Science Vs

Latest Episodes:

Healthcare: How Do We Fix It? Dec 13, 2019

Show notes

American healthcare has big problems. Some say the solution is Medicare For All: one government plan for everybody. But others say government healthcare would be worse than what we already have. Who’s right? And how did things get this bad? We talk to health policy researchers Prof. Harold Pollack and Robin Osborn.

Check out the full transcript here: https://bit.ly/38ye0cY

Selected references:

Paper from last year on why American healthcare spending is so high: https://bit.ly/2t8gkqB
Report from Robin’s group that compares the US, the UK, and many other countries: https://bit.ly/2qRh7vy
A WHO report on healthcare cost control: https://bit.ly/38AEHxl
Big Lancet report on the health of countries around the world: https://bit.ly/2RLJB4N

Credits:

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler with help from Lexi Krupp along with Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, and Marcus Bagala. Recording assistance from Sofi LaLonde, David DesRoches, Dennis Maler, and James Delahoussaye. A huge thanks to all of the people with diabetes we spoke with-- thanks so much! Also big thanks to Dr. Irene Papanicolas, Prof. Steven Woolf, Dr. Kasia Lipska, Elizabeth Pfiester, Professor Kevin Schulman, Dr. Eric Schneider, Dr. Chris Pope, Cynthia Cox, Lois Rogers, and everyone else we spoke to for this episode. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Ants: Tales from the Underground Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

On today’s show, three f-ant-astic stories of survival, friendship and courage about some of the most underrated creatures in the animal queendom. Produced with our friends at Every Little Thing, another Gimlet podcast. We spoke with behavioral ecologist Dr. István Maák, biologist Dr. Erik Frank, entomologist Dr. Christina Kwapich, and biologist Prof Derrick Brazill.

Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/38cDgoU

Selected references:

István’s study on ants surviving in a nuclear bunker: http://bit.ly/2rkR2Fb
Erik’s study on ants helping each other in a termite hunt: http://bit.ly/2YlH6Y9
Christina’s study on ants destroying spider webs: http://bit.ly/2RnOMrt
Review on “dicty”- the amoeba we talk to Derrick about: http://bit.ly/2DQFoVk

Credits:

Science Vs is produced by Wendy Zukerman along with Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, and Lexi Krupp. Every Little Thing’s piece was produced by Gabby Bulgarelli, Emily Forman, Phoebe Flanigan, Annette Heist and Flora Lichtman. This episode was edited by Caitlin Kenney and Jorge Just. Fact checking by Diane Kelly and Nicole Pasulka. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard and Dara Hirsch. Music written by Dara Hirsch, Dan Brunelle, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord and erm, Wendy. A big thanks to Dr. Nathalie Stroeymeyt, Dr. Gema Trigos-Peral, Dr. Jack Neff, and recording help from Wojciech Oleksiak And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Police Shootings: The Data and the Damage Done Nov 22, 2019

Show notes

It’s been five years since the high profile shootings of several unarmed black teenagers and men launched the Black Lives Matter movement. Since then, police departments have been doing all kinds of things to respond to the deaths and protests. But do any of them work? To find out we speak with social psychologist Prof. Jennifer Eberhardt, psychologist Prof. Phillip Atiba Goff, public policy expert Dr. David Yokum, criminologists Dr. Lois James, and Dr. Stephen James.

Check out the full transcript transcript here: http://bit.ly/2D23jAR

Selected references:

Jennifer’s study on respectful language during traffic stops, and her book on implicit bias: http://bit.ly/2XGHobN
Phil’s study on bias and the Las Vegas policy changes: http://bit.ly/2O8Ndf3
David’s study on whether body cameras reduce police use of force: http://bit.ly/2pJj5gU

Credits:

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, Lexi Krupp, and Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard with help from Cedric Wilson. Music written by Peter Leonard, Benny Reid, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to Professor Lawrence Sherman, Dr. Joe Cesario, Dr. Sam Walker, Chuck Wexler, Dr. Peter Moskos, Dennis Flores, Hawk Newsome, Professor William Terrill, Dr. Arne Nieuwenhuys, Professor Franklin Zimring, Dr. Joan Vickers, and Dr. Justin Nix. Thanks to all police officers we spoke to- we really appreciate your help. And special thanks to Amber Davis, Chuma Ossé, Daniel Domke, Christina Djossa, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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When a Hospital becomes The Butcher Shop Nov 15, 2019

Show notes

A group of teenagers and college kids were fed up with the lousy healthcare in their neighborhood. So they decided to fight the system head on—a fight that still resonates today. Sid Davidoff, Mickey Melendez, and Cleo Silvers share their story.

Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/33QhYKX

Selected references:

Mickey Melendez's Book: http://bit.ly/34Ww1ik
Interview with Cleo Silvers: http://bit.ly/2Xcg58S
Article about lead testing in the 1970s: http://bit.ly/2qTJSqN
To hear more on lead poisoning prevention today: http://bit.ly/2Qh3MXK
Pacifica Radio Archives: pacificaradioarchives.org

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Sleep: All Aboard the Snooze Cruise! Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

Not sleeping enough turning you into a monster? Cutting-edge science helps us understand why. And we sort through the fads to find out, what really works to get more ZZZs. We speak with lab coordinator Pam De Young, sleep researcher Dr. Brady Riedner, and circadian scientist Prof. Russell Foster.

Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2Ns26Zt

Selected references:

Consensus on the optimal amount of sleep: http://bit.ly/2Nu33Rc
Local sleep review: http://bit.ly/33rXWGL
Drunk study: http://bit.ly/33sN1wo
Melatonin review: http://bit.ly/2WXC1EW
E-reader study: http://bit.ly/2NU67EY

Credits:

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Lexi Krupp with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn and Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, and Bach. Recording assistance from Dave Drexler, Tim Peterson, Zoe Sullivan, and Martin Wiggins. Sonification of EEG data came from Dr. Gerold Baier and Dr. Thomas Hermann. A big thanks to Dr. Amandine Valomon, Prof. James Krueger, Dr. Ari Shechter, Dr. Jade Wu, Dr. Bei Bei, Dr. Connor Sheehan, Dr. Jennifer Ailshire, Dr. Agostinho Rosa, and everyone else we spoke to for this episode, especially our frustrated sleepers. Thanks for calling in! And special thanks to Chuma Ossé, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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5G: Welcome to the Revolution? Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

How should we feel about 5G? Is it a breakthrough technology that will revolutionize our world, or in a bid to get new gadgets, are we risking our health? To find out, we spoke with electrical engineer Prof. Jeff Andrews, biologist Prof. Henrik Mouritsen, radiology safety expert Prof. Chris Collins, and psychologist Prof. Rodney Croft.

Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2qd2MIR

Selected references:

Jeff’s paper on the future of 5G: http://bit.ly/36ob7tW
Chris's review on 5G’s safety: http://bit.ly/336losL
Henrik's article on the effect of electromagnetic radiation on migratory birds: https://go.nature.com/338t3Xy
Review on symptoms associated with electromagnetic waves: http://bit.ly/2JF7C8V

Credits: This episode was produced by Meryl Horn with help from Wendy Zukerman, Lexi Krupp, Michelle Dang and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris, Lexi Krupp, and Michelle Dang. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard and Bobby Lord. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord and Emma Munger. Recording assistance from Olivia Aldridge, Beth McMullen, and Mirjam Steger. A huge thanks to all the people we spoke to for this episode including: Dr. Sarah Loughran, Dr. Stefano Cucurachi, Professor Muriel Médard, Dr. Harish Krishnaswamy, Dr. Christopher Labos, Dr. Jordan Gerth, Dr. Arno Thielens, Prof. David Carpenter, Dr. Jerrold Bushberg, Dr. Patrick Mineault, Norman Carreck and ARPANSA. Extra thanks to Kaitlyn Sawrey, Shahzad Ahsan, Rachel Ward, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Vaping: What the Hell is Going On?! Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

Vaping is all the rage in the U.S., but young people are turning up at hospitals barely able to breathe. Over a thousand vapers have gotten sick⁠—34 are dead⁠—and no one knows why. We investigated the case of the mysterious vaping disease with help from Geri Sullivan, pulmonologist Dr. Louella Amos, lab director Iniobong Afia, inhalation toxicologist Prof. Ilona Jaspers and researcher Dr. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce.

Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/33VzzRi

Selected references:

CDC Outbreak Page: http://bit.ly/2PheKvO
Case reports from 53 vaping patients who got sick over the summer: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1911614
“Chemical burn” analysis of patients’ lungs: https://bit.ly/2oexalC
Jamie’s review “Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation”: https://bit.ly/32GTN14

Credits:

This episode was produced by our senior producer Kaitlyn Sawrey and producer Michelle Dang, with help from me, Wendy Zukerman, Lexi Krupp, Rose Rimler and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord and Emma Munger. A huge thanks to all the people we spoke to for this episode including: Dr Yasmeen Butt, Dr Sean Callahan, Dr Travis Henry, Professor Irfan Rahman, Christopher Harvel, Alex Sandorf, Dr James Pankow, Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, Professor Lorraine Martin, Professor Moon-Shong Tang, Dr. Kevin Davidson and Myron Ronay. Extra thanks to Conor Duffy, Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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PANDEMIC!!! Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

If a pandemic ripped across the world, how bad would it really get? You’ve heard the horror stories, but you’ve never heard one like this. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who advises the President on emerging infectious diseases, helps us out. Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2M4Tlnt

