In Plain English: Science Made Simple

In this set of interviews from the Society for Neuroscience 2023 conference, we cover how sex differences and pain affect opioid use disorder, and the brain regions involved in social interactions.

This is the sixth in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. Check out Parts ⁠⁠1⁠⁠, ⁠⁠2⁠⁠, ⁠⁠3⁠⁠, ⁠4⁠, 5, and 6 as well as "⁠⁠Rigor Jeopardy⁠⁠!" with Community for Rigor.

In Plain English has a Discord server! Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Is degrowth a viable solution for climate change, or is the cure worse than the disease? Join expert Alejandro Gonzalez and guests William Lima and Evelyn Fraser for a critical discussion on the potential and pitfalls of degrowth.

You can follow along with the articles on the website: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2024/02/06/season-3-episode-10-interrogating-degrowth/

You can find more of Alejandro's work here.

You can find William's work here.

In Plain English now has a Discord server! Join ⁠here ⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠Facebook ⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, and ⁠Instagram ⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠becoming a Patron⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠Where to Listen⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠)

Image credit: ckohtala on Flickr.

In this set of interviews from the Society for Neuroscience 2023 conference, we cover deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease patients, how music therapy can help people with Alzheimers, and how opioids affect sleep and memory.

Follow along with the posters here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2024/01/30/season-3-episode-9-sfn-shorts-part-6/

This is the sixth in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. Check out Parts ⁠⁠1⁠⁠, ⁠⁠2⁠⁠, ⁠⁠3⁠⁠, ⁠4⁠, and 5 as well as "⁠⁠Rigor Jeopardy⁠⁠!" with Community for Rigor.

In Plain English has a Discord server! Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

In this set of interviews from the Society for Neuroscience 2023 conference, we cover how opioids affect breathing and how we can use asthma medication to improve overdose reversal; a promising new treatment for one of the symptoms of spinal cord injury; and how our brains coordinate movements differently after a stroke.

This is the fifth in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. Check out Parts ⁠1⁠, ⁠2⁠, ⁠3⁠, and 4 as well as "⁠Rigor Jeopardy⁠!" with Community for Rigor.

Follow along with the posters here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2024/01/23/season-3-episode-8-sfn-shorts-part-5/

Interview 1: Nicholas Burgraff, a PhD fellow at Seattle Children's Research Institute and the host of The Neuro Network Podcast, on how fentanyl disrupts breathing and how we can better treat opioid overdoses.

Interview 2: Alex Benedetto, a PhD student at Northwestern University, on a promising new treatment that uses spinal cord stimulation to treat involuntary movements in patients with spinal cord injuries.

Interview 3: Federico Barban, a research fellow at the University of Geneva, on how strokes impact our brain's ability to plan and coordinate movements effectively.

In Plain English has a Discord server! Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Last November, I attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, DC and interviewed neuroscientists from across the world about their research. This is the third in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. Check out Parts 1, 2, and 3, as well as "Rigor Jeopardy!" with Community for Rigor. I hope that these interviews showcase just how broad a field neuroscience is, and just how many different kinds of research are contained within this field.

Follow along with the posters here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2024/01/16/season-3-episode-7-sfn-shorts-part-4/

Interview 1: Yasmine Bassil, a PhD student at Emory University, on how aging affects the strategies we use for spatial navigation.

Interview 2: Noor Tasnim, a PhD student at Virginia Tech, on the effects of musical theater activities on mental health and brain connectivity in children with developmental disabilities.

Interview 3: Chantelle Murrell, a PhD student from the University of Otago, on the effects of pregnancy and lactation on hunger and satiety cues in the brain.

In Plain English has a Discord server! Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

I chatted with William Ngiam of the ReproducibiliTEA podcast about scientific rigor and reproducibility, and the daunting, exciting, creative work of making science better.

If you liked this episode, check out Will & co. on the ReproducibiliTEA podcast!

2024 has already been hectic, but I hope to be back next week with more SfN Shorts!

