What is Mind & Matter?

Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.

The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.

Not medical advice.

Learning philosophy

“The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.” ―Heraclitus

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:

Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:

  • “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)

  • “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)

  • “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)

green ceramic statue of a man

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to all content, including the free weekly M&M newsletter which contains upcoming guests, links to interesting scientific studies, reading & video recommendations, and other news.

Your support enables me to produce a higher volume of quality, in-depth content. This includes podcasts, written content, and my weekly newsletter.

Paid subscribers also get early access to new podcast episodes & content. Founding Members get all of that and the ability to communicate directly with Nick to suggest podcast guests, ask questions & discuss content strategy.

Who is Nick?

M&M content is created & produced by Dr. Nick Jikomes. He has formal scientific training in molecular genetics & evolution (BS, University of Wisconsin-Madison) and systems neuroscience (PhD, Harvard University). After leaving academia, he worked at a technology startup in the cannabis industry and conducted research on plant chemistry. You can see his scientific publication record here.

Join the crew

Be part of a community of people who share your interests. Share your thoughts and questions in the comments section of M&M posts, or join the M&M chat on the Substack app. Paid subscribers get early access to podcast episodes and special Q&A sessions with Nick.

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Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers about how your body & mind react to what they're fed. New episodes weekly. Not medical advice.

People

Nick is a neuroscientist, plant chemistry researcher, data scientist, and podcast host. He received a PhD in Neuroscience from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin.