by Dawn Kernagis and Ken Ford
The most interesting people in the world of science and technology
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
6/21/2016
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 9, 2025
Planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee discusses NASA's lunar and Mars missions with STEM-Talk host Dr. Ken Ford, revealing the strategic importance of a Moon base in this interview.
March 5, 2025
Today we have JP Errico, a scientist and inventor whose work focuses on neuroimmunology and the many ways it impacts cellular metabolism, inflammation, mental health and how we age. He recently joined IHMC as a Senior Research Scientist. JP is particularly known for his research on vagus-nerve stimulation and is the author of the book, The Vagus-Immune Connection: Harness Your Vagus Nerve to Manage Stress, Prevent Immune Dysregulation, and Avoid Chronic Disease. He also is the co-host of the podcast, The Health Upgrade. JP has more than 250 patents and is the founder of ElectroCore, a company that specializes in neuromodulation and noninvasive vagus-nerve stimulation. He has an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked at Lincoln Laboratories. JP also holds graduate degrees in both law and mechanical/materials engineering from Duke University. Show notes: [00:03:08] Tim opens our interview mentioning that as a child JP was focused on both sports and academics. [00:04:50] Tim talks about how hard it is to find quality math and science education today similar to what JP experienced at his high school. [00:05:16] Tim asks JP what it was that led him to pursue an undergraduate degree at MIT. [00:05:53] Tim asks if it was always JP’s plan to go into aeronautical engineering. [00:07:22] Tim mentions that as a kid, JP would scour bookstores and libraries for textbooks on physics and quantum mechanics and asks JP if there were any books that particularly inspired him. [00:10:12] Ken mentions that after MIT, JP went to Duke University where he pursued mechanical engineering and also went to law school. Given this workload, Ken asks if JP ever had any free time while studying at Duke. [00:13:26] Tim mentions that while JP was in law school, he got a job at a patent firm. After obtaining his law degree, JP’s uncle called and offered JP an opportunity. [00:17:42] Tim explains that JP’s career has focused on neuroimmunology, or the study of how the nervous system and immune system interact. Neuroimmunology affects a wide range of health factors including inflammation, mental health and aging. Tim also explains that JP has recently authored a book on neuroimmunology titled “The Vagus Immune Connection: Harness Your Vagus Nerve to Manage Stress, Prevent Immune Dysregulation and Avoid Chronic Disease.” Tim asks JP to touch on the key features of neuroimmunology that people should be aware of. [00:21:59] Tim asks JP to touch on the epigenetic factors regarding neuroimmunology. [00:25:01] Since JP brought up Dr. Kevin Tracey’s work, Ken mentions that Kevin was recently interviewed on STEM-Talk episode 172 and encourages listeners to listen to that episode for more context on the vagus nerve and neuroimmunology. [00:25:48] JP talks about how he stumbled upon the idea of how stimulating a nerve may have the same clinical benefit that sometimes occurs as a result of cutting a nerve. [00:28:16] Tim talks about the unintended consequences he observed as surgeon when he cut a patient’s vagus nerve. [00:30:50] Ken mentions that another area where JP has had impact with respect to stimulating the vagus nerve is the treatment of asthma and asks JP to talk about his findings in this area. [00:40:10] Tim notes that after JP knew that non-invasive approaches to vagus-nerve stimulation were possible, he went on to optimize a delivery device. These efforts resulted in a device called gamaCore. Tim asks JP to talk about this device and how it works. [00:43:27] Tim asks JP to talk about what it feels like for patients to have their vagus nerve stimulated. [00:44:50] Ken asks if JP thinks that his and others’ work in vagus-nerve stimulation inspired the development of similar devices for orthopedic pain, where the device is implanted near the nerve on the knee or other area experiencing pain.
February 5, 2025
Today we have Dr. Karl Herrup, a neurobiologist known for his investigations into the roles that DNA damage and noncoding genetic variants have in Alzheimer’s disease. Joining Ken today to interview Karl is Dr. Tommy Wood, a visiting scientist here at IHMC. Tommy also is an associate professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at the University of Washington, where he focuses on brain health across lifespan. He has been our guest several times on STEM-Talk and we will have links to those interviews in our show notes for today’s episode. After more than a century of research, the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s remains a mystery. For the past few decades, the leading theory has been the amyloid cascade hypothesis, which proposes that abnormal amyloid plaques in the brain are the central cause of the disease. Today we talk to Karl about his lab and research as well as his view that the amyloid cascade hypothesis is not only flawed, but also could be holding back research for a cure of Alzheimer’s. A professor of neurobiology and an investigator in the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Herrup is the author of How Not to Study a Disease: The Story of Alzheimer’s. Show notes: [00:03:50] Wood asks Karl what he was like as a kid to open the interview. [00:04:36] Tommy asks Karl about his educational environment growing up. [00:05:10] Ken mentions that Karl went to Brandies University originally with the intent of becoming a physician and asks Karl what happened to change his mind. [00:06:14] Ken asks Karl if it is true that his father was disappointed with Karl’s decision to abandon medical school in favor of genetics. [00:07:02] Tommy mentions that Karl began researching genetics in the late 1960s when researchers were just beginning to unravel the secrets of DNA. Tommy asks Karl to discuss why this was such an exciting time to study genetics. [00:08:38] Tommy asks Karl what prompted him to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. [00:11:34] Continuing on the theme of happy accidents, Ken asks if it was also an accident that led to Karl moving to Switzerland for a second post-doc. [00:12:36] Ken asks Karl to expound on his experience taking an overseas post-doc, which was not a common practice in the 1970s. [00:14:11] Ken mentions that Karl has seemed to benefit in his life from the combination of preparation and the willingness to explore opportunities that present themselves. [00:15:00] Tommy mentions that when Karl arrived back in the US from Switzerland, he accepted a faculty position at Yale and asks him to discuss this experience. [00:17:06] Tommy mentions that after Yale, Karl had several faculty appointments, including a seven-year stint in Hong Kong, and asks Karl to talk about that experience. [00:21:36] Tommy asks Karl why, in 2019, he moved back to his hometown to become a professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh and co-investigator at the university’s Alzheimer’s research center. [00:24:45] Ken asks Karl to talk about his lab at the University of Pittsburgh, which focuses on the biology of neurodegeneration. [00:26:32] Ken asks Karl if there was anything specific that caused him to shift his focus at this stage in his career so heavily towards Alzheimer’s research. [00:28:21] Tommy comments on Karl’s hypothesis of the aging brain, noting that it would make sense for the same processes involved in the developing brain to relate to what we see in the aging brain, as these processes are continuous throughout the lifespan. [00:29:54] Tommy pivots to talk about Karl’s book, entitled “How Not to Study a Disease: The Story of Alzheimer’s” for which Karl interviewed a number of experts and colleagues, asking each one to define Alzheimer’s disease in their own words. [00:30:51] Tommy reiterates the point that we still do not have a universally accepted definition of Alzheimer’s disease and asks Karl why...
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