Science Vs

We’re sharing another great Gimlet show, How to Save a Planet. On this episode: It started with students walking out of school to demand more action on climate change, built into an international movement – and then was propelled forward by a pandemic. This is the surprising story behind Europe’s climate plan, and what the rest of us can learn from it. Find more episodes here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1KzrasExlM5dgMYwgFHns6 How to Save a Planet is hosted by Alex Blumberg and Dr...

Silicon Valley seems to be constantly pumping out "solutions" to fix our broken food system. The latest and greatest: cell-cultured meat — meat that's grown in vats, without needing to kill animals. Companies say their new techy meat will be safe and better for the planet than what we have now. We join forces with Chase Purdy, author of “Billion Dollar Burger,” to find out if this stuff is all it’s cracked up to be. In this episode, we speak to Ira van Eelen, Dr...

An adventuring Swedish doctor takes on a decades-long medical mystery: What exactly was the 1918 flu? We talk to Dr. Johan Hultin, Eileen Hultin, Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, Ann Reid, Rita Olanna and Annie Conger.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/30mnvt6 Check out Radiolab’s episode on the 1918 flu here: https://bit.ly/3n9cxkm And the book Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused it by Gina Kolata: https://bit...

There’s this idea that the female orgasm is a complicated riddle, but for a man with a penis, getting off is easy peasy. Is there really an orgasm gap? And if so — can science explain it? To learn more, we talk to neuroscientist Dr. Nan Wise, neuroscientist Dr. Nicole Prause and psychologist Dr. Candice Hargons.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/340vQDV Learn more about Dr. Nicole Prause’s’s lab, the Liberos Center: https://www.liberoscenter.com/ Check out Dr...

NOTE: This episode first published 6/13/19. Are sharks the super-predators we think they are? Or have we been baited with great white lies? To find out, we interviewed shark researchers Dr. Taylor Chapple, Dr. Tricia Meredith and Dr. Chris Pepin-Neff, along with surfer Mike Wells.  We’re doing a survey for our episode on orgasms! We’d love for you to take it: https://blythet.typeform.com/to/qhESeova Check out the full episode transcript here: https://bit...

For centuries, people have been looking to the stars to tell us all kinds of things — what our future holds, who we should date. So what does the science say about astrology? It turns out, there’s some surprising stuff here. We speak to astronomer Prof. Caty Pilachowski, Prof. Dave Henningsen and astrology lover Natalie Norman.  Here’s a link to the transcript: https://bit...

MASKS. Since the early days of the pandemic, it’s been tough to nail down how much they can really do to slow down the spread of the virus. We speak to industrial hygienist Dr. Rachael Jones and share some new science that puts the final nail in the coffin of this debate (*hint* yes, you should wear a mask — your friends, family and neighbors too).  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit...

Kombucha, kefir and other probiotic-crammed foods are marketed as charmers of the human microbiome — and the key to immune, gut and brain health. But how much does the microbiome actually matter, and do probiotics live up to the hype? To learn more we talked with biomedical engineering professor Ilana Brito, immunologist Dr. Yasmine Belkaid, psychiatry professor Ted Dinan, and microbiologist Dr. Namrata Iyer...

Science Vs is back August 27th. Fact you next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re six months into this coronavirus pandemic, which has shaken the world and stunned scientists. What have we learned? Where are we headed? To find out, we talk to virologist Professor John Dennehy, virologist and immunologist Professor Ann Sheehy, and hospital epidemiologist Dr. Cassandra Pierre. We also check back in with Dani Schuchman, who is now three months into his recovery from Covid-19. Also: MEAT-EATING SPONGES!! Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit...