Podcasts about researchers

Most of us think we understand the plastic problem. We've heard about ocean pollution. We've heard about recycling. We've heard the word microplastics enough times that it barely registers anymore. But what if the most important part of this story isn't the trash, the packaging, or even the environment? What if the real issue is happening inside our own bodies? In this conversation, Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Administrator and president of Beyond Plastics, explains the part of the plastic crisis that rarely makes headlines. Microplastics are not just floating in the ocean. Researchers are now finding them in human blood, lungs, arteries, and even the brain. And the concern is not just the particles themselves, but the thousands of chemicals that travel with them. We also explore why plastic production continues to accelerate despite public concern, why recycling has largely failed, and how the economics of fossil fuels quietly shape the future of plastic. This is not just an environmental story. It is a health story, a policy story, and a story about systems most people never see. Judith's book, The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late, is available now wherever books are sold! Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

   This episode of WarDocs features Dr. David Tate, a clinical neuropsychologist and lead author of the 2025 Military Medicine Article of the Year. The discussion centers on a groundbreaking study utilizing the LIMBIC-CENC cohort—a massive data set of over 3,000 participants—to investigate persistent brain changes in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Dr. Tate explains that traditional MRI scans often show normal results in patients with invisible symptoms because researchers often oversimplify patient groupings. By digging into more refined clinical characteristics, such as the mechanism of injury and number of exposures, his team identified unique physical signatures in the brain. Specifically, blast exposures were linked to changes in central white matter, while repetitive traumatic hits impacted more peripheral gray matter structures.    The conversation highlights the critical importance of neuroimaging techniques like diffusion tensor imaging, which is more sensitive to structural white matter changes than standard hospital sequences. Dr. Tate emphasizes that these findings provide vital validation for service members and veterans, demonstrating that their ongoing symptoms are rooted in physical, biological changes rather than purely psychological or "imagined". For clinicians, the episode serves as a call to action to move beyond simplistic interpretations of "normal" imaging and to prioritize exhaustive injury histories that include the physics of every exposure event.    By combining a deep dive into advanced neuroimaging with a focus on personalized medicine, this episode provides a comprehensive look at the future of TBI diagnosis and treatment. Listeners will learn how high-resolution volumetric data and detailed clinical info—including loss of consciousness and post-traumatic amnesia markers—are used to improve prognostic accuracy. Ultimately, Dr. Tate's work demonstrates that injury history matters even years later, pointing researchers and clinicians toward a more precise approach to studying and treating the diverse landscape of mild traumatic brain injuries in the military population. Chapters (00:00-01:30) Introduction to the 2025 Military Medicine Article of the Year (01:30-06:17) Dr. David Tate's Professional Background and Career Evolution (06:17-08:04) Understanding the LIMBIC-CENC Cohort and Consortium Research (08:04-12:44) Methodology: Advanced Neuroimaging and Detailed Clinical Variables (12:44-17:03) Key Findings: Heterogeneity of mTBI and Mechanism-Specific Signatures (17:03-22:15) The Bottom Line: Validating Veteran Experiences and Clinical Takeaways Chapter Summaries (00:00-01:30) Introduction to the 2025 Military Medicine Article of the Year   MG(R) Jeff Clark introduces guest Dr. David Tate and recognizes his team for winning the 2025 Military Medicine Article of the Year. The article focuses on persistent MRI findings unique to blast and repetitive mild traumatic brain injury within the LIMBIC-CENC cohort. (01:30-06:17) Dr. David Tate's Professional Background and Career Evolution   Dr. Tate shares his journey from growing up on a farm in Mississippi to becoming a leading researcher in academic neuropsychology. He discusses his mentorship under Erin Bigler and his favorite career experiences working directly with service members at Brooke Army Medical Center. (06:17-08:04) Understanding the LIMBIC-CENC Cohort and Consortium Research   The discussion explores the advantages of using a large consortium dataset that includes over 3,000 participants across the United States. This prospective study enables leading scientists and clinicians to collaborate on well-characterized, long-term functional outcomes following brain injury. (08:04-12:44) Methodology: Advanced Neuroimaging and Detailed Clinical Variables Dr. Tate explains the use of high-resolution volumetric MRI data and diffusion tensor imaging to map brain structural connections. Researchers combined these images with a plethora of clinical data, including lifetime exposure histories, demographics, and specific injury markers like loss of consciousness. (12:44-17:03) Key Findings: Heterogeneity of mTBI and Mechanism-Specific Signatures The study reveals that mild TBI is extremely heterogeneous and simplistic group comparisons often obscure meaningful findings. Findings showed that blast exposures leave signatures in central white matter, while repetitive traumatic injuries more specifically affect gray matter structures. (17:03-22:15) The Bottom Line: Validating Veteran Experiences and Clinical Takeaways The bottom line is that persistent brain changes can be detected if clinicians look at the right variables and mechanism of injury. This research validates the lived experiences of veterans, proving their symptoms are not imagined and emphasizing the need for detailed injury histories. Article Reference Persistent MRI Findings Unique to Blast and Repetitive Mild TBI: Analysis of the CENC/LIMBIC Cohort Injury Characteristics Open Access David F Tate, PhD , Benjamin S C Wade, PhD , Carmen S Velez, MS ,  Erin D Bigler, PhD , Nicholas D Davenport, PhD , Emily L Dennis, PhD ,  Carrie Esopenko, PhD , Sidney R Hinds, MD , Jacob Kean, PhD , Eamonn Kennedy, PhD  Military Medicine, Volume 189, Issue 9-10, September/October 2024, Pages e1938–e1946, https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae031   Take Home Messages Heterogeneity of Mild TBI: Mild traumatic brain injury is not a single, uniform condition, and simplistic groupings can obscure meaningful characteristics of an injury. Clinicians must recognize that "if you've seen one mild TBI, you've seen one mild TBI," requiring a more personalized approach to diagnosis. Mechanism-Specific Signatures: The physical signature left on the brain depends heavily on the mechanism of injury, with blast exposures typically affecting central white matter and repetitive traumatic hits impacting peripheral gray matter. Understanding these distinctions helps explain why different patients experience different functional outcomes even with the same diagnosis. Sensitivity of Advanced Neuroimaging: Standard MRI sequences often fail to detect injuries in mTBI patients, but advanced techniques like diffusion tensor imaging are highly sensitive to structural white matter changes. Relying solely on basic imaging can lead to an over-simplistic interpretation that overlooks persistent brain changes. Validation of Lived Experiences: Research into persistent brain changes provides vital biological validation for veterans and service members who struggle with ongoing symptoms. These findings support the idea that invisible wounds have a physical basis and are not simply psychological or imagined. Importance of Detailed Injury Histories: For clinicians, the most critical takeaway is the necessity of capturing a detailed lifetime injury history, including the number of exposures and specific physics of each event. This detailed clinical information is essential for improving prognostic accuracy and understanding a patient's long-term health trajectory.   Episode Keywords Military Medicine, WarDocs Podcast, Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI Diagnosis, Blast Exposure, Neuropsychology, Persistent MRI Findings, Veteran Healthcare, Brain Imaging, Mild TBI, LIMBIC-CENC Cohort, Neuroimaging Research, AMSUS, Combat Injury, White Matter Change, Brain Health, Dr. David Tate, Military Health System, Invisible Injuries, Medical Podcast, Concussion Recovery, Gray Matter, MRI Scans, AMSUS Article of the Year, Veteran Support, Brain Mapping Hashtags #MilitaryMedicine, #WarDocs, #BrainHealth, #Veterans, #Neuroscience, #MildTBI, #BlastInjury, #MedicalResearch   Honoring the Legacy and Preserving the History of Military Medicine The WarDocs Mission is to honor the legacy, preserve the oral history, and showcase career opportunities, unique expeditionary experiences, and achievements of Military Medicine. We foster patriotism and pride in Who we are, What we do, and, most importantly, How we serve Our Patients, the DoD, and Our Nation.   Find out more and join Team WarDocs at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/ Check our list of previous guest episodes at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/our-guests Subscribe and Like our Videos on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast Listen to the “What We Are For” Episode 47. https://bit.ly/3r87Afm   WarDocs- The Military Medicine Podcast is a Non-Profit, Tax-exempt-501(c)(3) Veteran Run Organization run by volunteers. All donations are tax-deductible and go to honoring and preserving the history, experiences, successes, and lessons learned in Military Medicine. A tax receipt will be sent to you. WARDOCS documents the experiences, contributions, and innovations of all military medicine Services, ranks, and Corps who are affectionately called "Docs" as a sign of respect, trust, and confidence on and off the battlefield,demonstrating dedication to the medical care of fellow comrades in arms.     Follow Us on Social Media Twitter: @wardocspodcast Facebook: WarDocs Podcast Instagram: @wardocspodcast LinkedIn: WarDocs-The Military Medicine Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast          

Amy shared an unusual story involving a lost dog that kept following her. She attempted to return the dog to its owner but wasn't prepared for what happened next. Researchers looked into some of the statistical factors that led to a good marriage. They found that it’s important that the wife be what?? We all shared what we think makes the 'perfect wife' and Amy shares her opinion as a former wife. We play a round of the Bobby Feud, can you name the Top 10 bands with numbers in their name?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Timothy 4:8 NIV “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”   *Transcription Below*   Brian Smith, author of The Christian Athlete: Glorifying God in Sports, is a staff member with Athletes in Action and a cross-country coach at Lowell High School. A former collegiate runner at Wake Forest University, he earned a BA in Communications and Journalism before completing his MA in Theology and Sports Studies at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary. Brian lives in Lowell, MI with his wife and three children. You can find him on Twitter @BrianSmithAIA.   Ed Uszynski is an author, speaker, and sports minister with over three decades' experience discipling college and professional athletes. With a heart for reconciliation and justice, he also works as a racial literacy consultant and marriage conference speaker, blending Biblical wisdom with practical living in the midst of complex cultural realities. He has two theological degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a PhD in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. He and his wife Amy have four children and live in Xenia, Ohio.   The Christian Athlete Website   Thank You to Our Sponsor:  Sam Leman Eureka   Questions and Topics We Cover: What is one of kids' greatest game day complaints?  Is it true that young athletic success is a predictor of adult athletic success? What are a few tips for instilling a heart of gratitude in our young athlete, rather than entitlement?   Related Savvy Sauce Episode: 230 Intentional Parenting in All The Stages with Dr. Rob Rienow   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:11)   Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 1:51) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today, over 55 years later, at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka.   Owned and operated by the Bertschi family, Sam Leman and Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over Central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at lemangm.com.   Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski are my guests for today.   They are co-authors of this recent amazing book entitled, A Way Game, A Christian Parents Guide to Navigating Youth Sports. And from the very beginning, I was captivated, even with one of the endorsements from Matt Martens, who's the president and CEO of Awana, and he summed it up this way, A Way Game provides a much needed perspective shift on one of the most sacred idols in our culture, youth sports. So, Brian and Ed are all for youth sports, and yet you're going to hear there's a different way to approach it than what we've been trained in culture.   And they're going to share some wonderful and very practical insights. I can't wait to share this with you. Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Ed and Brian.   Ed Uszynski & Brian Smith: (1:51 - 1:54) Thanks for having us, Laura. Yeah, good to be here, Laura.   Laura Dugger: (1:54 - 2:04) So, excited about this chat. And will the two of you just start us off by sharing your family's stage of life and your involvement in sports?   Brian Smith: (2:05 - 3:29) Yeah, there could be a lot on the back end of that question. I'll start with sports, then get into family. I've been involved in sports my entire life, played every sport imaginable growing up, got cut from just about every single sport my freshman year of high school, ended up running track and cross country because it was the only sports that you could not get cut from at my high school.   And I ended up being pretty good at it by the time I was a senior, won some state championships, ended up getting a scholarship to run at Wake Forest University. So, I did that for four years right out of college. I coached a little bit collegiately.   Soon after that, I joined staff with a sports ministry called Athletes in Action that Ed and I have a combined 50 years with Athletes in Action. And really, that's been my life ever since. I've been ministering to college and pro athletes, discipling them, helping them figure out what does that actually look like to integrate faith in sport.   Even today, I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I coach high school cross country while I'm still on staff with Athletes in Action. I have a middle school Bible study that I run on Wednesday mornings.   Been married to my wife, who I actually met in high school. She was a distance runner too, and she ran at Wisconsin. So, we've been married for 20 years.   We have three kids, a high schooler, a middle schooler, and an elementary schooler who are all involved in sport at some level, some way, shape, or form.   Laura Dugger: (3:30 - 3:34) Wow, that's incredible. Thank you, Brian. And Ed, what about you?   Ed Uszynski: (3:34 - 5:04) Well, my story is very parallel to Brian's, just different sports and some different numbers. Just tack on 15 years. Yeah, I was a basketball player.   Grew up on the west side of Cleveland with a high school football coach. My dad was, but I was a basketball player. I played at high levels all the way through my 20s, got to play overseas.   I mean, this was a long time ago, but I got everything I could out of that sport. And as soon as I graduated from college, though, I started to work with that Athletes in Action ministry that Brian mentioned. So, I've been working with college and professional athletes for 34 years now.   And same, coached at different levels, have four kids. Amy and I have been married for 26 years. We have four kids, three are in college, and one's in ninth grade, who has a game this afternoon, actually.   So, we've just been going to games and have been involved in going to sports stuff for the last 20 years with our kids. And really what happened with Brian, and I is that we looked up a decade ago and realized this youth sports thing was a fast train that was moving in directions that we weren't used to ourselves, even though we've been around sports our whole life. It's like, there's something different happening now.   And then thinking about it as Christians, like, how do we do this well as Christ followers? We don't want to separate from it. We don't want to just go for the ride. How do we do this as Christian people? And that's what got us talking about it and eventually led to this book.   Laura Dugger: (5:05 - 5:23) Well, the book was easy to read and incredible. And I'd like to start there where you begin, even where you go back before going forward. So, when you're looking back, what are the factors at play that changed youth sports over time?   Ed Uszynski: (5:26 - 6:17) Well, I'll say this and then Brian, maybe you jump in and throw a couple of them out there. I mean, youth sports is a $40 billion industry today, which is wild to think about. It's four times how much money gets spent on the NFL, which is just staggering.   I can't even hardly believe that that's true, but it is. And it's really just in the last 20 years that that's happened. I mean, 50 years ago, you couldn't have had the youth sport industrial complex, as we refer to it.   You couldn't have had it. There were a bunch of things that had to happen culturally, as is true with any new movement or any paradigm shift that happens in culture. You've got to have certain things be true all at the same time that make it possible.   So, Brian, what were a couple of those? Again, I'll throw it over to you. There's six of them that we talk about in the book. And I think it's really fascinating because I'm a history guy.   Brian Smith: (6:18 - 8:40) Yeah. And we can obviously double click on any of these, Laura, that you want to, but we talk about how the college admissions process became an avenue where youth sports parents saw, man, if we can get our kids involved in some extracurriculars and kind of tag on high level athlete to their resume, it actually helps with the college admissions process. And so even the idea of college scholarships became an opportunity for youth sports parents to get their kids involved.   And then, yeah, maybe sports can actually get them into college. We talk about the economic shifts that happen, the rise of safetyism and helicopter parenting. ESPN was a massive one in 1979.   This thing called ESPN starts, and we get 24-7 coverage of sports, which they started exploring even early on. What does it look like to give coverage to something like Little League World Series and saw that it didn't really matter how young the sport was, it's going to draw a national audience. And so, we've almost been discipled by ESPN really over the last 50 years with this consistent coverage.   We talk about the rise of the sports complex. This one to me is like the most fascinating out of all of them. In 1997, Disney decided to try to get more people to come to their parks.   They built a sports complex, just a massive sports complex. The idea was, are the older kids getting sick of the Buzz Lightyear ride and the Disney princesses? So, let's build a sports complex and maybe it'll be something else that will draw this older crowd too.   And what happened was, I mean, a lot of people started coming to it, but kind of the stake in the ground game changer was when 9-11 hit. In the months and years after that, they saw a lot less people go to their parks, but population actually doubled going to the sports complex, which is wild to think that people were afraid to go to theme parks for a vacation, but they were willing to travel across state lines to play sports at the Disney complex. So other cities and municipalities took notice of that.   Today, there's over 30,000 sports complexes like Disney's, which again, this is all adding to the system of the youth sports industrial complex. Did I miss any, Ed?   Ed Uszynski: (8:41 - 10:47) Well, no, and that's good. And the reason why we even put all that on the table, again, everybody kind of intuitively knows if you're involved, you know, something's not right. But I think it's important to say this is not normal what's happening.   It's a new normal that's been manufactured by a bunch of cultural trends, by a bunch of entrepreneurs that are doing what entrepreneurs do, and they're taking advantage of the moment, and they are generating lots of money around it. So, it should be encouraging. If it's not normal, that means actually there's a counter way of going about this.   There really can be reformation. But when all this money gets involved, the two biggest consequences that come out of that is our kids start getting treated like commodities, which they are, and we could talk the whole time even just about what that means. But maybe even more importantly, or what comes out of that is that beyond their physical development, most coaches and clubs are not paying any attention to their emotional development, their psychological development, their spiritual development, all the different aspects of what it means to be human that, frankly, used to be paid quite a bit more attention to in youth leagues when I was growing up.   I'm 58 now, so I was playing in the 70s and the 80s. And it used to be expected, at least at some level, even among non-Christian people, that you would take those aspects of a kid's life seriously. And now those just aren't prioritized.   And so, what do we do about that? Again, that's kind of our whole point is, well, as Christian people, we're really supposed to be our kid's first discipler anyways. And part of that role and part of taking on that identity is that we would be asking, what is God trying to do in the wholeness of their life, the entirety of their life, even in the context of sports?   So again, I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but that's why we're trying to poke into that to say, oh, we could actually make change. We may not change the whole system. In fact, we won't. Most of us won't be expected to do that, but we can make significant change in our corner of the bleachers and what happens with our kids.   Laura Dugger: (10:48 - 11:05) That's good. And just like you said, to double-click on a few places, first of all, real quick, the 30,000 number, I remember that shocking me in the book, but I'm forgetting now, is that worldwide, the amount of sports complexes or is that just in America?   Brian Smith: (11:05 - 11:06) That's domestically in the US.   Laura Dugger: (11:07 - 11:52) Yeah. That is staggering. And then one other piece, all of this history was new to me as you brought it all together, but it was also fascinated.   This is from page 32. I'll just read your quote. The American youth sports ball began rolling when a British movement fusing spiritual development with physical activity made its way across the Atlantic Ocean at the turn of the last century.   And Ed, that's kind of what you were touching on, that they were mixing, I'm sure, spiritual, psychological discipleship, physical. Can you elaborate more on what was happening and where it originated? Because we've come very far from our origins.   Ed Uszynski: (11:53 - 13:18) Yeah. And there's been a bunch of really great books written about this topic called muscular Christianity. This idea, like you just said, Laura, of wedding physical activity through sports with our spiritual development and expecting and anticipating that somebody that was taking care of their body and that was engaging in sport activity, that was the closest thing to godliness.   That opened up the door for you to also be developing spiritually. And there was an expectation that both of those are going on at the same time. A bunch of criticism about that movement, but it was taken seriously.   The YMCA is actually a huge byproduct of the muscular Christianity movement. The Young Men's Christian Association created space for sports and for athletic activity to take place under the banner of you're also going to grow spiritually as you're doing this. So again, that was a hundred years ago.   And that's not really what AAU stands for today. The different clubs and leagues that we get involved in just don't talk that way anymore. Of course, culture just in general has shifted away from sort of a Judeo-Christian ethic guiding a North Star for us.   Even if we're not Christian people, that used to be more of a North Star. That's gone now. And so, it really is not expected in sports anymore.   Brian Smith: (13:18 - 13:55) And what we're saying is we cannot expect organizations to own that process for our kids. We can't outsource the discipleship of our kids to the youth sports industrial complex or the YMCA or the AAU. It really does start with us as Christian parents to be the primary discipler of our kids.   And there is a way to take what's happening on the field or the court or the pool and turn it into really amazing discipleship opportunities. But it means, and Ed is starting to tease this out, it means we need to change our perspective as parents when we sit in the bleachers or on the sidelines of what we're looking for and even the conversations we have with our kids on the back end.   Laura Dugger: (13:57 - 15:29) And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Bertschi family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago.   If you visit their dealership today though, you'll find that not everything has changed. They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did, with honesty and integrity. Sam and Stephen understand that you have many different choices in where you buy or service your vehicle.   This is why they do everything they can to make the car buying process as easy and hassle-free as possible. They are thankful for the many lasting friendships that began with a simple welcome to Sam Leman's. Their customers keep coming back because they experience something different.   I've known Sam and Stephen and their wives my entire life and I can vouch for their character and integrity, which makes it easy to highly recommend you check them out today. Your car buying process doesn't have to be something you dread, so come see for yourself at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka. Sam and Stephen would love to see you and they appreciate your business.   Learn more at their website, LemanEureka.com or visit them on Facebook by searching for Sam Leman Eureka. You can also call them on 309-467-2351. Thanks for your sponsorship.   Laura Dugger: (15:30 - 15:31) And I want to continue getting into more of those practicals. Do you want to give us just a taste or an example or story of what that might look like?   Brian Smith: (15:32 - 16:54) We keep saying, we keep talking about the importance of the car ride home that it's tempting for us and not us broadly in the U.S., tempting for us, Ed and I, as people who have done this for 50 plus years and who should know better, it's tempting for us as discipled by an ESPN over analyzing everything culture and want to talk about sports to get in the car ride home with our kids and all we want to talk about is how game went, what they did right, what they did wrong, what they could fix next time.   Maybe instead of passing to Tim, they should take the shot next time because they're wide open. They just hit three in a row. So, and what our kids need from us in those moments is less coaching, less criticizing, less critiquing, and they just need us to connect with them.   The stats on kids quitting youth sports is crazy right now. Its 70 percent are quitting before the age of 13, in large part because it's not fun, and a lot of kids are attaching this idea of it not being fun to the car ride home with their parents who, let's say this too, most of us are well-intentioned parents. We're not trying to screw our kids up.   We want what's best for our kids, but the data and the research and the lived experience continues to tell us what our kids need from us is just to take a deep breath, connect with them, less coaching. Ed keeps saying less coaching, more slurpees.   Laura Dugger: (16:55 - 17:07) I like that. And that ties in. Is it called the peak-end principle that you discovered why kids are resisting that critique on the way home?   Brian Smith: (17:07 - 18:17) Yeah, absolutely. The peak-end rule in psychology is known as this: we, just as humans in general, not just kids, we largely remember things in our lives based on the peak moment of that event, but also how the event ends. And so, the peak moment in sport can be anything from something that goes really well, like they scored a goal or made a basket or something that did not go well, just like a massive event that took place that they're going to remember.   But then it's also married to how that event ends. So, if you think for kids, how does every youth sport experience end? It ends with the car ride home.   So, if they're experiencing the car ride home as I did not live up to mom and dad's standards, or there's fear getting into the car because they don't know what their parents are going to say, how are they remembering the totality of their youth sport experience? It is, I didn't, I didn't measure up. I wasn't enough.   It felt like sports was a place that I needed to perform for my parents or my coach. And I always feel a little bit short. We want to help parents see like there's a different path forward that can be more joyful for you, but hopefully more joyful for your kid as well.   Ed Uszynski: (18:17 - 21:37) Well, and, and I'll just, let me keep going with that, Brian. I thought you really articulated all that so well. I can just imagine a parent maybe thinking, was there never a time to correct?   Is there never a time to give input? And we would say, well, of course there, there is, they need far less of it from us than we think they need when it comes to their sport. And again, we can talk about that.   They need far less of that from us. They need us to be their parents, not to be their coaches. Even if we are their coach, they need us to be more their parents.   But there is a time to do it. We're just saying the car ride home is the worst time to do it. And that's usually the time that most of us, you know, we've got two hours of stuff to download with them.   And that's just, it's not a good time. But the other thing that Brian and I keep talking about is how about, what if we had some different metrics that we were even trying to measure? So, most of the time our metrics have to do with their performance.   Like what, what are we grading them on? Again, depending on what the sport is, there's these different things that we're looking for to say, how you did today is based on whether you did this or you didn't do that and whatnot. And we're saying as parents, and again, starting with us, we needed some other metrics that were actually more concerned about what was going on in their soul.   So again, I'm sure we'll talk more about this, but the virtues, how did love show up in the way they competed today? Where that usually is tied to them noticing somebody else. Do I, am I even asking them any questions about that?   Are they experiencing peace in the midst of all this chaos and anxiety that shows up at every game? How do we teach them to experience peace? How do they become other-centered instead of just self-centered all the time in a culture, a sport culture that's teaching them to always be the center of attention and try to be?   So, we just have needed to exchange some of what we had on that performance list, like tamper that down a little bit and maybe expand the list of categories that we're looking for that actually will matter when they're 25. And we keep saying this, our goal is that they'd come home for Thanksgiving when they're 25. And so, we need to stay relationally connected to them and how we act on the car ride home day after day after day after day, year after year is doing something to our relationship.   But we also are recognizing that it's really not going to matter whether Trey finishes with his left hand at the game today when he's 25, it's not going to matter. It's not going to matter probably a year from now, but how he goes through the handshake line after the game and the way he addresses other people, and whether or not he's learning to submit to authority, whether or not he's learning to embrace other people's humanity. Yes, even in the context of sports, that's really going to matter when he's 25.   It's going to matter when he's married. Those are the things that will matter. And we say that as people who are older and have been involved in ministry and have worked with college athletes and see what happens in their lives even after they're finished, and they have no idea who they are anymore.   And this thing that's dominated their life has not actually prepared them well to do life. And that's a problem that we say, let's start changing that when they're six and not hope they're figuring it out when they're 22.   Laura Dugger: (21:38 - 22:11) I love that because that's such a theme throughout those virtues that you talked about, but discipleship and sports are a tool or a way that we can disciple our kids. I also love that you give various questions throughout the book and even quick phrases. So to close that conversation on the car ride home, if we say, okay, that's what I've been coaching the whole way home, what is a question we could ask our child afterwards and a statement we could say and leave it at that and do it a better way?   Brian Smith: (22:12 - 23:56) The question I have consistently asked my kids after learning that I've been doing this the wrong way for a long time, I tweet my question to they get in the car and I say, is there anything that happened today from the game that you want to talk about? And it's frustrating to me because 99% of the time they say, no, can we listen to the radio? And we listen to the radio, or they play a on my phone, but I'm respecting their desire that they're done with what just happened and they're ready to move on to the next thing, even though I really want to talk about what just happened.   And then the statement that I want to make sure that I'm consistently saying that they're hearing is I love you and I'm proud of you. So, game didn't go well. Yeah, you did play well today.   That's okay. Hey, I love you and I'm proud of you. Game went well today.   Awesome. Great job. Hey, I love you and I'm proud of you.   So I want that to be the consistent theme that they're hearing for me, which is hopefully going to help them better understand the gospel later in life, that as they get older and older, hopefully they'll begin to realize it seemed like the way that my mom and dad interacted with me when I was performing in sport, but their love was not attached to my performance. That seems really similar to what I'm learning more and more that Jesus does for me, that I'm trying to do all these things that are good. But from what I'm understanding about the gospel, it seems like Jesus loves me in spite of what I do.   He loves me just because He's connected to me, that God loves me because I'm a son or daughter, not because I'm performing as a son or a daughter. So, in a very real way, I really am hoping that I'm giving a good teaser for my kids now for when they fully experience the gospel as they go through the life.   Ed Uszynski: (23:56 - 24:47) Another really good connecting question. I love how you said all that, Brian, is if they don't want to talk about the game, is it okay, did you have fun today? And they can only go in one of two directions.   No. Well, tell me about that. Why not?   And it opens up the door to talk about, well, because I didn't get to play or because something bad happened. And again, tell me more about that. Tell me more about that.   Or they say, yes, great. What happened that was fun? And it creates a very different conversation in the car.   And it opens up, again, relational possibilities that go way beyond, why do you keep passing it when you should be shooting it? Wow. And just all the different ways that that comes out of us, depending on sport, depending on their age.   But those are great questions. Go ahead, Brian.   Brian Smith: (24:47 - 25:41) I just asked my son this morning. He's a freshman. His wrestling season is almost done.   And I just asked, like, what has been most fun for you in wrestling this year? And his first thing was, I feel like I'm learning a lot. And that's really fun for me, which he's on a really good team.   He's had a lot of success. He's made a lot of good friends. But even that gave me a window into his characters.   My son enjoys and I knew this is true about him. But my son enjoys learning, which means he enjoys the process of getting better and better and better, which can happen in school, it can happen doing stuff in the yard, it can it can also happen in sport. But for me to remember moving forward, yeah, he he's probably going to have a different metric for what's fun in sport than I often do for him.   Yeah, like I wanted to learn. I want him to win though, too. He's happy with learning right now.   So, I need to be happy with that for him.   Ed Uszynski: (25:41 - 26:34) If I can say this, too, again, I don't want to be vulnerable on your behalf. But then knowing this, he's lost a lot this year to really good kids. Yeah.   And so much of the learning has been in the context of losing. So, you as a dad, actually, you could be crushing him because of those losses and what he needs to do to fix that and what he needs to do so that that doesn't happen again. And it's like he's already committed to learning.   How do you just how do you celebrate the loss? Like he took the risk to try something new in this movie. He tried to survive an extra period.   That's a process when and it's we just need to get better at that. Like you genuinely can celebrate that. That's not just a that's not like a participation trophy.   It's acknowledging now, do you're taking you're taking the right steps that are actually making you a winner, even if you don't have more points at the end of the game right now.   Laura Dugger: (26:34 - 26:54) Yeah. Yeah. And that long term win that you're talking about, even with character and you've talked about fun and asking them about fun.   Is it true that that's the main reason kids are dropping out of sports at such a rapid rate before age 13 is that it's just not fun anymore?   Ed Uszynski: (26:55 - 28:58) Yeah. Yeah. And why is it not fun?   And again, this is where Brian and I are always getting in each other's business. And we know that this conversation gets in all of our business as adults. But why is it not fun?   It's not fun because of the coaches and it's not fun because of the parents. We are creating stress. We are creating again collectively because we're all in different places on the on the spectrum on this in terms of what we're actually doing when we show up at games.   But if you even just go to any soccer game and you be quiet and just listen to what's happening and everybody's shouting and screaming things and there's contradictory messages being sent and there's angst at every turn and there's an incredible celebration because this eight year old was able to get the ball to go across the line for another goal. And what that's doing inside the kids is it is creating a not fun atmosphere. Let's just say it like that.   That's a not fun atmosphere when you're eight, when you're 10, when you're trying to figure out how to make your body work. You're trying to learn the game that you're unfamiliar with and you're trying to do what this coach is telling you to do. And you're also trying to do what all the parents are telling you what to do.   And if it's a team sport, you're trying to interact and play with other kids who are all in that same state of disarray, which is very stressful and frustrating. And we're just adding to it. So instead of removing it, instead of playing a role that says, we're going to keep diffusing that stress.   And again, I'll speak for myself. Too often, I have been the one that's actually adding to it. And so, kids are just like, why would I do this?   Why would I want to get in that car again with you? It's not fun. This is a game.   And so, there's a million other things that I can do with my time where I don't have everybody yelling at me and I don't have to listen to you correct me for two hours.   