The R42 Podcast

Human brain cells grown on a chip can control a paddle in the video game Pong. What does that reveal about biological learning, and could increasingly complex living computers ever become conscious?

Dr. Alon Loeffler of Cortical Labs joins Ronjon Nag to explore the emerging field of biological computing. Alon describes how a serious neurological illness as a teenager led him into neuroscience, how adult donor cells can be converted into neurons, and how electrical signals allow those neurons to interact with a computer.

They discuss Cortical Labs' CL1 biological computer and Cortical Cloud, the Pong and Doom demonstrations, what biological neurons might offer that conventional AI does not, and the major challenges of memory, scalability, and keeping cell cultures alive. The conversation also explores potential applications in neurological drug discovery and the ethics of consciousness in biological systems.

In this episode:

• How researchers grow human neurons and connect them to silicon chips
• How electrical feedback allows the cells to control Pong
• The CL1 platform and a recent Doom demonstration
• Learning, memory, and biological versus artificial neural networks
• Potential applications in epilepsy and neurodegenerative disease research
• Whether biological computers could ever develop consciousness

Follow The R42 Podcast for conversations where AI, longevity science, and venture intersect.

Learn more: https://r42podcast.lovable.app/
Cortical Labs: https://corticallabs.com/
Alon Loeffler on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/alon-loeffler

Disclosure: R42 has collaborated with Cortical Labs on student research projects. This discussion is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered medical or investment advice.

Are you getting enough sleep? Can your Oura Ring, WHOOP, or Apple Watch really tell you how well you're sleeping? And what if going to bed at the same time every night matters more than getting eight hours?

In Episode 2 of the R42 Podcast, host Ronjon Nag sits down with Dr. Martin Kawalski, a physician and Stanford sleep researcher, to explore what science tells us about sleep, longevity, and the technologies that promise to help us sleep better.

From the surprising importance of sleep regularity to the limitations of wearable sleep scores, Martin challenges conventional wisdom and shares practical insights for improving sleep and long-term health.

In this episode:

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Why we sleep: How sleep supports brain health, memory, hormones, metabolism, and healthy aging.

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How much sleep is enough? Why seven to eight hours isn't a universal rule—and why consistency may matter more than duration.

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Can you trust your sleep tracker? What Oura, WHOOP, and Apple Watch measure well, and where their accuracy falls short.

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What disrupts sleep? The effects of alcohol, sleep apnea, stress, and irregular schedules.

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Do sleep supplements work? Martin's perspective on melatonin, magnesium, glycine, and other popular sleep aids.

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Sleep and longevity: What Martin is learning from studying centenarians and their sleep habits.

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The future of sleep: How AI, personalized wearables, and emerging therapies could transform sleep optimization—and whether we might someday need less sleep.

Martin also introduces First Light, an AI-assisted platform he's developing to turn wearable data and lifestyle information into personalized sleep recommendations.

Whether you're a longevity enthusiast, a wearable technology fan, or simply someone who wants better sleep, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on one of the most important foundations of good health.

R42 Podcast — Where AI, longevity science, and venture intersect.

Follow the R42 Podcast for more conversations with innovators exploring the future of health, technology, and venture.

Disclosure: The discussion in this episode is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered medical or investment advice.

Christin Glorioso, founder and CEO of NeuroAge, joins Ronjon Nag to explore a provocative question: Can we measure, and potentially influence, how quickly our brains are aging?

Christin shares how her family experience with Alzheimer’s led her to focus on brain health, why cognitive decline can begin long before obvious symptoms appear, and how NeuroAge is working to estimate and track brain age.

They also discuss the Younger Competition, a six-month challenge that asks participants to see whether they can improve measures of biological and brain aging through personalized lifestyle and health strategies.

Register for the Younger Competition: exclusive 15% off for R42 Podcast listeners

The conversation explores:

• What “brain age” actually means and how it can be measured
• Alzheimer’s risk and the importance of earlier detection
• Exercise, diet, sleep and cognitive activity for brain health
• The Younger Competition and what may change over six months
• Personalized approaches to longevity and healthy aging
• Peptides, supplements and the limits of current evidence
• Creatine, nootropics and potential cognitive benefits
• Where the science of brain aging may be headed next

Disclosure: R42 is an investor in NeuroAge Therapeutics. The discussion in this episode is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered medical or investment advice.

Follow The R42 Podcast on Spotify to hear new conversations across AI, longevity and venture.

