Season 3, Ep 9

1:25: Everyone tries PTC paper as a fun quick experiment. PTC paper is a special paper in which some taste it as bitter and others don’t taste the paper at all. If you taste the paper as bitter, you have a taster allele and if you can’t taste anything, you have a non-taster allele.

2:25: Initial thoughts of Genetic Engineering

3:05: CRISPR - what is it? Can it really cut pieces of our DNA?

5:07: Can CRISPR be used to change traits like eye color?

6:29: How does germline editing work? (Ensuring the genetic edits we make to ourselves are passed onto our children).

7:07: How is CRISPR different from any other genetic engineering tools?

8:30: Why isn’t CRISPR currently being used to cure cancer?

11:35: The ethical aspects of genetic modification: Is it ethical to genetically modify human beings?

21:30: Can genetically modified pigs save the world?

23:05: They play a game of Spooky Science! Sean states 3 organisms only one of which has been genetically modified. Ari, Hannah and Christian guess which organism has been genetically modified in its creation.

28:38: We share DNA with bananas!

30:24: What hybrids can we create with genetic modification?

30:51: Golden rice!?

32:22: Can we make a Pikachu?

33:10: How did Sean do in school? Where did he go? What was his “turning point” experience?

40:15: Sean’s Instagram: evolu.sean

40:30: Sean’s documentary, movie and book recommendations to better understand Genetics and Genetic Engineering.

42:27: Wrap-up!

Season 3, Ep 10

2:23: Do I take more challenging classes (like AP classes) with the risk of compromising my average or less challenging classes with the ability to have a higher average?

3:55: How can I decide between which AP style classes I should take?

6:01: How many clubs are too many?

8:35: Do the seniors have any regrets about not taking certain classes or participating in certain activities?

9:34: ACT v.s SAT? When should I start studying for them?

13:32: Is it detrimental to only take one test (either the SAT or ACT) and not both? What about not submitting any scores to colleges?

18:06: Myth busting: I state common assumptions about high-school… Do seniors really not have to try anymore after they apply to colleges? Is junior year really the most difficult year?

24:43: When did the seniors first start visiting colleges? How did their interests influence their college application process?

32:05: How many colleges are the optimum amount to apply to?

35:59: How can someone narrow down their college list effectively?

39:13: Are there any specific schools well off for people of specific majors? How can I access this information?

Glimpse into the past:

42:19: What has been the highlight of the seniors’ senior year?

45:57: Advice Mr. Carbonetti and Mr. Madden have for highschool students

48:41: Wrap-up!

Season 3, Ep 11

1:23: What are the basic components of the brain?

2:33: Infusing the brain with the same chemicals in baby diapers to EXPAND it in real-life!? (Expansion Spectroscopy)

6:12: What is Optogenetics? How can it be used to fire specific neurons in the brain to study neurological disorders (like Alzheimer’s)?

12:14: What would be the end goal in expanding the brain and firing the brain’s neurons of a small animal? We can simulate emotions!?!?

13:48: How can we use the two innovations to cure human neurological disorders?

16:22: Optogenetics was found to cure blindness!!

18:24: Flickering lights and clicking sounds used to clean up the debris of Alzheimer’s disease!

20:43: Will we be able to completely cure Alzheimer’s disease in the future?

21:47: How ethical is Expansion Spectroscopy and Optogenetics? (Neuro-ethics!?)

24:30: Does optogenetics affect the genes of people who use it? (Does it affect the germline?)

26:23: Wrap-up!

Season 3, Ep 12

1:14: Background: When was nuclear energy first used? The atomic bomb!? How does nuclear power work?? What about nuclear power plants!?

4:31: How much energy can each power plant release? Can one really release enough energy to power a whole city!?

5:00: What kind of work does operating a nuclear power plant involve?

5:48: How do you know a nuclear power plant is safe?

8:40: Are there different types of nuclear power plants!? How are they different?

10:33: Ari plays a game of 2 truths and 1 lie with Andy: nuclear power edition!

11:20: How do plants go through refueling cycles?

14:10: The controversy of nuclear power… which can lead to mass destruction and is very expensive!? Should we use coal or solar energy as fuel sources instead?

17:05: Fukushima nuclear destruction!?

18:02: What kind of safeguards do we have to prevent nuclear destruction?

19:05: If solar energy is cheaper than nuclear energy, how come more people don’t use it as an energy source?