Laura Dugger: (29:00 - 29:21) Well, and one other thing that surprised me, maybe why kids are dropping out, you share on page 47, a quote that research reveals a strange correlation. The more we spend, the less our kids actually enjoy their sport. So, did you have any more insight into that?   Brian Smith: (29:21 - 30:50) Yeah, this was a real study that was done at Utah State. Researchers found that the more money parents are spending, again, let's say well-intentioned parents, the more we're spending in sports, the less our kids are enjoying. And the more they have dug into it, they're finding, and intuitively it makes sense.   If you buy your kid a $600 baseball bat, what's the expectation that they're supposed to do with this really expensive bat? When they swing, they better hit the ball, and they better get on base. If we're going to buy you this expensive of a bat, you can't just have process goals with it.   You better swing and hit it. And that's causing stress for kids. If you travel across state lines and you go to Disney to play at their sports complex, you're not there for vacation.   You're there to perform. So even if parents are saying we're trying to have fun, kids know when you're traveling and you're getting all this good equipment and you're on the elite team and you're receiving the best of the best stuff, they know it comes with some sort of an expectation. College athletes can barely handle that type of pressure and expectations, but we've placed this professional on youth sports from fifth five-year-olds to 15-year-olds, and it's just crushing them.   It's crushing them. Again, college athletes and professional athletes can barely handle it. They need mental health coaches for sports, but we're expecting that our five-year-olds can handle it, and they can't.   Ed Uszynski: (30:51 - 31:19) And they may not even be able to articulate it. So that's the other thing. They may not be able to identify what's actually going on inside and put it into words.   So again, that's why we're trying to sound the alarm for ourselves and for others who are listening, because we can do it different. Again, just to even keep spinning it back in an encouraging direction, we can do this different. We can change this this week in our corner of the bleachers.   We can start over again.   Laura Dugger: (31:21 - 31:48) Absolutely and make a difference. And before we talk about even more of the pros with sports, I think it's also necessary to reflect and maybe even grieve a few things. So, what would you say are some things families are missing out on when they choose youth sports to overfill their calendar, that that's all that they make time for?   What do you think they're missing out on?   Brian Smith: (31:51 - 33:16) Yeah, I think a couple that come to mind are family dinners are a big one. That's big for us in the Smith house, is just having the ability after a long day to sit at the dinner table together, to eat food together, and to process the day and be with one another. But when my kids' practice goes late, it means we're either eating almost towards bedtime or we're eating in different shifts.   And so that's something that we grieve. I think for me, when my schedule is full, I'm tempted to adopt the mindset that what's happening on the wrestling mat or on the track matters more than it actually does. And it robs me of the ability to just take a deep breath and smile and enjoy watching my kids play sports.   That without an intervention or a pregame devotional in the car for myself, I risk sitting in the stands or being on the sidelines, being stressed out and putting pressure on myself and pressure on my kids and gossiping about why the coach didn't put this kid into the people next to me, instead of just enjoying the gift that is sports and watching my kid try and succeed and try and fail. That is a gift available to me as a dad to watch my kid do that. But the busyness often robs me of that perspective.   Ed Uszynski: (33:17 - 36:06) Well, and the busyness robs, again, if you're married, that busyness eventually wears away at your relationship. And it's not just sports. I mean, busyness, we can fill our schedule, overfill our schedules with any number of things.   We can overfill our schedules with church stuff to a point where it becomes detrimental to our relationship. If we don't set boundaries so that we're making sure we're doing what we need to do to be face-to-face and to be going to areas beneath the surface with each other in our relationship and being able to do that with our kids as well, eventually there's negative consequences to that. It may not happen right away, but I've definitely experienced that.   We've experienced that in our home where it's easy to maybe chase one kid around for a while, but what happens when you add three into the mix and you haven't really done a time budget or paid attention to the fact that when we sign up for all these things, you get a month into it and you realize, oh, we have to be in different places at the same time. So, we're not even watching stuff together anymore. We're just running.   I can endure anything for a season, but what youth sports wants now in every sport from the youngest ages is that it becomes a year-round commitment. So, you're not even signing up to play a season anymore. You're signing up for a year in most cases because after the games, then they're going to have training.   They're going to have this other thing going on. And so again, can we say, well, we'll play the actual season, but then we're not going to do the additional training over these next three months. Again, we want to give parents' permission that you can say no to that.   Well, we paid for it. Well, it's okay. If you want your kid to be on that team and you like this club or whatever, then you pay the money and you just say, we're going to sit those three months out and we're going to use those three months actually to have people over our house for dinner.   Again, whatever's on the list, Laura, that you said about being more holistic and not letting sport operate like an idol in our life where it's taken on, it's washed out everything else in our life. We can get back in control of that by just saying no a little bit. You can go to church on Sunday.   Even if there's tournament games going on on Sunday, you can go to the coach early and say, hey, we just, in our family, we just don't want to be available before 12. Are you okay with that? And most of the time coaches will be.   The kid might have to sit extra maybe for not being, whatever. Okay. That's not going to be the end of the world that they had to sit out an extra game or had to sit out a half because they weren't available on Sunday morning.   It might actually make a huge difference that they weren't at church for two and a half years in the most formative time of their life.   Laura Dugger: (36:07 - 37:36) And a lot of times the way of wisdom includes reflection, getting alone with the Lord and asking, have we overstuffed our schedule this conversation today? Let's talk specifically with youth sports. Is that trumping everything else?   Because what if we're putting it in a place it was never intended to be as an idol where we sacrifice hospitality or discipleship or community or even just a more biblical way of life? I think we have to bring wisdom into the conversation for what you've mentioned. Whether it's worth it, if they're even enjoying it, how much we're spending on it, and do we have the budget to allocate our finances that way and evaluating the time just to see and make sure that it's rightly ordered.   Did you know you could receive a free email with monthly encouragement, practical tips, and plenty of questions to ask to take your conversation a level deeper, whether that's in parenting or on date nights? Make sure you access all of this at thesavvysauce.com by clicking the button that says join our email list so that you can follow the prompts and begin receiving these emails at the beginning of each month. Enjoy!   But if we flip that to if youth sports are rightly ordered, then what are some things that we can celebrate or reasons that you would want families to give this a try?   Brian Smith: (37:37 - 40:09) The massive positive that we keep coming back to is we have a front row seat to see our kids go through every possible emotion in sport, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And then if we have the right perspective, we are armed with awesome opportunities and awesome information that we're seeing. We get to see what our kids are really good at.   We get to see their character gaps. And then we get to be the ones who, again, who are their primary response, primary disciplers. It really goes back to like, are we trusting youth sports for too little in our kids' lives?   Like many of us are trusting that our investment is going to get them a spot on a team, or maybe they get an opportunity in high school, maybe in college. And what we're saying is, yeah, that maybe. And that's not a bad end goal.   But if that's everything that you're investing into youth sports, it's not enough. Like what you have available to you every single day is to ask your kid if they showed somebody else's dignity on the field. You don't know if your kid's going to hit a home run today.   That may not be available to them their entire life. What's available to them every single day is to ask a question to their teammate, to see somebody and show dignity to them. And that's really, it's like, it's almost the opportunity of a lifetime for us as parents who, when our kids get home from school, we really don't know what happened most of the day.   We asked them how it went and we get the one-word answer. In sports, we don't have to guess. We get to see everything that happens.   And again, if we are actually trusting youth sports for discipleship investment, that's a good ROI. That's a good return on our investment. But we need a consistent intervention almost daily to say, no, this is why they're in sports.   Yes, I want to see them get better. I want to see them have fun, but Holy Spirit, would you help me see things today that I normally don't see? Holy Spirit, would you put them in circumstances and relationships today and in the season that's going to help them look more and more like Jesus by the time the season's done?   Holy Spirit, would you convict me in the moment when I am being a little too mouthy and saying things that I shouldn't? Would you help me to repent? And God, in those moments where I'm actually doing wrong on behalf of my kid, would you help me to humble myself and apologize to them?   And God, would you repair our relationship that way? So again, all of these options are available just because our kid's shooting a ball or they're on the field with somebody else tackling other people. We're trusting youth sports for too little.   Ed Uszynski: (40:10 - 41:10) That's all big boy and big girl stuff. It just is. I don't normally naturally do any of that.   I have to be coached into that. I have to be discipled myself. I have to work through my own issues, my own baggage, my own fears about the future, my own idolatrous holding onto this imagined future that I have for my kid, irrespective of what God may or may not want.   I've got my own resentment. I've got my own regrets from the past. I wish things had gone differently for me, so I'm going to make sure they go different for you when it comes to sports.   And it's hard to look in the mirror and admit that I have anger issues. I mean, youth sports create a great opportunity for me to get up all my pent-up frustration from the day. We've given ourselves permission to do that, in most cases, to just yell and yell at refs and gripe about coaches and yell at kids.   Brian Smith: (41:10 - 41:31) Because that's what we do at the TV, right? When our favorite team is playing, we've conditioned ourselves to say, awful call, that was terrible. Then we get on social media and we complain about it.   We are discipling ourselves to this is how it's normative to respond within the context of sports. Then we carry all that baggage to our six-year-old soccer game.   Laura Dugger: (41:33 - 42:02) Well, I love how you keep pointing it back toward character and discipleship. You clearly state throughout the book, sports don't develop character, people do. But could you maybe elaborate on that a little bit more and share more now that we've listed pros and cons, you still list a completely different way that we can meaningfully participate while also pushing back?   Brian Smith: (42:04 - 43:49) I'll start with the first part, and then you can answer the second. We use the handshake line as a great example of why character needs to be taught to our kids. If you just watch a normal handshake line left without coaching, the kids are going through it, especially the ones who lose with their head down, they have limp hands, there's no eye contact, and they're mumbling good game, good game.   Sometimes they don't even say it, they'll say GG stands for good game. They don't just learn character by going through the handshake line. If anything, that's going through it like that without any sort of intervention or coaching, that's malforming their character.   That's teaching them when things don't go well, that it's okay for them not to be a big boy or a big girl and look somebody in the eye and congratulate them. What needs to happen? An adult needs to step in and say, hey, as we go through the handshake line, whether you win or lose, here's how we do it with class.   We shake somebody's hand, we look them in the eye, and we say good game. Even if in those moments we don't actually mean it, we still show them dignity and honor. And then when we're done going through the handshake line, guess what we're going to do?   We're going to run down the refs who are trying to get in their car and get out of here, and we're going to give them a high five and say, thank you so much for reffing today. That stuff needs to be taught. Our kids don't just come out of the womb knowing how to do that.   We have to teach them how to do it. Sometimes good coaches will do that, but the more and more we get sucked up into the sports industrial complex, we're getting well-intentioned coaches, but we're getting coaches who care more about the big W, the win, than the character formation stuff that happens.   Ed Uszynski: (43:49 - 45:27) They need to keep hearing it over and over again. I have a ninth grade Bible study in my house the other day with athletes and a whole bunch of my son's basketball team. Exactly what Brian just said, I actually was like, wow, I've got them here.   There was a big blow up at a game the other day, and we wound up talking about it. I said, I'm going to take this opportunity actually to say what Brian just said. When you go through a handshake line, this is how you go through it.   I watched what happened in the game a couple days later. Basically, they did the exact opposite of what I told them to do, and they lost. It was just what Brian said.   They went through limp handed. They didn't look anybody in the face, and they weren't even saying anything. I just chuckled to myself, and you know how this is as a parent.   They may or may not do it. Of course, those aren't my kids. I have more stewardship over my child, who actually, he is doing what I've asked him to do because I've re-emphasized it across time now.   It's not a failure because they didn't do what I said. Again, the pouty side of me wants to be like, forget it. I'm just not even going to try anymore.   It's like, no, they're kids. That was the first time they've heard that. They're going to do what their patterns have, the muscle memory that's been created by their patterns, just like we do as adults.   The next time I have a chance to bring that up again, I'm not going to shame them. I'm just going to go over it again with them. Here's how we do it.   It's super hard to do this, guys, when you just want to be violent with people or you want to cry. You got to pull yourself together. That's what big men do.   That's what big women do in life. They pull themselves together in those moments and do the right thing.   Brian Smith: (45:28 - 46:01) You don't know whether the fifth time you say it is going to stick or the 50th time. Your responsibility as the Christ-following parent is to do it the sixth time and the seventh time and the seventh time and trust that God is going to take those moments and do what he does. We're ultimately not responsible for our kids' behavior.   We're responsible for pointing them in the right direction, and then hopefully, yeah, the Holy Spirit steps in and transforms and changes and convicts in those moments, but it might take some time.   Ed Uszynski: (46:02 - 47:47) Tom Bilyeu So that's how you push back, Laura. You were asking that. How do we push back without being just completely involved in it or going for the same ride that everybody else is going for?   There's just little moments like that scattered throughout. Literally, every day that my kids are involved in youth sports, the car ride over, what happens on the way home, how we talk about it, what happens during the game and what we wind up talking about out of that, the side conversations that happen that just get brought up apart from games of how we interact with people and so-and-so looks like they're struggling. What do you know about that?   That's how we push back, that in our corner of the bleachers, oh, how we interact with other parents. We haven't even talked about that yet, that I can take an interest in more than just my own kid in the bleachers and spend way more energy actually in cheering for other kids and just trying to give them confidence and spend way less time trying to direct that at my own child who knows that I'm there. In fact, my side kid has said he doesn't want to hear my voice during the game.   It distracts him. He's like, I'd much rather that you cheer for other people. It's like, okay.   Having questions ready for other parents during timeouts and as you sit there for hours together, what do you talk about? Well, I could be the one that actually initiates substantive conversations over time with them and asks them about what's going on in different parts of their life. And in having done that, people want to talk.   They want a safe place actually to share what's going on in their So let me be the sports minister. Let me take on that identity and actually care about other people.   Laura Dugger: (47:49 - 49:47) I love that. Even that practical idea of just coming to each game, maybe with a different question, ready to open up those conversations. And I'll share a quick story as well.   Our two oldest daughters recently just gave cheerleading a try at a local Christian school that allows homeschool kids to participate. And this is an overt way that somebody chooses the different way. So, it's the coach of the basketball team.   His name is Cole. And at the end of every game, we saw him consistently throughout this season when it was a home game, whether their team won or lost, he would ask them, okay, shut off the scoreboard. It's all blank.   He gathers both teams. As soon as the game is over teams, cheerleaders, the stands stay filled with all the parents. And he says, this is not our identity.   The world and Satan, our enemy, who's very real. He wants us to put our identity here, but it's not here. You made us better tonight by the way that you played and you were able to shine Jesus.   And we're going to go a step further and we're going to do what we call attaways. So, he's like, all right, boys, you open it up. And his team is trained.   They say to the other team, Hey, number 23, what's your name? I loved how you pushed me so much harder tonight and says, my name's Ben. And so, their Attaway is, Hey, Ben.   And everybody goes, Hey, Ben. Yeah, Ben. Yeah, Ben Attaway.   And everybody just erupts in clapping. And the other team is always blown away and they are just grinning, whether they just lost. So, the boys go through that for a while and then they open it up to the other team and they start sharing Attaways.   And then they open it up to the crowd and the parents are able to say, I see the way you modeled Jesus by being selfless with the ball or whatever it is. So, Cole said that his college coach did that many years ago and he's passed that on. And I love that's one way to redeem the game.   Ed Uszynski: (49:47 - 51:39) Wow. Beautiful. Beautiful.   Yeah. That's amazing. And, you know, I, so Brian and I talk about this too.   And I coached at a Christian school. So, we, we think that it's really important if you're going to play sports and you're going to be a Christian coach that you actually take the game seriously. And that we actually are here to compete and we are here to try to win.   There's nothing wrong with that. And we're going to pursue excellence when we show up with our bodies, and we train for this sport and we're going to try to win. Cause I think sometimes we end up kind of going all or nothing, especially within our Christian circles.   We're uncomfortable with that. And it's like, yes, do that. And on the backside of that to do what that coach did is amazing.   It's that, that is, that is exactly what we're saying. We're also going to try to form our souls in the midst of this. We're going to try to win on the scoreboard.   Okay. The game's over, we lost, we won, whatever. There's more going on here than just that. And can we access that together? And again, that's so rare. Probably everybody listening has never even heard of anything like what you just said.   It would be amazing if a bunch of people did, but that's what we're saying. Let's do more of that. Let's find ways to have more of those conversations in our sphere of influence.   Maybe we're not the coach, but we can do that in our car. We can do that when we're at dinners with the other, with other players and other team, you know, we, we can do that. We can take that kind of initiative.   If we have those categories in our mind, instead of just being frustrated that my kid didn't get to play as much tonight. And I'm that bugs me. It's like, okay, it can bug you.   And now I gotta, I gotta be a big boy and get more out of this than just being frustrated that he or she didn't get to play as much. It's hard.   Laura Dugger: (51:40 - 52:11) Absolutely. Well, and like you guys are doing having Bible studies outside of the, the team that you can instill values in that way and share scripture that they're memorizing to go out there with excellence for the Lord. So, I love all of that.   And I've got just a few quick questions, just kind of for perspective. I want to draw out something from the book. Is it true that young athletic success predicts adult athletic success?   Brian Smith: (52:13 - 53:51) It is not true. This is, this is not a hot take. This is researched back more and more research they're doing on this.   And they're finding that there's not a direct correlation between a young elite athlete and them continuing that up into the right trajectory and being an elite athlete later in life in large part, because when puberty hits, like everything is a game changer. So, this is, I found this fascinating and this is probably going to be new to you too. This just came out today.   At the time we're doing this podcast, the winter Olympics is going on in Norway. It's just like, they're killing it. Nor Norway's youth sports system.   This is wild. They give participation trophies for all the kids. They don't keep score until 13 years old.   They don't do any national travel competitions, no posting youth sports results online. So, there's no online presence of youth sport results. And their country motto is joy of sport for all.   And they're, they're killing it right now in the Olympics. So, like, that's not to say, like you got to follow their model and then you're going to win all these gold medals, but it is, there is something to just let the kids have fun. And the longer they play sport, because it's fun, the better opportunity you're actually going to have to see them blossom and develop some of these God-given gifts that they might have.   Don't expect it to come out before they're 13. Even if it does, there's no guarantee that it's going to continue on until they're 23. Just let them have fun.   Ed Uszynski: (53:52 - 55:55) Brian, we, Brian and I got to speak at a church the other day about this topic. And there was a couple that came up afterwards and they asked the question of what, so when do you think we should let our kids play organized sports or structured sports? And so again, Brian and I are careful.   Like I, there's no, there's no one size fits all answer to that. We would suggest as late as possible, wait as long as possible. Because once you start doing structured sport where there's a coach and you have to be at practices and the games are structured and there's reps, it just cuts away all the possibility they have to just play and just to go up to the YMCA and just play for three hours at whatever it is that they like to do.   And they said, well, it's encouraging to hear that they said, because we, we actually are way more into just developing their bodies physically. And so, we do dance with them, and we do rock climbing and they were kind of outdoorsy people, and they just started listing off all these things they do because we want them to become strong in their bodies, and learn to love activity like that. And I just thought, again, that's, that probably would cause a lot of people to freak out to hear that, that they have eight, nine-year-olds that aren't on teams yet.   They're just, they're training their bodies to appreciate physicality and to become coordinated and to, you know, to get better at movement. And it's like, what sport is that not going to be super helpful in five years from now, even when they're 12, 13 years old. And now they really do want to play one sport, and they do want to be on a team.   They're going to be way ahead of the kids actually that just sat on benches or stood in the outfield, you know, day after day after day at practices. Again, that's maybe hard to hear, but maybe there's some adjustments that need to be made again; to give ourselves permission to say, we don't have to get on that train right now. You don't have to, your kid's not going to be behind.   They actually could be ahead. If you do the kinds of things we just talked about.   Laura Dugger: (55:56 - 56:11) I love that. And even that example with what it looks like played out with Norway and also, do you have any other quick tips just for instilling and cultivating a heart of gratitude and youth sports rather than entitlement?   Brian Smith: (56:13 - 57:33) I'm a high school cross country and track coach, and I have kids on my team who want to get faster at running, but instead of running, they want to lift weights and they want to do plier metrics. So, there's, yes, there's a spot for that. But the way you get better at running is to run.   You got to run more miles and more miles. And I think gratitude is similar. That gratitude, part of it is a, it's a feeling, but it's also a muscle that we can flex even if we don't feel it.   And so, I would encourage parents who are trying to instill gratitude into their kids to give them practical things like, hey, after practice, just go shake your coach's hand or give them a fist bump and tell them, thanks for practice today, coach. That that's a disciplined way to practice gratitude that will hopefully build the muscle where they're, they're using it later in life. After a game, I taught my kids this when they were young and they still do it today.   Go shake a ref's hand. I mentioned this earlier, just a really, really practical way to show thankfulness and gratitude to somebody who really doesn't get a whole lot of gratitude pointed at them during a game or after a game. If anything, they have people chasing them through the parking lot for other reasons.   I want my kids to be chasing them down to give them a fist bump or a high five. And so, gratitude is something that we can just practice practically. And hopefully the discipline practice will lead to a delight and actually doing it.   Ed Uszynski: (57:34 - 59:39) And how do we cultivate an inner posture? Cause I tend to be a cup half empty type person. I'm a, I'm a whiner by nature and a continuous improvement.   There's always something wrong. And I'm, it's easy for me to find those things just as a person. I'm not even saying that as a dad or a coach or anything.   And it's been super helpful to me in the last decade, even to just like, I can choose to shift that. There, there is, there's a list of things that are broke, but there is always a list of things that are good. There's always something good here to be found.   And even as I've tried to like, again, tip the scales more in that direction, I can keep pushing that out of my kids. So, so this, you know, my ninth-grade son tends to just like, he doesn't like a whole bunch of what's going on in basketball right now. So, I keep asking him if he's having fun.   He says, no, like, why not? Or like, who did, why did you not have fun today? So, it's just the same thing every day.   I'm like, okay, who did you enjoy even being with today? Nobody. And I'm like, dude, I don't believe that actually.   I just, I don't believe that. There was somebody that you had some moment with today that you enjoyed, or you wouldn't want to keep going back up there because, and he does. So, give me a name.   Okay. Lenny. What happened with Lenny that was fun? And I make him name it. Like I'm, I'm, I'm trying to coach him through it. And sure enough, he does have some sentences of what was fun today.   And it's like, good, let's, let's at least hold onto that in the midst of all the other stuff that's not right. Let's choose to see the thing that was good and that you enjoyed and that we could be thankful for. Not everybody got to have that today.   Again, I have to have my, I have to be the parent. I have to be the discipler. I have to be in, you know, in charge of my own soul that wants to be negative all the time and say, nope, we're going to, we're going to choose gratitude today because the Bible tells us to do that.   There's something about that posture that opens the door for the gospel to be expressed through us. So, let's practice.   Laura Dugger: (59:40 - 59:50) Well said, and there's so much we could continue learning from both of you. Where can we go after this chat to learn more from each one of you?   Brian Smith: (59:52 - 1:00:14) Yeah, we do a lot of our writing online at thechristianathlete.com. And so, if you go there, you can see articles that are specifically written for parents, for coaches, for athletes, all around this idea of what does it look like to integrate faith and sport together? So, the

