What if intuition… digestion… and belief were all part of the same conversation?

In this interlude, Dr. Juan Carlos Rey explores the growing science of the gut-brain axis - where trillions of microbes whisper through the vagus nerve to shape emotion, cognition, and even moral intuition.

Drawing on research from Emeran Mayer, Sarkis Mazmanian, John Cryan, and Ted Dinan, this journey reveals a hidden ecology of consciousness - where neurotransmitters, bacteria, and the human nervous system collaborate to compose what we call self.

Here, the Observable Unknown is not distant or abstract - it’s inside you. Alive, responsive, and evolving.

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• WhatsApp channel: TheObservableUnknown
• Email: TheObservableUnknown@gmail.com
• Text: 336-675-5836

Wherever you listen, please leave a review and rating - your voice helps others discover the mystery that connects mind, body, and meaning.

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What if every thought, memory, and feeling were a chemical symphony? In this interlude, Dr. Juan Carlos Rey guides listeners through the molecular foundations of consciousness—how neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and cortisol shape our choices, memories, and moods.

Drawing on Michael Hasselmo’s groundbreaking work on acetylcholine and memory, Hans Krebs’ discovery of the metabolic “Krebs cycle” powering every thought, and the research of scholars such as Wolfram Schultz, Kent Berridge, Robert Sapolsky, Paul Zak, Bruce McEwen, Robin Carhart-Harris, Roland Griffiths, and Gregory Bateson, this episode uncovers the hidden chemistry of our inner life.

It’s a journey into the observable unknown where molecules meet mystery—where the self is revealed as a living metabolism of wonder.

Continue the conversation:

• WhatsApp channel: TheObservableUnknown
• Email: TheObservableUnknown@gmail.com
• Text: 336-675-5836

And when you do, please tell us:

1. How did you first find out about the show?
2. What’s your favorite part or episode so far?
3. What’s one thing we could do to make the show better?
4. And what’s one thing you’re struggling with right now?

And please rate and review The Observable Unknown wherever you listen—your reviews help other curious minds discover this journey.

What if your most “rational” decisions were already scripted by your bloodstream?

In this interlude of The Observable Unknown, Dr. Juan Carlos Rey traces the hidden hormonal currents shaping risk, loyalty, ambition, and status. Drawing on the fieldwork of Robert Sapolsky among Kenyan baboons, Anna Dreber’s research on traders’ testosterone surges, Carsten de Dreu’s discoveries about oxytocin’s double edge, Wolfram Schultz’s dopamine experiments, and anthropological studies from Kristen Hawkes to David Hazlerigg, this episode reveals how biology and culture braid into one force.

Testosterone asserts, cortisol constrains, oxytocin binds, dopamine drives - together forming the unseen scaffolding of our choices. By the end, you’ll never look at “free will” the same way again.

💡 Join the conversation: – WhatsApp: The Observable Unknown – Email: TheObservableUnknown@gmail.com – Text: 336-675-5836

And if you do, please tell us:

1. How did you first find out about the show?
2. What’s your favorite part or episode so far?
3. What’s one thing we could do better for future listeners?
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