21:40: Decommissioning nuclear reactors… What is it?

22:55: What’s the future of nuclear power plants? Over time, will nuclear power use increase or decrease?

26:10: Wrap-up!

Season 3, Ep 13

1:42: Igor travels the world with microscopes to look at sea creatures closely… Igor tells us more about his hobby…

5:40: Hydrozoan jellyfish are related to jellyfish and corals. How so?

10:50: Sea worms (polychaete worms)- how are they similar to land worms?

16:52: Why are Mediterranean Red Sea stars unique? They are a vivid color- how can they protect themselves this way!?

20:12: Water mites… what are they and what do they do?

22:47: Which Ocean/sea does Igor travel to the most frequently?

23:56: Zebra copepods: tiny, beautiful sea creatures with pink and white stripes!

28:10: Igor’s fascinating story of discovering a mysterious sea creature (made up of two organisms: one being a snake) …

36:59: What is Igor researching at the moment?

39:20: What’s down the road for Igor?

40:20: Igor’s advice to aspiring scientists or people who simply want to pursue a hobby similar to Igor’s!

41:53: Wrap-up!

Season 3, Ep 14

1:12: What are dreams, how are they similar to plays??

3:10: Dr. Rein discusses the reasoning as to why the subconscious is able to remember faces in a crowd you’ve glanced at

4:12: Your mind is more active during a dream than when you’re awake!? How does this work?

9:40: Ari recalls the five stages of sleep: which is the stage in which we do all our dreaming? What are lucid dreams and which stage do they occur?

10:46: Dr. Rein’s odd experiences with lucid dreaming…

16:58: You always dream, you just don’t always remember! What's the reasoning behind being able to remember the most of our dream content by waking up during the REM sleep stage?

25:19: 50% of dreams are negative!? A sign of underlying stress? What kind of dreams are connected to anxiety?

26:30: Dr. Rein’s theory: an evolutionary benefit of sleeping? How and why!?

28:23: Men and women dream differently? Why?

31:20: The conditions under which one can dream…

34:05: Why can nobody read in their dreams?

40:55: The color in which you dream is contributed to your age!?

42:39: Can dreams be a foreshadow of future events? How does reminition work?

46:48: How does sleeping recharge ones’ creativity?

49:00: Tesla got the idea for an alternating current generator all while dreaming in his sleep!?

51:58: Dreams are purely magic! There have been NO HISTORICAL changes regarding what U.S college students dream about since the 1950’s.

54:48: For curious minds interested in taking a path similar to Dr. Rein in neuroscience, how can they do so?

56:20: What does a day in Dr. Rein's life look like at the moment?

58:08: Wrap-up!

Season 3, Ep 15

1:30: Mammals have a symbiotic relationship with the gut microbiome, which impacts our health! Why is the composition of the gut microbiome determined by voluntary actions, including diet, and involuntary hereditary circumstances, including ancestry?

4:00: Diet influences gut microbiome composition! Is harmful microbiota seeded in food, and then transferred to the body once digested? How do harmful gut microbiota transfer into the microbiome otherwise?

7:18: How does a long term diet compare to breaking a diet for a short period of time in the way it affects the gut microbiome?

9:36: To what extent is having a healthy species of gut microbiota beneficial for people?

11:21: What’s the optimal diet for the healthiest gut microbiome possible?

14:50: Do vegetarians have a better gut microbiome than non-vegetarians?

17:15: There’s a huge connection between the gut and the brain! How does the gut tie into mental health?

19:50: Sleep, stress management and physical activity: how are they affected by the gut microbiome?

22:53: Narveen Jain believes we all need to stay curious!! He has developed Viome; a company that offers at-home microbiome testing kits for people looking to learn more about their gut microbiome and gut health. Does Dr. Frame believe microbiome kits are valid in allowing one to understand their health?

26:37: Does the same advice apply for everyone regarding maintaining the optimal gut microbiome composition?

27:51: Dr. Frame lists certain interviews and papers about the gut microbiome for curious minds intrigued by this specific episode!

29:14: How does a day in the life of Dr. Frame look like?

30:42: Wrap-up!

Season 3, Ep 16

1:15: Paige and Miriam come from very unique backgrounds…. How did Miriam’s ultra-religious background influence her academic success?

