Author Priya Parker explains how you can make your next gathering more meaningful. But first, you’ll learn about TRPC1, a molecule that promotes muscle health when it’s magnetized.
Author Priya Parker explains how you can make your next gathering more meaningful. But first, you’ll learn about TRPC1, a molecule that promotes muscle health when it’s magnetized.
Researchers find a molecule that promotes muscle health when it's magnetized by Cameron Duke
Additional resources from Priya Parker:
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-to-make-gatherings-more-meaningful-w-priya-parker
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about how to make your next gathering more meaningful, with author Priya Parker. But first, you’ll learn about a molecule that promotes muscle health when it’s magnetized.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Recently, a group of researchers discovered something that Ashley absolutely did not believe at first: Essentially, they have found a molecule in your muscles that responds to magnetic fields. If stimulated, they claim, it can help protect your muscles from damage as you age. I know that might sound ridiculous, but stay with me. There’s some really cool science to back it up. I promise Ashley vetted this story. HEAVILY. [ad lib with Ashley]
The magnet-friendly molecule in question is a protein called TRPC1. TRPC1 has a small but important job in your muscle cells. It’s like a bouncer that regulates the amount of calcium you have in your cells. Calcium can only enter if TRPC1 lets it in. The discovery here is that the TRPC1 protein works on overdrive when exposed to weak magnetic fields.
As for why calcium needs to get into your muscle cells in the first place, there are two big reasons. The first is that calcium helps to neutralize metabolic waste and keep it from damaging your muscles. The second is that calcium triggers the production of mitochondria and muscle fibers. More mitochondria means your muscles can use oxygen more efficiently, and more fibers means stronger muscles. And it’s possible that the more calcium TRPC1 lets in, the more powerful this effect might be.
So calcium helps boost your muscular efficiency and protect your muscles from metabolic waste damage. And it needs TRPC1 to let it do that. Which brings us to the magnets. How do they work?!
Right now, scientists aren’t 100% sure why or how TRPC1 responds to magnetic fields. They just know from experiments that normal muscle tissue responds favorably to weak magnetic fields, but when they turn off the TRPC1 gene, the muscle cells don’t respond to magnetic fields at all.
But why would anything in our bodies have evolved to respond to magnetic fields? Well, in the case of TRPC1, it might be because muscles generate weak magnetic fields as they contract. During exercise, your muscles burn through more oxygen and sugars than when they’re at rest, meaning that metabolic waste will build up faster during exercise than when at rest, meaning they will need more calcium as a result. Getting that extra calcium by using the magnetic field muscles generate would be a pretty handy adaptation.
Our bodies are composed of roughly 40 percent muscle on average. As we age, our muscles tend to deteriorate from inactivity and oxidative stress. It’s possible that this research could lead to new muscle therapies that will keep our muscles healthier for longer.
So, does this mean your muscles will benefit if you put a magnet on your body? Definitely not. In fact, studies have found zero health benefits to wearing magnets. All this research shows is that a protein in muscle cells reacts to magnetic fields — but any further claims need further research. So stay tuned.
For us and many others in the world, gathering with the people you care about is pretty much off the table right now. Instead, we're making due with other ways of connecting — especially video chat. But regardless of whether you're getting together in person or over webcam, today's guest says there are still some basic principles that can make your gathering more meaningful. Priya Parker is a conflict resolution facilitator who has helped create transformative gatherings — ranging from meetings on race relations on college campuses to peace processes in the Arab world. In her book "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters," she shares her secrets on how to inject more meaning into our get-togethers. In our conversation, she started with a really basic tip.
[CLIP 5:12]
That was Priya Parker, a conflict resolution facilitator and author of the book "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters." You can find a link to pick that up, along with a link to her New York Times Podcast "Together Apart," in the show notes. Priya will be back tomorrow to talk about virtual gatherings and how to do them better.
Let’s recap the main things we learned today
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s first story was written by Cameron Duke, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode was produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!