Episode
Ep 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
1:58:36
Published: Tue Jan 06 2015
Description
By popular demand, an entire episode dedicated to exploring the microbiome! Are you really 90% bacteria and 10% human? How can you manage or optimize your own microbiome? Should we do fecal-matter transplants from "untouched" indigenous tribes to reverse chronic illness? We tackle all this and much more. Jessica Richman is co-founder and CEO of uBiome, a startup backed by Y Combinator and Andreesen Horowitz, which uses citizen science to understand the human microbiome. Jessica attended Stanford University, where she earned degrees in economics and interdisciplinary engineering. She then got a fellowship to Oxford University for her PhD in computational social science. Her work has been featured in Wired, Popular Science, MIT Technology Review, NYT, and dozens of other media outlets. Jonathan Eisen is a Full Professor at the University of California, Davis with appointments in the School of Medicine and the College of Biological Sciences. Dr. Eisen’s research focuses on the evolution, ecology and function of communities of microorganisms. His study systems have included boiling acid pools, surface ocean waters, buildings, agents of many diseases, and the microbial ecosystems (also known as microbiomes) that are found living in and on plants and animals. In addition to his research, Dr. Eisen is a vocal advocate for “open science” especially “open access” to scientific publications. He earned a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and an A.B. in Biology from Harvard College. ***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
The host promotes his email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which contains a weekly selection of cool and interesting things he has found.
00:00 - 01:10 (01:10)
Summary
The host promotes his email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which contains a weekly selection of cool and interesting things he has found.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss introduces The Tim Ferriss Show and mentions the diverse range of guests he interviews.
01:10 - 07:18 (06:08)
Summary
Tim Ferriss introduces The Tim Ferriss Show and mentions the diverse range of guests he interviews. He also shares a special offer by Athletic Greens for his audience.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker expresses dislike for the numerous sub-disciplines within microbiology, arguing that it is not useful to isolate humans from other animals or differentiate between environmental and medical microbiology.
07:18 - 11:09 (03:51)
Summary
The speaker expresses dislike for the numerous sub-disciplines within microbiology, arguing that it is not useful to isolate humans from other animals or differentiate between environmental and medical microbiology.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The gut microbiome is commonly associated with health conditions involving the gut, but citizen scientists are adding new perspectives and collaborations to this area through open-sourcing their own experiences and experiments in the field.
11:09 - 19:33 (08:23)
Summary
The gut microbiome is commonly associated with health conditions involving the gut, but citizen scientists are adding new perspectives and collaborations to this area through open-sourcing their own experiences and experiments in the field.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast episode explores the idea of how we are only 10% human, with the remaining 90% of our bodies comprised of microbes, and how this affects our overall health and wellbeing.
19:34 - 25:13 (05:39)
Summary
This podcast episode explores the idea of how we are only 10% human, with the remaining 90% of our bodies comprised of microbes, and how this affects our overall health and wellbeing. The episode also delves into the connection between gut inflammation and anxiety caused by microbes, and other fascinating insights into the human microbiome.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The advancement of technology is leading to more excitement and scalability in research studies.
25:13 - 31:34 (06:21)
Summary
The advancement of technology is leading to more excitement and scalability in research studies. Making the results more accessible and actionable in people's lives is a primary objective for researchers.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Micro experiments are often undervalued in the scientific community due to a focus on technological advances, but are crucial for scientific progress and should be prioritized in future research.
31:34 - 38:28 (06:54)
Summary
Micro experiments are often undervalued in the scientific community due to a focus on technological advances, but are crucial for scientific progress and should be prioritized in future research.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The appreciation of the microbiome as an ecosystem is leading to a shift in thinking about the use of probiotics and the promotion of certain treatments.
38:28 - 48:47 (10:19)
Summary
The appreciation of the microbiome as an ecosystem is leading to a shift in thinking about the use of probiotics and the promotion of certain treatments. As people develop better products and technologies, there is the potential for big changes in the probiotics industry.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The consumption of gluten by celiac or gluten intolerant individuals may increase inflammation through the mechanism of microbes that are still present, even after consuming gluten.