3:40: Miriam was convinced she was gonna be in the NSA and tried to teach herself Mandarin to crack codes for espionage?

5:40: How focused were Paige and Miriam on their road to medical school?

8:57: How limited were Miriam’s class options? Was this a disadvantage?

16:05: Did Miriam really think the earth was flat in high school?

18:43: Ari plays a fun game with Paige and Miriam: Who truly deserved to go to Harvard?

23:52: How did Paige and Miriam meet prior to attending?

27:26: How difficult was it to maintain a relationship while Paige and Miriam struggled to obtain spots in such difficult residencies?

30:52: How did Paige and Miriam manage to get into such a highly selective residency?

38:56: Do Paige and Miriam have any regrets about their past experiences?

43:11: How did their work-life balance look in aiming for a spot at Harvard residency?

46:11: What are their plans after residency?

47:18: Mental health statistics for women in medicine is very concerning… Paige and Miriam provide advice for women studying in medicine!

52:16: What do they love most about their jobs?

54:52: Wrap-up!

Season 4, Ep 1

2:08: Ari and Dr. Ayers play a fun game of trivia…

7:14: What makes the civil war so special?

16:43: Edgar Allen Poe predicted the future… huh??

20:41: Dr. Ayers discusses why history is significant… Why should we keep looking back?

27:41: Dr. Ayers was awarded by Barack Obama with the National Humanities medal in 2013!! How is he able to make history so widely available?

30:15: How has Dr. Ayers obtained so many medals and achievements throughout his career?

35:53: Why does Dr. Ayers adore history? Why did he become a historian?

39:18: Dr. Ayers ends the episode off with a fun fact… What is the most common word in the world and why?

40:46: Ari ends the episode off with another fun fact… Why do we celebrate Halloween?

42:50: Warp-up!

Season 4, Ep 2

1:22: What’s it like being an emergency medicine doctor? What does a day in Dr. Portillo's life look like?

5:42: How does pediatrics differ from other medical specialties? What are some of those other specialties? Why did pediatrics specifically spark Dr. Portillo’s eye?

7:47: What story sparked Dr. Portillo’s aha-moment in realizing she wants to be a doctor in the emergency room?

10:14: How does Dr. Portillo feel about the panicked parents who come into the ER with their children?

12:18: Dr. Portillo discusses her immensely inspiring story of her eye medical emergency. This truly inspired her to become an emergency medicine physician!

14:45: How would others know this is the right career path for them?

16:27: How have the barriers Dr. Portillo is forced to face, due to her right eye, shaped her additional work outside of the emergency room? Dr. Portillo is involved in various projects to make sure patients receive an equitable chair and is the co-chair of health equity for the division of emergency medicine!

22:05: What was the path Dr. Portillo took to obtain this profession??

27:10: Are there certain colleges that are optimal to obtain a medical degree?

32:15: Bs-md programs.. are they worth it? How valuable are they?

34:33: Wrap-up!

Season 4, Ep 3

2:27: What exactly does Dr. Cleary do?

4:48: What are other types of law besides entertainment and sports law?

5:55: What does a day in the life of Dr. Clearly look like?

8:15: Dr. Cleary represents NBA players! What does this mean??

9:47: When did Dr. Cleary know she wanted to pursue law?

14:09: What really stepped up her game and allowed her to go to Yale law school and become an immensely successful lawyer?

19:55: How much paperwork does law make up? What about criminal law specifically?

25:07: What advice does Dr. Cleary have for high school or college students looking to pursue a path similar to hers?

28:11: What are the traits that encompass a good lawyer?

29:48: Wrap-up!

Season 4, Ep 4

1:40: They play a GAME and name foods that remined them of organelles in the cells.

5:40: What exactly does Dr. De-Witte Orr study?

6:52: Has her research played a role in battling Covid?

7:27: Innate versus Adaptive immune response…

8:26: Any recent publications in De-Witte’s lab? Coding for sequences?

9:22: mRNA versus double stranded RNA

10:35: Dr. De-Witte Orr recently discovered a new cell line for the Corona virus!

14:25: L2n99 cells reflect what would happen in our body.

14:46: Is the strength of the immune system pre-determined before birth?

17:50: Is the immune system influence by age? Is there any thing you could do to prevent it?

19:05: To what extent does the environment influence immunity?

19:30: Does the gut affect the immune system? (Gut-Brain-Immune Axis)

21:40: What makes Dr. De-Witte get up in the morning excited to go to work?

