Podcasts about National academy

One of the characteristics of life is that living organisms gather information and put it to use. Even one of the simplest lifeforms, bacteria, are able to sense features of their surroundings and alter their behavior accordingly. Most impressively, they are able to sense the presence of similar bacteria by a process called quorum sensing. Today's guest, Bonnie Bassler, is a leader in this field, and explains how quorum sensing allows groups of bacteria to do things (including in our bodies) that wouldn't be possible for individual bacteria. Blog post with transcript: https://preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026/07/20/361-bonnie-bassler-on-how-bacteria-talk-and-work-together/ Support Mindscape on Patreon. Bonnie Bassler received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University. She is currently Andrew K. Golden University Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among her awards are a MacArthur Fellowship, the Gruber Prize in Genetics, and the National Medal of Science. Lab web site Princeton web page Google Scholar publications Wikipedia

Howie Kurtz on the environmental impact of Canadian wildfires, President Trump ordering a review of climate guidance from the National Academy of Sciences, a media report detailing dismissed immigration assault charges, and escalating military conflicts between the U.S. and Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2007, two Harvard researchers added a splash of balsamic vinegar to beer.  When drinkers knew the beer contained vinegar, they hated it.  But when the researchers told them “this is our MIT brew," the majority loved it.  The study reveals the secrets behind marketing.  On today's episode of Nudge with award-winning science writer David Robson, we explain how good marketing can shape our perception.  Link to the bonus episode: ⁠https://nudge.kit.com/86d3e39845⁠  Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Read the Expectation Effect: https://amzn.to/4dvkb3s  David's website: https://davidrobson.me/  David's Substack: https://davidarobson.substack.com/  ---  Today's sources:  Amar, M., Ariely, D., Bar-Hillel, M., Carmon, Z., & Ofir, C. (2011). Brand names act like marketing placebos. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Clark, A. (2016). Surfing uncertainty: Prediction, action, and the embodied mind. Oxford University Press. Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18(2), 165–171. Faasse, K., Martin, L.R., Grey, A., Gamble, G., and Petrie, K.J. (2016). Impact of brand or generic labeling on medication effectiveness and side effects. Health Psychology, 35(2), 187. Grabenhorst, F., Rolls, E. T., & Bilderbeck, A. (2008). How cognition modulates affective responses to taste and flavor: Top-down influences on the orbitofrontal and pregenual cingulate cortices. Cerebral Cortex, 18(7), 1549–1559. Lee, L., Frederick, S., & Ariely, D. (2006). Try it, you'll like it: The influence of expectation, consumption, and revelation on preferences for beer. Psychological Science, 17(12), 1054–1058. Lidstone, S. C., Schulzer, M., Dinelle, K., Mak, E., Sossi, V., Ruth, T. J., & Stoessl, A. J. (2010). Effects of expectation on placebo-induced dopamine release in Parkinson disease. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67(8), 857–865. Plassmann, H., O'Doherty, J., Shiv, B., & Rangel, A. (2008). Marketing actions can modulate neural representations of experienced pleasantness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(3), 1050–1054. Quattrone, A., Barbagallo, G., Cerasa, A., & Stoessl, A. J. (2018). Neurobiology of placebo effect in Parkinson's disease: What we have learned and where we are going. Movement Disorders, 33(8), 1213–1227. Robson, D. (2022). The expectation effect: How your mindset can transform your life. Canongate. Spence, C., & Piqueras-Fiszman, B. (2014). The perfect meal: The multisensory science of food and dining. John Wiley & Sons.

AlabamaGovernor Ivey sends swift water rescue teams to TX to help with flash floodsState senator questions why data centers are being given tax breaksTwo House Delegate sign onto bill that clarifies that Daughters of the American Revolution are real women, not menHeads of lettuce from Taylor Farms identified as source of cyclosporiasisTroy Carico praises Vietnam hero James Caper and his stand against race baitingNational2 US military members killed in Jordan by Iranian airstrikesPresident Trump suspends National Academy of Sciences for fraudulent journals on climate changeDC Circuit court rules in favor of Trump admin and the USPS handling of mail in ballotsBorder czar Tom Homan says deportations of illegals is getting back on trackNYC Mayor not cooperating with ICE and federal immigration laws, but does want to see Israeli Prime Minister arrested when he comes to NYCVice President JD Vance and wife Usha welcomed birth of fourth child

This is part 3 of our three-part series about elements. And today is a biggie: carbon. When we hear about carbon, it's usually about its role in heating up the planet. And while that's an absolutely critical part of the story, the story of this most miraculous of substances is so much larger.We talk to Peter Brannen, author of The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything, about how carbon has always been central to just about every major turning point in the history of life on Earth...including why life is here in the first place.---This episode is hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. Editing help from Eva Tesfaye and Jack Rodolico. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound design by Dennis Funk.Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to welcome Rima Nathan as guest to the show.   About Rima Nathan:   Rima Nathan is a clinical professor at FSU Law and directs the Claude Pepper Elder Law Clinic. Professor Nathan previously practiced in the areas of complex civil litigation, trials, and appeals, and she served as a judicial clerk to Justice Jorge Labarga of the Supreme Court of Florida. Professor Nathan teaches the Elder Law Clinic and directs the Claude Pepper Elder Law Moot Court Competition.   She has received various awards including the 2024-25 University Teaching Award for Community Engaged Teaching, AARP Florida's Fraud Fighter award, and was the Elder Law Section of the Florida Bar's member of the year. She is a member of various organizations including the First District Appellate American Inn of Court, the Consumer Protection Law Committee of the Florida Bar, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.   About Florida State University College of Law:   At Florida State University College of Law, we prepare bold, leaders who shape the future of law and strengthen communities through knowledge, advocacy, and service. We are united by a shared commitment to shaping future lawyers who lead with integrity, give back to their communities, and uphold ethical practices that benefit all.   We recognize the importance of our collective role in fostering a deep understanding of the legal profession's impact and responsibility. Our mission is to cultivate a dynamic environment grounded in professionalism, excellence, and collaboration and connection.   Through a rigorous, forward-thinking curriculum, world-class faculty mentorship, and hands-on learning opportunities, we empower the next generation of legal leaders. Located in the heart of Florida's capital, the College offers unmatched access to courts, governmental institutions, and a thriving legal community.   Florida State University College of Law aspires to be a national leader in legal education, scholarship, and public service. We envision a community where students, faculty, and alumni drive innovation in the law, advance social justice, and shape the future of the legal profession.   Through our strategic location, distinctive programs, and commitment to excellence, we aim to empower graduates to make a profound impact on their communities, the state of Florida, and the world.   Here, excellence is more than a standard—it is our way of life and the foundation of our national reputation. We are committed to delivering outstanding academic programs, supporting our faculty and students at every stage, and continually raising the bar for professional achievement.   Our reputation for excellence is built every day through exceptional student recruitment, service, and support; the scholarship and dedication of our faculty; and active engagement with the broader community.   We proudly share these achievements through our clinics, partnerships, and outreach efforts, ensuring that the excellence we cultivate is recognized and celebrated.

In this special Crossover episode with Governance Matters, James-Christian Blockwood is joined by Raphe Sonenshein, President and CEO of the the Haynes Foundation.We're focused on local government charters as “local constitutions” that can be changed more easily, and impact people more immediately, than the U.S. Constitution.Management Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton. Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comFollow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

During this podcast I read part two of a draft, yet-to-be-published essay titled, “Institutional Betrayal: HHS and the National Academy of Medicine's Failure to Decarbonize the US healthcare Industry.” That the window formally closed in January 2025 means healthcare will not approach reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2030. HHS will continue to intentionally fund the industry's harm-treat-harm business model meaning healthcare is by design traumatic. Iatrogenesis is built-in. Americans will become increasingly consumed by, not consumers of, healthcare.Comments are of course welcomed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

In this conversation, Ari Whitten and I go straight to the cellular level to answer a question most of cardiology never asks: where does your energy actually come from, and what happens to your heart when it runs low? Ari walks through the work of Dr. Robert Naviaux and the ‘cell danger response,' the idea that your mitochondria are constantly reading the environment and deciding whether to make energy or switch into defense mode. Stressors like toxins, junk food, poor sleep, and chronic psychological stress push them toward defense, and that shift shows up as fatigue, oxidative stress, and inflammation, the same drivers I see underneath so much heart disease.From there, we get practical. Ari breaks down why how you breathe matters as much as how much you move, how a simple breath-hold test reflects your body's oxygen delivery, and why 20 to 30 minutes of daily movement may be one of the most powerful things you can do for your heart. It all comes back to what I teach every day: Eat Well, Live Well, Think Well. Give your cells what they were designed for, and your energy and your heart tend to follow.- - - - -About the Guest:Ari Whitten, MS, is the founder of The Energy Blueprint and one of the most respected evidence-based voices on fatigue, energy, and mitochondrial health. He holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, a bachelor's in Kinesiology, and certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Corrective Exercise Specialist and Performance Enhancement Specialist.After losing nearly a year of his own life to severe chronic fatigue in his twenties, Ari devoted his career to understanding how cellular energy is built and broken. He is the bestselling author of Eat for Energy and The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy, and has taught his science-first approach to energy on stages around the world.Website: theenergyblueprint.comInstagram: @theenergyblueprintPodcast: The Energy Blueprint- - - - -Jack Wolfson, DO, FACCWebsites: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drjackwolfson.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠; ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://naturalheartdoctor.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjackwolfson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ready to move past the confusion and fear of typical heart health approaches? Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠naturalheartdoctor.com/discovery⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule your free discovery call and start your journey toward a 100-year heart with real, evidence-based answers.- - - - -PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and share. This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsAssmann, Jan. Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt. Translated by David Lorton. Cornell University Press, 2005.Ariès, Philippe. The Hour of Our Death. Translated by Helen Weaver. Knopf, 1981.Beard, Mary, John North, and Simon Price. Religions of Rome. 2 vols. Cambridge University Press, 1998.Blackmore, Susan. Dying to Live: Near-Death Experiences. Prometheus Books, 1993.Boyce, Mary. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge, 1979.Bremmer, Jan N. The Rise and Fall of the Afterlife: The 1995 Read-Tuckwell Lectures at the University of Bristol. Routledge, 2002.Chalmers, David J. “Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness.” Journal of Consciousness Studies 2, no. 3 (1995): 200–219.Fenwick, Peter, and Elizabeth Fenwick. The Art of Dying: A Journey to Elsewhere. Continuum, 2008.Graf, Fritz, and Sarah Iles Johnston. Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets. 2nd ed. Routledge, 2013.Greyson, Bruce. After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond. St. Martin's Essentials, 2021.Greyson, Bruce. “The Near-Death Experience Scale: Construction, Reliability, and Validity.” Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 171, no. 6 (1983): 369–375.Griffiths, Roland R., William A. Richards, Una McCann, and Robert Jesse. “Psilocybin Can Occasion Mystical-Type Experiences Having Substantial and Sustained Personal Meaning and Spiritual Significance.” Psychopharmacology 187, no. 3 (2006): 268–283.Hornung, Erik. The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife. Translated by David Lorton. Cornell University Press, 1999.Johnston, Sarah Iles. Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece. University of California Press, 1999.Kerr, Christopher W., et al. “End-of-Life Dreams and Visions: A Longitudinal Study of Hospice Patients' Experiences.” Journal of Palliative Medicine 17, no. 3 (2014): 296–303.Le Goff, Jacques. The Birth of Purgatory. Translated by Arthur Goldhammer. University of Chicago Press, 1984.Moody, Raymond A. Life After Life. Mockingbird Books, 1975.Nahm, Michael, Bruce Greyson, Emily Williams Kelly, and Erlendur Haraldsson. “Terminal Lucidity: A Review and a Case Collection.” Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 55, no. 1 (2012): 138–142.Nelson, Kevin R., Michelle Mattingly, Sherman A. Lee, and Frederick A. Schmitt. “Does the Arousal System Contribute to Near Death Experience?” Neurology 66, no. 7 (2006): 1003–1009.Obayashi, Hiroshi, ed. Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions. Greenwood Press, 1992.Osis, Karlis, and Erlendur Haraldsson. At the Hour of Death. Avon, 1977.Parnia, Sam, et al. “AWAreness during REsuscitation—II: A Multi-Center Study of Consciousness and Awareness in Cardiac Arrest.” Resuscitation 191 (2023).Plato. Phaedo. In Plato: Complete Works. Edited by John M. Cooper. Hackett, 1997.Segal, Alan F. Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion. Doubleday, 2004.Stevenson, Ian. Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation. Rev. ed. McFarland, 2001.Taylor, John H., ed. Journey through the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. Harvard University Press / British Museum Press, 2010.Tucker, Jim B. Life Before Life: A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives. St. Martin's Press, 2005.van Gennep, Arnold. The Rites of Passage. Translated by Monika B. Vizedom and Gabrielle L. Caffee. University of Chicago Press, 1960.van Lommel, Pim, Ruud van Wees, Vincent Meyers, and Ingrid Elfferich. “Near-Death Experience in Survivors of Cardiac Arrest: A Prospective Study in the Netherlands.” The Lancet 358, no. 9298 (2001): 2039–2045.Xu, Gang, et al. “Surge of Neurophysiological Coupling and Connectivity of Gamma Oscillations in the Dying Human Brain.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120, no. 19 (2023).Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. 

