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In this special episode, my friend—and fan-favorite guest— Dr. Peter Attia takes the mic as guest host. Peter sits down with legendary trader John Arnold , widely considered the greatest energy trader of all time. Today, through his foundation Arnold Ventures , John applies the same rigorous thinking to some of America’s toughest social challenges—criminal justice reform, healthcare policy, and K–12 education, to name just a few. This interview originally aired on Peter’s excellent podcast The Drive . You can check it out at PeterAttiaMD.com , or subscribe to The Drive wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is brought to you by: Vanta  trusted compliance and security platform:  https://vanta.com/tim   ($1000 off) Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5  sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating:  EightSleep.com/Tim  (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.) Wealthfront  high-yield cash account:  https://Wealthfront.com/Tim   (Start earning 4.00% APY on your short-term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account today, you can  get an extra fifty-dollar bonus  with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.)   Terms apply. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures  here . Timestamps: [00:00:00] Start. [00:05:37] Peter Attia's intro: who is John Arnold? [00:08:38] John's background, upbringing, and early entrepreneurial tendencies. [00:21:16] John's time and rise at Enron. [00:33:40] Characteristics that made John an exceptional natural gas trader and how they translate to his philanthropic work. [00:41:10] The collapse of Enron. [00:46:46] The success of John's hedge fund, and his early interest in philanthropy. [01:02:03] The infamous 2006 trade that brought down Amaranth Advisors. [01:08:28] John's analytical prowess and emphasis on fundamentals. [01:15:13] The decision to become a full-time philanthropist and the founding of Arnold Ventures. [01:25:03] Education — John's quest to fundamentally change K-12 education. [01:30:36] Strategic philanthropy — preventing problems by attacking root causes and creating structural change. [01:37:50] The criminal justice system — structural changes needed to address mass incarceration, policing practices, and recidivism. [01:55:07] Re-imagining prisons to reduce recidivism. [02:02:27] US health care policy — John's focus on drug prices, and the severe consequences of not making system changes. [02:20:00] Climate change — the bipartisan role of John's foundation. [02:23:52] Advice for young adults interested in philanthropy. [02:30:52] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on  The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit   tim.blog/podcast . For deals from sponsors of  The Tim Ferriss Show ,  please visit  tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter ( 5-Bullet Friday ) at  tim.blog/friday . For transcripts of episodes, go to  tim.blog/transcripts . Discover Tim’s books:  tim.blog/books . Follow Tim: Twitter :  twitter.com/tferriss   Instagram :  instagram.com/timferriss YouTube :  youtube.com/timferriss Facebook :  facebook.com/timferriss   LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/timferriss Past guests on  The Tim Ferriss Show  include  Jerry Seinfeld ,  Hugh Jackman ,  Dr. Jane Goodall ,  LeBron James ,  Kevin Hart ,  Doris Kearns Goodwin ,  Jamie Foxx ,  Matthew McConaughey ,  Esther Perel ,  Elizabeth Gilbert ,  Terry Crews ,  Sia ,  Yuval Noah Harari ,  Malcolm Gladwell ,  Madeleine Albright ,  Cheryl Strayed ,  Jim Collins ,  Mary Karr,   Maria Popova ,  Sam Harris ,  Michael Phelps ,  Bob Iger ,  Edward Norton ,  Arnold Schwarzenegger ,  Neil Strauss ,  Ken Burns ,  Maria Sharapova ,  Marc Andreessen ,  Neil Gaiman ,  Neil de Grasse Tyson ,  Jocko Willink ,  Daniel Ek ,  Kelly Slater ,  Dr. Peter Attia ,  Seth Godin ,  Howard Marks ,  Dr. Brené Brown ,  Eric Schmidt ,  Michael Lewis ,  Joe Gebbia ,  Michael Pollan ,  Dr. Jordan Peterson ,  Vince Vaughn ,  Brian Koppelman ,  Ramit Sethi ,  Dax Shepard ,  Tony Robbins ,  Jim Dethmer ,  Dan Harris ,  Ray Dalio ,  Naval Ravikant ,  