22:26: How did she obtain her career? What did her path look like?

26:00: What is her advice for students striving to achieve just as much?

26:54: Social media!?

27:23: Wrap-up!

Season 4, Ep 5

1:08: How immoral is it to reply with the letter “k” nowadays? Dmitry was curious for the answer to this question from a personal experience.

1:59: Every October and November, dozens of countries around the world turn back their clocks and watches by one hour, correcting a chang mead 6 months previously.

2:56: Sleep deprivation: does losing one hour of sleep really influence sleep deprivation to a great extent?

3:56: In early July, Mexico ended the practice of time change due to its severe negative effects.

4:30: There are other implications for society, including productivity. How is productivity influenced by time change?

5:37: They discuss a study that supports Dmitry’s argument.

7:52: Human health on a larger scale puts a strain on our resources!?

9:17: People intend to exercise outside more due to time change?

10:16: Who lived in Siberia?

10:48: Time change influences moods and desires?

11:44: China is all one time zone, even though it spans many time zones! This creates great consistency across the country.

12:28: Changing clocks costs about 1.6 billion dollars….

13:44: How are countries that don’t use daylight savings time affected by those that do?

13:51: Daylight savings time also makes it safer for joggers and people walking home after work.

14:45: There’s an error in the debate?

15:20: Studies that contradict!?

16:29: Does the increase in heart attacks from time change result in less active criminals?

17:18: A reflection: who has won the debate?

17:55: What is so interesting about daylight savings time?

18:40: A forgotten aspect?

19:47 Which side of the argument are you on?

20:00: Wrap-up!

Season 5, Ep 1

1:12: Amy tells us about the organization’s beginning and how she got involved.

2:46: How are the mentors involved in the everyday lives of the disabled involved in the program?

5:24: We converse more in depth of the organization’s objectives and all it entails.

7:49: How has this organization taken the government’s assumed role in helping people with disabilities?

10:30: A bit more on Amy’s background and childhood.

13:12: What’s a moment Amy’s had during this role that she’ll never forget?

15:45: Woah- that is wrong… Why so?

16:06: How could someone get involved in Advocates Incorporated?

18:35: Advocate Training Events??

19:43: What advice does Amy have for anyone wanting to be involved in any type of advocacy? Is there a certain path to take from high school to college?

22:22: Wrap-up!

Season 5, Ep 2

1:40: Tom discusses his journey in college… did he know what he wanted to do then?

9:26: How important is the prestige of colleges and medical schools in terms of becoming a successful doctor?

10:10: Dr. Kelso spent 9 years in the navy!?

13:17: How did his experience in the navy influence his life afterwards?

15:45: Where did Dr. Kelso do his residency?

16:42: How competitive is orthopedics surgery?

18:06: How do we “play the game” of school?

19:29: Dr. Kelso worked at a trauma center in Missouri for 10 years!?

21:08: The trauma center: an ER on steroids!?

22:53: After the trauma center, Dr. Kelso transitioned to doing shoulder and hip replacements as an orthopedic surgeon!

23:08: What is orthopedic surgery?

24:53: Dr. Kelso is an author of a multitude of books, many of which reflect his experiences as a surgeon! How did this book writing come about?

26:45: He has published 3 books; What is each book about?

34:02: Advice for aspiring surgeons, as well as anyone wanting an occupation in the medical field!

35:33: How can any individual optimize their chances of being successful in the future?

39:16: Wrap-up!

Season 5, Ep 3

1:35: What does Angel do as an NGO worker?

3:42: What is an NGO worker?

5:09: Angel went to medical school… but didn’t end up pursuing medicine?

11:20: Angel works for the Xin Young Foundation… how does one obtain such an opportunity?

13:35: Angel founded an organization to perform poverty alleviation in Africa!? What does she do?

18:15: Teamwork makes the dream work!

20:14: How is Angel’s work-life balance as an advocate?

24:11: Angel wrote open letters to Czech Republic medical professionals during the Covid pandemic!

27:30: How was she able to be so successful?

29:09: Before coming to Spain, Angel founded a Food Bank in Taiwan. How did Angel come to found such a thing? Any strategies used among all organizations?

34:02: Experience forms structure!

34:50: Angel is currently in Spain and is studying in a business school to learn business strategies in order to apply them in the nonprofit field. How has her experience been so far?