Researcher and investigative powerhouse, Iain Davis, returns to share his findings featured in his recent book, ⁠The Technocratic Dark State⁠ - a rigorous work documenting the Silicon Valley oligarchs recent capture of the US government. Where is the agenda now? Where does this go? What can we do? Do not miss this thorough and important conversation on the future of "our" coming technocracy. Find Iain: Websites: ⁠⁠https://iaindavis.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://unlimitedhangout.com/author/iain-davis/⁠⁠ Twitter/X: @_InThisTogether Exclusive Content and Ways to Support: Support me on Substack for ad-free content, bonus material, personal chatting and more! ⁠https://substack.com/@monicaperezshow⁠ Become a PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER on Apple Podcasts for AD FREE episodes and exclusive content! True Hemp Science: ⁠https://truehempscience.com/⁠ PROMO CODE: MONICA Find, Follow, Subscribe & Rate on your favorite podcasting platform AND for video and social & more... Website: ⁠https://monicaperezshow.com/⁠ Substack: ⁠https://substack.com/@monicaperezshow⁠ Rumble: ⁠https://rumble.com/user/monicaperezshow⁠ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/MonicaPerez⁠ Twitter/X: @monicaperezshow Instagram: @monicaperezshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode:00:15 How Pokémon inspired fields as diverse as evolution, biodiversity and research integrity.Nature: Pokémon turns 30 — how the fictional pocket monsters shaped scienceSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Minneapolis police think a man who fatally shot two of his cousins Monday afternoon on the city's northside was later killed in a confrontation with police in Brooklyn Center.Researchers at the University of Minnesota estimate that rent debt across the state has surged by an additional 30 to 50 million dollars since December.

