Science Vs

This week's episode comes to us from our friends at Radiolab! Close your eyes and imagine a red apple. What do you see? Turns out there’s a whole spectrum of answers to that question, and producer Sindhu Gnanasambandan is on one far end. In this episode, she explores what it means to see — and not see — in your mind.

This episode was reported and produced by Sindhu Gnanasambandan with help from Annie McEwen. Original music and sound design contributed by Dylan Keefe. Mixing help from Jeremy Bloom and Arianne Wack. Mixing for Science Vs by Sam Bair. Fact-checking by Natalie Middleton. Edited by Pat Walters. 

Special thanks to Kim Nederveen Pieterse, Nathan Peereboom, Lizzie Peabody, Kristin Lin, Jo Eidman, Mark Nakhla, Andrew Leland, Brian Radcliffe, Adam Zeman, John Green, Craig Venter, Dustin Grinnell, and Soraya Shockley.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.
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We hear about fiber as the main ingredient for a good poo. But we’re starting to hear that it’s much more than that! Fiber is being hailed as a powerhouse nutrient, from powering up your gut and boosting your mental health to even helping with weight loss. So, does fiber really live up to the hype? We dive into the science with microbiologist Dr. Deirdre Mikkelsen, neuroscientist Prof. John Cryan, and nutrition scientist Dr. Andrea Glenn. 

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsFiber

In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Fiber is so hot right now
(02:16) How fiber helps you poo
(04:55) Fiber supercharges the gut 
(14:02) Can fiber help your mental health? 
(18:36) A goop for a healthy heart 
(24:52) Fiber and weight loss 

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler, and Ekedi Fauster-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard and Bumi Hidaka. Recording help from Nick Kilvert. Extra thanks to Kafayat Yusuf. And thanks to Joseph Lavelle Wilson and the Zukerman family.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 

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About 40 percent of Americans believe in ghosts, and one in five even say they've had an encounter with one! So could ghosts really exist?? Or does some other spooky phenomenon explain these strange and sometimes terrifying experiences? To find out, we visit a haunted house with paranormal investigators, explore one very creepy basement searching for ghostly mold, and try to move cutlery with the help of quantum physics. Join us on this Halloween adventure with astrophysicist Dr. Katie Mack, environmental engineer Dr. Shane Rogers as well as psychologists Dr Baland Jalal, and Prof. Chris French.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsGhosts2024 

This is an updated version of our ghosts episode from several years ago.

In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Visiting a Haunted House 
(06:09) Hunting for Ghosts in Theoretical Physics 
(12:27) Eerie Electromagnetic Fields? 
(16:49) Spooky Sleep Paralysis 
(23:13) Spooky Spores
(31:50) Spine Tingling Psychology

This episode was produced by Ben Kuebrich, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Diane Wu, Heather Rogers, Shruti Ravindran and Wendy Zukerman. Editing by Annie-Rose Strasser and Blythe Terrell. Production assistance: Audrey Quinn. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Sound engineering, music production and original scoring by Bobby Lord. Thanks to Dr. Ciaran O’Keeffe, Dr. Neil Dagnall, Dr. Giulio Rognini, Raymond Swyers, Dr. Joseph Baker, Prof. Kwai Man Luk, Prof. Kin Seng Chiang, Prof. Tapan Sarkar, Prof. Maxim Gitlits, The Zukerman family, Joseph Lavelle Wilson as well as Jorge Just, Devon Taylor … and thanks to Haley Shaw for the spooooky violins in the Science Vs theme.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 
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The climate is a mess. It's hot. There's fires, floods, hurricanes — and we may have even crossed some rather scary climate tipping points. But there is hope. So today, we’re answering your questions about solving the climate crisis. We find out how you can help in the fight against climate change, if carbon offsets are a scam, whether renewables really work and what exciting new technologies could help save the planet. Our guests are Dr. Sven Teske at the University of Technology, Sydney, and Wei Sue, head of strategy at Monash University's Climateworks Center. 

A video version of this episode is available on Spotify.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsClimateAMA 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Is it the End of the World?
(04:21) The biggest emitters
(05:24) What can you do to help? 
(07:07) Does recycling fight climate change?
(08:42) Should you stop eating meat? 
(09:58) Buying an Electric Vehicle
(14:54) Can you really make a difference?
(17:05) Carbon Offsets 
(21:14) Renewables: How good are they?
(26:31) Nuclear Power: The Silver Bullet?
(31:21) Giant Shades in Space! 
(34:14) Hope? 

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Meryl Horn with help from Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Video editing by T Cruz. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bumi Hidaka.  A huge thank you to Nick Johnson, Stupid Old Studios and Lily Kim.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 
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Something is coming for 4 billion people on this planet, and if you've been watching the news — it's horrifying. It can attack your brain, your heart, your bones and even your vagina. So what is this fresh hell? Apparently, it's menopause. So what's going on here? What are the real symptoms of menopause? How bad is it? And is hormone therapy the miracle cure that some are saying it is? To find out, we spoke to gynecologist Dr. Monica Christmas and Professor Susan Reed, as well as epidemiologists Professor Samar El Khoudary and Professor JoAnn E. Manson.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsMenopause 

In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) The Horror Show
(04:12) The Most Common Symptoms of Menopause
(13:00) Memory Problems and Weight Gain
(19:10) The biggest screw-up of the entire medical field? 
(26:00) Do Hormones Cause Breast Cancer and Heart Disease?
(30:12) Which Menopausal Symptoms do Hormones help with?
(33:00) Supplements, CBT and Menopause
(36:27) Menopause isn't a disease

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to the researchers we spoke to, including Dr Caroline Gurvich, Professor Martha Hickey, Professor Nancy Woods, Professor Cindy Farquhar, Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, Dr Rebecca Thurston, Dr Sioban Harlow, Dr Susan Diem and Dr Yana Vinogradova. And extra thanks to Suren Jayemanne, Penny Greenhalgh,  Imogen Hayes, Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 
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