38:12: Why did Angel decide to take a business course now?

41:12: Everything happens for a reason…

41:32: Angel discusses some of her advice for curious minds interested in advocacy.

45:22: Wrap-up!

Season 5, Ep 4

2:34: Lizzy describes the Be The Match organization.

3:16: How did Be The Match save George’s life?

5:52: What is a 10/10 match?

6:58: How involved is George in the organization today?

8:07: There are many challenges that prevent people from getting this life saving treatment! Lizzie tells us about some.

10:07: How dependent are HLA markers on ethnicity?

10:55: How has such knowledge changed stigma surrounding Be The Match?

11:46: There’s only a 25 percent chance you are a match to your siblings!?

12:50: Does registering cost anything?

14:15: How painful is donating bone marrow?

17:25: Women tend to take more pain than men!?

20:07: When do you get taken off the registry?

20:44: How likely is it that I get a call in my lifetime with a request to donate?

21:05: When can you meet the person who donates to you? George describes his experience reaching out to his match!

22:21: How are fellow curious minds able to get more involved in the organization?

25:52: Ari goes over how to register!

26:28: Wrap-up!

Season 5, Ep 5

1:03: How was the Book Fairies Organization founded?

2:00: Statistics!?

2:32: Amy and Ari converse about the objectives of the Book Fairies, as well as some context surrounding education inequality in the modern day.

5:12: Geography plays a major role in impacting education inequality.

5:52: Amy and Ari discuss other factors that influence education inequality, such as family life.

6:37: The Corona virus has had a staggering impact!

7:43: The Book Fairies website holds an abundance of information surrounding education inequality and the inevitable vicious cycle that occurs as a result of intergenerational literacy.

9:27: What is a book desert?

11:31: Why do the Book Fairies work specifically with communities within New York?

12:36: The Book Fairies has recently announced their communication with similar organizations across the U.S!

13:27: Many books the organization receives are not in optimal condition and that many children within the U.S will not read. Thus, the Book Fairies is building libraries across five different countries in Africa with such books!

14:39: How does illiteracy affect all people?

16:59: Amy and Ari discuss global initiatives beyond those of which involve Africa.

18:30: A grand milestone! 4 million books!

19:47: How can one get involved in the Book Fairies?

20:39: Quotes from those directly impacted!

21:50: Ari quizzes Amy to determine how many positive impacts of reading she can name!

24:00: Wrap-up!

1:30: What exactly does Aubree’s work encompass on a day-to-day basis?

2:42: How does Aubree’s work vary?

3:54: Is this field in demand? How does it vary worldwide?

5:16: Aubree didn’t take the “normal” path in obtaining her job… but how does on do so/

7:03: Where has Aubree traveled? How does it tie into her field work?

10:26: Ari & Aubree play a trivia game! How much does Aubree know about arbitrary botany terms… gravitropism!?

21:04: What’s the significance of planting native plants (specifically in the context of climate change)?

23:49: Are native species dependent on the environment?

24:52: A relationship between bacteria & plant growth!?

27:23: How do different plant species interact

29:22: Plant identification: how can we identify different plant species?

32:30: Aubree provides some resources to use if any curious minds want to identify plants they see!

37:30: Ethical foraging: what are some specific laws surrounding the novel concept?

43:20: Harvesting for dune control!?

44:08: Aubree gives advice she has for young minds interested in a similar career!

45:21: Wrap-up!

2:55: What drew Jeremiah to being so passionate about plants?

4:10: Venus Fly Trap anomalies…

5:25: At what point in Jeremiah’s life did he realize he could make a career out of his passions?

9:00: Establishing businesses with a grower in Hawaii !?

9:48: How does someone in such a niche field find connections?

11:50: How is the job a culmination of entrepreneurship and plant growth?

14:29: How does Jeremiah go about predicting the types of plants in-demand on the day to day?

15:39: Ari and Jeremiah play a quick game of Wheel of Fortune with a twist!

18:13: How predictable is this line of work?

20:26: In 2022, Jeremiah earned the Guinness World Record for the largest Venus Fly Trap!!

22:07: How can one optimally manage plant growth?

23:14: Collaboration with a grower in Germany !?

23:48: Collaborating with competition: not a commonality.

25:02: Jeremiah’s all-time favorite plant is ___ !

27:04: Wrap-up!