In this episode of the Performance Around The Clock podcast, recorded at the European Biological Rhythms Society Congress in Lubeck, Germany, we are joined by Professor Rae Silver from Columbia University. Professor Silver is an iconic figure in circadian biology whose foundational research helped characterize the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)—the brain's master circadian clock.

We explore Professor Silver’s scientific journey, beginning with her early fascination with the perfectly timed, shared parental behaviors of doves and pigeons. The conversation highlights how this curiosity eventually led to her groundbreaking SCN transplant experiments in hamsters. By transplanting the clock of a "fast-running" donor into a "slow-running" host, her work definitively proved that the SCN controls circadian behavior. We dive into her revolutionary discovery that the SCN communicates its timing not just through neural synapses or "roads," but through "rivers and oceans"—secreting diffusible signals into the cerebrospinal fluid via a specialized portal blood vessel system.

The discussion moves toward the profound clinical implications of this fluid communication network, including its connection to the brain's glymphatic system, waste clearance during sleep, and neurovascular diseases like Alzheimer's. We also touch upon the exciting future of the field, from the power of chronotherapy in optimizing cancer treatments to the massive economic and health benefits of lifestyle interventions like time-restricted eating and light management to combat diabetes. Finally, Professor Silver shares invaluable career advice for young scientists about balancing high-risk experiments with reliable projects, and the importance of cultivating a lifelong passion outside of the lab.

Please join us for this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment, or subscribe. Thanks for listening.

Guest:

Professor Rae Silver, Columbia University

Helene L. and Mark N. Kaplan Professor of Natural & Physical Sciences

Chair of the Neuroscience Program

https://psychology.columbia.edu/content/rae-silver

Host:

Dr. Satchin Panda

X (Twitter): @SatchinPanda

https://x.com/SatchinPanda

Instagram: @satchin.panda https://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/

Links:

Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/

Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/

More science: ⁠https://mycircadianclock.org/⁠

In episode 40 of the Performance Around The Clock podcast, we are joined by Dr. Emily Manoogian, a leading clinical researcher focused on optimizing human health through the timing of food intake (time-restricted eating) and circadian rhythm regulation. Dr. Manoogian was recently honored with the Young Investigator Award for her seminal studies on circadian disruption among shift workers and interventions to mitigate its effects. We begin the episode by defining the complex reality of shift work—whether fixed, rotating, or split shifts—and how working outside typical hours challenges the human body.

Dr. Manoogian and Panda explore the cascading health effects of "circadian disruption," distinguishing between acute annoyances and chronic risks that build up over months and years. Dr. Manoogian explains how being active and eating when the body expects rest can lead to insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, mood disorders, and even increased cancer risk. We also discuss the broader societal impacts, from the "social jetlag" affecting students and new parents to the unique stressors faced by frontline workers like firefighters and nurses.

The conversation highlights actionable science, focusing on the "Healthy Heroes" study conducted with San Diego firefighters. Dr. Manoogian shares how Time-Restricted Eating (TRE)—limiting food intake to a 10-hour window—significantly reduced VLDL (bad cholesterol). reduced blood sugar levels, improved blood pressure and improved emotional stability in this high-stress population. Dr. Manoogian is currently studying a different shift work group with the ongoing "Shift Study" for nurses, which is using continuous glucose monitoring to test if optimizing meal timing and low-glycemic snacks can protect the cardiometabolic health of night-shift workers.

Please join us for this vital discussion on optimizing health for those who keep our society running around the clock. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment, or follow. Thanks for listening.

Guest:

Dr. Emily Manoogian

Hillblom Fellow, Staff Scientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Young Investigator Award Winner, Working Time Society

myCircadianClock website:

www.mycircadianclock.org

Healthy HEROES study:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9536325/

SHIFT study:

Participate by emailing:

research@mycircadianclock.org

Host:

Dr. Satchin Panda

X (Twitter): @SatchinPanda

https://x.com/SatchinPanda

Instagram: @satchin.panda

https://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/

Links:

Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/

Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/

More science: ⁠https://mycircadianclock.org/⁠

In episode 39 of the Performance Around The Clock podcast, we are joined by Professor Alex Webb from the University of Cambridge, a leading expert in plant cell signaling and circadian clocks. The episode was recorded at the XVIII Congress of the European Biological Rhythms Society in Lubeck, Germany. Professor Webb shares his journey from psychology to plant physiology, discussing how a shared inspiration from researcher Andrew Miller led both him and also host Dr. Satchin Panda into the field of circadian rhythms.

We explore the foundational history of biological clocks, starting with the 18th-century "wine cellar" experiment by De Mairan that first proved plants possess an internal oscillator. Professor Webb explains the complex behaviors of plants, such as the "yin and yang" of diurnal and nocturnal flowering to match pollinators, and the phenomenon of "sweaty plants"—how the circadian clock regulates stomata to balance carbon intake with water loss. We also discuss the metabolic math plants perform to survive the night, a process that explains why pumpkins actually grow in the dark. The conversation turns to "chronoculture," a concept focused on using circadian knowledge to optimize agriculture and meet the urgent goal of doubling food production by 2050. We examine how humans have inadvertently selected for clock mutations in crops like tomatoes and wheat—specifically the L3 gene—to adapt them to new environments. Finally, we discuss the "Plants for Space" program and how innovations in vertical farming for the International Space Station can teach us how to build sustainable, closed-loop food systems for our own "spaceship," Earth.

Please join us for this fascinating discussion on the rhythms of the plant world. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment or follow. Thanks for listening.

Guest:

Dr. Alex Webb

Head of Circadian Signal Transduction Group

University of Cambridge

Profile:

https://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/directory/alex-webb

BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/alexwebblab.bsky.social

Host:

Dr. Satchin Panda

X (Twitter): @SatchinPanda

https://x.com/SatchinPanda

Instagram: @satchin.panda

https://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/

Links:

Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/

Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/
More science: ⁠https://mycircadianclock.org/⁠