The Gastronauts Podcast

Episode 40: An Appetite for Discovery

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Dr. Ranier Gutierrez is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at CINVESTAV in Mexico City. His life’s work is centered around the basic human need to control our appetite. (For food that is, there is no need to control your appetite for discovery!!! 😉) In his laboratory, they use cutting edge technology to to read minds as the subject eats in order to better understand what is the circuitry that connects feeding to joy.

Episode 39: The Motivation Matrix

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Dr. Michael Krashes is a Senior Investigator at the NIDDK in the NIH. His laboratory is on a mission to decipher the wiring diagram for hunger. His current work seeks to uncover the secrets behind our most primal instincts for survival, such as, the oscillating interactions between self-preservation and food-seeking to optimize behavior. His research is shedding light on the intricate mechanisms that govern our relationship with food.

Episode 38: The Bloodthirsty Brain

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Dr. Laura Duvall (Columbia) investigates the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mosquito behavior, including the regulation of host-seeking after blood-feeding, circadian and seasonal biting rhythms, and mating behavior. She employs pharmacological and genetic approaches to uncover the neuropeptide pathways and anatomical circuits involved in these behavioral switches, shedding light on fundamental questions regarding mosquito biology. The laboratory also works to address the signaling mechanisms responsible for inhibiting re-mating and preventing interspecies mating, crucial for understanding reproductive strategies and interspecies competition among mosquitoes.

Episode 37: Targeting Visceral Pain

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Dr. Scott Waldman's research at Thomas Jefferson University explores the mechanisms underlying visceral pain and how neuropod cells communicate with innervating spinal neurons. His work focuses on the role of the specific protein GUCY2C as a mediator of activity and a potential therapeutic target for treatment.

Episode 36: Survival Signal Showdown

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Dr. Nick Betley's work at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on how hypothalamic circuits are regulated to influence food intake. On the podcast, we discuss the integration of pain and hunger in hunger circuits—examining when pain outweighs hunger and vice versa.

Episode 35: To Sense or Not To Sense

Mon, 13 May 2024 09:00:00 -0400

The 2023 Bite Size Summit, featuring four amazing early career scientists, Drs. Servin-Vences, Scavuzzo, Lough and Biswas, who study biological sensors for stretch, the functions of glial cells and the fascinating development of senses or lack thereof!

Episode 34: Tasting the World

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 10:00:00 -0400

Dr. Greg Suh explores the fascinating world of how brains process external stimuli and generate behavioral responses. Using the fruit fly and advanced genetic tools, his group at KAIST investigates the neural substrates behind innate behaviors. They're also delving into the identification of internal sensors for nutritional value in both fruit flies and mice, shedding light on how mammals perceive and respond to nutrients.

Episode 33: Science of Sour

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0500

Emily Liman, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California. Dr. Liman is a world-renowned sensory neurobiologist who has advanced our understanding of taste perception through her groundbreaking discoveries including that of the OTOP channel—a key player in our ability to perceive the sour taste of a juicy lemon.

Episode 32: The Psychedelic Synapse

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Andrea Gomez, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Berkeley. Andrea’s laboratory seeks to understand the mysteries of the mind at the intersection of psychedelics and plasticity. The laboratory uncovers how these trippy compounds shake up our synaptic playground by using a combination of molecular biology, functional imaging, and slice electrophysiology to understand neural plasticity in neural degeneration and the potential therapeutic use of the active components in psychedelics.

Episode 31: A Plant-Based Future

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Join our conversation with Ilya Raskin, famous for his work on plant growth regulation, plant immunity to diseases, phytoremediation, and, in the last decade, for his research in plant-derived functional foods and medicines. He is also actively involved in international bioexploration, conservation and is an amazing photographer!

Episode 30: Intestinal Inflammation Interface

Fri, 26 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Join us in our chat with Dr. Brian Gulbransen, from Michigan State University. His laboratory studies how inflammation in the nervous system leads to long-term changes in gastrointestinal function; and how glia, immune cells and the neurons in the gut communicate.

Episode 29: The Unseen Controllers

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 09:00:00 -0400

Dr. Maude David is an Assistant Professor at Oregon State University. Her laboratory studies the microbial gut-brain connection, and how microbes impact behavior, specifically in Autism Spectrum Disorder and anxiety.