In Plain English now has a Discord server! Join ⁠here ⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠Facebook ⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, and ⁠Instagram ⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠becoming a Patron⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠Where to Listen⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠)

Image credit:

Play along with Rigor Jeopardy! featuring the wonderful folks at Community for Rigor!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year! In Plain English will return with a full length episode on January 2nd, 2024!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

"Rigorous Raven" art credit: Kevin Rusch

Last month, I attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, DC and interviewed neuroscientists from across the world about their research. This is the third in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. You can find Parts 1 and 2 here and here. I hope that these interviews showcase just how broad a field neuroscience is, and just how many different kinds of research are contained within this field.

Follow along with the posters here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2023/12/19/season-3-episode-5-sfn-shorts-part-3/

Interview 1: Giovanna Campos, an undergraduate student at Temple university and an ENDURE Scholar, on the role of a brain region called the fornix on spatial reasoning and memory.

Interview 2: Manuel Vasconcelos, an undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego and an ENDURE Scholar, on using machine learning to study how the brain responds to rewarding and aversive events.

Interview 3: Miles Carter, an undergraduate student at New York University and an ENDURE Scholar, on using nanobodies for early and non-invasive detection of Alzheimers Disease.

Interview 4: Samantha Sutton, a masters student at Syracuse University, on the role of astrocytes in maintaining excitatory/inhibitory balance in the brain, and how this could contribute to our understanding of epilepsy.

In Plain English has a Discord server! Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Last month, I attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, DC and interviewed neuroscientists from across the world about their research. This is the second in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. You can find Part 1 here. I hope that these interviews showcase just how broad a field neuroscience is, and just how many different kinds of research are contained within this field.

Follow along with the posters here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2023/12/12/season-3-episode-4-sfn-shorts-part-2/

Interview 1: Eleni Papadopoulos, a DO/PhD student at Rowan University, on using ADHD medications like methylphenidate to treat symptoms of traumatic brain injury.

Interview 2: Nimesha Gerlus, an MD/PhD student at Duke University, on the effect of targeted brain stimulation on emotional dysregulation in patients across multiple psychiatric conditions.

Interview 3: Hector Haddock-Martinez, an undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico and an ENDURE Scholar, on the effect of the environmental contaminant glyphosate on anxiety.

Interview 4: Lizbeth Liquidano Cortes, an undergraduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno and an ENDURE Scholar, on treating symptoms of opioid withdrawal using a drug called PN6047.

Interview 5: Linisa Williams, an undergraduate student at UC San Diego and an ENDURE Scholar, on using working memory tasks to reduce fear responses in patients with anxiety disorders.

In Plain English has a Discord server! Join ⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠⁠)

Last month, I attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, DC and interviewed neuroscientists from across the world about their research. This is the first in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. I hope that these interviews showcase just how broad a field neuroscience is, and just how many different kinds of research are contained within this field.

Interview 1: Nicholas Cottam, a graduate student at Delaware State University, on how we study the genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

Interview 2: Dr. Johnson, a professor at Wits University in South Africa, on how alcohol and diabetes jointly affect the brain.

Interview 3: Allison Reed, an undergraduate student at High Point University, on whether THC can help protect the brain against injuries like strokes.

Interview 4: Tara Barnes and Anna Estremsky, undergraduates at St. Mary's College of Maryland, on what we can learn from woodpeckers about chronic head injuries.

Interview 5: Dr. Yuryanni Rodriguez, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Miami, on the different ways our taste buds can sense sweet taste.

Follow along with the posters here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2023/12/05/season-3-episode-3-society-for-neuroscience-sfn-shorts-part-1/

In Plain English now has a Discord server! Join ⁠⁠here ⁠⁠to chat with other listeners, past experts, and guests about science, suggest new episode topics, and more!

Remember to follow In Plain English on ⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider ⁠⁠becoming a Patron⁠⁠ to help support In Plain English!

And check out our ⁠⁠Where to Listen⁠⁠ page to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform!

Intro/Outro music credit: Sam Brunwasser (⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/visualsnowbeats⁠⁠)