Learn more and get podcast updates at ⁠r42podcast.lovable.app⁠

Ronjon Nag on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Stanford Profiles⁠⁠

R42 ⁠Website⁠

Christin Glorioso on LinkedIn,Publications

Neuroage website⁠

Timestamps

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:00 Meet Dr. Christin Glorioso & NeuroAge

02:27 Personal Journey and Motivation Behind NeuroAge

04:26 The Genetics and Lifestyle of Alzheimer’s Risk

07:25 Beyond Amyloid & Soap Operas: Rethinking Alzheimer’s

09:53 Memory, Neurons & Brain Adaptability

17:15 What Does Brain Age Mean?

19:29 Brain Aging vs. Cognitive Performance

22:48 Strategies for Healthy Brain Aging: 9 Pillars

25:55 The Younger 2027 Competition: Bigger Brains in 6 Months

29:49 How to Win

30:55 Win-Win: What the Younger Competition Could Teach Us

31:46 From Testing to the Retreat

34:02 Bonus: Exploring Personal Health Protocols

34:15 Ronjon’s Own Longevity Protocol

35:17 The Peptide Boom: Hype or Hope?

38:19 Christin & Ronjon's Personal Supplement Stacks

41:15 Peptide & Supplement Safety

44:53 The Future of Aging and Health Measurement

44:54 Exploring Creatine for Brain Health: Nootropic vs Neurorestrorative

47:03 YHIHF: Your Six-Month Journey to Younger

Special thanks to Creative Producer/Editor, Ally Koh!

Before we launch our first guest conversation, Executive Producer Steve Sprich, a longtime consumer technology leader with a current focus on AI, health and longevity, sits down with host Ronjon Nag to introduce The R42 Podcast and the ideas behind it.

Ronjon shares why R42 is focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence, longevity science and venture, what he hopes to explore through the podcast, and why this is such an interesting moment for emerging science and technology.

Join The R42 Podcast for conversations with scientists, entrepreneurs, investors and other experts exploring what may matter next across AI, longevity and venture.

Follow The R42 Podcast on Spotify to hear new conversations across AI, longevity and venture.

Learn more and get podcast updates at ⁠r42podcast.lovable.app⁠

Ronjon Nag on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Stanford Profiles⁠⁠

R42 ⁠Website⁠

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction: The R42 Podcast

00:45 From AI Invention to Longevity Investor

02:45 Why Longevity, Why Now

03:51 Lifelong Learning & Interdisciplinary Thinking

04:45 R42 Origins & Pillars: Institute, Venture, Invention

07:39 What R42 Looks For in Founders

08:50 Inside the Portfolio: Moonshots, Breakthroughs & an Aging Vaccine

11:43 An Investment Mistake, Silicon Valley's Network, and Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

13:32 Thoughts on Machine Consciousness

15:15 Why the R42 Podcast? Why Now? Bridging AI, Longevity, and Venture

17:41 Starting With Questions & Finding the People to Answer Them

18:17 Challenging Accepted Ideas & Learning from Outsiders

19:25 How AI Could Accelerate Longevity

20:57 Wearables, Health Data, and the Growing Role of AI in Personal Health

22:59 Do Not Check Your Brain at the Door

23:51 Dear Listener (Anyone with a Pulse)

24:56 A Safe Space for Big Ideas to Reality & Lessons from the Wright Brothers

26:31 Axis on New Ideas

27:12 Overhyped in AI vs the Human Brain: Can We Do More with Less?

28:54 AI Disruption, Human Ingenuity, and the Future of Work

30:35 Learning in an AI-Driven World: A Lesson from Captain Kirk

32:43 Vision of Success: Strategic Foresight

34:02 Longevity Debate: Genetics vs Lifestyle

35:25 Ronjon's Personal Health Stack

36:46 The Impossible Today: A Vaccine for Aging

37:55 Episode Wrap

37:55 Follow the Podcast, Find R42

38:24 Exploring the Frontier of Science

Special thanks to Steve Sprich & Creative Producer/Editor, Ally Koh!

What happens when artificial intelligence, longevity science and venture collide?

The R42 Podcast, hosted by Ronjon Nag, brings together scientists, entrepreneurs, investors and other experts to explore emerging ideas, challenge assumptions and uncover what may matter next.

Follow The R42 Podcast on Spotify to hear new conversations across AI, longevity and venture.

Learn more and get podcast updates at r42podcast.lovable.app

Ronjon Nag on LinkedIn, Stanford Profiles⁠

R42 Website

Special thanks to Producer/Editor, Ally Koh!