Science Vs

Latest Episodes:

Coronavirus: Labs Go Dark May 29, 2020

Show notes

Life is on pause for many of us right now. But scientists don’t want to stop! Researchers have had to figure out how to keep experiments going and keep lab animals alive — all while keeping themselves safe. To find out how they’re managing it, we talk to evolutionary biologist Dr. Ximena Bernal, plant biologist Professor Frank Telewski, marine conservation biologist Christine Figgener, and station manager Erin Heard.

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3dgBZ2i

This episode was produced by Laura Morris with help from me Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Mathilde Urfalino, Michelle Dang and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney and Alex Blumberg. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to everyone who left us messages and spoke to us - including Dr. Stella Capoccia, Dr. Alessandra Fidelis, Professor Marco Festa-Bianchet, Dr. Joanna Joiner, Anjana Parandhaman, and Mike Pendleton. And a special thanks to the Zukerman Family, Joseph Lavelle Wilson and Jack Weinstein.

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Coronavirus: Sweden Goes Rogue May 22, 2020

Show notes

While a lot of countries have put in strict measures, like lockdowns, to stop the coronavirus, there’s been a conspicuous outlier: Sweden. The country has carved a different path, trying to keep its hospitals from being overrun while allowing society to function as normally as possible. So, is the Swedish model working? To find out, we talk to medical epidemiologist Dr. Emma Frans, Professor Annelies Wilder-Smith, Dr. Gary Weissman, and Dr. Eric Schneider. Also: ANCHOVIES!

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2XiRsYT

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, Wendy Zukerman and Rose Rimler with help from Mathilde Urfalino, Michelle Dang, and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Kirsty Short, Prof. Keith Humphreys, Prof. Paul Franks, Prof. Wouter Metsola van der Wijngaart, Assoc. Prof. Niclas Roxhed, Dr. Tobias Brett, AnnaSarra Carnahan, Dr. Alisdair Munro, Alessio Capobianco, and Dr. Mahshid Abir. All the folks in Sweden who helped us out including Johan Seidefors, Niklas Wahlén, Emil Sahlén, Amie Bramme, Dr. Arne Jonsson, Ann-Mari Darj, Shayan Effati, Erik Hedlund, Rebecca Heine, Srour Haddad, Harpa Kristinsdottir, Sven Larsson, Justinas Legas, Agnes Nygren, Lova Seidefors, Marcin Wolniewicz, John Kvarnefalk and Alexander Nordström. And special thanks to Christopher Suter, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Coronavirus: The Mask Wars May 15, 2020

Show notes

When the pandemic started, we were told not to bother with masks. But now it looks like experts have done a 180 here, and a lot of us are being told to cover our mugs when we leave the house. So which is it? Should we mask up or not? To find out, we talk to epidemiologist Professor Benjamin Cowling, microbiologist Dr. Anna Davies, and clinical psychologist Dr. Olga Perski. Also: RED DEVIL SQUID!!

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2LxuxTW

And here’s a link to the squid video: https://youtu.be/iANgyT95bmA

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Laura Morris and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. David Simons and Benjamin Burford. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Coronavirus: Pregnant in a Pandemic May 08, 2020

Show notes

How bad is the coronavirus for pregnant people and babies? Producer Meryl Horn is digging into this question for today’s episode. And it’s personal, because Meryl is pregnant and living in the pandemic hot spot that is New York City. We talk to Professor Emily Oster, pathologist Dr. David Schwartz, and obstetrician Dr. Suzanne LaJoie. Also: SWIMMING DINOSAURS!?

Here’s a link to our transcript: bit.ly/2YKzD7e

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn with help from me Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Laura Morris, Michelle Dang and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr Neel Shah, Dr William Schweizer, Dr Edward Mullins, Dr David Shaffer, Dr Gianluca Esposito, Dr István Bókkon, Dr Vassilios Fanos, Dr Reut Avinun, Dr Anastasia Topalidou, Dr Alan Sroufe, Dr Pehr Granqvist, and Dr David Baud. And thanks to all the women who shared their stories with us: Alexandra Schinasi, Courtney Desman, and Caitlin Bertin-Mahieux. And special thanks to the Zukerman family, Joseph Lavelle Wilson and Chris Suter.

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Coronavirus: How Many Silent Spreaders Are There? May 01, 2020

Show notes

We’re learning that people can spread the virus when they don’t have symptoms. But how often does that actually happen? We talk to Mark Jorgensen, clinician-scientist Dr. Vivek Naranbhai and CDC epidemiologist Dr. Mateusz Plucinski. Also: KOALA POP SONGS!!

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2zNX1q7

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang with help from me Wendy Zukerman, Laura Morris, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Prof Gerrado Chowell, Dr. Natalie Dean, Dr. Sandra Uitdenbogerd and Caroline Pegram. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Coronavirus: Was It Made In a Lab? Apr 24, 2020

Show notes

Since the outbreak started, we’ve been hearing that this coronavirus came from bats before jumping to humans. But recently, claims that the virus escaped from a lab have been getting a lot of attention. So did it? Is there an evil scientist behind all of this? To find out, we talk to microbiologist Professor Benhur Lee, Christian Stevens, and virologist Dr. Oscar MacLean. Also: FROGS!!

UPDATE 4/27/20: An earlier version of this episode played a quote from a politician saying that China has only one biosafety level 4 lab. This is incorrect, and the episode has been updated.

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

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Rose Rimler, with help from Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Sinduja Srinivasan and Laura Morris. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Kirsty Short, Dr. Ximena Bernal, Henry Legett, Dr. Muhamed Amin, and Professor Kristian Andersen. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Working Out From Home — in 7 Minutes? [Rebroadcast] Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

Social distancing has made it harder for a lot of us to get exercise. So we’re revisiting our episode on the seven-minute workout. Can this bite-size routine really keep us fit? Back in 2018, we asked exercise scientist Prof. Jeff Coombes — and Wendy gave it a go.

Check out the transcript here: https://bit.ly/2RQarYz

We also looked into the broader science of exercise in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3iMLOaNVAy0s6RsdecUySj

And find the original study on the seven-minute workout here: https://bit.ly/3aoe4eP

Credits:

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Meryl Horn and Odelia Rubin. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Music written by Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Recording assistance from Jack McDonnell. For this episode we also spoke to Martin Gibala, Chris Jordan, Kathryn Weston, Dan Schmidt, and others. Thank you so much for your help.

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Coronavirus: Can You Get It Twice? Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

We’re hearing stories of people getting this coronavirus, recovering, and then getting it again. So what’s going on: Does getting this virus give you immunity or not? To find out, we talk to virologist Dr. Kirsty Short of the University of Queensland and Dr. Robin Berzin of Parsley Health.

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3ajK5om

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Sinduja Srinivasan and Laura Morris. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Marion Snyder, Professor Ann Sheehy, and Dr. Helen Petousis-Harris. Thanks also to Kyle Gunderson, Nora McKenna, Mike Pendleton, Hannah Wei, and Matt Weinberg. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Coronavirus: When Will It End? Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

In the U.S. we've been social distancing for a few weeks now, and the question on everyone’s mind is: When can we go back to “normal”? And what’s happening in China, where they’ve already lifted the lockdown? To find out, we talk to Dr. Swapnil Mishra, part of the Imperial College Covid-19 Response Team, and Dr. Franz-Josef Schmitt.

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2y5nJtc

You can listen to The Journal’s full interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci here: https://spoti.fi/2x99xQ8

This episode was produced by Sinduja Srinivasan, Wendy Zukerman, Laura Morris, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler and Meg Driscoll. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam, Michael te Vrugt and others. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Coronavirus: Should I Disinfect EVERYTHING? Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

There are reports that the coronavirus can survive on surfaces for days. So how careful should we be about cleaning the stuff we touch? And do we need to be disinfecting our groceries? To find out, we talk to pathologist and microbiologist Dr. Josh Santarpia and toxicologist Dr. Joshua King.

UPDATE 4/7/20: An earlier version of this episode suggested that Alex was wiping down his groceries with bleach, but the wipes he was using didn't contain bleach. We've updated the episode.

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2VbYbTr

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, Wendy Zukerman, Meg Driscoll, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Sinduja Srinivasan, and Laura Morris. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers that we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Christine Bruhn, Dr. Erin Leigh Dicaprio, Prof. Kalmia Kniel, Dr. Linda Harris, Dr. Megan Freeman, Prof. Jovana Kovacevic, and others. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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