The Putterer Podcast

Episode 5 - Guest conversation #1 - Epigenetics - The gracefully complex driver of the symphony of gene expression - Dr. Subhrangsu Mandal

I am very happy to have Dr. Mandal as the first guest on my podcast. He was my thesis supervisor and an excellent educator who will drive you to learn and achieve more. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington, USA and he specialises in the field of epigenetics. His lab focuses on cancer biology, immune function, hormone regulation, inflammation and drug discovery and recently has included translational medicine as well.  In this podcast, we discuss the basics of epigenetics, the work in his lab on the topics listed above, COVID and prevention of future pandemics, the cost on the environment due to human actions and the need for a healthy lifestyle - including good food and exercise with spending quality time on hobbies. There were so many things that we wanted to discuss, but couldn't so due to a lack of time, but we will for sure be communicating soon in the future. Let me know if you liked listening to him on this podcast. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and learned new things from him, as always!

Episode 4 - Book review #2 - Blueprint - How DNA makes us who we are by Dr. Robert Plomin

In this podcast, I review the salient points in the influential book, Blueprint - How DNA makes us who we are and its implications in modern societies. I enjoyed making this podcast as this book strikes 2 of my favourite areas - psychology and genetics - and how outmoded our thinking is in terms of the psychology of everyday life. I sincerely request all of you to read the book (or listen to it if you're into audiobooks) after listening to this podcast. I hope this helps you alter your thinking regarding psychology and genetics and behaviour.

Episode 3 - Book review #1 - Do fish feel pain? by Dr. Victoria Braithwaite

In this episode, I discuss the salient points from Dr. Victoria Braithwaite's explosive book about the science behind the existence of pain in fish and other sea creatures. I venture into the moral implications from what the science tells us and the inherent complexity in the welfare discussions surrounding fish and other sea creatures due to the vast array of species diversity in the water world.

Episode 2 - Why did I choose to become a Putterer?

In this podcast, I share my reflections, thought processes and life events that made me realise why I would rather be more of a generalist, rather than an expert.  These reflections and the decision making hurt my ego real bad, but you have to put up with it to become true to yourself. And this is a good reminder that external circumstances dictate a lot of things we do assuming that we are in control of our choices. Being mindful of this lack of free will is liberating, as Sam Harris puts it.

Episode 1 - Why Putterer? Introduction to the Podcast

In this short episode, I briefly explain the name of the podcast and what I will be talking about in this podcast. The main purpose of this podcast is to share my perspectives on the said issues and learn from you, the listeners based on your feedback and also from guests that I have on the podcast from time to time.  Here is to us, to learn and grow together!