Top Headlines: Group-IB | Operation Olalampo: Inside MuddyWater's Latest Campaign: https://www.group-ib.com/blog/muddywater-operation-olalampo/ Point Wild | Remcos Revisited: Inside the RAT's Evolving Command-and-Control Techniques: https://www.pointwild.com/threat-intelligence/remcos-revisited-inside-the-rats-evolving-command-and-control-techniques/ Lab 52 | Operation MacroMaze: new APT28 campaign using basic tooling and legit infrastructure: https://lab52.io/blog/operation-macromaze-new-apt28-campaign-using-basic-tooling-and-legit-infrastructure/ therecord.media | Researchers warn Volt Typhoon still embedded in US utilities and some breaches may never be found: https://therecord.media/researchers-warn-volt-typhoon-still-active-critical-infrastructure?&web_view=true ----------Stay in Touch!Twitter: https://twitter.com/Intel471IncLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intel-471/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIL4ElcM6oLd3n36hM4_wkgDiscord: https://discord.gg/DR4mcW4zBrFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Intel471Inc/

Dr. Tameka Gillum co-wrote a study published last year by the American Journal of Public Health that declared the high rate of Black women murdered in America a “public health crisis.” That study examined more than 30,000 homicides between 1999 and 2020 and found a massive disparity in homicide rates between Black and white women. Russell Contreras to discuss her findings and consider how structural racism has made life more dangerous for Black women.Podcast Host: Lou DiVizioCorrespondent: Russell Contreras Guest: Dr. Tameka Gillum, PhD., Associate Professor, University of New Mexico For More Information:McKinley County DA Resigns

Bigfoot, Dogman, and Other Cryptid Creatures - Steve's guest is bigfoot and dogman researcher & experiencer, Darrell Denton. Darrell runs the Facebook group BIGFOOT BELIEVERS AND OTHER CREATURES at https://www.facebook.com/groups/4814862305256530Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Researchers confirm an outbreak of bird flu in northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park. Plus, a Monterey County jury awards $18.9 million to a woman hit by a car in a crosswalk at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

Five Eyes flags active exploitation of Cisco SD-WAN flaws. Ransomware incidents surge, but fewer victims are paying. The FTC eases its stance on COPPA to encourage age verification. Authorities in Poland and Germany charge 11 in a Facebook credential harvesting scheme. Top UK news outlets unite on AI licensing standards, as the UK touts gains in cyber resilience. Researchers say a hacker abused Anthropic's Claude to breach Mexican government networks. Gamers revolt over AI in game development. On our Industry Voices, we are joined by Linda Gray Martin, Chief of Staff and SVP, and Britta Glade, SVP of Content and Communities, from RSAC sharing what is new at RSAC 2026. In Moscow, a man is accused of impersonating an FSB officer to shake down the Conti ransomware gang.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Today on our Industry Voices, we are joined by Linda Gray Martin, Chief of Staff and SVP, and Britta Glade, SVP of Content and Communities, from RSAC sharing what is new at RSAC 2026. Selected Reading Cisco SD-WAN Is Actively Exploited by UAT-8616, Five Eyes Alliance Agencies Issue Warning (TechNadu) Ransomware payments dropped in 2025 as attack numbers reached record levels: Chainalysis (The Record) FTC Softens Enforcement of Rule Protecting Children Online, Ostensibly to Protect Children Online (Gizmodo) Poland Cybercrime Unit Uncovers Scheme Stealing 100,000 Facebook Logins (The 420) UK news giants form 'NATO for news' group to control AI scraping (Press Gazette) Government cuts cyber-attack fix times by 84% and launches new profession to protect public services (GOV.UK) Hacker Used Anthropic's Claude to Steal Sensitive Mexican Data (Bloomberg) AI Mistakes Are Infuriating Gamers as Developers Seek Savings (Bloomberg) Moscow man accused of posing as FSB officer to extort Conti ransomware gang (The Record) AIs can't stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations (New Scientist) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Space and bees are the 2 things that just keep giving. Get ready for weird.  — Support and sponsor this show! Venmo Tip Jar: @wellthatsinteresting Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wellthatsinterestingpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: @wtipod Threads: @wellthatsinterestingpod Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wti_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on YouTube!! Oh, BTW. You're interesting. Email YOUR facts, stories, experiences... Nothing is too big or too small. I'll read it on the show: wellthatsinterestingpod@gmail.com WTI is a part of the Airwave Media podcast network! Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to other incredible shows. Want to advertise your glorious product on WTI? Email me: wellthatsinterestingpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson explores the impact of close friendships on body image. She speaks with Chrissy King, author of The Body Liberation Project.Danielle also invites researcher and assistant professor Dr. Erin Nolen about the way women's feminist ideals positively impact their friends' regard for their bodies.You'll also hear from real women who submitted their personal stories to the show.Research study: Dr. Nolen's research “Your Body Is Not Representative of Who You Are”: Exploring the Relations Between Feminist Attitudes, Feminist Identity, and Responses to Negative Body Talk Among Women - Erin Nolen, Taryn A. Myers, Adrienne Kvaka, Sarah K. Murnen, 2023-----------------------------------GET THE FULL EPISODE IN "OFFICE HOURS", OUR PRIVATE COMMUNITYGet bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes content, book club membership, access to (exclusive!) fireside chats with experts, downloadable guides and more in our private community. Join now at betterfemalefriendships.com/podcast.WANT TO BE FEATURED ON THE SHOW?Send your questions, hot takes, or personal friendship stories via Instagram @friendforward (go the to direct messages, hold the microphone icon down and proceed with your voice note) or send a video/ voice note to us via email at hello@betterfemalefriendships.com.BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAKIf you're looking for a customized, research-driven experience with a balance of education and humor, book Danielle Bayard Jackson to speak at your upcoming event. To make it happen, contact Samantha at Sam@tellpublicrelations.com and inquire today.

Do animals feel love, anger, or empathy? Researchers have long dismissed such ideas as anthropomorphism, arguing that attributing human emotions to animals was unscientific.But as we learn more about animal sentience, that's starting to change — and, in the process, we're learning more than ever about the complex inner lives of animals, including why we may be more alike than we once thought.On this episode, we explore what researchers have discovered about what's really going on inside other species' heads. We talk with a primatologist about why she believes baboons and other animals possess a theory of mind; investigate whether crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are capable of experiencing pain; and hear about one beagle's journey from lab subject to pet. Host Maiken Scott and reporter Alan Yu visit  the Chamounix Equestrian Center in Philadelphia to test an app that claims to detect pain in horses. When primatologist Christine Webb was in college, she was taught that it was "unscientific" to investigate animal emotions — but that attitude has started to change. We talk with Webb about what's causing that shift, what she learned from her mentor, the famed primatologist Frans de Waal, and the challenges involved with stepping outside our human biases to understand the inner lives of animals. Webb is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University, and her new book is “The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why it Matters.” Reporter Sophia Schmidt pays a visit to the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, Pennsylvania to meet an unlikely pair of besties: Hunter, the red-tailed hawk, and Stan, the turkey vulture. We hear about why Hunter and Stan's relationship is so rare, how they became friends (and, sometimes, more than friends), and what biological factors could be driving their behavior. It's easy enough to believe that animals like cats and dogs have feelings — but what about less cuddly creatures, like crabs, lobsters, and shrimp? Pulse reporter Liz Tung talks with researchers who've been investigating the question of sentience in decapod crustaceans, and whether or not they're capable of feeling pain. We talk with journalist Melanie Kaplan about her investigation into the world of animal research, spurred by her adoption of Hammy — a beagle who spent the first four years of his life in a lab. Her book is, “Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research.”

Canada's Immigration Minister is under fire after Radio-Canada journalists reveal the organizations who work with her, and some of her own Liberal colleagues, says she's often unreachable -- and perhaps not up to the job. Hundreds of American nurses have been welcomed north of the border, after leaving the U.S. during Donald Trump's first year in office; one tells us he's never going back. Zambia needs to replace healthcare funding slashed by U.S. cuts -- and our guest tells us the sub-Saharan nation is about to accept some pretty unhealthy terms from the Trump Administration. A researcher wanted to test the so-called "drunken monkey hypothesis" -- and that meant he had to perfect a technique for collecting chimpanzee urine in the wild.An elementary school basketball team in Utah is obsessed with attending the local high school team's games. But their minds were blown when the high school team showed up to watch them. Researchers finally solve a mystery that has vexed...well, researchers: the mystery of why Scotch tape makes a sort of screeching sound when you peel a piece off.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that knows tape research is tough -- but you just stick to it.

Minneapolis police think a man who fatally shot two of his cousins Monday afternoon on the city's northside was later killed in a confrontation with police in Brooklyn Center.Researchers at the University of Minnesota estimate that rent debt across the state has surged by an additional 30 to 50 million dollars since December.

Read more from VPM News:  The future is uncertain for some Virginia farmers after VSU researchers fired  Virginia Museum of History and Culture to add Barbara Johns statue to its collection  Powhite Parkway tolls are about to be a thing of the past in Chesterfield    Other links:  In Democratic rebuttal, Spanberger accuses Trump of driving up costs and chaos (Virginia Mercury)  Virginia lawmakers push for action after massive Potomac sewage spill (WRIC)  Homeless shelter operator will serve three years in prison for defrauding Richmond and HUD (Richmond Times-Dispatch)  Lynchburg council votes to go to court over redistricting referendum (Cardinal News)    Our award-winning work is made possible with your donations. Visit vpm.org/donate to support local journalism. 

Why do we get bored? Boredom Researcher Dr. James Danckert says boredom is a search for meaning. Our brains' way of telling us we need to find something new. We talk why boredom is important, why some people get bored more than others and the most boring thing in the world. Then, it's Hoop Dreams and Caddyshack vs. Miracle and The Karate Kid as we countdown the Top 5 Sports Movies. 00:00: Introducing Boredom Researcher Dr. James Danckert 01:07: Why We Get Bored 02:11: Why Boredom is Good 03:56: What Happens When We Get Bored 04:49: Why Some People Get Bored Faster 07:59: Boredom and Intelligence 11:10: The Flow State 12:42: Only Boring People are Boring 15:13: The Most Boring Type of Person 16:59: When Boredom Becomes a Problem 18:52: The Boredom Pattern 20:57: Social Media and Boredom 24:49: Pointless 40:42: The Top 5 Sports Movies Contact the Show Our of My Skull: The Science of Boredom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a special episode for our listeners, with a panel recorded live from VistaCon26: Illuminating the future of cinema: connection, experience, and innovation.When entertainment is just a click away, how do cinemas reclaim their role as cultural hubs? This panel explores the future of cinemagoing in a world where convenience often trumps experience. How do exhibitors make cinema a regular habit again? Can theatres evolve beyond seats, screens and sound to become vibrant gathering spaces that foster community connection and wellbeing?Global experts in technology, guest experience, cinema, and related industries composed our digital panel:Justin HonamanGlobal Head, Worldwide Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Goods GTM, AmazonSheila LimingAssociate Professor at Champlain College and author of Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing TimeStephen FollowsFilm data Researcher, Author, Educator, Producer and Founder and Head of Innovation for Catsnake: The Story AgencyTheresa EnglishPrincipal at TK Architects

Thabo Shole-Mashao, in for Clement Manyathela speaks to Mbekezeli Benjamin , who is a Researcher and Advocacy Officer at Judges Matter, Andy Mashaile, who is a Security strategist & Dean Wingrin, who is a Defence Web analyst to discuss the budget speech as it relates to the security cluster. The Clement Manyathela Show is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station, weekdays from 09:00 to 12:00 (SA Time). Clement Manyathela starts his show each weekday on 702 at 9 am taking your calls and voice notes on his Open Line. In the second hour of his show, he unpacks, explains, and makes sense of the news of the day. Clement has several features in his third hour from 11 am that provide you with information to help and guide you through your daily life. As your morning friend, he tackles the serious as well as the light-hearted, on your behalf. Thank you for listening to a podcast from The Clement Manyathela Show. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 09:00 and 12:00 (SA Time) to The Clement Manyathela Show broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/XijPLtJ or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/p0gWuPE Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An estimated 500,000 people are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the United States each year, but the causes and mechanisms of the condition remain a neurological mystery. A recent study looked at the role of variants in a gene called APOE in Alzheimer's, and found that while it's not a simple determinant of developing the disease, that one gene seems to play a significant role in promoting disease risk. Researchers hope work like this could point to new areas to study and even potential treatments. Epidemiologist Dylan Williams joins Host Ira Flatow to explain the findings and discuss the challenges in tracing a complex disease to its roots. Guest: Dr. Dylan Williams is a principal research fellow in molecular and genetic epidemiology at University College London. Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

Minneapolis police think a man who fatally shot two of his cousins Monday afternoon on the city's northside was later killed in a confrontation with police in Brooklyn Center.Researchers at the University of Minnesota estimate that rent debt across the state has surged by an additional 30 to 50 million dollars since December.

In Jurassic Park, the T-Rex stomps around the place with an earth-shattering rumble, but a new study in the States has discovered that it actually moved much more daintily, using its tip toes.Filippo Bertozzo, Researcher at the Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels and a dinosaur expert, wasn't involved in the study, but has been reviewing its findings, and joins Seán to discuss.

I don't normally post my Words with Dani and Emily podcast here, AND because this was such a juicy conversation with special guest, Courtenay Turner, I am inspired to share it with you here. Words is usually safeguarded behind a tall and remote paywall on our Locals community (link below), and on my own Locals/Patreon accounts, where it is reserved for our $10+ supporters. If you dig it, consider supporting/joining us!Researcher, writer, and podcaster Courtenay Turner joins us for a lively discussion about the crossover between her current work and the threads we have been tracking for several years. We hope you enjoy! :)https://wordspodcast.locals.com - free trial month here w/ code - WELCOMETOWORDS26 Find Courtenay here: https://courtenayturner.substack.com/ Find Dani here: https://danikatz.locals.com https://patreon.com/danikatz https://danikatz.com Find Emily here: https://emilycmoyer.com https://emilymoyer.locals.com - free trial month here w/ code - JOINEMILY26 https://patreon.com/offplanetmedia - free 7 day trial here https://rokfin.com/EmilyMoyer https://projectkids.locals.com - free trial month here w/ code - PKLOVESYOU26

This week we jump from stand-up comedy, missing co-hosts, and fallen plant heroes in Real Life into pre-life genes, ancient genetic risks, and cosmic-scale evolution in Future or Now — before closing out with Predator: Badlands, franchise nostalgia, and a deep appreciation for Yautja lore. Real Life Ben was not present this week. The official explanation given: he's out marrying his sister. We chose not to ask follow-up questions for legal and emotional reasons, and instead moved forward with cautious respect and mild concern. Devon had a far more socially acceptable outing, hitting a comedy show and discovering a cool new cocktail bar right next to the venue — which is objectively the correct pairing for live comedy. He caught sets from Heather Shaw (https://www.instagram.com/heathershawiskidding/) and Tyler Elliott (https://www.instagram.com/tylerelliottcomedy/), both of whom absolutely delivered. Tight pacing, sharp jokes, and the kind of live energy that reminds you comedy hits different when you're in the room instead of watching clips online. Steven, meanwhile, has been locked into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and is fully endorsing it. Strong characters, grounded storytelling, and that classic slow-burn worldbuilding that rewards patience. On the tabletop side, his MCC game took a brutal turn when a player character died — goodbye Plank the Plantient. A true legend. A photosynthetic casualty. The kind of loss that only high-lethality RPG systems can deliver with a straight face. Future or Now Devon brought in a genuinely mind-bending scientific development: researchers are finding duplicated genes that appear to have existed before the last universal common ancestor of all life on Earth. In other words, parts of the genetic toolkit may predate what we traditionally define as "life" itself. By tracking these rare, ancient gene duplications, scientists can reconstruct how early cells may have functioned and what biological features emerged first. It pushes the origin story of life further back than expected and turns evolution into less of a starting point and more of a long prologue. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260210082913.htm This spiraled naturally into broader science discussion, including a Veritasium breakdown of complex scientific ideas and some internet discourse around aliens and political commentary, because no modern science conversation remains purely scientific for long. Veritasium: https://youtu.be/XX7PdJIGiCw?si=dRNcQst0xU_XKcYE Brian Tyler Cohen (Aliens & Obama discussion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0438rjwS7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZP90ldOByo&t=134s Steven followed with a topic that sounds mythological but is very real: the so-called "Celtic Curse," better known as hereditary hemochromatosis. Researchers have now mapped the genetic risk across the UK and Ireland, identifying major hotspots in north-west Ireland and the Outer Hebrides. In some regions, roughly one in 60 people carry the high-risk gene variant linked to iron overload. The dangerous part is how quietly it develops — symptoms can take decades to appear, yet untreated cases can lead to liver cancer, arthritis, and other serious complications. It's a reminder that genetics isn't just about ancestry curiosity; it's about long-term health awareness. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260221000332.htm Book Club Next week's reading is All You Zombies by Robert Heinlein (1958), which means we are heading directly into time loops, identity paradoxes, and classic golden-age sci-fi mind-bending territory. https://lecturia.org/en/short-stories/robert-a-heinlein-all-you-zombies/19420/ This week's discussion centered on Predator: Badlands and, naturally, the broader Predator franchise as a whole. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator:_Badlands We talked about our personal history with the series, how it evolved from pure action-horror into something closer to mythological sci-fi, and where Badlands lands within that spectrum. Devon was a bit mixed on some of the action beats but still enjoyed the overall experience, while Steven leaned much more positive — especially when it came to the expanding Yautja lore. The cultural codes, the hunting philosophy, and the deeper worldbuilding continue to be the franchise's strongest hook. It's less about "monster shows up" now and more about an alien warrior culture with rules, hierarchy, and legacy, which makes revisiting the older films even more interesting in hindsight. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow the show, share it with a friend who loves sci-fi, genetics, and chaotic pop culture discussions, and check out our Patreon for bonus episodes, playlists, AI images, unedited recordings, and access to our Discord community. Come hang out, talk books, science news, and sci-fi with us — and don't forget to read All You Zombies before next week, because the timeline is about to get weird.

Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs have had a major impact in their short time on the market—currently, one in eight Americans say that they have been on GLP-1 drugs. As tens of millions of people take these medications, anecdotal evidence has emerged that they have a positive effect on alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Researchers are starting to run trials of the drugs for these purposes, and some speculate that GLP-1 drugs could even affect addiction behaviors such as gambling and online shopping. The physician and New Yorker medical correspondent Dhruv Khullar spoke with scientists and patients. “Over the course of my reporting,” he tells David Remnick, “I became more and more bullish on the idea that these are actually going to be really important molecules for the treatment of addiction.” Dhruv Khullar's “Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?” was published on February 9th. New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research spotlights how immigrants may be shaping the health and mortality rates of older Americans. Researchers found that a roughly 25% increase in immigration to the United States could prevent nearly 5,000 deaths among seniors 65 and over. Today, we'll unpack the findings. But first, an ominous tale of AI destruction captured the imagination of the public — and stock market traders.

A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research spotlights how immigrants may be shaping the health and mortality rates of older Americans. Researchers found that a roughly 25% increase in immigration to the United States could prevent nearly 5,000 deaths among seniors 65 and over. Today, we'll unpack the findings. But first, an ominous tale of AI destruction captured the imagination of the public — and stock market traders.

Researcher and investigative powerhouse, Iain Davis, returns to share his findings featured in his recent book, The Technocratic Dark State - a rigorous work documenting the Silicon Valley oligarchs recent capture of the US government. Where is the agenda now? Where does this go? What can we do? Do not miss this thorough and important conversation on the future of "our" coming technocracy. Find Iain: Websites: ⁠https://iaindavis.com⁠ ⁠https://unlimitedhangout.com/author/iain-davis/⁠ Twitter/X: @_InThisTogether Exclusive Content and Ways to Support: Support me on Substack for ad-free content, bonus material, personal chatting and more! https://substack.com/@monicaperezshow Become a PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER on Apple Podcasts for AD FREE episodes and exclusive content! True Hemp Science: https://truehempscience.com/ PROMO CODE: MONICA Find, Follow, Subscribe & Rate on your favorite podcasting platform AND for video and social & more... Website: https://monicaperezshow.com/ Substack: https://substack.com/@monicaperezshow Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/monicaperezshow Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MonicaPerez Twitter/X: @monicaperezshow Instagram: @monicaperezshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Says He's Ready To Send Troops to Mexico NOW! The DEA Investigated Epstein for Smuggling Guns/Drugs For The CIA, Princeton Researchers Have Successfully Measured Humans Emitting ESP Electromagnetic Waves, Trump Set To Address Nation Tonight

It's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: big updates for stem cell and islet transplants, new pen option for Zepbound, an implantable insulin pump moves forward and more! Announcing Community Commericals! Learn how to get your message on the show here. Learn more about studies and research at Thrivable here Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Omnipod - Simplify Life All about Dexcom  T1D Screening info All about VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Episode transcription with links: Welcome! I'm your host Stacey Simms and this is an In The News episode.. where we bringing you the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now. A reminder that you can find the sources and links and a transcript and more info for every story mentioned here in the show notes. Quick reminder: I'm just back from MNO DC and I'm exhausted. But it's the best kind of tired. We had an incredible time – hope you can join us in Nashville. With a reminder that we have our first Club 1921 in Nashville – that's our educational dinner series for HCPs and patient leaders. All the info is over at diabetes-connections.com events/     Okay.. our top story this week: XX An "immune system reset" eliminated Type 1, diabetes in mice in a study conducted at Stanford Medicine without immune suppressant medications. This was a combined transplant of blood stem cells and insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells from a donor whose immune profile did not match the recipient. The dual transplant approach both restored insulin production and retrained the immune system. For the full six months of the experiment, the animals did not need insulin injections or immune suppressive medications. Challenges remain using this approach to treat Type 1 diabetes. Pancreatic islets can be obtained only after death of the donor, and the blood stem cells must come from the same person as the islets. It is also unclear whether the number of islet cells typically isolated from one donor would be enough to reverse established Type 1 diabetes. But the researchers are working on solutions, which could include generating large numbers of islet cells in the laboratory from pluripotent human stem cells, or finding ways to increase the function and survival of transplanted donor islet cells. https://scitechdaily.com/stanford-scientists-cure-type-1-diabetes-in-mice-without-insulin-or-immune-suppression/ XX An electronic implant interlaced with islet cells is being looked at to treat type 1. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine worked with engineers at Harvard University to combine stem-cell biology with soft electronics. They inserted an ultrathin, flexible mesh of conductive wires — thinner than a human hair — into developing pancreatic tissue. As the cells assembled into clusters, the mesh became woven through them. The electronics can record the faint electrical signals produced by the cells that control insulin release. They can also deliver small pulses of electricity back to the cells.   After several days, the cells began to behave more like mature islets. Their internal signalling shifted, neighbouring cells started working in concert and insulin release became stronger and better timed.  Very early on here – and the transplanted cells still need to be protected from being attacked by the immune system. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/first-cyborg-pancreas-implants-type-1-diabetes-nxkv8r0fp?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqeJYYUF9TMR-GgGUG92hPyog-ISeiqGIgdyaaIKKcpvhtoftGiUaaOtQeG0NWI%3D&gaa_ts=699c50d4&gaa_sig=w-PQ0ArosZSznYDSWEzt8aQg4WC0FF5ZFRt9NedO5sSTL2FyWzupH8eSG7RCy2S8TQnlHOeKCudANWm1MNI59w%3D%3D XX Katie Beth (hand) Eledon trial – aaron kowalski post linkedin. Last fall we told you about promising results from Eledon's drug to prevent islet transplantation rejection in type 1 diabetes. The first six patients no longer had to inject or infuse insulin.. the trials continue and this month one of the patients – Katie Beth Hand – began posting about her experiences one month in, on social media, she says she's off basal insulin already and in range 99 percent of the time. She is also encouraging people to learn more about support the islet act https://lnkd.in/e8pQ7_Y7 XX This is a bill introduced last November which would change the wording on pancreatic cell transplants. The problem is that islets are classified as drugs rather than organs, making transplantations difficult for medical teams and centers to preform due to accessibility. Insurance companies are also less likely to provide reimbursements for treatment, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The official Journal of The Transplantation Society estimates the cost at about $140,000. The bill went to the senate committee of Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in early November. No other action has been taken since then. https://www.wtoc.com/2026/02/19/bluffton-family-advocates-islet-act-help-diabetic-son/ XX Big change for the obesity drug Zepbound – now available in the multi dose KwikPen. This is a month's worth of doses in a single pen.. and it's multi dose – you can adjust it. Cash-paying patients can get the multi-dose device, called KwikPen, on the company's direct-to-consumer website, LillyDirect. Prices start at $299 per month for the lowest dose level. Until now, you could only get zepbound in a single dose auto injector or a sing dose vial. In a release, Lilly said the Food and Drug Administration approved a label expansion for Zepbound to include the multi-dose device. The KwikPen is already used for other drugs, such as Lilly's popular diabetes medication, Mounjaro – which is the same medication as zepbound, they're both tirzepitide. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/23/eli-lilly-launches-zepbound-obesity-drug-pen-one-month-doses.html   XX For years, researchers have observed that people who live at high elevations,  tend to develop diabetes less often than those at sea level. Although the trend was well documented, the biological explanation behind it was unclear. Scientists now say they have identified the reason. Their research shows that in low oxygen environments, red blood cells begin absorbing large amounts of glucose from the bloodstream. Their work showed that when oxygen is limited, red blood cells use glucose to generate a molecule that helps release oxygen to tissues. This process becomes especially important when oxygen is in short supply. The researchers also found that the metabolic benefits of prolonged hypoxia lasted for weeks to months after mice were returned to normal oxygen levels. They then evaluated HypoxyStat, a drug recently developed in Jain's lab that mimics low oxygen exposure. HypoxyStat is taken as a pill and works by causing hemoglobin in red blood cells to bind oxygen more tightly, limiting the amount delivered to tissues. In mouse models of diabetes, the medication completely reversed high blood sugar and outperformed existing treatments. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260221060952.htm XX Watching this one closely – Portal Diabetes gets FDA breakthrough device designation for its implantable insulin pump system. This is a system that includes not just a device that's implanted into the abdomen, but also a new, temperature stable insulin. It will work with – quote – "modern" CGM technology with a fully closed loop - and aims to deliver a functional cure for type 1. While reports say Portal's system is the first in the US – there was an implantable pump developed and used by about 500 people worldwide, including about 100 in the US – by MiniMed. Medtronic bought the company and in 2007 they stopped that program. Portal Diabetes expects to begin clinical trials on its combination system around the fourth quarter of 2027. https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/portal-diabetes-fda-breakthrough-implantable-insulin-pump/ XX Sequel Med Tech and Senseonics (NYSE:SENS) today announced the full U.S. launch of their CGM and insulin pump integration. That's the eversense cgm and twist pump. Sequel said its full launch with Eversense 365 makes twiist available with two compatible CGMs. twiist also pairs with the Abbott FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensor. Eversense 365, an implantable system, rests under the skin for the duration of a year. Users can change its external, silicone-based adhesive daily with almost no skin reactions. https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/sequel-senseonics-full-launch-twiist-eversense/ XX Right back with a Dexcom update, and a look at which type of diet reduces insulin use overall.. right after this: -- Back to the news.. Dexcom is watching for expanded Medicare coverage of its continuous glucose monitors to people with Type 2 diabetes who don't take insulin. CEO Jake Leach told investors on Thursday that the company has been "sitting here waiting for a coverage decision" from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dexcom started to see commercial coverage unlock for Type 2, non-insulin users toward the end of last year, Leach said. He expects broader Medicare coverage for that group would allow nearly 12 million people to access CGMs.     In the meantime, the American Diabetes Association updated its guidelines last year to recommend clinicians consider using CGMs for Type 2 diabetes when patients are taking glucose-lowering medications other than insulin. Leach said that real world data the company has been generating supports that decision, and that Dexcom has launched a registry for non-insulin users. https://www.medtechdive.com/news/dexcom-seeks-expanded-medicare-coverage-of-cgms-for-type-2-diabetes/812223/ XX Medtronic's separation of MiniMed is not yet complete.. but continues to move forward. The company has submitted their next pump – MiniMed Flex – to the FDA. This is a pump smaller than the 780G but uses the same reservoirs and infusion sets. It will also work with both the Simplera Sync and Instinct sensors. Medtronic also began a U.S. pivotal study for Vivera, its third-generation algorithm for automated insulin delivery. It also remains set to submit its MiniMed Fit patch pump system to the FDA by the coming fall. https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/medtronic-submits-minimed-flex-fda-q3/ XX A study modelling how genes may influence a child's body mass index over time has found that BMI at age 10 and overall growth rate between ages one and 18 might be important factors, as the two are more likely linked to diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease in later life. Nearly 66,000 BMI measurements from around 6,300 children and adolescents aged one to 18 were analysed to understand the role of genes.     "Future research is needed to help identify the most effective ages to prevent obesity or poor growth for long-term benefit." https://www.ndtv.com/health/bmi-at-age-10-growth-rate-up-to-age-18-are-important-factors-for-diabetes-heart-disease-study-11125146 XX A low-fat vegan diet—without cutting calories or carbs—may help people with type 1 diabetes significantly reduce how much insulin they need. In a new analysis published in BMC Nutrition, participants following the plant-based plan lowered their daily insulin use by 28%, while those on a portion-controlled diet saw no meaningful change. Researchers say the reduced insulin requirement likely reflects improved insulin sensitivity. The original 2024 study reported additional benefits from the vegan diet. Participants lost an average of 11 pounds and showed improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. Cholesterol levels and kidney function also improved among those following the plant-based plan. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260212234212.htm XX Interesting little tidbit from the Winter Olympic Games.. the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was monitoring GLP drug use. An advisory group that makes recommendations about WADA's list of prohibited substances discussed the status of GLP-1 medications, and added semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) to its monitoring program That means patterns of use of these drugs will be tracked both in and out of competition.  The finding will be used to make recommendations about whether GLP-1 agonists should be added to the prohibited list, the spokesperson explained. While GLP-1 drug use is not currently prohibited, that could change before the next Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, he noted. https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/cultureclinic/119770 XX That's it for in the news!

Minneapolis police think a man who fatally shot two of his cousins Monday afternoon on the city's northside was later killed in a confrontation with police in Brooklyn Center.Researchers at the University of Minnesota estimate that rent debt across the state has surged by an additional 30 to 50 million dollars since December.

We're talking about the fascinating link between the mouth and the heart, and how tiny microbes play a big role. Tune to find out what oral health can tell us about overall health.  Special Guest: Dr. Jessica Mark Welch  For more information, show notes and transcripts visit https://www.ada.org/podcast Show Notes  In this episode, we're connecting the dots between the oral microbiome and overall health and talking about the fascinating link between the mouth and the heart, and how tiny microbes play a big role.   Our guest for this episode is Dr. Jessica Mark Welch, a Senior Scientist and Full Professor at the ADA Forsyth Institute in Somerville, MA.  Dr. Mark Welch and her team use both imaging and DNA sequencing approaches to investigate the structure and organization of the oral microbiome. She is co-developer of the Combinatorial Labeling and Spectral Imaging-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (CLASI-FISH) strategy for imaging the spatial organization of microbial communities, with which she and her colleagues have discovered highly organized, complex structures in human dental plaque and on the human tongue. Her group uses DNA sequence data to construct pangenomes of oral microbes and examines metagenomic data to investigate why different bacteria live where they do, and how we can encourage the growth of health-promoting bacteria in the mouth. Dr. Mark Welch curates the Human Oral Microbiome Database to provide the research community with high-quality, curated information about oral bacteria, their genomes, and their distribution throughout the mouth.  Dr. Mark Welch explains her work with oral microbiome, and the connection between heart health and oral health. She shares that the mouth contains hundreds of bacterial species that form distinct communities on teeth (dental plaque) and on the tongue (tongue biofilm). A balanced oral microbiome supports normal metabolism and contributes to blood pressure regulation.  Researchers are investigating why so many different bacterial species coexist in the mouth and how these interdependent microbial communities share metabolic functions to support each other.  Dr. Mark Welch says her research explores how differences in people's mouth bacteria might explain varied responses.  The conversation shifts to the implications of microbiome research for oral health and how a deeper understanding of bacterial communities could eventually influence approaches to patient care.   Resources  Learn more about the research from the ADA Forsyth Science Institute.  See what makes ADA Forsyth® dentech™ the top conference for oral health innovation — find out more.  Stay connected with the ADA on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for the latest industry news, member perks and conversations shaping dentistry.   

Move on orders for the homeless are shifting attention onto enforcement and away from the needs of people trapped on the streets. That is according to a researcher who spends to two days a week on Auckland streets talking to people who are sleeping rough. The coalition plans to give police the power to shift rough sleepers, beggars or disorderly people, as young as 14, in city centres. Researcher from AUT Business School, Cordelia Stewart spoke to Lisa Owen.

A new study from researchers at Northwestern University found that it might be possible to influence your dreams and use them to solve problems creatively.

A new study from Australia shows that tattoos can cause serious eye damage years later. Researchers document 40 new cases of a rare disease — and warn of further health risks that many underestimate. - Eine neue Studie aus Australien zeigt: Tätowierungen können Jahre später zu schweren Augenschäden führen. Forscher dokumentieren 40 neue Fälle einer seltenen Erkrankung – und warnen vor weiteren Gesundheitsrisiken, die viele unterschätzen.

Earlier this month, Oregon Health and Science University released new nationwide data that found low physician participation in Medicaid.  Researchers deemed these physicians “ghost” providers: physicians who are enrolled in Medicaid, but don’t care for even a single patient covered by the federal health insurance program. Those findings also revealed that another third of physicians who are enrolled in Medicaid may be overburdened, with higher-than-average yearly patient volumes. Dr. Jane Zhu, associate professor of medicine at OHSU, joins us with more details.  

Episode 1 of our interview with WWII Battlefield Research and Preservation group President Patrick Murphy. In this episode he discusses how he got involved in crash recovery and his issues dealing with regulations and personalities within Luxembourg.Support the show

Sign Up For Friday Community MeditationsEp 142: A Simple Meditation For Inner PeaceAbout Katie FarinasKatie Farinas is a midlife coach, yoga teacher, and spiritual guide who helps women navigate midlife with clarity, peace, purpose, and empowerment. Through yoga philosophy, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and energy-based practices, Katie supports women in reconnecting with their intuition and stepping fully into their most aligned and authentic selves.✨ Explore Katie's work and offerings:Visit Katie's websiteJoin the newsletter for soulful insightsRead and watch on SubstackBook a reflective Insight SeatSchedule a Clarity Call

Clement Manyathela speaks to Dr Emmaculate Asige Liaga, who is a Researcher with the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa to better understand how the US invaded Somalia and the repercussions of the invasion on the African country. The Clement Manyathela Show is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station, weekdays from 09:00 to 12:00 (SA Time). Clement Manyathela starts his show each weekday on 702 at 9 am taking your calls and voice notes on his Open Line. In the second hour of his show, he unpacks, explains, and makes sense of the news of the day. Clement has several features in his third hour from 11 am that provide you with information to help and guide you through your daily life. As your morning friend, he tackles the serious as well as the light-hearted, on your behalf. Thank you for listening to a podcast from The Clement Manyathela Show. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 09:00 and 12:00 (SA Time) to The Clement Manyathela Show broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/XijPLtJ or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/p0gWuPE Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mary Roach explores the future of 3D-printed organs, explaining how researchers use specialized ink and support gels to recreate complex structures like heart muscles for transplantation. 2

The Supreme Court rules that the President's tariffs are illegal. His response is to sign a ten percent tariff on every country on earth. Former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, retired federal Judge John E. Jones III, and CNN Chief Legal Affairs Paula Reid discuss how that squares with the law. Plus, incredible footage from southern California of surfers and swimmers who often have no idea they're surprisingly close to great white sharks, yet they don't attack.  Researchers are trying to figure out why.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI can make mistakes – and AI chatbots like ChatGPT warn you about that whenever you ask them anything.These mistakes sometimes involve making up entirely fictitious, factually false statements known as “hallucinations”.Whether these hallucinations matter depends on what you're using AI for, and whether they are spotted and corrected.The team on More or Less were slightly surprised to read a headline in Fortune magazine, claiming that a top academic AI conference accepted research papers which contained 100 AI-hallucinated citations.You might think that the top AI researchers in the world would be careful about using AI to write their research papers.Alex Tui, CTO and co-founder of GPTZero – whose company discovered the hallucinations – explains what's going on.CREDITS: Presenter and producer: Tom Colls Sound mix: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Editor: Richard Vadon

What’s Trending: A taco shop in west Seattle that was broken into, iPads were taken and sentimental value was also lost. Dem Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is calling out Democrats for refusing to attend President Trump’s State of the Union Address. There are numerous kids that are suspending their students that walk out and join the ICE protests during school hours. The Portland Public School District is being sued over issues with discrimination, Vice President and Legal Fellow at Defending Education joins the show to talk more about it. // Big Local: There is a new policy being proposed in Thurston County for people who want to sell their home; you will need to get your home graded for its energy efficiency. Researchers at WSU are trying to uncover the secret behind the skin of pigs and they want to try and create regenerative skin tissue for humans. // Jake Skorheim joins the show to talk about the Epstein files and how this shakes up the dynamic between the Royal Family with the possibility that Price Andrew gave up classified information. 

When it comes to our health and well-being, something's missing from the checklist. Sure, we've got to get enough sleep, eat healthfully, exercise, and socialize. But one thing rarely makes the list – the arts. Singing. Dancing. Drawing. Visiting a museum. Going to a concert. Researchers are finding that these activities are not only entertaining, but they impact health and longevity in incredibly positive ways. One of the most important researchers behind this work is Daisy Fancourt, author of the book, Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives. She shares powerful research findings, along with steps we can take to inject more of the arts into our lives. Daisy introduces us to a new frontier for improved health and longevity – the arts. For too long overlooked and underestimated. Episode Links Is 2026 the ‘Seatbelt Moment' for the Arts? Art Could Save Your Life! Five Creative Ways to Make 2026 Happier, Healthier and More Hopeful Interview with Julia Hotz, author of The Connection Cure The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

This episode covers: • Microplastics Are Destroying Male Fertility and Metabolism New research is putting microplastics in a category most men still are not taking seriously: direct reproductive and hormone risk. A 2024 study detected microplastics in every human testicle examined, with polyethylene and PVC among the most common polymers. PVC is especially relevant because it's often tied to chemical additives that can disrupt endocrine signaling. The broader body of evidence points to micro- and nanoplastics crossing barriers like the blood–testis barrier, driving inflammation and oxidative stress in the testes, and showing associations with impaired sperm quality and hormone disruption. The longevity move here is reducing overall load: better water filtration, less plastic food contact, no heating food in plastic, fewer packaged foods, and taking indoor dust and air quality seriously, especially for men thinking about fertility now or hormone resilience over decades. • Sources: – Study (PubMed): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38745431/ – Coverage: https://people.com/microplastics-in-every-human-testicle-infertility-8651215 • Fear of Aging Is Linked to Faster Biological Aging A new study ties aging anxiety to measurable acceleration in biological aging using DNA methylation clocks. People who reported more worry and negative beliefs about aging showed faster epigenetic aging signals, and the molecular differences clustered around stress and inflammatory pathways. In plain terms, chronic threat-mode thinking around aging maps onto biology that looks older on the clocks. For a longevity audience, this is a practical reminder that mental inputs affect physiological outputs. If your day-to-day mindset is constant pressure and decline narratives, that can show up downstream in stress biology and inflammatory tone. A smarter play is building a longevity framework around function, strength, purpose, and community, alongside the usual pillars like sleep, training, and metabolic health. • Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-older-links-health-faster-epigenetic.html • Additional source: https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2026/february/aging-anxiety.html • Retatrutide, the Triple-Agonist Weight-Loss Drug Pushing Bariatric-Level Results Retatrutide is a triple agonist that targets GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors, and the weight-loss numbers being reported are massive. In a 68-week study in people with obesity and knee osteoarthritis, the highest dose group averaged about 28.7% body-weight loss, along with meaningful improvements in knee pain and function. This is the next phase of incretin medicine: multi-agonist drugs that can move body weight by a quarter or more. For biohackers, the performance and longevity angle is implementation: preserving lean mass through resistance training, hitting protein targets, monitoring micronutrients, and building a maintenance plan that doesn't collapse the moment the drug stops. The upside is cardiometabolic risk reduction at scale. The key is running it with structure. • Sources: – Eli Lilly release: https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-triple-agonist-retatrutide-delivered-weight-loss-average – Coverage: https://nypost.com/2026/02/18/health/people-dropped-out-of-retatrutide-trial-for-losing-too-much-weight/ – Background: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2026/02/whats-next-for-glp-1s/ • AI Can Predict 130 Diseases From a Single Night of Sleep Stanford's SleepFM project shows how much long-horizon health information is encoded in sleep. Researchers trained a foundation model on roughly 585,000 hours of clinical polysomnography data from about 65,000 people. From a single night of sleep study signals, the model could estimate risk for 130 conditions, including dementia, heart attack, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and all-cause mortality, and it generalized across cohorts better than simple demographic baselines. The big implication is that sleep architecture and micro-patterns (stage distribution, fragmentation, breathing stability, micro-arousals) function like a dense biomarker stream for systemic aging and disease risk. Expect better sensors and more validated risk dashboards over time. Right now, this is another reason to treat sleep as a core diagnostic pillar, not just a recovery habit. • Sources: – Stanford Medicine: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/01/ai-sleep-disease.html – Paper (Nature Medicine): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-04133-4 • Living at High Altitude May Protect Against Diabetes by Turning Red Blood Cells Into Glucose Sinks For years, population data has suggested lower diabetes rates at higher elevations. New mechanistic work is pointing to a surprising driver: red blood cells changing how they handle glucose under low oxygen conditions. In hypoxia, red blood cells can behave like glucose sinks, pulling more sugar out of circulation and improving glucose tolerance, which may help explain the protective association seen at altitude. The downstream potential is a new class of altitude-mimetic approaches that target erythrocyte metabolism as a glucose lever, separate from appetite suppression or classic diabetes pathways. For biohackers, it expands the metabolic toolkit and reinforces that oxygen environment and blood physiology matter more than we've given them credit for. • Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-red-blood-cells-sugar-high.html • Dietary Supplement Regulatory Uniformity Act and the Future of Supplement Access A proposed bill is aiming to stop states from layering extra rules on dietary supplements beyond federal law, creating one national standard instead of a patchwork of state-by-state restrictions. Industry groups are supporting it as a way to reduce confusion and compliance chaos, especially as some states explore age limits or special labeling requirements for certain supplement categories. The strategic implication for biohackers is that regulation shapes access. Uniformity can stabilize availability, but it also raises the stakes of federal decisions on controversial ingredients. This is one of those policy stories that quietly determines what stays on shelves, what disappears, and how much innovation survives in the supplement space. • Sources: – NutritionInsight: https://www.nutritioninsight.com/news/npa-crn-supplements-us-fda-legislation.html – Congressional release: https://langworthy.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-langworthy-introduces-dietary-supplement-regulatory-uniformity-act – NutraIngredients: https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2026/02/05/new-bill-aims-to-end-state-supplement-regulations/ All source links are provided for direct access to the original reporting and research. New episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Keywords: microplastics male fertility, microplastics testosterone decline, blood–testis barrier toxins, endocrine disruption plastics, sperm count microplastics, epigenetic age acceleration, fear of aging methylation, biological aging mindset, stress inflammation aging, retatrutide triple agonist, GLP-1 GIP glucagon weight loss, incretin drugs obesity treatment, muscle preservation on GLP-1, SleepFM AI model, sleep disease prediction, polysomnography risk scoring, dementia risk sleep data, altitude diabetes protection, hypoxia glucose metabolism, red blood cells glucose uptake, altitude mimetic therapy, Dietary Supplement Regulatory Uniformity Act, supplement regulation federal preemption, FDA supplement policy, biohacking news longevity, metabolic health optimization Thank you to our sponsors! - HeartMath | Go to https://www.heartmath.com/dave to save 15% off. - BrainTap | Go to http://braintap.com/dave to get $100 off the BrainTap Power Bundle. Resources: • Get My 2026 Biohacking Trends Report: https://daveasprey.com/2026-biohacking-trends-report/ • Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today. • Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15 • My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off) • Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off) • Dave Asprey's BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com • Dave Asprey's New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated • Join My Substack (Live Access To Podcast Recordings): https://substack.daveasprey.com/ • Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 0:19 – Story 1: Microplastics in Testicles 1:44 – Story 2: Fear of Aging Accelerates Aging 3:30 – Story 3: Retatrutide Weight Loss Drug 4:42 – Story 4: Sleep Predicts Disease Risk 6:34 – Story 5: High Altitude & Diabetes 7:57 – Story 6: Supplement Regulation Bill 9:16 – Weekly Summary 10:51 – Outro See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dutch authorities warn Russia is escalating hybrid operations across Europe. Ransomware shuts down the University of Mississippi Medical Center. PayPal notifies customers of a data breach. The FBI says ATM jackpotting is on the rise. An FBI confidential informant had a hand in online fentanyl sales. TrustConnect malware masquerades as a legitimate remote monitoring and management tool. Researchers uncover the first Android malware to integrate generative AI. A critical zero-day hits Grandstream VOIP phones. The IRS slashes IT staff and technology executives. Our guest is James Turgal, a 22-year FBI vet and VP of global cyber risk and board relations at Optiv, discussing the latest wave of tax scams and IRS fraud. DOGE dudes deliver DEI deathblows. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Today we are joined by James Turgal, a 22-year FBI vet and VP of global cyber risk and board relations at Optiv, discussing the latest wave of tax scams and IRS fraud. Selected Reading Russia stepping up hybrid attacks, preparing for long standoff with West, Dutch intelligence warns (The Record) University of Mississippi Medical Center Suffers Cyberattack, Closes All Clinics, Cancels Services (Mississippi Free Press) PayPal discloses data breach that exposed user info for 6 months (Bleeping Computer) FBI: Over $20 million stolen in surge of ATM malware attacks in 2025 (Bleeping Computer) An FBI ‘Asset' Helped Run a Dark Web Site That Sold Fentanyl-Laced Drugs for Years (WIRED) (Don't) TrustConnect: It's a RAT in an RMM hat (Proofpoint US) PromptSpy ushers in the era of Android threats using GenAI (We Live Security) CVE-2026-2329: Critical Unauthenticated Stack Buffer Overflow in Grandstream GXP1600 VoIP Phones (FIXED) (Rapid 7) DOGE bites taxman (The Register) DOGE Bro's Grant Review Process Was Literally Just Asking ChatGPT ‘Is This DEI?' (Techdirt) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new investigative report reveals known Chinese Communist Party members and military-linked researchers working inside sensitive U.S. university programs tied to defense research, AI, nuclear science, and drone warfare. In this interview, I speak with Tom Jones of the American Accountability Foundation about how visa programs, academic partnerships, and research funding are likely enabling technology transfer to China — often openly and legally. We discuss the national security implications policymakers aren't addressing. This isn't cyber-espionage. According to the report, it's happening through the front door with our suicidal visa policies. Despite the obvious national security threat, federal agencies and state-level flagship universities continue to fund labs run by foreign nationals developing drone swarm software, nuclear engineering, and AI capabilities that directly benefit the People's Liberation Army. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyiv's chief negotiator describes US-mediated negotiations with Russia as difficult and complex, but says there has been progress. Also: European football authorities investigate claims of racism in the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Benfica. Investigators looking into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie say they believe she is being held somewhere close to her home in Arizona. Researchers in Britain assess the threat from the Chikungunya virus in the Asian tiger mosquito, saying it could spread across Europe. The internet page showing the first ever YouTube video is saved for posterity by London's Victoria and Albert Museum. And excitement builds ahead of the debut of Skimo at the Winter Olympics in Italy. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk