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Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Unlocking Bryson's Brain podcast

Episode 1: 150 Candles

2021/09/27

Are we on the verge of medical breakthroughs that will extend healthy human life by decades? Some scientists say the first human to reach 150 years is already alive. Is it you?

Episode 2: Phony Fountains

2021/10/05

Today’s aging science is built on shaky foundations, from Ponce de Leon’s legendary quest for the fountain of youth, to surgeons who transplanted monkey testicles into men. We also look at cryonics and mind-uploading -- speculative science that purports to bring people back from the dead.

Episode 3: The 11-Year-Old Scientist

2021/10/12

Why do we age, and how can we reverse it? We meet a researcher whose discoveries overturned everything we thought we knew about aging. We learn about the levers that cause aging to speed up or slow down. And we meet the 11-year-old scientist at the centre of it all.

Episode 4: Fountain in a Pill

2021/10/19

Scientists have identified several drugs that appear to slow aging. Some are already widely used in humans to treat other diseases. But how do you get a cure approved when regulators don’t see aging as a disease? And wouldn’t it take decades to prove the pill prolongs human lifespan? This episode explores the hits and misses on the path to a fountain-of-youth pill.

Episode 5: Expiration Date

2021/10/26

Keith and Laura get tested to find out if they’re genetically predisposed for longevity. Another test promises to reveal their biological ages. Have stress and disease conspired to make them older than they should be? Plus, more hallmarks of aging: weakened immunity, chronic inflammation and methylation.

Episode 6: How to Live Longer

2021/11/02

Making the right choices around what we eat, how much we exercise and how we manage our stress can add a decade or more to our lives. In this episode: A science based blueprint for building your own fountain of youth.

Episode 7: Dog Years

2021/11/08

The animal world is full of age-related curiosities. Tiny aquatic creatures called hydras don’t age at all, while small dogs live twice as long as big ones. Pets may be the first to benefit from medicines that slow aging, which could pave the way for similar drugs for people.

Episode 8: Dream or Dystopia?

2021/11/16

What does a world with extreme longevity look like? What effect would it have on the population and the health of our planet? Could governments afford the increased costs for health care and social security? How do we ensure lifespan-extension drugs don’t exacerbate the longevity gap between rich and poor? And how long will it really be before the first 150 year old is born?

Unlocking the Fountain - Trailer

2021/09/20

If there were a pill that could add decades to your life, would you take it? Unlocking the Fountain is a podcast about the mysteries of aging and the scientific quest to slow, stop or reverse it. Hosted by Keith McArthur, coming September 28.

Unlocking Bryson's Brain, Episode 1: The Mystery Disease

2020/04/13

Bryson seems like a perfectly healthy baby. But soon doctors confirm his parents’ worst fears: something is wrong with Bryson’s brain. Despite dozens of tests over nearly a decade, doctors come up empty in their efforts to find a diagnosis.

Unlocking Bryson's Brain, Episode 2: Getting a Diagnosis

2020/04/13

From violent seizure-like episodes to insensitive comments from strangers, Bryson has a hard life. But after years of searching, doctors finally provide a diagnosis. The news changes everything for Bryson’s parents and provides a possible path to new treatments — or even a cure.

Unlocking Bryson's Brain, Episode 3: The CRISPR Revolution

2020/04/20

Bryson’s parents explore CRISPR, a new technology with the potential to cure dozens of diseases once thought incurable. But gene editing comes with risks — not just for individual patients, but for the human race.

Read Unlocking Bryson's Brain podcast reviews

4.6 out of 5

63 reviews

Dead judge 2022/01/07

Incredibly inspiration and informative

Wonderful storytelling that effectively relays Keith’s and his family’s struggles, hopes, hard work, and love. What a great show! It should win all th...

BennMaureen 2021/10/03

Fascinating!

Keith writes and delivers once again! Absolutely intriguing and definitely worth a listen.

Jebraweb 2020/08/07

Captivating and heartwarming

I do not have a child with the same challenges as Bryson, but having been through a long and arduous medical journey for my now-healthy daughter made ...

beesteong 2020/05/16

Best podcast!

Our daughter has a GRIN2B mutation so we are a grin family! Listening to this podcast gives us so much hope💕

aalbian1015 2020/05/01

Heartwarming, insightful, & wonderfully told

Can’t stop listening to this - I am truly inspired by Bryson’s determined, courageous family. Thank you, Keith and Laura, for being so open with your ...

Grandma KJ 2020/04/22

Thank you Keith

A wonderful job of presenting the life of your GRIN1 family.Thank you for being a voice for so many without a voice.

Shanzzzz 2020/04/14

GRIN1 parent of Carson

As a parent to a GRIN1 kiddo myself, this podcast hits home on every. single. topic. Thank you Keith, Laura and Connor for being so open and honest ab...

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