Mind & Matter

Weekly science podcast by neuroscientist Nick Jikomes, PhD. Long-form interviews with researchers on the brain, nutrition, metabolism, drugs and aging. Not medical advice. At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it. As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet. I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint. My beliefs:

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Every guest on Mind & Matter

280 guests, ranked by how many people never want them back.

1. —
   Rebecca Haeusler

   Half Your Cholesterol Exits as Bile Acids, and Diabetes Alters Them | Rebecca Haeusler | 282 · Feb 2026

   0 votes

   Never again
2. —
   Reggie Gaudino

   A Study Found 28% THC Didn't Feel Stronger Than 22 to 25% | Reggie Gaudino | 53 · Jan 2022

   0 votes

   Never again
3. —
   Richard Bazinet

   Brain DHA Builds Up Early, Then Plateaus by About Age Two | Richard Bazinet | 165 · Jul 2024

   0 votes

   Never again
4. —
   Richard Cytowic

   Heavy Screen Use Can Cause Autism-Like Symptoms That Fade Offline | Richard Cytowic | 187 · Nov 2024

   0 votes

   Never again
5. —
   Richard Weller

   Sunlight Lowers Blood Pressure Through Nitric Oxide, Not Vitamin D | Richard Weller | 104 · Jan 2023

   0 votes

   Never again
6. —
   Robert Fosbury

   Near-Infrared Sunlight Helps Your Mitochondria Make Energy | Robert Fosbury | 242 · Jul 2025

   0 votes

   Never again
7. —
   Rosemary Bagot

   Early-Life Stress Can Tune How Strongly You React to Stress Later | Rosemary Bagot | 191 · Nov 2024

   0 votes

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8. —
   Rusty Gage

   Isolation Nearly Halted New Neuron Growth in Mice. Novelty Restarted It | Rusty Gage | 110 · Mar 2023

   0 votes

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9. —
   Ryan Gumpper

   Swap One Atom in LSD and You Get a Drug That Isn't Psychoactive | Ryan Gumpper | 102 · Jan 2023

   0 votes

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10. —
    Ryan Vandrey

    Two Buds From One Plant Don't Share One Chemical Profile | Ryan Vandrey | 152 · Apr 2024

    0 votes

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11. —
    Sam Banister

    His Startup Bets Shorter-Acting Psychedelics Are the Fastest to Clinics | Sam Banister | 79 · Jul 2022

    0 votes

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12. —
    Saoirse O'Sullivan

    Swallowed Cannabinoids Deliver Only About 10% to Your Bloodstream | Saoirse O'Sullivan | 41 · Oct 2021

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13. —
    Sara Nowinski

    Disrupting How Mitochondria Make Fat Impairs Blood Sugar Control | Sara Nowinski | 263 · Nov 2025

    0 votes

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14. —
    Sarah Otto

    The Alpha Variant Likely Evolved Inside One Chronically Infected Person | Sarah Otto | 32 · Aug 2021

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15. —
    Scott Soleimanpour

    Only 1 in 5 Overweight People Get Type 2 Diabetes. Here's Why | Scott Soleimanpour | 213 · Mar 2025

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16. —
    Scott Zimmerman

    Near-Infrared Sunlight Penetrates Skin and Skull, Reaching the Brain | Scott Zimmerman | 146 · Mar 2024

    0 votes

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17. —
    Sean Hartig

    Brown Fat Burns Energy. Most of Your Fat Just Stores It | Sean Hartig | 174 · Aug 2024

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18. —
    Sherwood Brown

    A Brain Steroid Showed Antidepressant Effects in Bipolar Disorder | Sherwood Brown | 293 · May 2026

    0 votes

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19. —
    Shruti Naik

    Cells Remember Past Inflammation by Keeping Stress Genes Open | Shruti Naik | 82 · Aug 2022

    0 votes

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20. —
    Stephanie Daws

    A Single Psilocybin Dose Reduced Heroin Seeking in Rats | Stephanie Daws | 280 · Feb 2026

    0 votes

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21. —
    Stephen O'Rahilly

    GDF15, Morning Sickness & Mitochondrial Stress | Stephen O'Rahilly | Episode 311 · Nov 2026

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22. —
    Stephen Sideroff

    Resilience Is Built From Skills You Can Practice | Stephen Sideroff | 156 · May 2024

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23. —
    Stephen Simpson

    Diets Under 15% Protein Made People Overeat | Stephen Simpson & David Raubenheimer | 106 · Feb 2023

    0 votes

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24. —
    Steven Laviolette

    Blocking a Brain Fat Carrier May Ease Anxiety Without Addiction | Steven Laviolette | 234 · 2 episodes

    0 votes

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25. —
    Steven Rofrano

    Crisco Began as a Use for Cottonseed, a Cotton Industry Waste | Steven Rofrano | 194 · Sep 2024

    0 votes

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26. —
    Terence Capellini

    Hundreds of Tiny DNA Switches Reshaped the Human Pelvis | Terence Capellini | 258 · Oct 2025

    0 votes

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27. —
    Thomas Weimbs

    High Protein Doesn't Hurt Healthy Kidneys. That's a Myth | Thomas Weimbs | 186 · Nov 2024

    0 votes

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28. —
    Tim Yeatman

    Colon Tumors Carry Inflammation That Never Switches Off | Tim Yeatman & Ganesh Halade | 200 · Dec 2024

    0 votes

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29. —
    Timothy Ryan

    Neurons Burn Fat for Fuel, Overturning a Long-Held Brain Dogma | Timothy Ryan | 241 · Jul 2025

    0 votes

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30. —
    Tobias Egner

    Multitasking Is Mostly an Illusion. Your Brain Just Switches Tasks | Tobias Egner | 130 · Nov 2023

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31. —
    Tommaso Di Ianni

    Naltrexone Altered Ketamine's Brain Effects in Male Rats Only | Tommaso Di Ianni | 147 · Mar 2024

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32. —
    Uffe Ravnskov

    LDL Cholesterol Binds Bacteria. Is Lowering It Always Good? | Uffe Ravnskov | 247 · Aug 2025

    0 votes

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33. —
    Victoria Vieira-Potter

    Why Women Gain Belly Fat After Menopause | Victoria Vieira-Potter | 279 · Feb 2026

    0 votes

    Never again
34. —
    Vijay Yadav

    Daily Taurine From Middle Age Extended Mouse Lifespan 10 to 12% | Vijay Yadav | 122 · Aug 2023

    0 votes

    Never again
35. —
    Vlad Vyazovskiy

    Scientists Still Don't Know Why Animals Sleep | Vlad Vyazovskiy | 202 · Jan 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
36. —
    Will de Lartigue

    Sugar and Fat Activate Separate Sets of Vagus Nerve Cells | Will de Lartigue | 143 · Mar 2024

    0 votes

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37. —
    William Banks

    What we're getting WRONG about the "leaky" aging brain | William Banks | 300 · Jul 2026

    0 votes

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38. —
    William Parker

    Does Acetaminophen Trigger Autism in Susceptible Babies? | William Parker | 248 · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
39. —
    Ying-Hui Fu

    Some People Thrive on 4-6 Hours of Sleep. Their Genes Explain Why | Ying-Hui Fu | 239 · Jul 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
40. —
    Zach Mainen

    Serotonin Got Tied to Mood by Antidepressants, Not by Discovery, He Says | Zach Mainen | 98 · Nov 2022

    0 votes

    Never again