Science Vs

Latest Episodes:

Should We Compost Human Bodies? Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

What's the greenest way to die? Some nerds are saying that our bodies should go the way of our veggie scraps — and become compost. But will people get on board with spreading Grandpa in the garden? To find out, we talk to Brie Smith, Micah Truman, Katrina Spade and Thomas Bass.

Link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/svhumancomposting

This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Courtney Gilbert and Disha Bhagat. Were edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, So Wylie and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all of the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr John Paul, Dr Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, Dr Muriel Lepesteur, Jean F. Bonhotal, Dr Mark Pawlett, Professor Komla Tsey, Dr Ruth McManus and Dr Julie Rugg. Special thanks to Jimmy Olson, Jonathan Goldstein, Julia Martin, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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The Fight to Fix a Racist Medical Gadget Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

The EEG is an incredibly important medical tool — and it’s been failing Black patients for decades. So today we’ll hear from two young, Black scientists who teamed up with hairdressers to do something about it. We speak to neurologist Dr. Jessie Baity, engineer Arnelle Etienne, biomedical scientist Lietsel Jones, and hairstylist Nina Woodley.

Link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/sciencevsEEG

This episode was produced by Taylor White, Meryl Horn and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Courtney Gilbert, and Disha Bhagat. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the Executive Producer. Fact checking by Eva Dasher and Disha Bhagat. Mix and sound design by Catherine Anderson. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard and SoWylie. Thanks to the scientists we spoke to for this episode, including Dr. Christina Patterson, Dr. Pulkit Grover, Dr. Katherine Stavropoulos, Dr. Shannon Burns, Dr. Achuta Kadambi, Dr. Lauren Whitehurst, Dr. Zeniab Kone, Dr. Symon Kariuki, Nwabisa Mlandu, Carla Bailey, De-Shaine Murray, Dr. Jasmine Kwasa, Dr. Marieke Dekker, Prof. William Matuja, and all the researchers at Black in Neuro. Also thanks to everyone who talked to us about their EEG experiences. Special thanks to Ashwati Krishnan, Tarana Laroia, Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum, Bethel Habte, Brendan Klinkenberg and Rosie Guerin.

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Vegans: Are They Right? Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Do vegans have a right to be so smug? We’re finding out whether it really is better for the environment, and our bodies, to go vegan. We speak to environmental researcher Joseph Poore, historian Prof. Connie Hilliard, anthropologist Prof. Katharine Milton, and nutrition researcher Prof. Roman Pawlak.

A version of this episode originally ran in 2018; today’s episode contains updated science.

Check out the transcript here: https://bit.ly/vegansupdated

The episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Wendy Zukerman, along with Meryl Horn, Odelia Rubin and Kaitlyn Sawrey. Editing by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris and Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger and Bumi Hidaka. Music by Emma Munger, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Recording assistance from Robbie MacInnes, Paul Reece, Spencer Silva, and Hady Mawajdeh. For this episode we also spoke to Connie Weaver, Nathan H. Lents, Mark Bolland, Ambrish Mithal, Marco Springmann, Mary Beth Hall, Tara Garnett, Tom Sanders, Frederick Leroy, and others. Thank you so much for your help. And a big thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Hydration: Are You Drinking Enough Water? Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Celebs and wellness blogs treat water like a magic elixir that will make us the most attractive and healthiest version of ourselves. But do these claims hold water? And how much do we really need to be drinking to stay healthy? We speak to Professor Hollie Raynor, Professor Stavros Kavouras and Dr. Tamara Hew-Butler to find out.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3AEtH0W

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Nick DelRose, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Courtney Gilbert, Rose Rimler and Disha Bhagat. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, So Wylie and Peter Leonard. Thanks to the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Andrew Brown, Dr. Jason Lee Kai, Dr. Jodi Stookey, Dr. Vincent Ho, Dr. Tristan Struja, Dr. Stephen Goodman, Dr. Ekua Annobil, Professor Barbara Rolls and Dr. Krista Casazza. Special thanks to Rasha Aridi, Eric Mennel, The Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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We're Back for Season THIRTEEN Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

There’s tons of misinformation, fads and strong opinions floating around out there — but then there’s SCIENCE. Season 13 starts on September 8!

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Fauci on Monkeypox: What Went Wrong Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

We called up Dr. Anthony Fauci to talk about monkeypox. We wanted to know — what’s the deal with the slow response here? And why haven’t we gotten this virus under control?

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3BB7WBi

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Courtney Gilbert, Rose Rimler, Nick DelRose and Disha Bhagat. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair.

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Monkeypox: What's Going On? Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

Monkeypox has been spreading around the world. So … what exactly is this disease? How worried should we be, and how can people stay safe? We talk to Dr. Carlton Thomas, Professor Chloe Orkin and Professor Yan Xiang.

Check out our transcript (with 147 citations!): https://bit.ly/sciencevsmonkeypox

And if you are looking for another great podcast on this, check out A Bumpy Ride. It’s by Leo Herrera, and it’s really beautiful.

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Courtney Gilbert, Rose Rimler, Nick DelRose, and Disha Bhagat. Additional help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, Peter Leonad and SoWylie. Thanks to the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Agam Rao, Professor Asma Khalil, Professor Siddappa Byrareddy, Professor Preeti Malani, and Dr. Hugh Adler. Special thanks to LeRoy G. Robinson, Jr., Randy Tigue, Nick Lem, The Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

And thanks so much to everyone who spoke to us about their experience with monkeypox.

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Abortion: The Science and the Supreme Court Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And in their opinion, we found a lot of scientific-sounding statements. So we wanted to find out whether these statements are true. We’ll tell you what actually happens in an abortion, whether a fetus can feel pain, and what the risks are for a pregnant person. We visit an abortion clinic in Texas and talk to Dr. Amita Murthy, Dr. Lisa Harris, and Dr. Diana Greene Foster.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3OBfveK

This episode was produced by Heather Rogers, Meryl Horn, Wendy Zukerman, Ben Kuebrich, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Shruti Ravindran, Courtney Gilbert, Rose Rimler and Michelle Dang. Edited by Annie-Rose Strasser and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Extra help with production and editorial from Rachel Ward, Alex Blumberg and Jorge Just. Music production and original music written by Bobby Lord. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord, Catherine Anderson and Emma Munger. Thanks to Dr. Lola Pellegrino, Ronnie Shankar, Dr. Diane Horvath-Cosper, Rachel Jones, Elizabeth Nash, Dr Yoon-Jin Kim, Delma Limones. and Gilda Sedgh. Also thanks to Katie Bishop and Reverend David Gushee.

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Nightmare on Science Street Jun 09, 2022

Show notes

Today, we’re sharing a collection of spooky science stories. You’ll hear about a nightmare in the ocean, a nightmare on land, and even a nightmare … IN YOUR MIND. We talk to scientists including marine biologist, Dr. Olga Shpak and malacologist Jaynee Kim.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3O4Ag22

See the video Olga’s team shot of killer whales attacking a bowhead here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OskmkWV0Ypk

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Ilya Kolmanovsky, and Rose Rimler. Extra help from Courtney Gilbert. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is the Executive Producer. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord and SoWylie. Our amazing Barbershop Quartet is Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard and Austin Mitchell. Thanks to the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Katharina Lüth and Dr. David Wyler. Special thanks to everyone who helped us this season!! Rasha Aridi, Nick DelRose, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Jack Weinstein, Chris Suter, Ingrid Gilbert, Kayla Stokes, Lonnie Ro, Wade and Christabel Nsiah Buadi, The Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Placebo: Can the Mind Cure You? Jun 02, 2022

Show notes

[REBROADCAST] Could fake medicine actually take away your pain or treat a disease? We dig into the science of placebos to find out more about the power of the mind to heal. We speak to medical researcher Prof. Ted Kaptchuk, neuroscientist Prof. Fabrizio Benedetti and medical psychologist Prof. Manfred Schedlowski.

Check out the full transcript here: https://bit.ly/3xaPKM3

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Kaitlyn Sawrey and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Editing help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris and Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka and Peter Leonard. Music by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Recording assistance from Fabian Mirko May, Mary Dooe and Maggie Penman. A huge thanks to all the scientists we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr Diletta Barbiani, Dr Cynthia McRae, Dr J Bruce Moseley, Professor Apkar Apkarian, Professor Jon Stoessl,and others. And special thanks to Lynda McKenzie, the Zukerman family, and Joseph Lavelle Wilson

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