Selected references:

The CDC’s history of the 1918 Pandemic: http://bit.ly/2AXiGJP
Time-lapse tracking the transmission and evolution of H7N9: http://bit.ly/2B1nYnG
CDC’s Pandemic Influenza Plan: http://bit.ly/2pVroFZ
Institute for Disease Modeling’s flu pandemic death toll simulation: http://bit.ly/2M2ymSj

Credits: This episode was produced by our senior producer Kaitlyn Sawrey, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Lexi Krupp, Rose Rimler and Meryl Horn. Special thanks to Frank Lopez. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney and Blythe Terrell. Extra writing help from Kevin Christopher Snipes. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord and Marcus Thorne Bagala. Comments and thoughts from Dr. Eric Toner, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Beth Maldin Morgenthau, Dr. Melvin Sanicas, Professor Michael Osterholm, Dr. Patrick Saunders Hastings, Rosemary Gibson, Thomas Bollyky, Dr. Ashleigh Tuite, Professor Stephen Morse, Dr. Lalitha Sundaram, Professor David N. Fisman, Lynette Brammer, Dr. Mohamed Naguib, Dr. Yeulong Shu, Dr. Dan Jernigan, Dr Kirsty Short, and special thanks to Bess Davenport at CDC. Death toll modeling came from the Institute for Disease Modeling, with valuable guidance from Dr. Mandy Izzo and Dr. Kurt Frey.

Thanks to all our actors:

Annabelle Fox as Mindy Tuckerman

Casey Wortmann as Dr Rosie Morales

William Dufris as Dr Uzdienski

Dani Cervone as Dr Emily Ragus

Jordan Cobb as the Triage Nurse

Alice Kors as the distressed Mum

Robin Miles as the Nurse

Jonathan Woodward as Voiceover, 911 Operator, and Police Officer

Ian Lowe as Emergency Services Officer

Matt Lieber as the Politician

Newscasters include: Kaitlyn Sawrey, Renita Jablonski and Gabriel Lozada

Plane landing voice over: Peter Leonard

Directed by William Dufris with help from Wendy Zukerman, Kaitlyn Sawrey and Fred Grenhalgh. Recording by Fred Greenhalgh and Peter Leonard. Also thank you to all the Gimlet people who performed various drafts including Chad Chenail, Gabe Lozada, Jasmine Romero and MR Daniel. And a huge thank you to everyone who listened and gave comments - especially the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Finally, a huge thank you to Jorge Just, Stevie Lane, Phoebe Flanigan, Chris Giliberti, Justin McGolrick and Katie Pastore.

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Heartbreak: Why does it hurt so bad? Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

We’ve all been dumped, but some of us have felt physically sick from a heartbreak -- sometimes really sick. Neuroscientist Prof. Lucy Brown explains how pangs from a heartache might not just be in our heads.

Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2OhEIi9

Selected references: Lucy’s FMRI study of the rejected in-love college students: http://bit.ly/355Xz5B The social/physical pain overlap in the brain: https://bit.ly/2IkRQiVHow psychological stress affects the immune system: https://bit.ly/333CsiS

Credits: This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn and Lexi Krupp. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the scientists we got in touch with for this episode, including Professor Larry Young, Professor Tiffany Field, Professor Ethan Kross, Professor Sandra Langeslag, and Professor Naomi Eisenberger. A special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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Football: Should We Cancel It? Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

America’s favorite pastime seems to be plagued by tragedy. Former NFL players have come forward to say they’re suffering from a serious brain disease. Others have ended their lives. So we wanted to know: how risky is playing football? Cornerback Isiah Swann, neuroscientist Dr. Kevin Bieniek, neurosurgeon Prof. Bob Cantu, and neurologist Dr. Ira Casson weigh in.

Check out the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2mWkuyR

Note: In this episode we discuss depression and suicide. Please take care when listening to the show. National Mental Health Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Selected references: The preliminary criteria for diagnosing CTE agreed upon in 2016: http://bit.ly/2m4YzW9 Kevin’s brain bank study: http://bit.ly/2mYNm9I The 99% study: http://bit.ly/2lVRyah The Lancet: Neurology letter: http://bit.ly/2lrugbQ and a response: http://bit.ly/2lnmU9c A survey of former NFL players to see how they’re doing: http://bit.ly/2n62JNr

Credits: This episode was produced by Rose Rimler with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Meryl Horn and Lexi Krupp. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. Recording assistance from Dennis Maler. A big thanks to Prof. Adam Finkel, Prof. Rudy Castellani, Assistant Prof. Robert Lynall, Dr. Eckhard Mandelkow, David Chalmers, Buddy Teevens, and many more. Plus a special thanks to Jim Grau, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

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