The Nightmare Cure
Today on the show – we speak to someone who tries to escape from a world of nightmares… with only the power of her mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 18, 2022•10 min
Shots of Science Vs
Spotify Studios
Quick hits of Science Vs, where we take on fads, trends, and the opinionated mob to find out what's fact, what's not, and what's somewhere in between. Want more fun? Go to Science Vs on Spotify.
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Episodes
A Scientist's Nightmare
Today, we set to sea – and hear from a scientist who’s living inside a nightmare. We talk to marine biologist Dr. Olga Shpak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 11, 2022•13 min
The Placebo Effect: A New Medicine?
[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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 04, 2022•15 min
The Missing Diagnosis
When a little girl, Ella Kissi-Debrah, suddenly got sick and landed in the hospital, doctors were stumped. In this episode, her mom, Rosamund, takes on the fight to find out what exactly happened to Ella. And the answer has BIG implications — for us all. We’ll hear from Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah and Professor Stephen Holgate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 28, 2022•14 min
Processed Food: Into the Food Matrix
We often hear that processed food is bad for us... but why is that? Could it have to do with the physical structure of food? We take a look down the microscope with Dr. Cathrina Edwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 21, 2022•10 min
ASMR: A Tingly Mystery
ASMR is huge. People say these videos of someone whispering or making soft sounds can make them feel all tingly inside, and even help them feel calm and less anxious. So, what’s going on here? We talk to Dr. Giulia Poerio, a scientist who has looked into what’s happening in our bodies when we experience an “autonomous sensory meridian response” — and you'll also hear from ASMR artist Mike Bryant - aka The Velvet Whisperer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
May 14, 2022•17 min
Serial Killers: Cracking the Riddle
Serial Killers. What do we really know about them? In the movies they're often super smart, leaving these signature calling cards wherever they kill... But is any of that true? We talk to forensic psychologist Prof. Eric Hickey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 07, 2022•15 min
Processed Food: What’s It Doing to Us?
We hear over and over that processed food is bad for us. But is there actually something funky going on here — or is it just junk food? We talk to Dr. Kevin Hall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 30, 2022•10 min
When Bad Science Goes Viral
Today, we’re digging into the weird and wooly world of ivermectin. When promising papers came out early in the pandemic, a lot of scientists got excited about the drug, but then … cracks started to show. We went down the rabbit hole and realized that there's way more to this story than the headlines. We’ll hear from Dr. Pierre Kory, as well as Jack Lawrence, Dr. Kyle Sheldrick, and Professor Roy Gulick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Apr 23, 2022•26 min
So... Did Aliens Really Build the Pyramids?
Is it possible that the pyramids were built with a helping hand ... from aliens? If not, how did the ancient Egyptians build them without modern technology? To get to the bottom of this, we speak to Egyptologist Dr. Mark Lehner and archaeologist Prof. David S. Anderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 16, 2022•14 min
Fighting Covid Misinformation
Recently, Joe Rogan aired an interview that scientists are up in arms about — with Dr. Robert Malone. Malone talked smack about the Covid-19 vaccines, talking about scary side effects. Enter Science Vs. We fact check the bejesus out of it and zoom out to talk about the bigger picture: what to watch for if you’re worried about getting sucked in by misinformation online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Apr 09, 2022•20 min
Ukrainian War: Under Russian Occupation
Russia attacked Ukraine more than a month ago — and the war has raged ever since. From the beginning, Russia has been pushing out propaganda and disinformation about what’s actually going on. So this week, we’re sharing parts of a podcast from independent journalists Pyotr Ruzavin and Natalka Gumenuyk, who have been covering what’s happening in Ukraine and what the people who live there are experiencing. Their show is called Fuck War. Find Fuck War here: https://zona.media/podcast/fuck-war Spoti...
Apr 02, 2022•17 min
Misinformation: How Do We Stop It?
After Joe Rogan was accused of spreading Covid-19 vaccine misinformation on his podcast, Spotify landed in the hot seat. People (including us!) wanted to know what the platform was doing to stop it. In this episode, we look into how tech platforms are fighting misinformation — and find out what actually works. To find out we speak to Laura Edelson and evelyn duoek. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Mar 26, 2022•17 min
Trans Kids: Why Are So Many Coming Out?
People are claiming that most of the trans kids coming out these days aren't really trans ... that it's just part of a trend. So, why are all these kids coming out as trans now — could this really be a bit of a fad? We talk to Florence Ashley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 19, 2022•20 min
True Love: Is It Real?
What is love? With half of first time American marriages ending in divorce by the 20th anniversary, and infidelity being widespread, Science Vs asks: have we been lied to by our love songs? On today’s episode we explore: What happens to the brain when we fall in love? Is the compulsion to stay together biological? We talk to Dr. Helen Fisher and Professor Larry Young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Mar 12, 2022•20 min
Killer Asteroids: Can We Stop Them?
Could a space rock really slam into us and destroy the world? And if we did spot one heading straight for us, is there anything we could do to stop it? We speak computational physicist Dr. Cathy Plesko. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 05, 2022•11 min
Weight: Is Fat Actually That Bad?
Is fat really that bad for us? We talk to Assoc. Prof. Laura den Hartigh to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 26, 2022•8 min
To the Moon! A Space-age Toilet Roll
The "Dark Ages" of the Universe ... could help explain why we exist at all. But in order to study it — scientists need to put a giant souped-up telescope on the back of the moon! To learn more, we talk to astronomer Prof. Gregg Hallinan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 19, 2022•8 min
Blue Balls: Fact or Myth?
We join forces with Sarah Marshall from You’re Wrong About to dive into a question for the ages: Blue balls — are they real? We’ve heard that for people with balls, if you get aroused but don’t ejaculate, it can be incredibly painful. But is that true? Or is it a ball-faced lie, something that men make up to pressure women to have sex with them? Join us for a ball-busting episode that puts blue balls to the ultimate test-es, reaching a gripping conclusion as we ask: If blue balls is in fact real...
Feb 12, 2022•16 min
The Quest to Resurrect a Ferret
The black-footed ferret is an endangered species, so scientists have been trying to find creative ways to save them. We talk to biologist Robyn Bortner about how she’s doing this, with the help of one special ferret who died decades ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 05, 2022•7 min
What Makes a Good Therapist?
What should you look for in a therapist? What are your odds of ending up with a crappy one? To find out, we talk to Dr. Nancy McWilliams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 29, 2022•5 min
The Moon: Next Step for Mars?
The moon race is back! Countries — and billionaires — are lining up to take a crack at returning to the moon. But why are we really going? Some say the real reason to go to the moon today is that it’ll help us get to Mars. We talk to physicist Prof. Nicolle Zellner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 22, 2022•6 min
Work From Home: Is It Burning Us Out?
Work can really suck. And for lots of us, burnout has been feeling especially terrible. We speak to economist Professor Nick Bloom and find out whether working from home is making things worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 15, 2022•7 min
A New Way to Treat Chronic Pain?
People with chronic pain often struggle with it for years while doctors scour their bodies for the cause. But are we looking in the wrong spot? For some of us, could an answer — and the solution — actually be in our brains? To find out, we talk to psychologist Alan Gordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 08, 2022•9 min
The 4-Day Workweek??
Work can really suck. And for lots of us, burnout has been feeling especially terrible. Could the four-day workweek be the key to fixing our jobs? We speak to Dr. Alex Pang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 01, 2022•9 min
The Moon: A Lunar Gold Rush?
The moon race is back! Countries — and billionaires — are lining up to take a crack at returning to the moon. But why are we really going? Some say this is a lunar gold rush, that countries want to mine the moon for resources... Is that for real?? We talk to engineer Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 25, 2021•8 min
Should Boosters Be Going to Other Countries?
Welp, the pandemic has served up yet another poop sandwich, and it’s called omicron. In the U.S. — the CDC recently recommended that every vaxxed adult get a booster shot — but should these boosters be going to other countries with low vaccine coverage instead? To find out, we talk to virologist Dr. John Tembo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 18, 2021•10 min
Omicron: Time To Get Boosted?
Welp, the pandemic has served up yet another poop sandwich, and it’s called omicron. This variant is popping up in dozens of countries across the world, and scientists are racing to get a handle on it. In the meantime, will doubling down on our old vaccines help keep us protected from variants like omicron? To find out, we talk to immunologist Dr. Ali Ellebedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Dec 11, 2021•11 min
Fauci on How This Ends
Dr. Anthony Fauci sits down with us to talk about omicron, how this pandemic actually ends — and how he’s fighting back against the haters. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3Djq9jX Science Vs is produced by Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Daniel Ramirez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Dec 04, 2021•16 min
Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoths?
Headlines say scientists are closer than ever to resurrecting the woolly mammoth. But is this for real!? We speak to biologist Professor Beth Shapiro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 27, 2021•11 min
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