Vitalik Buterin ,  Elizabeth Lesser ,  Amanda Palmer ,  Katie Haun ,  Sir Richard Branson ,  Chuck Palahniuk ,  Arianna Huffington ,  Reid Hoffman ,  Bill Burr ,  Whitney Cummings ,  Rick Rubin ,  Dr. Vivek Murthy ,  Darren Aronofsky ,  Margaret Atwood ,  Mark Zuckerberg ,  Peter Thiel ,  Dr. Gabor Maté ,  Anne Lamott ,  Sarah Silverman ,  Dr. Andrew Huberman , and many more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Sign Up to Receive Peter’s Weekly Newsletter Eric Verdin is a physician-scientist and the CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging whose career has centered on understanding how epigenetics, metabolism, and the immune system influence the aging process. In this episode, Eric traces his scientific journey from studying viruses and histone deacetylases (HDACs) to leading aging research at the Buck Institute, offering insights into how aging impairs immune and nervous system function—including thymic shrinkage, chronic inflammation, and reduced vaccine response—and how these changes impact lifespan. He explores the metabolic underpinnings of aging, such as oxidative stress and insulin and IGF-1 signaling, and he discusses practical tools like zone 2 cardio, ketogenic diets, and GLP-1 drugs. The conversation also covers declining NAD levels with age, the roles of NAD-consuming enzymes such as sirtuins and CD38, and what current NAD-boosting strategies (like NMN, NR, and IV NAD) can and can’t accomplish. Eric weighs in on promising longevity interventions including rapamycin, growth hormone for thymic regeneration, and anti-inflammatory therapies, while also examining the promise and limitations of current biological age tests and the potential of combining epigenetic, proteomic, and organ-specific metrics with wearables to guide personalized longevity care. We discuss: Eric’s scientific journey from virology to the field of geroscience [2:45]; How dysfunction in the immune system and central nervous system can drive aging throughout the body [5:00]; The role of metabolism and oxidative stress in aging, and why antioxidant strategies have failed to deliver clear benefits [8:45]; Other aspects of metabolism linked to aging: mitochondrial efficiency, fuel utilization, and glucose-modulating drugs [16:30]; How inefficient glucose metabolism drives insulin, IGF-1 signaling, and accelerates aging [21:45]; The metabolic effects of GLP-1 agonists, and the need to move beyond crude metrics like BMI in favor of more precise assessments of metabolic health [27:00]; The case for immune health as a “fifth horseman” [36:00]; How the innate and adaptive immune systems work together to build immune memory [39:45]; Why vaccines lose effectiveness with age: shrinking of the thymus gland and diminished T-cell diversity [44:15]; Exploring growth hormone, thymic regeneration, and the role of exercise in slowing immune aging [48:45]; The challenges of identifying reliable biomarkers for immune function, and the potential of rapamycin analogs to enhance vaccine response in older adults [57:45]; How rapamycin’s effects on the immune system vary dramatically by dosage and frequency [1:03:30]; The limitations of mouse models in aging research and the need for cautious interpretation of rapamycin’s benefits in humans [1:08:15]; NAD, sirtuins, and aging: scientific promise amid commercial hype [1:15:45]; How CD38 drives age-related NAD decline, influences immune function, and may impact longevity [1:23:45]; How NMN and NR supplementation interact with CD38 and NAD metabolism, and potential risks like homocysteine elevation and one-carbon cycle depletion [1:31:00]; Intravenous NAD: limited evidence and serious risks [1:37:00]; Interleukin-11 (IL-11) as a new target in immune aging, the dual role of chronic inflammation in aging, and the need for better biomarkers to guide interventions [1:43:00]; Biological aging clocks: types of clocks, promise, major limitations, and future outlook [1:48:30]; The potential of proteomics-based aging clocks for detecting organ-specific decline and frailty [2:00:45]; and More. Connect With Peter on  Twitter ,  Instagram ,  Facebook  and  YouTube

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