There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs is the show from Gimlet that finds out what’s fact, what’s not, and wha...
It’s the 1990s at a medical center in California, and patients are dying. At first, this doesn’t seem strange — it’s a hospital, and deaths happen. But then rumors start to circulate about a particular health care worker: Difficult or needy patients in his care are ending up dead. The cops get involved, but there’s a huge problem: There’s no hard evidence. Until the so-called “Lab of Last Resort” steps in. Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers joins us as we speak to analytical chemist Armando Alcaraz, former Detective Sergeant John McKillop and Dr. Ian Musgrave.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSerialKiller
In this episode we cover:
(00:00) Deaths at a California Hospital
(05:20) Meet Efren Saldivar
(10:51) A Shocking Confession
(15:40) Pavulon and Succinylcholine
(21:00) Searching for Suspicious Cases
(25:09) The Lab of Last Resort
(34:21) Testing the Bodies
(39:30) The Story Ends
Credits:
This episode was produced by Joel Werner and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Music written by So Wylie, Bobby Lord and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to Roland Campos, Steve Wampler, Audrey Williams, the audiochuck team, Jasmine Kingston, Connor Sampson, Stupid Old Studios, and Penny Greenhalgh. Special thanks to the LA times staff whose very thorough reporting we used to research this episode.
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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52:13
The Pill: Is It Messing Up Our Brain and Body?
For decades, taking the birth control pill to prevent pregnancy was seen as a no-brainer. But lately, people are saying that it’s actually a brain-changer. They say that the pill can affect who you’re attracted to, that it can tank your libido, and that it can make you depressed. Instead, some influencers are telling us to try an amazing, hormone-free method — where all you have to do is listen to your body. So … are they right?? We’re tackling these birth control claims and more, with psychologist Dr. Julia Stern, biologist Madita Zetzsche, neuroscientist Dr. Caitlin Taylor, and ob-gyn Dr. Jasmine Patel.
This episode does mention depression. Here are some crisis hotlines:
United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Dial 988 (Online chat available); US Crisis Text Line Text “HOME” to 741741
Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (Online chat available)
Canada: Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (See link for phone numbers listed by province)
United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123 (UK and ROI)
Full list of international hotlines here
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsThePill
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) The Pill Under Fire
(04:08) Does The Pill change who you’re attracted to?
(13:00) Could The Pill turn off your ovulation scent?
(18:59) How bad is The Pill for our sex drive and mental health?
(21:10) Does The Pill really change your brain?
(24:40) Does The Pill make you gain weight?
(26:16) So how dangerous is The Pill — really?
(27:10) Fertility Awareness Methods — are they too good to be true??
(31:32) Can pre-cum get you pregnant?
Credits:
This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Michelle Dang, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Recording assistance from Emile B Klein. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, and Emma Munger. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke with for this episode, including Dr. Adriene Beltz, Prof. Alison Edelman, Dr. Emily Pfender, Prof. Jayashri Kulkarni, Dr. Jill Krapf, Dr. Rachel Urrutia, and Dr. Therese Johansson. Special thanks to Miah Foster.
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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45:29
Lucid Dreaming: The Bonkers World Inside Our Minds
Some people can control their dreams. While they're fast asleep: they fly, create new worlds, live other lives. But Wendy isn't one of them. So in today's episode, Wendy and the Science Vs team find a scientifically approved method to try to lucid dream. We test it out — and bizarre things start happening. We also explore how scientists are trying to harness the strange powers of lucid dreaming to help people, as well as to crack huge scientific mysteries, like: What is consciousness? And what exactly goes on in all of our heads when we're asleep? To do all this and more, we talk to psychologists Dr. Denholm Adventure-Heart and Dr. Brigitte Holzinger, as well as cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Başak Türker.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsLucidDreaming
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Let's Fly!
(04:24) Does Reality Testing Work?
(11:30) Does the MILD Technique work?
(14:10) Wendy and the Team Try to Lucid Dream
(17:37) Can Drugs or Masks Help You Lucid Dream?
(19:28) Inside the Mind of a Lucid Dreamer
(26:24) Strange Windows of Consciousness
(27:58) The Lucid Dreaming Brain
(34:53) Can We Use Lucid Dreaming to Help Us?
(38:32) Did the Science Vs team have a Lucid Dream?
This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, Joel Werner, Meryl Horn 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, Bumi Hidaka, So Wiley, Peter Leonard and Emma Munger. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr Karen Konkoly, Dr Benjamin Baird, and Professor Ken Paller. Also thanks to the 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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49:11
Aphantasia: Missing the Mind's Eye
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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36:18
Fiber: The Secret to a Healthier, Happier You?
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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs is the show from Gimlet that finds out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. We do the hard work of sifting through all the science so you don't have to and cover everything from 5G and Pandemics, to Vaping and Fasting Diets.