The Science Pawdcast

Episode 28 Season 7: Bone, Printed While You Wait and The Giving Mood


Listen Later

Send us a text

Imagine fixing a fracture with a steady hand and a smart pen. We open the lab door on a handheld “bone printer” that lays down bio‑ink directly at the injury site, promising faster healing, fewer imaging steps, and the chance to customize strength and shape in minutes. If you’ve ever waited days for scans and fabrication, the appeal is obvious: hydroxyapatite to encourage bone growth, PCL as a biocompatible scaffold that melts at low heat, cools fast, and slowly yields to living tissue. Early tests on rabbit femurs outperformed bone cement and showed no infections over 12 weeks, and the potential to embed antibiotics or growth factors hints at on‑the‑spot, personalized implants that could transform orthopedics, trauma care, and remote medicine.

Then we pivot from bones to benevolence with one big question: do pets change how people give? Using a decade of 787,877,198 donation transactions, we map the patterns. Non‑pet owners tend to donate larger totals, yet pet owners give more frequently, keeping support flowing between big gifts. Cat owners spread donations across more causes and contribute more overall than dog owners, while dog people still outpace non‑owners in cadence. A machine‑learning model puts pet ownership as the fourth strongest predictor of giving—behind income, education, and gender—suggesting pets reflect social ties and daily acts of care that nudge generosity. We also unpack identity signals and what they mean for smarter, kinder fundraising that respects budgets and habits.

It’s a journey from bio‑materials to behavioral data, but the throughline is practical empathy: tools that speed healing, and insights that make community support steadier and more inclusive. If you enjoy science that touches daily life—medicine you can hold, and generosity you can measure—this one’s for you.

Our all links to social media and more!


Support the show

For Science, Empathy, and Cuteness!
Being Kind is a Superpower.

All our social links are here!

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Science PawdcastBy Jason and Kris Zackowski

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

128 ratings


More shows like The Science Pawdcast

View all
Radio Diaries by Radio Diaries & Radiotopia

Radio Diaries

1,259 Listeners

Science Quickly by Scientific American

Science Quickly

1,388 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

603 Listeners

The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters by American Public Media

The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

3,069 Listeners

The Sporkful by Dan Pashman

The Sporkful

3,949 Listeners

Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Gastropod

3,644 Listeners

Science Vs by Spotify Studios

Science Vs

12,165 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

824 Listeners

Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,423 Listeners

Cultivating Place by Jennifer Jewell / Cultivating Place

Cultivating Place

364 Listeners

The Golden Ratio Podcast by The Golden Ratio

The Golden Ratio Podcast

1,265 Listeners

Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda by Alan Alda

Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

3,752 Listeners

Proof by America's Test Kitchen

Proof

1,894 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,560 Listeners

People I (Mostly) Admire by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

People I (Mostly) Admire

2,076 Listeners