products, acting like a digital memory to signal when sleep is needed.
- Smaller animals with faster metabolisms, like mice, require more sleep and have shorter lifespans due to higher oxygen consumption and oxidative stress.
- Mitochondrial diseases in humans often cause intense tiredness, likely due to increased electron leaks in the mitochondrial energy production process.
- The evolutionary origin of sleep likely stems from the oxygen revolution 2.5 billion years ago, enabling complex life but requiring mechanisms like sleep to manage metabolic side effects.
- Caloric restriction reduces sleep need by lowering the production of harmful metabolic byproducts, supporting the link between metabolism and sleep.
Reference paper:
- Study: Mitochondrial origins of the pressure to sleep
Related content:
- M&M 12: Organisms, Cities, Companies & the Science of Scale | Geoffrey West
*Not medical advice.
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