Episode 28: Engineering Cyborgs

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Join us in our talk with the amazing Dr. Greg Gage, CEO and co-founder of Backyard Brains, an engineer and neuroscientist designing open-source tools to bring advanced neuroscience into classrooms and designing robots that help us understand how neurons produce behavior.

Episode 27: Wiggle the Mind

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 08:00:00 -0500

Join us in our talk with Dr. Polina Anikeeva, a material scientist and engineer leading a group at MIT that develops cutting-edge devices to understand and modulate the brain and other body systems.

Episode 26: Carve Your Path

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Our very own 2022 Bite Size Summit, featuring four amazing early career scientists studying the brain-body connection and the effects of microbiome and diet across different species, join us in our conversation with doctors Valerie Darcey, Aki Ohdera, Nikki Pelot and Shawn Spencer.

Episode 25: Follow Your Nose

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500

The road to scientific discovery is never a straight line, join our conversation with Dr. Heidi de Wet from Oxford, a researcher of the mechanisms of blood sugar and body weight regulation.

Episode 24: Good Vibes Only

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0500

What do sensory deprivation tanks and therapeutic ingestible vibrating pills have in common? Learn about your "gut feelings" and interoception with Sahib Khalsa, M.D., Ph.D. of the Laureate Institute of Brain Research.

Episode 23: Monarch Butterfly, M.D.

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Dr. De Roode is a Professor of Biology at Emory University. He is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on monarch butterflies. His team is documenting how these beautiful creatures use plants for self-medication to treat themselves and their offspring against parasites.

Episode 22: Squirrels In Space

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Tune into our talk with Dr. Eleva Gracheva on how studying the hibernation of ground squirrels can lead us to new insights about our own health and eating disorders, and in the future, help us create new tools for deep-sea diving and space exploration.

Episode 21: Sharing Your Vision

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0400

The Gastronauts podcast is back with Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Temple Grandin. Tune in to learn about finding your voice and sharing your vision.

Episode 20: Tackling Your Uncertainty

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:00:00 -0400

In this session, we invite Dr. Nick Betley, an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Dan Drucker, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto to share their thoughts on research. We talk about how signals from the gut communicate with areas in the brain to direct us towards what we want to eat. And along the way discuss of the importance of acknowledging how science is ever-changing.

Episode 19: Forming Gut Circuits

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0400

In this session, we invite Dr. Piali Sengupta, a Professor of Biology at Brandeis University and Dr. Bryan Gulbransen an Associate Professor of Physiology at Michigan State University, to share their thoughts on how the bacteria and viruses that can get in our gut affect our body as well as how the research that they do affects their day-to-day lives.

Episode 18: Our Greatest Challenge

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 07:00:00 -0400

In this virtual Bite Size Summit, we have a panel of four incredible scientists who have all recently published some fascinating research findings. We have Dr. Kara Marshall from Scripps Research, Dr. Dafni Hadjieconomou from Imperial College London, Dr. Marcelo Zimmer from Yale and the Federal University of Rio, and Dr. Yuuki Obata from the Crick Institute of London. They share their perspectives on the greatest challenges facing scientists, science communication, and how they made their career choices.

Episode 17: What Bugs Us

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0400

In this session, we invite Dr. Mary Estes, a distinguished professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Dylan Dodd an Assistant Professor at Stanford University, to share their thoughts on how the bacteria and viruses that can get in our gut affect our body as well as how the research that they do affects their day-to-day lives.

Episode 16: Tracking Our Behavior

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 04:00:00 -0500

In our second virtual session, we invite Dr. Michael Krashes, an Section Chief at the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Yulong Li, a Professor at Peking University, to share their thoughts on the latest and greatest tools to use in behavioral tracking and molecular biology as well as the importance of finding successful role models in research.

Episode 15: Shaping Our Appetite

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 16:00:00 -0400

In the first episode of our virtual format, we invite Dr. Lisa Beutler, an Assistant Professor from Northwestern School of Medicine, and Dr. Anthony Sclafani, a Professor from Brooklyn College, to share their thoughts about what shapes our appetite as well as the importance of continuing to grow and adapt in science.

Season 3 Teaser

Sun, 04 Oct 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Hope everyone has been doing well! We've been making some changes and are excited to share them with you on our next season of Gastronauts, coming to you on October 20th, 2020.

Episode 14: Developing A Connection

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Dr. Kaltschmidt, an associate professor at Stanford University talks to us about her research on how neuronal circuits form as well as what she thinks is important to getting to the essence of science.

Episode 13: Curb Your Consumption

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Dr. Kanoski, an associate professor from the University of Southern California, tells us about how the a region of the brain thought to be involved in memory plays a role in food consumption and energy regulation and how he's focused his lab on several distinct projects aimed at uncovering what regulates our eating.

Food 3.0: The Future of Food

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 09:00:00 -0400

In this special episode, we have a recording from a prior Zoomside Chat around the future of food, featuring: Drs Giles Yeo, Darren Logan and Laura Boykin.

Episode 12: Mind The Microbes

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we focus on the tiny critters that reside in our gut: the microbiome. We continue our double-header by talking to Dr. Carlotta Ronda from Columbia University on microbial engineering and Dr. Martina Sgritta from Baylor College of Medicine on bacteria that can influence our sociability.

Why We Self-Medicate

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 07:00:00 -0400

In this special episode, we have a recording from a prior Zoomside Chat around why we self-medicate.

Episode 11: Jumpstart Your Career

Tue, 19 May 2020 08:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we talk to two rising stars in their fields. Dr. Natale Sciolino from the NIEHS tells us about her research on the locus coeruleus and how some cells in here may play a role in feeding behaviors. Dr. Sofia Axelrod from Rockefeller University tells us about circadian rhythms and the importance of timing with regards to both eating and sleeping.

Episode 10: Food For Thought

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Dr. Schwartz is a Profesor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He shares a career on studying how we make sense of what we eat starting from taste and moving to the gut. Along the way we get some advice on how to seek out collaborative opportunities and improve both our writing as well as our evaluation of science.

Episode 9: Beyond The Hypothesis

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Dr. Clevers is the director of research at the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology and a professor of molecular genetics at Utrecht University. He shares his journey, how he thinks about science, and why he uses animations to help explain his work.

Episode 8: Translating Disease Models

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 22:00:00 -0500

Dr. Bayrer is an Assistant Professor in Gastroenterology at the University of California, San Francisco. He shares his experiences as both a physician and scientist and how we have developed models to study intestinal disease and how we can optimize our time to make the most of our work.

Episode 7: Developing Our Creativity

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 08:00:00 -0500

Dr. Wu is the Ferdinand G. Weisbrod Professor in Gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania. He shares his experiences as both a physician and scientist and how we can develop the skills to think creatively and communicate effectively.

Episode 6: Inventing The Inventor

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 09:00:00 -0400

In our final episode of season one, we chat with Dr. Nancy Allbritton, the new dean of University of Washington's College of Engineering (at the time of the interview, she was the chair of biomedical engineering at both UNC Chapel Hill and NC State). Dr. Allbritton shares with us her enormous wealth of knowledge from what makes a trainee successful to how she uses gizmos and gadgets to create a model of the human intestine to how one becomes a successful company founder.

Episode 5: Trust Your Gut

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode we talk with Dr. Michel Neunlist from the University of Nantes about the nerves that reside in our gut, how they function, and how they have been linked with Parkinson's Disease. We also discuss about the importance of integrity in scientific research.

Episode 4: Illuminating The Path

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 09:00:00 -0400

In our fourth episode, we talk to Dr. Nick Spencer from Flinders University about the nervous system of the gut and how he has used light to regulate this system. He also gives us some wonderful insights into how technology has influenced science, the importance of perseverance, and how to really own our ideas.

Episode 3: Debugging Our Memories

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400

In our third episode, Dr. Mauro Costa-Mattioli, the Director of the Memory and Brain Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, gives us his thoughts on memories and microbes as well as the approaches he uses to push forward into new scientific fields.

Episode 2: Making The Jump

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 11:00:00 -0400

In our second episode, we talk with Dr. Ian Wickersham, head of the genetic neuro-engineering group at MIT about his work on rabies virus to probe connections in the brain and how he forms collaborations with other researchers.

Episode 1: Embrace The No

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 05:00:00 -0400

In our inaugural episode, we talk with Dr. Cheryl Nickerson, a researcher at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University about her other-worldly ideas of sending bacteria to space, the challenges she faced, and what motivates her to do the work she does.