This is part 2 of our 3-part series about elements. Last time we met nitrogen, today, it's partner in crime and in life – phosphorus.WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich has gotten to know the main character of this story pretty well after reporting on the environment in South Florida for more than a dozen years. Bone Valley in Central Florida has quietly fed the world's hunger for phosphorus, even as its waters, in particular the Everglades, suffer from the fallout.In this episode, you'll meet fishing captains turned environmental crusaders, hear about Guano Wars fought over this "Devil's Element," and learn how some are figuring out how to fix our phosphorus paradox.---WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich reported this story. The episode was hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. This episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Editing help from Carlyle Calhoun, Michael McEwan, Ryan Vasquez, Alana Schrieber, and Eva Tesfaye. Sound design by Dennis Funk, and our theme music is by John Batiste.Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I am offering something that has genuinely changed the way I think about my body — the circadian rhythm. I share what this 24-hour internal clock actually is, why researchers say it runs everything from your metabolism and hormones to your sleep and immunity, and how understanding it gave me a whole new perspective on the ongoing conversation around meal timing and breakfast. I walk through a few practical strategies rooted in circadian science that you can simply be aware of and explore in your own life.And yes — I am raising my hand on the late-night phone habit, because that quote of the week? It hit home for me too. Come learn something new about the incredible, intelligent design of your own body.QUOTE OF THE WEEK“Studies have shown that every hour you're still on your mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or watching TV at night, melatonin is suppressed by 30 minutes.”— Dr. Satchin Panda, The Circadian CodeCITATIONS ·      Panda, S. (2019). The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight. Rodale Books.·      Circadian rhythm science and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN): National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Circadian Rhythms. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx·      Insulin sensitivity and meal timing: Saad, A., et al. (2012). Diurnal pattern to insulin secretion and insulin action in healthy individuals. Diabetes, 61(11), 2691–2700.·      Circadian disruption and metabolic health: Scheer, F. A. J. L., Hilton, M. F., Mantzoros, C. S., & Shea, S. A. (2009). Adverse metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of circadian misalignment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(11), 4453–4458.·      Shift work and health outcomes: Wang, X. S., Armstrong, M. E. G., Cairns, B. J., Key, T. J., & Travis, R. C. (2011). Shift work and chronic disease: the epidemiological evidence. Occupational Medicine, 61(2), 78–89.·      Social jet lag: Wittmann, M., Dinich, J., Merrow, M., & Roenneberg, T. (2006). Social jetlag: misalignment of biological and social time. Chronobiology International, 23(1-2), 497–509.·      Melatonin suppression and blue light/screens: Harvard Health Publishing. (2020). Blue light has a dark side. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side·      https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/59135872-the-circadian-code-lose-weight-supercharge-your-energy-and-transformLet's go, let's get it done.Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org

Dr. Ken Suslick is a highly regarded chemist, professor, and entrepreneur whose scientific discoveries have repeatedly become real-world products. Dr. Suslick has a prolific scholarly record with more than 500 published scientific papers and 70+ patents, and induction in the National Academy of Sciences, among many other accolades. He's a longtime faculty member at UIUC, and he's also a highly successful serial entrepreneur with his latest venture, Iridescent Sensors, located here in the Research Park. VISIT http://researchpark.illinois.edu/podcast/ for our entire catalog of episodes.

President Jeffrey Gold: Walking Alongside Others as they Build Pathways to Meaningful GoalsDr. Jeffrey Gold is the ninth president of the University of Nebraska System.Dr. Gold serves on the Clinician Well-Being Collaborative of the National Academy of Medicine with the former Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy.  President Gold's Top 10 CliftonStrengths:AchieverLearnerIdeationIndividualizationResponsibilityConnectednessArrangerBeliefStrategicDeveloperRecorded: June 23rd, 2026

Learning a new skill can be deeply frustrating. Whether you're trying to play your first chord on a guitar, use chopsticks, swing a golf club or simply write your name with your non-dominant hand, the experience is often the same. You know exactly what you're trying to do, yet your body seems to have other ideas. Every movement feels awkward, clumsy and strangely unnatural. It's tempting to assume that some people are simply born more talented than others. We often describe elite athletes, musicians and artists as "naturals," as though their brains came pre-wired with abilities the rest of us lack. But what if that's not what's happening at all? A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences tackled this question by investigating one of the oldest mysteries in neuroscience: why is your dominant hand better than your other one? Scientists agree that most of us are born with a preference for using one hand over the other but don't know why that preferred hand becomes so much more skilled. Does the dominant side of the brain have a built-in advantage for controlling movement? Or does the preferred hand simply become better because it has spent decades holding pens, using tools, throwing balls and brushing teeth? To answer that question, the researchers recruited right-handed volunteers and designed experiments where participants sat in front of a table with 5 objects in front of them. The first experiment: Is your dominant arm simply better at controlling movement? Experiment 1 involved participants reaching from the centre to each target using either their left or right arm. Then the same again with a 1.8 kg weight strapped to each participant's wrist. Adding the weight made both arms less precise, but it affected them almost equally. If the dominant side of the brain truly had a built-in advantage for controlling movement, this extra challenge should have magnified the difference between the two arms. It didn't. The second experiment: A lightweight stick Next the researchers attached a long, lightweight bamboo stick to the participants' forearms and the participants had to touch each target using the tip of the stick. This time, a dramatic difference emerged. The dominant arm produced much smoother, more consistent trajectories, while the non-dominant arm struggled to accurately control the stick's tip. The dominant was better because it had spent a lifetime learning how to control tools. The third experiment: What happens when neither arm has any experience? Finally, the researchers attached a pen to each participant's elbow and asked them to write the letter "A" and the number "8" using their elbows as the writing tool. If the dominant side of the brain is naturally better at controlling movement, the dominant elbow should still perform better. But if skill comes from practice, neither elbow should have an advantage because neither has spent decades learning to write. The dominant elbow showed no advantage whatsoever. Then they created a training program where each participant trained one elbow to write with a pen, and whichever elbow was trained became significantly better at writing. The research suggests that the brain builds skilled movement wherever sufficient practice occurs. The researchers concluded that we're not born with one hand that is inherently more skilled. Instead, skill appears to emerge from years of experience controlling increasingly complex movements with tools and objects. That means the frustrating awkwardness of learning something new isn't necessarily evidence that you lack talent. It may simply reflect the fact that your brain hasn't yet accumulated the thousands of repetitions needed to build those same movement programmes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us Fan MailThe COVID-19 pandemic proved vaccine platforms can move at unprecedented speed. It also revealed how dangerously narrow the world's response really was, built almost entirely on a single technology.Dr. Dan Barouch and Kris Brown, Co-Founders of Vector Sciences, join host David E. Williams to discuss why durable pandemic preparedness depends on having multiple vaccine platforms rather than just one, how their Rheovax platform uses mucosal immunity delivered through the nose to block transmission rather than just prevent severe disease, and why public trust in vaccines depends on being honest about what each technology can and cannot actually do.

Wars get the headlines. A civil war can wreck a country's economy and dominate its news for a decade. But if you assume war is the most costly form of violence a society faces, you would be wrong.In this week's VoxDev Talk, James Fearon (Stanford) joins Tim Phillips to argue that the violence happening quietly inside homes and on ordinary streets does far more damage than war and terrorism combined.Drawing on his new book Worse Than War (PUP), written with Anke Hoeffler, Fearon estimates that interpersonal violence, meaning homicide, intimate partner violence and severe physical abuse of children, kills and injures more people than war, and costs society more too. Large-scale collective violence hits very few countries in any year. Almost every country carries rates of homicide and assault that exceed the global average for war.Fearon's argument is not that war does not matter. It is that the interpersonal violence is less dramatic and often hidden from view. There is evidence on what works to reduce it, but we aren't giving the problem the attention it needs.The book behind this episode:Hoeffler, Anke, and James D. Fearon. 2026. Worse than War: The Global Costs of Violence. Princeton: Princeton University Press.To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim, and James Fearon. 2026. "Interpersonal violence costs the world more than" VoxDev Talk (podcast). About James FearonJames Fearon is the Theodore and Frances Geballe Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences and professor of political science at Stanford University, and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. His research spans civil and interstate war, ethnic conflict, the international spread of democracy, the evaluation of foreign aid and institution building, and the costs of collective and interpersonal violence. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2012 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002.The book is co-authored with Anke Hoeffler, professor of development research at the University of Konstanz and co-author of Breaking the Conflict Trap, whose work on the economics of civil war includes the influential conflict-trap research with Paul Collier.Research and concepts discussed in this episodeInterpersonal versus collective violence. The book distinguishes collective violence, perpetrated by organised groups such as states, rebel organisations, terrorists, or criminal gangs, from interpersonal violence, committed by individuals. Interpersonal violence is broken down into homicide, intimate partner violence, and severe physical abuse of children. The central finding is that the average annual cost of interpersonal violence is far larger than that of interstate and civil war, somewhere between five and 20 times larger, with a best estimate of about eight times.Prevalence, not intensity. The reason interpersonal violence costs more in aggregate is that it is far more widespread. Very few countries experience large-scale collective violence in any given year, but almost all countries carry annual death and injury rates from homicide, intimate partner violence, and child abuse that exceed global average war death and injury rates. For 2000 to 2019, the authors estimate a global annual average of not quite 1.5 deaths per 100,000 people from war and terrorism, against about 7 per 100,000 for homicide.Intimate partner violence. The authors estimate global annual averages of about 3,300 and 1,600 per 100,000 people for intimate partner physical and sexual assault respectively, which is roughly twice those rates for women specifically.Severe physical abuse of children. Measured conservatively, capturing beatings far more serious than a mild spanking, the estimates imply that 15% of children aged 14 or younger are subjected to monthly beatings that would be classed as assaults if the victims were adults.Economic costs versus well-being costs. Civil war can cause severe economic devastation in the worst-affected countries, mainly through reduced growth, and at the global level the strictly economic costs of collective violence may exceed those of interpersonal violence. But economic loss is only one cost. Drawing on methods that use what people pay to avoid risks of death or injury, the authors estimate well-being losses that are far greater for interpersonal violence, because it kills and injures so many more people each year. The authors note that the difficulty of estimating the economic cost of interpersonal violence means their figures probably understate it relative to collective violence.Why interpersonal violence stays invisible. National media and political debate focus far more on collective violence, partly because it is dramatic and episodic while interpersonal violence is persistent and, happening inside households, often practically invisible. Sustained public and policy attention on the scale of interpersonal violence is itself a step towards reducing its costs.It is not just "culture". Against the view that little can be done because interpersonal violence is cultural, the authors point to a broad range of programmes and policies with evidence behind them. For homicide and intimate partner violence, measures that reduce alcohol access and consumption. For intimate partner violence and child abuse, adolescent dating programmes and parenting programmes. Across all forms, police reform to improve accountability and training, and more police in countries with low ratios of police to homicides.Reducing collective violence. There is reasonable evidence that UN peacekeeping operations are a relatively inexpensive way to lower violence in civil war countries and to reduce the chance of war resuming after a peace agreement. The authors note that rising conflict among the permanent five members of the UN Security Council, and sharpening regional rivalries among larger states in conflict-affected areas, have sharply reduced the prospects for new peacekeeping operations for now.

World-leading behaviour change expert Katy Milkman details how to change your habits.  --- Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/ Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Katy's book: https://amzn.to/3RF63xA  Katy's podcast: https://www.schwab.com/learn/choiceology  Katy's newsletter: https://www.katymilkman.com/newsletter-milkman-delivers  Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/  --- Today's sources: Beshears, J.Beshears, J., Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Benartzi, S. (2021). Using fresh starts to nudge increased retirement savings. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 167, 72–87. Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563–2582. Eskreis-Winkler, L., Fishbach, A., & Duckworth, A. L. (2018). Dear Abby: Should I give advice or receive it? Psychological Science, 29(11), 1797–1806. Eskreis-Winkler, L., Milkman, K. L., Gromet, D. M., & Duckworth, A. L. (2019). A large-scale field experiment shows giving advice improves academic outcomes for the advisor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(30), 14808–14810. Schroeder, S. A. (2007). We can do better — Improving the health of the American people. New England Journal of Medicine, 357(12), 1221–1228.

In Part 2 of The Mechanics of Magick: Drumming, Trance, and the Brain, we follow rhythm from the sacred road into the war road and the modern machine. This episode examines war drums, military cadence, synchronized movement, crowd power, ritual physiology, propaganda, slogans, media framing, algorithmic repetition, moral-emotional contagion, and the illusory truth effect. The argument is not that rhythm is evil. The argument is that rhythm is morally flexible and powerful. It can heal, gather, strengthen, command, manipulate, or capture depending on the world built around it. The drum teaches us to hear the visible pulse first, so we can recognize the hidden drums of the modern world: the chant, the slogan, the feed, the notification loop, the soundtrack, the repeated frame, and the rhythm that trains attention before thought has time to speak.Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsRhythm, Marching, Synchrony, and the GroupBodyMcNeill, William H. Keeping Together in Time: Dance and Drill in Human History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995.Use for dance, drill, marching, synchronized movement, and “muscular bonding.” This is one of the best historical anchors for the claim that moving together in time can help bind human groups through the body. It belongs in the war drum, marching, military cadence, procession, and crowd-power material.Wiltermuth, Scott S., and Chip Heath. “Synchrony and Cooperation.” Psychological Science 20, no. 1 (2009): 1–5.Use for the claim that synchronized action can increase cooperation. This supports the argument that marching, chanting, dancing, and acting in time can alter group attachment and behavior.Hove, Michael J., and Jane L. Risen. “It's All in the Timing: Interpersonal Synchrony Increases Affiliation.” Social Cognition 27, no. 6 (2009): 949–960.Use for interpersonal synchrony and affiliation. This supports the softer social-bonding side of rhythm: people who coordinate timing can feel more connected.Tarr, Bronwyn, Jacques Launay, and Robin I. M. Dunbar. “Music and Social Bonding: ‘Self-Other' Merging and Neurohormonal Mechanisms.” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (2014): 1096.Use for music, synchrony, bonding, self-other merging, endorphins, and why rhythmic group activity can feel socially powerful. This belongs in both crowd sections and the “operator as instrument” material.Reddish, Paul, Ronald Fischer, and Joseph Bulbulia. “Let's Dance Together: Synchrony, Shared Intentionality and Cooperation.” PLOS ONE 8, no. 8 (2013): e71182.Use as extra support for synchrony and cooperation. Good optional source if you want more than Wiltermuth and Heath.Ritual Physiology, Crowd Arousal, and Collective EffervescenceKonvalinka, Ivana, Dimitris Xygalatas, Joseph Bulbulia, Uri Schjødt, Else-Marie Jegindø, Sebastian Wallot, Guy Van Orden, and Andreas Roepstorff. “Synchronized Arousal Between Performers and Related Spectators in a Fire-Walking Ritual.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108, no. 20 (2011): 8514–8519.Use for the strongest fire-walking physiology source. This is the study showing synchronized arousal between active ritual performers and related spectators. It supports the claim that intense ritual fields can show up in bodies, not only in symbols.Xygalatas, Dimitris, Ivana Konvalinka, Joseph Bulbulia, and Andreas Roepstorff. “Quantifying Collective Effervescence: Heart-Rate Dynamics at a Fire-Walking Ritual.” Communicative & Integrative Biology 4, no. 6 (2011): 735–738.Use as a shorter interpretive companion to the PNAS fire-walking study. Good for the phrase “collective effervescence” and for explaining shared heart-rate dynamics in accessible language.Xygalatas, Dimitris. Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living. New York: Little, Brown Spark, 2022.Use for ritual, pain, synchrony, group bonding, arousal, and embodied social meaning. This is useful when moving from older ritual containers into modern crowd and spectacle.Hobson, Nicholas M., Juliana Schroeder, Jane L. Risen, Dimitris Xygalatas, and Michael Inzlicht. “The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework.” Personality and Social Psychology Review 22, no. 3 (2018): 260–284.Use for ritual as emotion regulation, performance regulation, social bonding, and formalized action. This supports the “ritual does things, it does not merely represent things” argument.War, Crowds, Mass Movements, and Collective IdentityLe Bon, Gustave. The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. 1895.Use carefully. Le Bon is historically important for crowd psychology, but outdated and often elitist. Good as a historical source on crowd fear and mass suggestion, but balance it with modern social psychology.Canetti, Elias. Crowds and Power. New York: Viking Press, 1962.Use for a literary-philosophical treatment of crowds, power, command, fear, and collective bodies. Good for atmosphere and conceptual framing, not as a modern experimental source.Hoffer, Eric. The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1951.Use for mass movements, fanaticism, belonging, identity, resentment, sacrifice, and the psychology of ideological devotion. Use carefully; it is sharp and useful, but not a modern empirical study.Tajfel, Henri, and John C. Turner. “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict.” In The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations, edited by William G. Austin and Stephen Worchel, 33–47. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1979.Use for social identity theory, in-groups, out-groups, belonging, status, and group comparison. This supports the claim that slogans and group language do not only communicate ideas; they also mark identity.Tajfel, Henri. Human Groups and Social Categories: Studies in Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.Use as a broader social-identity source. Good for group belonging, categorization, prejudice, and in-group/out-group dynamics.Propaganda, Symbols, Slogans, and Mass CommunicationLasswell, Harold D. Propaganda Technique in the World War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927.Use for propaganda as symbolic management, war messaging, enemy construction, morale, and the manipulation of attitudes through stories, reports, images, rumors, and other significant symbols. This is a core Part 2 source.Lasswell, Harold D. “The Theory of Political Propaganda.” The American Political Science Review 21, no. 3 (1927): 627–631.Use for the clean definition: propaganda as the management of collective attitudes through significant symbols. This is perfect for the slogan/crowd/media rhythm sections.Ellul, Jacques. Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes. Translated by Konrad Kellen and Jean Lerner. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965.Use for propaganda as a modern social technique, not merely lies. Ellul belongs in the “modern machine” argument because he treats propaganda as environmental, repetitive, social, technological, and tied to belonging.Bernays, Edward. Propaganda. New York: Horace Liveright, 1928.Use for public relations, engineered consent, mass persuasion, and the management of public opinion. Good supporting source, especially if you want advertising and PR to sit beside political propaganda.Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. New York: Pantheon Books, 1988.Use if you want a media-system critique: institutional filtering, agenda power, elite framing, and consent formation. This is useful for Part 2 but has a more political-economy angle than the rhythm/trance argument.Media Framing, Agenda-Setting, and Repeated AttentionMcCombs, Maxwell E., and Donald L. Shaw. “The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media.” Public Opinion Quarterly 36, no. 2 (1972): 176–187.Use for agenda-setting: media may not tell people exactly what to think, but it can influence what people think about and how important issues feel. This fits the “repetition trains attention” argument.Entman, Robert M. “Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm.” Journal of Communication 43, no. 4 (1993): 51–58.Use for framing: selecting certain aspects of reality and making them more salient. This supports the section on media frames as secular ritual structures that define problems, causes, moral judgments, and remedies.Gitlin, Todd. The Whole World Is Watching: Mass Media in the Making and Unmaking of the New Left. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980.Use if you want a historical case study on media framing and protest movements. Good optional source for how movements get shaped, simplified, or distorted by media attention.Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Viking Penguin, 1985.Use as cultural/media theory support for entertainment, spectacle, image, and public discourse. Useful for the “modern machine” angle, but more essayistic than experimental.Repetition, Familiarity, and the Illusory Truth EffectHasher, Lynn, David Goldstein, and Thomas Toppino. “Frequency and the Conference of Referential Validity.” Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 16, no. 1 (1977): 107–112.Use for the classic repetition/familiarity basis of the illusory truth effect. This supports the claim that repeated statements can gain perceived validity because they become easier and more familiar to processAlso want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. 

During this podcast I read part one of a draft, yet-to-be-published essay titled, “Institutional Betrayal: HHS and the National Academy of Medicine's Failure to Decarbonize the US healthcare Industry.” That the window formally closed in January 2025 means healthcare will not approach reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2030. HHS will continue to intentionally fund the industry's harm-treat-harm business model meaning healthcare is by design traumatic. Iatrogenesis is built-in. Americans will become increasingly consumed by, not consumers of, healthcare. Comments are of course welcomed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

This is the first of a two-part reading of a yet-to-be-published essay presently titled, “Institutional Failure: HHS and the National Academy of Medicine's Failure to Decarbonize Healthcare.” Comments are of course welcomed.Thank you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

Host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes interviews Brittany Miller, a certified sports nutritionist with SwimStrong Dryland who supports swimmers worldwide through a largely virtual program offering strength training, nutrition, wellness, mentorship, and mental skills for athletes from age group to Olympians. Miller shares her personal history of underfueling in softball, later developing restrictive and binge patterns before improving through Precision Nutrition and ASPDA connections, emphasizing scope and referrals to sports dietitians when needed. They discuss swimmer-specific challenges including hidden sweat/hydration, indoor training and low vitamin D, non-weight-bearing bone density risk, early morning two-a-days and underfueling, short recovery windows, nervous stomach at meets, and using interactive, competitive education activities to make nutrition engaging for youth athletes. Brittany Miller is a certified sports nutritionist through Precision Nutrition and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and is an allied health professional through the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association. She's been working with swim athletes for over 7 years, from age groupers to Olympians. She and her team at SwimStrong Dryland inspire and change the lives of competitive swimmers through strength training, nutrition & wellness, mentorship and care. As a lifelong athlete, she loves to equip young swimmers with practical knowledge and tools that lead to better performance, more fun, and lifelong habits. Brittany lives on the northside of Indianapolis with her amazing husband, two kids and maltese poodle. Episode Highlights: 01:22 Period Pain Sponsor 03:00 Meet Brittany Miller 04:39 Swim Strong Overview 08:15 Brittany Fueling Journey 15:28 Learning and Support 16:58 ASPD Association 24:34 Reds Resource Break 27:06 Swimmer Nutrition Needs 32:29 Hydration In The Pool 32:47 Tracking Sweat Loss 33:43 Open Water Hydration Challenges 35:36 Swim Culture Two A Days 36:33 Early Morning Fueling Fixes 38:54 Make Nutrition Fun 41:38 Interactive Nutrition Games 44:13 Gamify At Home 52:58 Female Cycle And Fueling 56:43 How To Work With Brittany 58:42 Final Wrap And Resources Resources and Links: SwimStrong Dryland Instagram - @swimstrongdryland SwimStrong Dryland Website - www.swimstrongdryland.com For more information about the show, head to work with Lindsey on improving your nutrition, head to: http://www.lindseycortes.com/ Join REDS Recovery Membership: http://www.lindseycortes.com/reds WaveBye Supplements – Menstrual cycle support code LindseyCortes for 15% off: http://wavebye.co Previnex Supplements – Joint Health Plus, Muscle Health Plus, plant-based protein, probiotics, and more; code CORTES15 for 15% off: previnex.com Female Athlete Nutrition Podcast Archive & Search Tool – Search by sport, condition, or topic: lindseycortes.com/podcast Female Athlete Nutrition Community – YouTube, Instagram @‌femaleathletenutrition, and private Facebook group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan MailWe've all used the phrase "real people" — meaning the regular folks, the everyday ones, as opposed to the famous, the wealthy, the powerful. But what if that whole distinction is a lie? This week, I'm pulling apart the binary between "ordinary" and "extraordinary" — sharing a story from my own childhood, a lesson from my years writing public policy, and some genuinely surprising research on what actually makes us alike. Spoiler: the line between you and a billionaire is a lot thinner than either of you think. Grab your coffee — this one's personal. Quote of the Week “If it's not accessible to the poor, it is neither radical nor revolutionary” Citations·       Witherspoon, D.J., Wooding, S., Rogers, A.R., et al. (2007). Genetic similarities within and between human populations. Genetics, 176(1), 351–359. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.106.067355·       Ekman, P., Friesen, W.V., O'Sullivan, M., et al. (1987). Universals and cultural differences in the judgments of facial expressions of emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(4), 712–717. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3681648/·       Systematic review (2025) of 21 peer-reviewed studies (1972–2024) on cultural differences in the production of emotional facial expressions. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12907163/·       Killingsworth, M.A. (2024). Money and Happiness: Extended Evidence Against Satiation. Happiness Science. https://happiness-science.org/money-happiness-satiation/·       Killingsworth, M.A., Kahneman, D., Mellers, B. (2023). Income and emotional well-being: A conflict resolved. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120. (referenced in CBC coverage: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/money-can-buy-happiness-1.7107592)·       "If it's not accessible to the poor, it is neither radical nor revolutionary" — widely circulated activist quote since at least 2016; original source unattributed. Let's go, let's get it done.Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org

The Author Events Series presents Heather Ann Thompson | Fear and Fury In Conversation with Cherri Gregg On December 22, 1984, in a graffiti-covered New York City subway car, passengers looked on in horror as a white loner named Bernhard Goetz shot four Black teens,  Darrell Cabey, Barry Allen, Troy Canty, and James Ramseur, at point-blank range. He then disappeared into a dark tunnel. After an intense manhunt, and his eventual surrender in New Hampshire, the man the tabloid media had dubbed the ''Death Wish Vigilante'' would become a celebrity and a hero to countless ordinary Americans who had been frustrated with the economic fallout of the Reagan 80s. Overnight, Goetz's young victims would become villains. Out of this dramatic moment would emerge an angry nation, in which Rupert Murdoch's New York Post and later Fox News Network stoked the fear and the fury of a stunning number of Americans.  Drawing from never-before-seen archival materials, legal files, and more, Heather Ann Thompson narrates the Bernie Goetz Subway shootings and their decades-long reverberations, while deftly recovering the lives of the boys whom too many decided didn't matter. Fear and Fury is the remarkable account and a searing indictment of a crucial turning point in American history. Heather Ann Thompson is a historian and the Pulitzer Prize and Bancroft Prize-winning author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy. Thompson is also the author of Whose Detroit?: Politics, Labor, and Race in a Modern American City. She writes regularly on the criminal justice system for myriad publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker. Thompson's policy work includes serving on a National Academy of Sciences blue-ribbon panel that studied the causes and consequences of mass incarceration in the US. She also co-runs the Carceral State Research Project at the University of Michigan. Cherri Gregg, Esq. is a known quantity in the Greater Philadelphia region, serving as the co-host of WHYY's daily news show, Studio 2, as well as an afternoon drive news anchor for the station. An award-winning journalist, Cherri has a distinguished career covering civil rights, social justice, race, poverty and public affairs issues impacting marginalized communities. She spent nearly a decade on air at KYW Newsradio and several years doing reports for CBS 3 Eyewitness News. Because you love Author Events, please make a donation when you register for this event to ensure that this series continues to inspire Philadelphians. Books will be available for purchase at the library on event night! All tickets are non-refundable. (recorded 2/19/2026)

In this episode of the Get Obsessed podcast, Dr. Robert Epstein, psychologist, author, and Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, joins hosts Julie Lokun and Mika Altidor to discuss the growing influence of Google and other technology companies on privacy, behavior, and society. Drawing from years of research, congressional testimony, and investigations into online manipulation, Dr. Epstein explains how search engines, online surveillance, and algorithmic systems can shape decisions without users realizing it. The conversation explores digital hygiene, election interference, artificial intelligence (AI), internet addiction, and practical ways individuals can protect their data privacy in an increasingly connected world. In this episode, we discuss: How Dr. Epstein's research initially showed Google's unexpected power to shift voters  Why Google's reach extends far beyond search and what that means for everyday users Practical digital hygiene habits and tools that can help protect privacy online Research showing how search results can influence opinions, decisions, and elections How phones, smart devices, and connected technology contribute to online surveillance Why artificial intelligence may increase the power of tech companies to monitor and influence behavior Concerns about children, internet addiction, AI-generated content, and the future of digital autonomy    ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr. Robert Epstein is an author, editor, professor, and Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. A former Editor in Chief of Psychology Today, he has spent decades researching human behavior, technology, and online influence.  He earned his PhD in psychology from Harvard University and is the founder and Director Emeritus of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. His research has appeared in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and he is widely known for identifying the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME), which explores how search rankings can influence opinions and voting behavior. Dr. Epstein has testified before the United States Congress on election interference, Big Tech influence, and digital manipulation. He has authored or edited 15 books and has appeared on major media platforms including The Joe Rogan Experience, NPR, Voice of America, and SiriusXM.   MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:  (Podcast) The Joe Rogan Experience featuring Dr. Robert Epstein (2022) - https://EpsteinOnRogan.com (Podcast) The Joe Rogan Experience featuring Dr. Robert Epstein (2023) - https://EpsteinOnRogan2.com (Video) Dr. Epstein's 2023 Congressional Testimony - https://2023EpsteinTestimony.com (Video) Dr. Epstein's 2019 Congressional Testimony - https://EpsteinTestimony.com (Website) My Digital Hygiene - https://MyDigitalHygiene.com (Website) America's Digital Shield - https://americasdigitalshield.com/ (Website) My Privacy Tips - https://myprivacytips.com/ (Website) Epstein Addiction Inventory - https://areyouaddicted.org/ CONNECT WITH DR. ROBERT EPSTEIN: Website: https://drrobertepstein.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrREpstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-robert-epstein-drrepstein-0658b2/   ABOUT GET OBSESSED Website: www.getobsessedpodcast.com Be a Guest! http://www.getobsessedguest.com  Reach Out To Us! hello@getobsessedmedia.com  The Get Obsessed podcast is dedicated to exploring the passions, mindsets, and habits that drive high performers. We believe that what you obsess over defines your future. LISTEN, RATE, REVIEW AND SUBSCRIBE - Get Obsessed : With Living Your Best Life - Podcast - Apple Podcasts Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Calvin Johnson, Ph.D. is the Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Eastern Washington University, a Master's Degree in Sociology/Research Methods from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland-College Park. Prior to his current role, he served dual roles as the Associate Director of the Office of Research and Evaluation and the Performance Improvement Officer at the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, then went on to serve 12 years as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research, Evaluation, and Monitoring at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research. Having also worked in research positions at the University of Pennsylvania, The Urban Institute, and with the Executive Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia, he serves as a Commissioner on the United States Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys as well as was elected as a Fellow for the National Academy of Public Administration. Calvin calls Houston, Texas home.

This week, host Sam Ko goes upstream from our usual clinical and business topics to sit down with Dr. Roberto Malinow, emeritus professor at UC San Diego, member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, and one of the world's leading researchers on synaptic plasticity and NMDA receptor biology. His work has been cited more than 30,000 times, and his recent perspective piece takes a very different view of what's actually happening during a ketamine infusion.The core of this conversation is his hypothesis that ketamine works by selectively weakening hyperactive brain circuits, but only the ones actively firing while the drug is on board. It's a finding that raises some genuinely uncomfortable questions about the standard set and setting approach, and points to chronic pain treatment as a practical place to start testing these ideas clinically.You'll also hear about the brain's "disappointment center," the lateral habenula, and why it may be hyperactive in depression, the Stanford anesthesia study and what it suggests about brain activity during treatment, and a wide ranging look at consciousness, optogenetics, the gut-brain connection, and what basic science still doesn't fully understand about how psychiatric drugs work.What You'll Learn in This Episode· Revolutionary ketamine mechanism - How Dr. Malinow's hypothesis suggests ketamine works by weakening hyperactive brain circuits, but only when those specific circuits are actively firing during treatment· The disappointment center concept - Understanding the lateral habenula as the brain's disappointment center that inhibits dopamine and may be hyperactive in depression, serving an evolutionary purpose in reinforcement learning· Challenge to set and setting orthodoxy - How activating negative thoughts or painful experiences could possibly enhance therapeutic outcomes· Neuroplasticity fundamentals - How synapses can be rapidly modified and why NMDA receptors are crucial for both strengthening and weakening neural pathways, forming the basis for learning and memory· Rapid vs. delayed therapeutic effects - Why ketamine can work almost immediately while traditional antidepressants take weeks, and what this reveals about different mechanisms of action· Chronic pain treatment implications - How activating pain circuits during ketamine infusions might be more effective than current protocols, and why chronic pain could be the ideal testing ground for this hypothesis· Basic science translation - How laboratory findings about synaptic plasticity and NMDA receptors connect to real-world therapeutic applications in depression, PTSD, and pain management· Optogenetics technology - How scientists can now deliver light-sensitive proteins to specific neurons, allowing precise activation or inactivation of brain circuits to study behavior and memory· Memory manipulation research - Fascinating studies showing how specific memories can be turned on and off using targeted brain stimulation, with implications for trauma and addiction treatment· Consciousness and synaptic function - Exploring the complex relationship between individual neurons and higher-order brain functions, and why bridging these levels remains challengingEpisode 59 show notes:00:00:00 Teaser: Those hyperactive circuits…00:00:24 Episode Introduction and Guest Overview00:01:12 Sam Introduces and Welcomes Dr. Roberto Malinow00:02:41 Background: From Reed College to The MD/PhD Path00:05:17 Why Basic Science Won Out Over Clinical Medicine00:06:06 The Lecture That Started It All: Professor Rodolfo Llinás and Synapses00:06:51 How Ketamine Interacts with the NMDA Receptor00:07:47 The "Disappointment Center": What the Lateral Habenula Does and Why It Matters in Depression00:09:16 The Standard Set and Setting Approach in Outpatient Ketamine Clinics00:10:12 The Three-Part Hypothesis: Neuroplasticity, Hyperactive Circuits, and Negative Thoughts00:11:49 Written Exposure Therapy and PTSD: Priming Circuits Before the Infusion00:12:53 Chronic Pain as the Easier Testing Ground for the Hypothesis00:14:20 Activating the Pain Pathways During a Ketamine Infusion00:17:23 The Anesthesia Study (Heifets/Stanford): Why the Brain Needs to Be Active00:18:48 What Would a Human Study Design Actually Look Like?00:20:41 Animal Study Evidence Supporting the Active-Stimulus Hypothesis00:21:33 Zooming Out: Synapses, Consciousness, and the Shakespeare Analogy00:23:18 Optogenetics Explained: Using Light to Control Specific Neurons00:27:31 What Don't We Understand About Depression?00:28:29 Lateral Habenula in Animal Depression Models and Dr. Malinow's Own Experiments00:29:13 The Dystopian Scenario: Using Ketamine-Like Drugs to Wipe Out Ideas00:31:31 Common Misconceptions Clinicians Have About Synapses00:32:47 What Surprised Dr. Malinow Most About Studying Synapses00:35:15 Why Ketamine Works Rapidly While SSRIs Take Weeks00:37:30 The "Party Trick": Learning Is Neuroplasticity in Real Time00:39:13 NMDA Receptors and Their Role in Learning and Memory00:39:47 Optogenetics Research: Turning Fear Memories On and Off in Animals00:42:08 Glutamate: 90% of Synaptic Transmission Explained00:43:55 Synapses in the Gut: The Enteric Nervous System00:45:58 The Gut-Brain Connection and Future Research00:46:23 Papers Worth Reading in the Ketamine Space00:47:50 The Psychedelic Renaissance: Psilocybin, the Disappointment Center, and What's Next00:50:20 Could the Activation Hypothesis Apply to Psilocybin and MDMA as Well?00:52:57 Rapid-Fire Questions Begin00:53:19 Time Travel00:54:19 Hidden Talent00:54:48 Alternate Career00:55:42 Advice to 18-Year-Old Roberto00:56:29 Final Thoughts and Call to Action for Clinicians00:57:00 Where to Find Dr. Malinow's Research (UCSD Website)00:57:40 Sam's Closing Remarks00:58:32 Episode EndingThanks for listeningConnect with Dr. Malinow:Website: https://biology.ucsd.edu/research/faculty/rmalinowEmail: rmalinow@ucsd.edu

This week on the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam are joined by Maureen Klovers and April Harding, co-founders of We the Doers, who tackle the big question: How do we make government more efficient and effective? They discuss their project to measure success in government based on what matters to citizens and use that framework to see what changes make a difference. Maureen and April also describe their initiative to map out the convoluted employment termination process across agencies and usher in “Fast But Fair Firing.” The episode digs into the importance of data standardization, problem definition and implementation of reforms, and why biannual budgeting might be the key to fixing Congress. Together, they figure out how to, as Robert puts it, “Stop the crazy, restore sanity.” Show Notes: NCHSA: Bipartisan Bicameral Housing Reform DOL: Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention Jen Pahlka: Recoding America Book Senate Committee on Finance: The Unemployment Insurance Modernization and Recession Readiness Act NOTUS: The Trump Administration Keeps Ghosting Its Congressional Watchdog Gary Bass (Of the Gary Bass Rule of Three): Biography We the Doers: wethedoers.org POPVOX Foundation: Departure Dialogues Project We the Doers: Workshop Report DOL: Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)  What's on the GovNavigators' Radar? June 22nd: National Academy of Public Administration Celebrating the American Public Servant Gala (GovNavigators sponsor)  June 23-24th: 2026 Senior Executive Leadership Summit  June 24th: Celonis Process Intelligence Day (GovNavigators sponsor) GovExec SAP NOW 250 

In this three-part series, we're giving some of the most misunderstood characters on the periodic table a fuller story. We dive into the fascinating double lives of these elements that are both the makers and unmakers of our world.In part one, reporter Olga Loginova travels to Cape Cod to meet nitrogen. In this episode: we trudge through the marsh, avoid great white sharks, and find out how we harnessed the power of nitrogen, why that power turned against us, and what we can do about it.---This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and Olga Loginova. Olga also reported the story. This story was edited by Jack Rodolico. Editing help from me, Eve Abrams, and Michael McEwan. The episode was fact-checked by Philip Kiefer. Sound design by Dennis Funk, and our theme music is by John Batiste. I'm the executive producer. Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. And to help others find our podcast, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. We'll be back with another element in two weeks.

This is part 2 of our 3-part series about elements.  Last time we met nitrogen, today, it's partner in crime and in life – phosphorus.  WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich has gotten to know the main character of this story pretty well after reporting on the environment in South Florida for more than a dozen years. Bone Valley in Central Florida has quietly fed the world's hunger for phosphorus, even as its waters, in particular the Everglades, suffer from the fallout. In this episode, you'll meet fishing captains turned environmental crusaders, hear about Guano Wars fought over this "Devil's Element," and learn how some are figuring out how to fix our phosphorus paradox.CREDITS WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich reported this story. The episode was hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. This episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Editing help from Carlyle Calhoun, Michael McEwan, Ryan Vasquez, Alana Schrieber, and Eva Tesfaye. Sound design by Dennis Funk, and our theme music is by John Batiste. Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. 

Dr. Hankerson is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Community Engagement in the Department of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also the Mental Health Equity Research Director at Mount Sinai Institute for Health Equity Research (IHER). His research focuses on reducing racial/ethnic disparities in mental health treatment. He is a nationally recognized expert at engaging faithand community-based organizations to increase access to culturally relevant mental health care. Dr. Hankerson has presented at the White House (President Obama's White House Dialogue on Men's Health and the ‘Making Healthcare Better' Series), United Nations, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Gracie Mansion (NYC Mayor's Office), and numerous national academic conferences. He currently serves on the National Football League's (NFL) Mental Wellness Committee. The National Academy of Medicine selected Dr. Hankerson as one of 10 physicians in the U.S. for its Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program in 2021. He was an inaugural member of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Council of Faith and Community Partnerships and served on the APA Council of Minority Mental Health and Health Disparities. He has been featured on several TV series: the PBS Documentary Mysteries of Mental Illness; a Pix11 News Special focused on mental health in the Black community, and a CBS segment about Mount Sinai's partnerships with faith-based organizations. Dr. Hankerson completed a dual MD/MBA program from Emory University,where he was Medical School Class President. He completed his psychiatry residency at Emory and was appointed Chief Resident of Psychiatry at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Dr. Hankerson then completed an NIMH-funded research fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center. He was on faculty at Columbia for 12 years before transitioning to his currentleadership roles at Mount Sinai.Dr. Hankerson joins us on The Vault to discuss his research on how faith and mental health can work in synergy to help communities to thrive. He also focuses on ways that men can support their mental health and ways that fathers can break patterns of generational trauma. How to utilize faith with mental health support. How to support men's mental health. How to fathers can support their children's mental health. The importance of inclusive environments. What are myths around Black Mental Health. How to Cope with High Functioning Depression.Follow Dr. Sidney Hankerson, MDDr. Sidney Hankerson Instagram  / drsidneyhankerson  Dr. Sidney Hankerson LinkedIn  / sidney-hankerson-md-mba-370a505  Dr. Sidney Hankerson Websitehttps://profiles.mountsinai.org/sidne...Follow Dr. Judith:Instagram:   / drjudithjoseph  TikTok:   / drjudithjoseph  Facebook:   / drjudithjoseph  Website: https://www.drjudithjoseph.com/Sign up for my newsletter here: https://www.drjudithjoseph.com/newsle...Disclaimer: You may want to consider your individual mental health needs with a licensed medical professional. This page is not medical advice.

— Today we welcome Susan Winchester — a guide for professionals who want to transform career conflict into healing and growth. Susan helps people whose difficult childhoods quietly shape their work lives, turning perfectionism, people-pleasing, and overdrive into sources of insight rather than shame. Her message is simple but powerful: damage is not destiny, and the workplace can be a training ground for new, healthier ways of being. We'll explore the idea of the ASDP — the Adult Survivor of a Damaged Past — and the "bumper car" moments that trigger old beliefs in everyday career conflicts. Susan will share why most human suffering springs from unresolved wounds and automatic patterns, how those patterns show up at work, and how practical, research-based tools (career coaching, positive psychology, and neuroplasticity) can rewire responses for better relationships, leadership, and meaning. We'll also delve into her book, Healing at Work, co-written with Martha I. Finney: why it was written, the intention behind it, and how readers can use career challenges as opportunities to practice boundaries, self-love, and new behaviors. Valeria interviews  Susan Schmitt Winchester  — She is the author of  "Healing at Work: A Guide to Using Career Conflicts to Overcome Your Past and Build the Future You Deserve." Susan J. Schmitt Winchester is the past Chief HR officer for Applied Materials, a Fortune 150 Silicon Valley company, & Rockwell Automation, a Fortune 500 Midwest company.  She is an author & sought-after keynote speaker, TEDx speaker and Executive Coach/Consultant, known for her book, "Healing at Work" with co-author Martha Finney. Healing at Work was recently recognized as an Amazon International Best Seller in 5 countries.  Susan leverages her 36+ years of experience as a Human Resources Executive to help organizations reduce turnover, elevate employee engagement, and boost corporate performance by focusing on innovative strategies to accelerate human potential and performance. She has worked across industries including consumer packaged goods, management consulting, automotive, industrial automation, technology, banking, and semiconductors. She has lived, worked, and studied, both in the US and in Europe.  Susan's passion lies in teaching and inspiring executives, leaders, and professionals to discover greater self-acceptance, fulfillment, and joy at work and in life.  She is a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources, the highest professional honor for leaders in HR. Learn more about Susan Schmitt Winchester and her work, please visit: https://susanwinchester.com/

On this episode of Coaching Call, Sifu Rafael welcomes Coach Allan Misner, health and fitness expert, author, podcast host, and coach dedicated to helping people live stronger, healthier lives after 40.With an impressive list of credentials, including Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Precision Nutrition Level II Master Health Coach, and Functional Aging Institute Certified Functional Aging Specialist, Allan has spent years helping individuals improve their health through practical, sustainable lifestyle changes.His expertise includes behavior change, corrective exercise, performance enhancement, fitness nutrition, and online personal training. Allan is also the host of the highly respected 40+ Fitness Podcast, one of the longest-running and most recognized health and fitness podcasts focused on helping adults thrive as they age. Through hundreds of interviews with leading experts, he has become a trusted source of evidence-based health and wellness information.Allan is the author of the award-winning book The Wellness Roadmap: A Straightforward Guide to Health and Fitness After 40, where he provides a clear and practical framework for improving health, fitness, and quality of life. Through his coaching programs, he continues to help people over 40 lose weight, build strength, increase energy, and create healthier futures.Join us for a valuable conversation about healthy aging, fitness, nutrition, mindset, behavior change, and the habits that lead to long-term success. Whether you're just beginning your wellness journey or looking to take your health to the next level, this episode is filled with practical insights you can use right away.Watch on YouTube and subscribe:https://www.youtube.com/@sifurafaeltv?sub_confirmation=1Sifu Rafael is a master instructor and the founder of Speaking Prowess, where he combines expertise in communication and leadership to help individuals unlock their full potential. As a professional speaker, solutions expert, and executive coach, Sifu Rafael leverages years of experience to guide clients toward their goals with clarity, purpose, and strategic insight.This episode is brought to you by Sifu's Mind Body Method, a lifestyle transformation that blends movement, mindset, nutrition, hydration, fasting, journaling, and faith. Learn more at sifumethod.comThat's where connecting with Sifu Rafael matters.Through Speaking Prowess and Sifu's Mind Body Method, Sifu Rafael helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts refine their message, command a room, and step onto more stages with clarity and confidence.If you know you're meant to speak, lead, and impact at a higher level, this conversation is your invitation.Visit sifurafael.com to connect, explore speaking opportunities, and start positioning yourself for more stages, stronger presence, and real influence.#coachingcall #sifurafael #healthyaging #fitnessover40 #wellness #nutrition #personalgrowth

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsBiblioBernardi, Luciano, Peter Sleight, Gabriele Bandinelli, Simone Cencetti, Luciano Fattorini, Johanna Wdowczyc-Szulc, and Alfonso Lagi. “Effect of Rosary Prayer and Yoga Mantras on Autonomic Cardiovascular Rhythms: Comparative Study.” BMJ 323, no. 7327 (2001): 1446–1449.Benson, Herbert, John W. Lehmann, Mark S. Malhotra, Ralph F. Goldman, Jeffrey Hopkins, and Mark D. Epstein. “Body Temperature Changes During the Practice of g Tum-mo Yoga.” Nature 295 (1982): 234–236.Benson, Herbert, Mark S. Malhotra, Ralph F. Goldman, Gregory D. Jacobs, and Jeffrey Hopkins. “Three Case Reports of the Metabolic and Electroencephalographic Changes During Advanced Buddhist Meditation Techniques.” Behavioral Medicine 16, no. 2 (1990): 90–95.Bremer, Brandon, Lorenzo Wu, Zoran Josipovic, and colleagues. “Mindfulness Meditation Increases Default Mode, Salience, and Central Executive Network Connectivity.” Scientific Reports 12 (2022).Brewer, Judson A., Patrick D. Worhunsky, Jeremy R. Gray, Yi-Yuan Tang, Jochen Weber, and Hedy Kober. “Meditation Experience Is Associated with Differences in Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108, no. 50 (2011): 20254–20259.Britton, Willoughby B. and colleagues. Research associated with the “Varieties of Contemplative Experience” project on meditation-related challenges, adverse effects, and safety considerations in contemplative practice.Crowley, Aleister. Liber E vel Exercitiorum sub figura IX. In the A∴A∴ training corpus. Relevant sections include asana, pranayama, and dharana as foundational magical exercises.Dennison, Paul. “Insights From an EEG Study of Buddhist Jhāna Meditation.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 13 (2019).Fialoke, Shantala, Helen Weng, and colleagues. “Functional Connectivity Changes in Meditators and Novices During Yoga Nidra Practice.” Scientific Reports 14 (2024).Fox, Kieran C. R., Savannah Nijeboer, Matthew L. Dixon, James L. Floman, Melissa Ellamil, Samuel P. Rumak, Peter Sedlmeier, and Kalina Christoff. “Is Meditation Associated with Altered Brain Structure? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Morphometric Neuroimaging in Meditation Practitioners.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 43 (2014): 48–73.Hölzel, Britta K., James Carmody, Mark Vangel, Christina Congleton, Sita M. Yerramsetti, Tim Gard, and Sara W. Lazar. “Mindfulness Practice Leads to Increases in Regional Brain Gray Matter Density.” Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 191, no. 1 (2011): 36–43.Kozhevnikov, Maria, Olesya Louchakova, Zoran Josipovic, and Michael A. Motes. “The Enhancement of Visuospatial Processing Efficiency Through Buddhist Deity Meditation.” Psychological Science 20, no. 5 (2009): 645–653.Kozhevnikov, Maria, John A. Elliott, Jennifer Shephard, and Klaus Gramann. “Neurocognitive and Somatic Components of Temperature Increases During g-Tummo Meditation: Legend and Reality.” PLOS ONE 8, no. 3 (2013): e58244.Laukkonen, Ruben E., and Heleen A. Slagter. “From Many to (N)one: Meditation and the Plasticity of the Predictive Mind.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 128 (2021): 199–217.Lomas, Tim, Juan Carlos Ivtzan, and Itai K. Fu. “A Systematic Review of the Neurophysiology of Mindfulness on EEG Oscillations.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015): 401–410.Lott, James P., Richard J. Davidson, John D. Dunne, Thupten Jinpa, Antoine Lutz, and colleagues. “No Detectable Electroencephalographic Activity After Clinical Declaration of Death Among Tibetan Buddhist Meditators in Apparent Tukdam.” Frontiers in Psychology 11 (2021): 599190.Lutz, Antoine, Lawrence L. Greischar, Nancy B. Rawlings, Matthieu Ricard, and Richard J. Davidson. “Long-term Meditators Self-induce High-amplitude Gamma Synchrony During Mental Practice.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101, no. 46 (2004): 16369–16373.Lutz, Antoine, Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Tom Johnstone, and Richard J. Davidson. “Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise.” PLoS ONE 3, no. 3 (2008): e1897.Matko, Karin, Peter Sedlmeier, and colleagues. “Adverse Effects of Meditation and Mindfulness in Clinical Practice.” 2025.Patanjali. Yoga Sutras. Especially Book III, traditionally describing dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.Riegner, Gretchen, Fadel Zeidan, and colleagues. “Disentangling Self from Pain: Mindfulness Meditation-Induced Pain Relief Is Driven by Thalamic-Default Mode Network Decoupling.” Pain 164, no. 2 (2023): 280–291.Tang, Yi-Yuan, Britta K. Hölzel, and Michael I. Posner. “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 16 (2015): 213–225.Vago, David R., and David A. Silbersweig. “Self-awareness, Self-regulation, and Self-transcendence: A Framework for Understanding the Neurobiological Mechanisms of Mindfulness.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 6 (2012): 296.Zeidan, Fadel, and colleagues. Research on mindfulness meditation, pain modulation, attention, and the neural mechanisms of pain relief.Slagter, Heleen A., Antoine Lutz, Lawrence L. Greischar, Andrew D. Francis, Sander Nieuwenhuis, James M. Davis, and Richard J. Davidson. “Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources.” PLOS Biology 5, no. 6 (2007): e138. Use for: Attentional blink, limited attention, and meditation changing how the brain allocates resources.Hölzel, Britta K., James Carmody, Mark Vangel, Christina Congleton, Sita M. Yerramsetti, Tim Gard, and Sara W. Lazar. “Mindfulness Practice Leads to Increases in Regional Brain Gray Matter Density.” Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 191, no. 1 (2011): 36–43. Use for: Neuroplasticity, repeated practice leaving measurable marks on the brain, and the “practice writes itself into the practitioner” idea.Laukkonen, Ruben E., and Heleen A. Slagter. “From Many to (N)one: Meditation and the Plasticity of the Predictive Mind.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 128 (2021): 199–217. Use for: Predictive processing, the brain as a prediction machine, meditation loosening automatic models, and the “veil” argument.Lutz, Antoine, Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Tom Johnstone, and Richard J. Davidson. “Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise.” PLOS ONE 3, no. 3 (2008): e1897. Use for: Compassion meditation, loving-kindness, emotional circuitry, and training compassion as a repeatable state rather than just a moral idea.Kok, Bethany E., Kimberly A. Coffey, Michael A. Cohn, Lahnna I. Catalino, Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk, Sara B. Algoe, Marc A. Brantley, and Barbara L. Fredrickson. “How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone.” Psychological Science 24, no. 7 (2013): 1123–1132. Use for: Loving-kindness, social connection, vagal tone, and the cautious “social nervous system” bridge.Black, David S., and George M. Slavich. “Mindfulness Meditation and the Immune System: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1373, no. 1 (2016): 13–24. Use for: Immune-system caution, inflammation markers, cell-mediated immunity, biological aging, and why this material should be framed as tentative rather than miracle healing.Burić, Ivana, Miguel Farias, Jonathan Jong, Christopher Mee, and Inti A. Brazil. “What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind–Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices.” Frontiers in Immunology 8 (2017): 670. Use for: Stress biology, inflammatory gene expression, NF-kB-related language, and the cautious claim that mind-body practices may affect biology below ordinary mood.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

Host James-Christian Blockwood discusses government performance and HR systems with Gabe Menchaca of the Niskanen Center and Academy Fellow and Government HR expert Steve Krauss. Menchaca summarizes a Niskanen-Academy study describing wide variation in state civil service models, limited scholarship on state HR, and mixed early results from skills-based hiring due to assessment and measurement bottlenecks and inconsistent time-to-hire metrics. Kraussand Menchaca distinguish nonpartisan hiring from competition-based merit and argue modern merit depends on valid skills assessments. Krauss emphasizes strategic workforce planning, job architecture, skills frameworks, and HR IT modernization, citing initiatives like HR 2.0, USA Hire modernization, online retirement, and more.00:36 HR Systems Overview01:19 State HR Study Findings05:43 Strategic Workforce Planning08:47 Merit Versus Skills Hiring13:58 Reimagining Federal HR17:59 Job Architecture And Classification19:16 Modernizing HR IT Systems21:48 Bipartisan Reform Lessons25:54 Incremental Wins And Big ChangesManagement Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton. Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comFollow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

This week on The GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome Larry Allen, Associate Administrator for GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy, now 15 months into the role. Larry brings a big update on the historic FAR overhaul, with the first four chapters expected to be out for public comment within the next two weeks. He describes the enthusiastic engagement from the acquisition workforce and shares what it will really take to relieve the burden on contracting professionals as agencies rebuild after staffing losses. The show digs into AI's growing role in acquisition, the administration's ambitious executive order agenda, and how GSA has maintained its momentum through the transition to a permanent administrator. Larry also covers the complete overhaul of the Federal Property Management Regulations, a revamp of the Federal Travel Regulations, and drops some breaking per diem news for FY27. Show Notes: GSA Office of Government-wide Policy: OGP Overview GAO: The Nation's Fiscal Health Report Social Security Trustees: 2026 Annual Report Summary FISA Section 702: U.S. Intelligence FISA Section 202 Overview Financial Data Transparency Act: Final Rule Details FAR Overhaul: RFO DEI EO 2025: Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing DEI EO 2026: Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors  Firm-Fixed Price Contracting EO: Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting  GSA: Edward C. Forst Sworn in as GSA Administrator GSA: Federal Managment Regulation GSA: Federal Travel Regulation EO on Gold Standard Science: Restoring Gold Standard Science House Armed Services Committee: FY27 NDAA House Version What's on the GovNavigators' Radar? June 16th: VeeamOn Tour DC 2026 at Convene, Washington DC (Adam moderating) Defense One Tech Summit, Arlington, Virginia June 22nd: National Academy of Public Administration Celebrating the American Public Servant Gala, Library of Congress (GovNavigators sponsor) June 23rd: ACT-IAC Insights to Action for Procurement Market Dynamics (Robert co-moderating) June 24th: Celonis Process Intelligence Day GovExec SAP NOW 250  

Using AI to predict the weather Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us. In this episode, researchers discuss advances in AI-enabled weather forecasting. In this episode, we cover: •[00:00] Introduction •[01:12] Jeffrey Shrader explains what 48 expert forecasters had to say about how weather predictions might further improve through 2100, including the potential role of AI. •[03:43] Ignacio Lopez-Gomez explains how he used generative AI to downscale large-scale earth system models into finer-scale regional climate projections. •[05:35] Xiaofeng Li explains how he used a machine learning model to forecast whether tropical cyclones will rapidly intensify. •[07:40] Hui Su explains what nowcasting is and how her deep diffusion model works. •[09:52] Pedram Hassanzadeh explains what grey swans are and why they may be challenging for AI to predict. •[10:47] Qiang Sun explains how he and his colleagues tested the ability of AI to predict gray swans. •[12:28] Final thoughts and conclusion. About Our Guests: Jeffrey Shrader Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs Columbia University Ignacio Lopez-Gomez Research Scientist Google Xiaofeng Li Research Scientist Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Hui Su Chair Professor Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Pedram Hassanzadeh Associate Professor University of Chicago Qiang Sun Research Scientist University of Chicago View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2523372123 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2420288122 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2415501122 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2517520122 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2420914122 Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts for more captivating discussions on scientific breakthroughs! Visit Science Sessions on PNAS.org: https://www.pnas.org/about/science-sessions-podcast  Follow PNAS: Twitter/X Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Sign up the PNAS Highlights newsletter

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsBibliographyAelian. On the Characteristics of Animals. Translated by A. F. Scholfield. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1958–1959.Assmann, Jan. The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. Translated by David Lorton. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001.British Museum. “Papyrus of Nesmin; Bremner-Rhind Papyrus, EA10188.” Notes that the Book of Overthrowing Apep appears in columns 22–32, with the Names of Apep in columns 32–33, and gives a production date of 305 BCE.British Museum. Babylon Teachers' Resource. Notes Marduk's association with the snake-dragon or mušḫuššu.Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Translated by John Raffan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985.Day, John. God's Conflict with the Dragon and the Sea: Echoes of a Canaanite Myth in the Old Testament. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.Detroit Institute of Arts. “Mushhushshu-Dragon, Symbol of the God Marduk.”Eliade, Mircea. Patterns in Comparative Religion. Translated by Rosemary Sheed. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996.Etymonline. “Draco.” Notes Greek drakon from derkesthai, “to see clearly.”Faulkner, R. O. “The Bremner-Rhind Papyrus—III: D. The Book of Overthrowing ‘Apep.” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 23, no. 2 (1937): 166–185.Ferdowsi. Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings. Translated by Dick Davis. New York: Penguin Classics, 2016.Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by A. D. Godley. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1920. See especially 2.75 on winged serpents and ibises, and 3.107 on frankincense-guarding serpents.Hornung, Erik. Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many. Translated by John Baines. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1982.Isbell, Lynne A. The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent: Why We See So Well. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009.Jacobus de Voragine. The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints. Translated by William Granger Ryan. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012.Jones, David E. An Instinct for Dragons. New York: Routledge, 2000.Le, Quan Van, Lynne A. Isbell, Jumpei Matsumoto, Minh Nguyen, Hikari Hori, Mai Mai, Tomohiro Nishimaru, et al. “Pulvinar Neurons Reveal Neurobiological Evidence of Past Selection for Rapid Detection of Snakes.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110, no. 47 (2013): 19000–19005. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1312648110.LeDoux, Joseph. The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.Lincoln, Bruce. Theorizing Myth: Narrative, Ideology, and Scholarship. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999.MacLean, Paul D. The Triune Brain in Evolution: Role in Paleocerebral Functions. New York: Plenum Press, 1990.Mayor, Adrienne. The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000; revised edition, 2011.Öhman, Arne, and Susan Mineka. “Fears, Phobias, and Preparedness: Toward an Evolved Module of Fear and Fear Learning.” Psychological Review 108, no. 3 (2001): 483–522.Pessoa, Luiz. The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2013.Pliny the Elder. Natural History. Translated by H. Rackham. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1938–1962.Smith, Mark S. The Ugaritic Baal Cycle. 2 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1994–2009.Smith, Mark S. The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.Varenne, Jean, trans. The Rig Veda. New York: Park Street Press, 1984.Yarshater, Ehsan, ed. “Aždahā.” Encyclopaedia Iranica. Defines aždahā as dragon-like, gigantic snake monsters found in air, earth, or sea, sometimes linked to rain and eclipses.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

Elevated GP - Click here to join Elevated.GP Follow @dr.melissa_seibert on Instagram Dr. Peter Milgrom is Professor of Oral Health Sciences and Pediatric Dentistry in the School of Dentistry and adjunct Professor of Health Services in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. He directs the Northwest Center to Reduce Oral Health Disparities. He holds academic appointments at Case Western University, University of Rochester, and University of California, San Francisco. He maintains a dental practice limited to the care of fearful patients and served as Director of the UW Dental Fears Research Clinic. Dr. Milgrom's work includes research on xylitol, the effectiveness of fluoride varnish and iodine in preschoolers, clinical efficacy and safety of diammine silver fluoride, motivational strategies to increase perinatal and well child dental visits in rural communities, and studies of cognitive interventions in pediatric and adult dental fear. The NIH, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, HRSA, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation support his work. Dr. Milgrom is author of 5 books and over 300 scientific articles. His latest book, Treating Fearful Dental Patients, was published in 2009.   Dr. Milgrom was Distinguished Dental Behavioral Scientist of the International Association for Dental Research for 1999. In 1999, and again in 2000, his work was recognized by the Giddon Award for research in the behavioral sciences in Dentistry. He received the Barrows Milk Award from IADR in 2000, recognizing his work for public health including the development of the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) program in Washington State. In 2003, Dr. Milgrom received a Special Commendation Award from the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association and the University of Washington Medical Center Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award. In 2010, he received the Aubrey Sheiham Research Award for his work on xylitol. He serves on scientific review committees for the NIDCR, NIMHHD, NINDS, Center for Scientific Review at NIH and as a consultant to the FDA. In 2005, Dr. Milgrom was appointed the SAAD Visiting Professor of Pain and Anxiety Control at the King's College Dental Institute, University of London, UK for a six-year term. In 2008 he was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Bergen, Norway in recognition of his work in social and behavioral dentistry. In 2012, he received the University of California, San Francisco Dental Alumni Gold Medal for his contributions to Dentistry. In 2012 he was also awarded the Norton Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research by the American Dental Association. In 2013, he was appointed to the Council of Scientific Affairs of the American Dental Association. In 2014, he received the Irwin M. Mandel Distinguished Mentor Award from the IADR. In 2015, he served as HMDP Expert in Dental Public Health for the Singapore Ministry of Health. Dr. Milgrom received his DDS from the University of California, San Francisco in 1972 and had a previous position at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In the last few years, Dr. Milgrom has spoken to dental associations in Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Philippines, and USA and at major universities in USA and abroad.

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsWORKS CITEDArnold van Gennep. The Rites of Passage. 1909; English translation, University of Chicago Press, 1960. Use for: separation, transition, incorporation, initiatory structure, and the candidate's movement through old identity, liminal state, and return.Victor Turner. “Betwixt and Between: The Liminal Period in Rites of Passage.” In The Forest of Symbols: Aspects of Ndembu Ritual. Cornell University Press, 1967. Use for: liminality, threshold identity, the candidate as “betwixt and between,” and darkness as embodied transition.Victor Turner. The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Aldine Publishing, 1969. Use for: liminality, communitas, anti-structure, social transformation, and the ritual pressure placed on ordinary identity.Catherine Bell. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice. Oxford University Press, 1992. Use for: ritualization, ritual power, the ritualized body, and the temple as a structured environment that trains perception and action.Catherine Bell. “The Ritual Body and the Dynamics of Ritual Power.” Journal of Ritual Studies 4, no. 2 (1990): 299–313. Use for: ritualized bodies, spatial discipline, gesture, power, and the way ritual arrangements shape action.John C. Lilly. The Deep Self: Profound Relaxation and the Tank Isolation Technique. Simon & Schuster, 1977. Use for: the isolation tank, reduced stimulation, altered consciousness, and the modern technological black room.John C. Lilly. The Center of the Cyclone: Looking into Inner Space. Julian Press, 1972. Use carefully for: Lilly's altered-state/counterculture context, isolation tank work, consciousness exploration, and the bridge between research and psychedelic-era experimentation.Justin S. Feinstein et al. “Examining the Short-Term Anxiolytic and Antidepressant Effect of Floatation-REST.” PLOS ONE 13, no. 2 (2018): e0190292. Use for: Floatation-REST, reduced environmental stimulation, anxiety reduction, mood change, and the clinical side of float tanks.Hannah Hruby et al. “Induction of Altered States of Consciousness During Floatation-REST Is Associated With the Dissolution of Body Boundaries and the Distortion of Subjective Time.” Scientific Reports 14 (2024). Use for: float tanks, altered states, body-boundary dissolution, and subjective time distortion.Madison K. M. Garland et al. “A Randomized Controlled Safety and Feasibility Trial of Floatation-REST in Anxious and Depressed Individuals.” PLOS ONE 18, no. 6 (2023): e0286899. Use for: safety, tolerability, repeated Floatation-REST, and caution against overclaiming.Lashgari et al. “Floatation-REST Systematic Review.” 2025. Use for: the broad current state of Floatation-REST research, including anxiety, pain, stress, sleep, well-being, and the need for stronger standardization and larger studies.Michael T. H. Do. “Melanopsin and the Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells.” Neuron 104, no. 2 (2019): 205–226. Use for: ipRGCs, melanopsin, non-image-forming vision, circadian entrainment, pupil response, sleep, and light as biological timing information.Lorenzo Lazzerini Ospri, Glen Prusky, and Samer Hattar. “Mood, the Circadian System, and Melanopsin Retinal Ganglion Cells.” Annual Review of Neuroscience 40 (2017): 539–556. Use for: light, mood, circadian rhythm, melanopsin, and the biological consequences of light exposure.Charles A. Czeisler and related circadian medicine research. Use for: artificial light, circadian disruption, melatonin suppression, shift work, and modern light exposure as a biological intervention.Anne-Marie Chang, Daniel Aeschbach, Jeanne F. Duffy, and Charles A. Czeisler. “Evening Use of Light-Emitting eReaders Negatively Affects Sleep, Circadian Timing, and Next-Morning Alertness.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, no. 4 (2015): 1232–1237. Use for: screens, evening light, melatonin suppression, delayed circadian timing, altered sleep, and modern light's effect on the body.A. Roger Ekirch. At Day's Close: Night in Times Past. W. W. Norton, 2005. Use for: premodern night, darkness before electric light, nocturnal fear, dreams, prayer, crime, labor, and the cultural history of darkness.A. Roger Ekirch. “Sleep We Have Lost: Pre-Industrial Slumber in the British Isles.” The American Historical Review 106, no. 2 (2001): 343–386. Use for: segmented sleep, first sleep and second sleep, night waking, dreams, prayer, and premodern sleep culture.Craig Koslofsky. Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2011. Use for: early modern night culture, artificial lighting, urban night, public space, and the transformation of darkness.Elisabeth Bronfen. Night Passages: Philosophy, Literature, and Film. Columbia University Press, 2013. Use for: symbolic and cultural readings of night, dream, fear, darkness, passage, and the imagination.Robert F. Taft. The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West: The Origins of the Divine Office and Its Meaning for Today. Liturgical Press, 1993. Use for: night offices, vigils, prayer through darkness, sacred time, and Christian ritual use of night.Bernard McGinn. The Foundations of Mysticism: Origins to the Fifth Century. Crossroad, 1991. Use for: Christian mystical traditions, contemplative darkness, early mystical theology, and the development of mystical language.Pseudo-Dionysius. The Complete Works. Translated by Colm Luibheid. Paulist Press, 1987. Use for: divine darkness, apophatic theology, mystical unknowing, and darkness as a theological category.John of the Cross. Dark Night of the Soul. Various editions. Use carefully for: spiritual darkness, purification, absence, mystical trial, and transformation.“The Neophyte Initiation Ritual.” Public Golden Dawn ritual material. Use carefully for: hoodwink, darkness, “Light dawning in darkness,” staged revelation, and the candidate being brought from night into day.Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen. Routledge, 1986. Use for: Dzogchen context, light, vision, and the broader framework around contemplative perception.Christopher Hatchell. Naked Seeing: The Great Perfection, the Wheel of Time, and Visionary Buddhism in Renaissance Tibet. Oxford University Press, 2014. Use for: visionary practice, Great Perfection, Tibetan contemplative contexts, and careful treatment of luminosity and appearance.R. Shane Burns. “Dark Retreat in Tibetan Buddhist Practice.” Use for: dark retreat, preparation, disciplined context, and the difference between contemplative practice and casual sensory deprivation.Raymond Moody. Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones. Villard, 1993. Use for: modern psychomanteum practice, grief, mirror-gazing, and encounters with the dead.Arthur Hastings. “The Psychomanteum: A Modern Oracle of the Dead.” Use for: psychomanteum procedure, grief, memory, mirror-gazing, and structured encounter.Marcia K. Johnson, Shahin Hashtroudi, and D. Stephen Lindsay. “Source Monitoring.” Psychological Bulletin 114, no. 1 (1993): 3–28. Use for: inside/outside ambiguity, origin judgments, memory, imagination, and how dark or altered environments complicate interpretation.Shahar Arzy et al. “Induction of an Illusory Shadow Person.” Nature 443 (2006): 287. Use for: sensed presence, body-self disruption, temporoparietal junction, and the feeling of another being nearby.Olaf Blanke et al. “Neurological and Robot-Controlled Induction of an Apparition.” Current Biology 24, no. 22 (2014): 2681–2686. Use for: sensorimotor conflict, apparition-like presence, body-boundary disturbance, and the embodied basis of sensed presence.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org From February 2026. Today's 2 topics: - In April 2029 on one of the luckiest Friday the 13th in human history the 1,500 ft by 500 ft asteroid Apophis will pass within 23,600 miles of the Earth's surface traveling at some 4.6 mi/s. This is extremely fortunate since an Apophis impact would release the energy of scores of nuclear weapons and cause wide spread devastation. NASA's OSIRIS-APEX will become the companion of the potentially hazardous asteroid Apophis on 5 June 2029.   - On Earth living things are everywhere from the deepest ocean depths to the highest mountain tops. On our home planet RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) is a complex essential molecule involved in the process of translating genetic information into the working components of living cells. In a recent paper in the peer reviewed scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Yuta Hirakawa and his team of two coauthors report on their experiments to produce RNA under conditions similar to those which may have occurred in the early history of Earth and Mars.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

In this three-part series, we're giving some of the most misunderstood characters on the periodic table a fuller story. We dive into the fascinating double lives of these elements that are both the makers and unmakers of our world. In part one, reporter Olga Loginova travels to Cape Cod to meet nitrogen. In this episode: we trudge through the marsh, avoid great white sharks, and find out how we harnessed the power of nitrogen, why that power turned against us, and what we can do about it. CREDITS This episode was hosted by Carlyle Calhoun and Olga Loginova. Olga also reported the story. This story was edited by Jack Rodolico. Editing help from me, Eve Abrams, and Michael McEwan. The episode was fact-checked by Philip Kiefer. Sound design by Dennis Funk, and our theme music is by John Batiste. I'm the executive producer. Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. And to help others find our podcast, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. We'll be back with another element in two weeks.

What if the same brain states people spend years chasing through psychedelics could be accessed through meditation alone, and in as little as seven days? In this fascinating solo episode, Darin Olien explores groundbreaking new research from University of California San Diego, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and University of Montreal suggesting that meditation may produce brain patterns remarkably similar to those observed during psychedelic experiences. From the suppression of the default mode network and increases in neural complexity to neuroplasticity, endogenous opioids, and measurable biological changes in the bloodstream, Darin unpacks the science behind one of the most powerful, and completely free tools available to human beings. He also walks listeners through a practical seven-day protocol combining focused-attention meditation, Vipassana, breathwork, walking meditation, and loving-kindness practices designed to help cultivate greater awareness, emotional resilience, cognitive flexibility, and inner peace. What You'll Learn The groundbreaking UC San Diego meditation study and its surprising findings Why meditation may create brain states similar to psilocybin What the default mode network is and how it shapes everyday thinking How meditation may reduce rumination, anxiety, and self-referential thought The concept of brain criticality and cognitive flexibility Why post-meditation blood samples stimulated neuronal growth How meditation influences neuroplasticity and whole-body biology The differences between Samatha and Vipassana meditation What advanced monks are teaching scientists about consciousness The limitations and caveats of current meditation research A practical seven-day meditation protocol anyone can begin Why meditation may be one of the most powerful health interventions available today Chapters 00:00:03 – Welcome to SuperLife 00:00:33 – Sponsor: Alkemis and the hidden toxicity of indoor air 00:00:57 – Conventional paints, petrochemicals, and endocrine disruptors 00:01:24 – Why VOCs and PFAS may be affecting your home environment 00:01:55 – Fire-resistant mineral paints and healthier living spaces 00:02:27 – Cradle to Cradle certification and sustainable design 00:03:23 – The meditation study Darin can't stop thinking about 00:03:33 – Scanning the brains and blood of meditators 00:03:44 – Brain activity resembling psilocybin experiences 00:04:09 – The promise of a seven-day meditation protocol 00:04:22 – Psychedelics, consciousness, and dissolving the sense of self 00:04:47 – Ancient practices and modern scientific validation 00:05:23 – Why meditation research is entering a renaissance 00:05:41 – Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and advanced consciousness mapping 00:06:00 – University of Montreal's study of monks with 15,000+ hours of practice 00:06:16 – Why psychedelics and meditation are converging scientifically 00:06:37 – What listeners will learn in today's episode 00:06:54 – Breaking down the UC San Diego retreat study 00:07:18 – Thirty-three hours of meditation, breathwork, and group practice 00:07:42 – EEG scans, blood draws, and laboratory neuron testing 00:08:05 – Reduced activity in the default mode network 00:08:24 – The science of mental chatter and rumination 00:08:50 – Blood plasma stimulating new neuronal growth 00:09:02 – Neuroplasticity and new neural connections 00:09:29 – Increased cellular metabolism and endogenous opioids 00:10:13 – Samatha vs Vipassana meditation explained 00:10:42 – How different meditation styles reshape the brain 00:10:50 – Harvard's advanced meditation consciousness studies 00:11:18 – Mapping concentration states and consciousness cessation 00:11:46 – Ancient contemplative traditions meeting modern neuroscience 00:11:50 – Important limitations of the research 00:12:05 – Why advanced monks aren't average practitioners 00:12:20 – Correlation versus causation in psychedelic comparisons 00:12:48 – What may actually be happening inside the brain 00:13:03 – Understanding the default mode network 00:13:26 – Anxiety, depression, addiction, and overactive self-talk 00:13:53 – Why meditation and psilocybin share common neurological effects 00:14:10 – Beginner studies showing measurable brain changes 00:14:28 – Brain criticality and cognitive adaptability 00:14:48 – The most surprising finding: meditation changes the blood 00:15:05 – Meditation as a whole-body signaling event 00:15:18 – Better sleep, digestion, hormone balance, and recovery 00:15:39 – Neuroplasticity, immune function, metabolism, and pain regulation 00:15:56 – Why meditation may be the ultimate free medicine 00:16:10 – Introducing the seven-day meditation protocol 00:16:34 – Sponsor break: Alkemis Paint 00:19:02 – Building a research-backed at-home meditation practice 00:19:24 – Why consistency matters more than total hours 00:19:41 – Combining focused attention and open monitoring 00:19:53 – Days 1–3: Stabilizing attention 00:20:02 – Morning focused-attention meditation instructions 00:20:34 – Evening body scan practice 00:21:04 – Preparing the brain for deeper awareness 00:21:08 – Days 4–5: Opening awareness through Vipassana 00:21:31 – Letting thoughts, sensations, and sounds pass freely 00:21:39 – Evening box breathing for nervous system regulation 00:22:01 – Why days four and five often feel more challenging 00:22:11 – Days 6–7: Deepening and integrating the practice 00:22:27 – Walking meditation and embodied awareness 00:22:52 – Loving-kindness meditation and compassion training 00:23:02 – Vagal tone, heart rate regulation, and inflammation reduction 00:23:18 – Three rules that determine success 00:23:26 – Eliminating distractions and protecting attention 00:23:36 – Why you should never judge your meditation sessions 00:24:00 – Extending the practice beyond seven days 00:24:19 – Psychedelics, meditation, and the search for transformation 00:24:51 – What the medicine always teaches: sit with yourself 00:25:03 – The wellness industry's tendency to monetize stillness 00:25:20 – Why you don't need expensive tools to transform 00:25:36 – Meditation as radical self-reclamation 00:26:02 – Meeting yourself without distraction 00:26:17 – Final reflections and closing thoughts 00:26:29 – Outro and farewell Thank You to Our Sponsors Alkemis: Go to https://alkemispaint.com/ and use code DARIN10 for 10% off your order. Manna Vitality: Go to mannavitality.com/ and use code DARIN12 for 12% off your order. Join the SuperLife Patreon: This is where Darin now shares the deeper work: - weekly voice notes - ingredient trackers - wellness challenges - extended conversations - community accountability - sovereignty practices Join now for only $7.49/month at https://patreon.com/darinolien Find More from Darin Olien: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences Platform & Products: superlife.com New Show: Roadmap to Happiness Key Takeaway "Perhaps one of the most profound discoveries emerging from modern neuroscience is that many of the states of awareness humans have sought through substances, rituals, and external interventions may already be available within us. Meditation is not simply a relaxation practice—it appears to be a biological, neurological, and consciousness-altering intervention capable of reshaping the brain, changing the body, and transforming how we experience reality. The question is not whether the door exists. The question is whether we are willing to sit still long enough to walk through it." Bibliography/Sources: Here is the fully formatted bibliography for the "Seven Days to a New Brain" episode. It is organized by category, formatted in strict APA Style (7th Edition), and includes a direct link for every single source : Primary Studies Brewer, J. A., Worhunsky, P. D., Gray, J. R., Tang, Y. Y., Weber, J., & Kober, H. (2011). Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(50), 20254–20259 . https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1112029108 Lieberman, J. M., Rahrig, H., Britton, W. B., et al. (2025). Toward a neuroscience of consciousness using advanced meditation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews . https://meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/files/Lieberman_25_NeuroscienceAndBiobehavioralReviews.pdf Pascarella, A., Jerbi, K., et al. (2026). Meditation induces shifts in neural oscillations, brain complexity, and critical dynamics: Novel insights from MEG. Neuroscience of Consciousness . https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41287816/ Patel, H., et al. (2025). Intensive meditation retreat induces rapid changes in brain activity, blood-based biomarkers, and neurotrophic signaling. Communications Biology . https://today.ucsd.edu/story/meditation-retreat-rapidly-reprograms-body-and-mind Shinozuka, K., et al. (2025). Neuroelectrophysiological correlates of extended cessation of consciousness in advanced meditation [Preprint]. bioRxiv . https://meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/files/Shinozuka_25_bioRxiv.pdf Van Lutterveld, R., et al. (2025). An intensively sampled electroencephalography case study of advanced concentration absorption meditation (jhana) [Preprint]. SSRN . https://meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/files/VanLutterveld_25_SSRN.pdf Supporting Press Coverage & Explainers Harvard Gazette. (2026, January). Your brain on advanced meditation . https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/01/your-brain-on-advanced-meditation/ Medical Xpress. (2026, February). Study of 12 monks finds meditation heightens brain activity, reshaping neural dynamics . https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-monks-meditation-heightens-brain-reshaping.html PsyPost. (2026). Brain scans of Buddhist monks reveal how different meditation styles alter consciousness . https://www.psypost.org/brain-scans-of-buddhist-monks-reveal-how-different-meditation-styles-alter-consciousness/ ScienceDaily. (2026, April 6). Scientists say 7 days of meditation can rewire your brain . https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260406192913.htm UC San Diego Today. (2026). Meditation retreat rapidly reprograms body and mind. UC San Diego News Center . https://today.ucsd.edu/story/meditation-retreat-rapidly-reprograms-body-and-mind Université de Montréal. (2026, January 5). Meditation doesn't rest the brain, it reshapes it. UdeMNouvelles . https://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/en/article/2026/01/05/meditation-doesn-t-rest-the-brain-it-reshapes-it  

This episode is about more than food. It's about understanding why we reach for certain foods, creating a realistic off-ramp from ultra-processed eating, and giving your body a chance to reset. If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right but still struggling with weight, energy, inflammation, or cravings, this episode is for you.   Citation: Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 2019, pp. 67–77.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008 — This is the cornerstone. Same calories, sugar, fat, fiber, and macros on both diets; people ate ~500 kcal/day more on the ultra-processed one and gained weight. It's the strongest evidence that the processing, not just the nutrients, changes intake. Why fat + sugar together hijack reward more than either alone (the “hyperpalatable” mechanism) DiFeliceantonio, Alexandra G., et al. “Supra-Additive Effects of Combining Fat and Carbohydrate on Food Reward.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 28, no. 1, 2018, pp. 33–44.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.05.018 McDougle, Molly, et al. “Separate Gut-Brain Circuits for Fat and Sugar Reinforcement Combine to Promote Overeating.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 36, no. 2, 2024, pp. 393–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2023.12.014 — Together these support your point that engineered fat-plus-sugar foods (the Doritos idea) light up reward pathways more than natural foods, because fat and sugar run on separate gut-brain circuits that combine. Why “glycemic velocity” matters — hidden refined starches like maltodextrin Hofman, Denise L., et al. “Nutrition, Health, and Regulatory Aspects of Digestible Maltodextrins.” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, vol. 56, no. 12, 2016, pp. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2014.940415 — Supports the egg-bite/maltodextrin point: maltodextrin is a refined starch with a glycemic index around 85–110, higher than table sugar, hiding on labels as “modified food starch.” Backs your “what the calories came from” framing. Why these foods genuinely relieve stress (your central, original thesis) Ulrich-Lai, Yvonne M., et al. “Pleasurable Behaviors Reduce Stress via Brain Reward Pathways.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 107, no. 47, 2010, pp. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1007740107 Tomiyama, A. Janet, et al. “Comfort Food Is Comforting to Those Most Stressed: Evidence of the Chronic Stress Response Network in High Stress Women.” Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 36, no. 10, 2011, pp. 1513–1519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.04.005 — This is the science behind “the food was doing something right.” Palatable food measurably dampens the HPA (cortisol) stress axis through reward pathways — which is exactly why pulling it without replacing the stress tool fails. Why cravings are state-dependent and rise with stress (the “urge depends on the state of your blood / stress level” claim) Adam, Tanja C., and Elissa S. Epel. “Stress, Eating and the Reward System.” Physiology & Behavior, vol. 91, no. 4, 2007, pp. 449–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.011 Darcey, Valerie L., et al. “Brain Dopamine Responses to Ultra-Processed Milkshakes Are Highly Variable and Not Significantly Related to Adiposity in Humans.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 37, no. 3, 2025, pp. 616–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2025.02.002  (edited)      WHAT TO EAT FOR THE NEXT SIX WEEKS — Protein. Plant. Potato. (P³) The formula for every meal: one protein + one plant + one starch (potato, or beans and rice). Add fat — olive oil, butter, avocado, cheese, nuts. Add flavor — salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, vinegar, salsa, hot sauce, herbs. This is not the meal you dreamed of. This is the meal that sets you free. BREAKFAST Eggs + sautéed vegetables + fruit on the side Plain Greek yogurt + berries + a handful of nuts Leftover chicken or beef + potato + vegetables (last night's dinner works) LUNCH Chicken + roasted potato + green salad with olive oil and lemon Tuna + white beans + cucumber + tomato, dressed with olive oil and vinegar Beef + potato + peppers + salsa DINNER Sheet-pan chicken + potatoes + green beans Instant Pot chicken + potato + a vegetable Burger patty (no bun) + potato + salad Batch chili (beef + beans + tomato) over rice Baked fish + sweet potato + roasted broccoli Pork + beans and rice + sautéed greens THE DURESS PLATE — for when the day collapses One protein + one plant + one starch, zero cooking. Examples: • Hard-boiled eggs + apple + handful of nuts • Tuna + canned beans + cucumber, with olive oil • Pre-cooked/frozen ground beef + frozen vegetables + microwave potato • String cheese + fruit + a few nuts (in a real pinch) SIMPLE RECIPES Sheet-Pan Chicken & Potatoes (serves 4) Toss chicken thighs and quartered baby potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic. Roast at 425°F (220°C) ~35–40 min. Add green beans for the last 15 min. Batch Chili (serves 6) Brown 2 lb ground beef with chopped onion. Add 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 cans beans (drained), garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt. Simmer 30+ min. Freezes well — make once, eat all week. Serve over rice. Instant Pot Chicken Chicken breasts + ½ cup broth + salt, garlic, paprika. Pressure cook 10 min, natural release 5. Shred. Pairs with any potato + vegetable. The 5-Minute Tuna Bean Bowl Can of tuna + can of white beans (rinsed) + diced cucumber and tomato. Dress with olive oil, lemon or vinegar, salt, pepper. Microwave Potato, Done Right Pierce a potato, microwave 5–7 min. Split, add butter or olive oil, salt, pepper. The reliable, universal starch. Remember: Don't aim for one perfect week repeated six times. Just follow the basic protocol the best you can for six weeks. When a craving hits, run the nine-minute interrupt from Episode 14.   Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he's helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He's also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more. If you're ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.

Right now, as you're reading this sentence, something remarkable is happening in your brain. Light waves from your screen hit your eyes, transform into electrical signals, and take on meaning. You understand what you're reading. This is language — our human superpower.But despite 150 years of intensive research, we still do not have a complete picture of how the brain actually accomplishes all of this. We don't even have a good answer to a seemingly simple question: Where in the brain does language happen? It turns out, the answer may be different in different people.Today we'll hear from neuro-linguist Cory Shain, one of the leaders of a new Big Ideas in Neuroscience project here at Wu Tsai Neuro that is combining multiple brain recording techniques to build individualized maps of the language network—and use these insights to improve brain implants for people who've lost the ability to speak or write due to brain injury or illness.Learn moreLaboratory for Computation & Language in Minds & BrainsLaboratory of Speech NeuroscienceNeural Prosthetics Translational LabBrainGateHow the Brain Processes Different Components of Language (Psychology Today, 2024)Big Ideas in Neuroscience tackle brain science of everyday life and more (Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, 2026)Study of promising speech-enabling interface offers hope for restoring communication (Stanford Medicine, 2025)The neuroscience of understanding (Stanford Momentum, 2025)Distributed Sensitivity to Syntax and Semantics throughout the Language Network(Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2025)Hierarchical dynamic coding coordinates speech comprehension in the brain(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025)Send us a text!Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying our show, please take a moment to give us a review on your podcast app of choice and share this episode with your friends. That's how we grow as a show and bring the stories of the frontiers of neuroscience to a wider audience.We want to hear from your neurons! Email us at at neuronspodcast@stanford.eduLearn more about the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, the guest is Dr. David O. Fakunle II!About Dr. David O. Fakunle II: Dr. David Fakunle II is a Baltimore native, academic, and self-described mercenary for change and celestial body for change who has spent 25 years using art and storytelling for liberation. He is an assistant professor at Morgan State University in the School of Community Health and Policy and associate faculty at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He serves as director of the TEACH Division (Transforming Equity through Arts, Culture and Health) at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, working intentionally at the intersection of arts, culture, and health.We talk about his evolution as a mercenary and celestial body for change, his role in developing the Urban Cipher game (originally called the Game of Appreciation) during his postdoc at Morgan State University —a Monopoly-style game that models how inequities are built into systems. He discusses his contribution to the paper "Life as We Tell It: A Revolution Through Narratives and Creative Expression," which explores narrative as a determinant of health, and his framework for understanding data: stories are qualitative data that answer "how" and "why," while quantitative data answers "who, what, where, when."Fakunle shares insights from his recent work at the National Academy of Medicine in DC on a national initiative to build trust between communities and health science. He reflects on teaching his 16-person qualitative research class and helping students understand that AI cannot replicate context—only humans can bring meaning and circumstances to statistics. He introduces his concept of the "existential determinants of health"—five universal virtues all humans want: to be acknowledged, appreciated, respected, understood, and loved. He emphasizes the need to embrace stories, not just tolerate them, because "in the stories are your answers," and discusses how storytellers preserve and uplift context in ways that institutions and policy makers need to understand.We also talk about what this work has taught him, the importance of time as the greatest teacher, showing up in person, trusting others to tell his story, and why physical presence still matters in an increasingly digital world.Photo courtesy of subject.  The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production:Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos:Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcastThe Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode's Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow' Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HEREEpisode Overview: Physician shortages, relentless reimbursement cuts, and rising burnout are quietly destabilizing the hospitals that communities depend on most.Dr. John Birkmeyer is confronting these challenges head-on as president of Sound Physicians, a physician-founded organization partnering with more than 400 hospitals across 45 states to deliver high-quality inpatient care.A Harvard Medical School graduate and member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Birkmeyer brings decades of health services research alongside executive leadership at Dartmouth Health to bear on the most pressing problems in hospital medicine today.Join us to discover how Dr. Birkmeyer and Sound Physicians are leveraging data-driven performance improvement, physician-led culture, and emerging AI tools to reduce burnout, navigate reimbursement pressures, and build a more sustainable future for inpatient care. Let's go!Episode Highlights:Dr. Birkmeyer joined Sound Physicians serendipitously, connecting through a headhunter after Dartmouth hospital partnerships fell through.Sound Physicians serves 400+ hospitals across 45 states, employing roughly 5,000 clinicians in hospital-based specialties.Medicare physician payment cuts of 7 to 8% follow six years of annual cuts, accelerating consolidation and threatening independent practices.Physician burnout stems not just from overwork, but from loss of autonomy and control over their daily practice decisions.AI will reduce documentation burden (25 to 30% of physician time) while hospital-at-home models represent Sound's next major growth frontier.About our Guest:Dr. John Birkmeyer leads the Sound medical group and is responsible for clinical affairs and performance across all specialties. A graduate of Harvard Medical School and member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Birkmeyer served as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for Dartmouth Health. He is a nationally recognized health services researcher with expertise in understanding variation in hospital and provider performance, scalable strategies for quality improvement, and value-based reimbursement.Links Supporting This Episode: Sound Physicians page: CLICK HEREDr. John Birkmeyer LinkedIn page: CLICK HERESound Physicians LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREMike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREMike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HEREVisit our website: CLICK HERESubscribe to newsletter: CLICK HEREGuest nomination form: CLICK HERE

Want more peace, presence + intuition in your life? Click here to download 6 Free Guided Meditations from The Miracle of You: https://www.alyssanobriga.com/miracleofyou-richard   ==== What if just 5 minutes a day could change your brain, body + life? In this episode of The Healing + Human Potential Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Richard Davidson, a Harvard-trained psychologist + meditation researcher, to explore the science of meditation, neuroplasticity + what it really means to flourish. Richard shares why meditation isn't about stopping your thoughts, how even small daily practices can create measurable change + why flourishing is a skill we can cultivate through awareness, connection, insight + purpose. We also explore what long-term meditators reveal about the brain, how emotions can move through us without becoming who we are + the fascinating research around Tibetan monks, death + consciousness. If you've ever felt like your mind is too busy to meditate, or wondered whether meditation is actually working, this episode offers a grounded, science-backed path back to presence. ====   Guest Bio: Davidson received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University in 1976. His research is broadly focused on the neural bases of emotion, emotional style, and methods to promote human flourishing, including meditation and related contemplative practices. He has published over 600 papers, numerous chapters and reviews, and has edited more than 20 books. Davidson released his newest book, Born to Flourish, with Cortland Dahl in March 2026. Together, they bring neuroscience and contemplative science to the exploration of well-being and meaning amid the growing challenges of modern life. The book focuses on small, evidence-based practices while also examining the broader societal conditions shaping attention, emotion, and human connection.  Davidson is also the author, with Sharon Begley, of The Emotional Life of Your Brain (2012), and co-author, with Daniel Goleman, of Altered Traits (2017). He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2006, elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017, and appointed to the Governing Board of UNESCO's Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in 2018. In 2014, Davidson founded Humin (formerly Healthy Minds Innovations), a global nonprofit with a mission to make wellbeing real by translating science into action.   Guest Links: Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison: https://centerhealthyminds.org/ Humin: https://www.humin.org/ Personal Website: https://www.richardjdavidson.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-j-davidson/ Born to Flourish with Cortland Dahl: https://flourishingbook.com/ Instagram: @drrichiedavidson Twitter/x: @RichieJDavidson Substack: @richarddavidson393706   ====   Website: alyssanobriga.com Instagram: @alyssanobriga TikTok - @alyssanobriga Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6b5s2xbA2d3pETSvYBZ9YR Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healing-human-potential/id1705626495   ====   Alyssa Nobriga International, LLC - Disclaimer This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or any other qualified professional. We shall in no event be held liable to any party for any reason arising directly or indirectly for the use or interpretation of the information presented in this video. Copyright 2023, Alyssa Nobriga International, LLC - All rights reserved.