MICHAEL SNYDER, PH.D., IS WEARING FOUR SMARTWATCHES.
Inside his lab, the biggest on Stanford's perennially sunny campus, the director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine pulls up a seat and walks me through his very specific everyday carry.
For nearly a decade, Snyder has been trying to quantify human health. And although he has hundreds of volunteers in six different trials, he is his own best subject. His four different smartwatches spill out nine years' worth of heart-rate and skin-temperature data; a continuous glucose monitor graphs the effects that diet and exercise have on his blood sugar; an Oura ring tracks his sleep quality; and a black walkie-talkie-sized box he calls an exposometer "breathes" the same air as him and identifies all the airborne particles and chemicals he's exposed to in a day. (Not in the office today are his radiation monitor, a pulse oximeter, a camera that automatically takes photos of his environment every five minutes, and his smart cycling shorts, which were a bit of a bust.) Add all this to his semiannual MRIs, the microbiome and genome sequencing, and the hormone measurements and Snyder has more than 2 million gigabytes of his own health data stored. It is distinctly possible that Michael Snyder has more data on Michael Snyder than anyone has had on any human who has ever lived.
Snyder is a geneticist, renowned for helping to create revolutionary ways to analyze the genetic blueprint that makes up a life. For as long as humans have lived and died, we've been trying to explain why people get sick. Hippocrates blamed an imbalance of the biles, blood, and phlegm; medieval doctors chalked illness up to man's sinful ways. And for a generation now, since scientists first began to unravel our DNA, we've been primed to think that disease is written into our genes.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE NEW CHANGE MUSCLE MAKERS
WITH SYSTEMIC ISSUES both inside and outside the health-and-wellness industry, fitness professionals from marginalized backgrounds have long been held back.
ROCK BERMUDA
Cliff-jumping! Lunker-landing! Wreck-diving! I've lived on and off the Isle of Devils for 30 years. These are my five favorite adventures.
AWESOME-IFY YOUR SALMON
Chef CHARLIE MITCHELL says the key to balanced food and fitness is a little bit of everything.
BEET THIS!
Supplement makers say beet powders and juices help your heart and your workouts. We got to the root of those promises.
THE THROAT
Soreness, dryness, coughing-throat stuff can be the worst. Here's how to tell when something's up in there and feel better fast.
ARE YOUNG PEOPLE AGING FASTER?
And is that why cancer is striking earlier and earlier?
THE BAD DOCTOR
When patients kept nearly dying at asurgical center in Dallas, nobody thought it might be an inside job. Here’s howateam of medical investigators uncovered the disturbing truth— and how you can protect yourself from quacks, hacks, and downright dangerous docs.
HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH HIM
Well, not literally. But in the \"gnawing rat\" theory of productivity, making peace with your metaphorical pests might be the quickest way to stop procrastinating and finally ditch dread.
PUT YOUR SAVINGS TO WORK
... with big returns, no hassle, and way less financial stress.
THE STRESS LESS GUIDE ΤΟ MANAGING MONEY
Don't worry: Creating a budget has nothing to do with it.