48:47 - 54:42 (05:55)
Summary
The consumption of gluten by celiac or gluten intolerant individuals may increase inflammation through the mechanism of microbes that are still present, even after consuming gluten. Antibiotics also impact the microbiome, causing changes in whole genuses of microbes.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This transcript discusses the hypothesis that autoimmune disorders could be caused by a lack of microbes at a specific point in human development and the idea of banking stool samples at a young age for future fecal transplants, though synthetic poop is still unlikely.
54:42 - 1:03:00 (08:18)
Summary
This transcript discusses the hypothesis that autoimmune disorders could be caused by a lack of microbes at a specific point in human development and the idea of banking stool samples at a young age for future fecal transplants, though synthetic poop is still unlikely.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The importance of storing biological material, such as gene samples, for future use and licensing as well as utilizing an evolutionary perspective in studying individual microbes or communities of microbes.
1:03:00 - 1:08:54 (05:54)
Summary
The importance of storing biological material, such as gene samples, for future use and licensing as well as utilizing an evolutionary perspective in studying individual microbes or communities of microbes.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The paleo diet is intriguing for cultural conversation and has some potential health benefits, but it may not be necessary for everyone.
1:08:54 - 1:14:50 (05:56)
Summary
The paleo diet is intriguing for cultural conversation and has some potential health benefits, but it may not be necessary for everyone. Embracing constraints can alter the probability of adherence.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
A researcher describes how she decided to use computational methods to study social science data, instead of traditional experimental methods.
1:14:50 - 1:22:50 (08:00)
Summary
A researcher describes how she decided to use computational methods to study social science data, instead of traditional experimental methods. She also highlights her dad's influence as a chemist in her interest in science.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The diversity of microbes in individuals offers natural laboratories for drug development for cancer, which requires extensive research and experimentation.
1:22:50 - 1:29:04 (06:14)
Summary
The diversity of microbes in individuals offers natural laboratories for drug development for cancer, which requires extensive research and experimentation. However, controversies like the racist and sexist commentaries of a Nobel Prize laureate pose challenges to research in the field of microbiomes and personalized medicine.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The hosts discuss the limitations of relying solely on data-driven parenting books and the benefits of taking a more common-sense approach to raising children.
1:29:04 - 1:35:58 (06:53)
Summary
The hosts discuss the limitations of relying solely on data-driven parenting books and the benefits of taking a more common-sense approach to raising children.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The key to success is not blindly following the methods of others who have succeeded, but researching and learning from those who have accomplished similar goals and trusting the people around you to guide you towards the next step.
1:35:58 - 1:41:06 (05:07)
Summary
The key to success is not blindly following the methods of others who have succeeded, but researching and learning from those who have accomplished similar goals and trusting the people around you to guide you towards the next step.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker finds great inspiration in stories of explorers such as Shackleton, Beryl Markham, and Amelia Earhart, admiring their perseverance and ability to overcome nature's challenges.
1:41:06 - 1:44:52 (03:45)
Summary
The speaker finds great inspiration in stories of explorers such as Shackleton, Beryl Markham, and Amelia Earhart, admiring their perseverance and ability to overcome nature's challenges.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on how their upbringing and education at Stanford exposed them to a feeling of power and possibility that they didn't have before, and contrasts it with the more cautious mentality of their immigrant grandparents and parents.
1:44:52 - 1:53:53 (09:01)
Summary
The speaker reflects on how their upbringing and education at Stanford exposed them to a feeling of power and possibility that they didn't have before, and contrasts it with the more cautious mentality of their immigrant grandparents and parents.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker believes seeking advice from trustworthy individuals is a valuable action to take, as they offer insight beyond an individual's own perspective and intelligence.
1:53:53 - 1:57:44 (03:50)
Summary
The speaker believes seeking advice from trustworthy individuals is a valuable action to take, as they offer insight beyond an individual's own perspective and intelligence.
EpisodeEp 54: The Promises and Perils of the Microbiome - Dr. Jonathan Eisen and Jessica Richman
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, the guest speaker talks about phylogenomics, a comprehensive approach to studying the evolutionary history of organisms using genomics data.
1:57:44 - 1:58:33 (00:48)
Summary
In this podcast episode, the guest speaker talks about phylogenomics, a comprehensive approach to studying the evolutionary history of organisms using genomics data. The speaker also shares his social media handles and blogs for those interested in learning more.