In early 2020, experts predicted the development of the COVID-19 vaccine would take 12 to 18 months. Fast forward to today and there are at least five vaccines approved by the World Health Organization. Joining Indre today is Brendan Borrell, a health scientist and business journalist who’s written for The Atlantic, National Geographic, Wired, and The New York Times. He also happens to be the author of a new book, The First Shots: The Epic Rivalries and Heroic Science Behind the Race to the Coronavirus Vaccine, and in today’s show, he discusses his book, providing valuable insights into the early days of the virus, the political football and money plays involved, and other enthralling details surrounding the race to the COVID-19 vaccine.

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The First Shots: The Epic Rivalries and Heroic Science Behind the Race to the Coronavirus Vaccine

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The topic of cancer is one that has been addressed more than once before on Inquiring Minds, and today Indre visits it once again, this time looking at the impact that exercise can have on those undergoing cancer treatment. Joining her for this revelatory discussion is Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, whose many, many accomplishments include holding the position of Distinguished Professor of Public Health Sciences at Penn State’s College of Medicine and Penn State Cancer Institute, and as a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. A tireless researcher and advocate in the field of exercise oncology, Dr. Schmitz has recently authored Moving Through Cancer: An Exercise and Strength-Training Program for the Fight of Your Life - Empowers Patients and Caregivers in 5 Steps. It is essentially a thoroughly science-based guide to how to strategically use exercise and strength training to help people fight cancer and recover from it, and Dr. Schmitz discusses it and so much more in today’s highly informative and thought provoking episode.

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Moving Through Cancer Homepage

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Indre continues to pursue her fascination with the neural basis of consciousness in this week’s episode. In her never ending quest to understand how the biology of the brain gives rise to every experience we’ve ever had, ever will have, and everything in between, she has picked the brains of a number of experts in the field over the years. Today is no exception as she revisits this favorite topic by welcoming to the podcast Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, and Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, for a discussion about his new book Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.

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Being You: A New Science of Consciousness

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On the show this week, Adam Bristol introduces Florida’s controversial genetically modified mosquito pilot program, and then delves into the details of the Dual Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which should be launching in the near future. Indre also explains recent efforts to use music to help humans visualize proteins.

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We think of consistent water consumption as a necessary component for life… but then there are tardigrades. Adorable and tiny, tardigrades can survive intervals of extreme drying or dehydration and then later be revived. They’re amazing animals, and much of what is known about them comes from the work of John and Lois Crowe, two former UC Davis researchers who devoted much of their careers to studying these little guys. They both join us on the show this week.

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Nina Kraus, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist who has done groundbreaking research on sound and hearing for more than three decades. She's the Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Communication Sciences, and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University, and she has been a frequent guest on Indre’s other podcast, Cadence: What Music Tells Us About the Mind. Nina has just released her first trade book called “Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World”. Today she joins Indre to explain just how important sound is, how the hearing brain engages how we think, feel, move, and incorporate information from our other senses, and why the “sound mind” is so integral to how we experience the world.

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“Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World” by Nina Kraus

Brainvolts Website https://brainvolts.northwestern.edu/

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Listen to the Cadence Podcast

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Who among us hasn’t, at some point, wondered just what exactly a bear manager or a danger tree feller blaster does? Well, Mary Roach, America’s funniest science writer, TED 20 Most Watched list member, and increasingly frequent guest on this podcast has, and now she’s written a book for our collective enlightenment. In today’s episode, Mary discusses her latest offering, FUZZ: When Nature Breaks the Law, taking us on a fascinating journey around the world to explore these and other unique professions dealing with animals and plants whose interactions with humans can be dangerous and even fatal.

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Episode 31 - The Science of Your Guts

Episode 138 - The Curious Science of Humans at War

Mary's Homepage

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Anxiety has become a staple of modern life, particularly over the past year and a half. It can be debilitating, but it is at its core a necessary component of our lives—if it can be managed. Wendy Suzuki, Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University, is best known for her extensive work studying areas in the brain critical for our ability to form and retain new long-term memories. But on the show this week, she joins us to talk about anxiety and the gifts it offers as outlined in her new book, Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion.

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This week we welcome back Sam Kean, the New York Times bestselling author whose previous books include The Bastard Brigade, Caesar's Last Breath, and The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons. Sam joins the show to discuss his latest book, The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science.

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Of all the side effects of opioid use that exist, one that is only recently starting to get the attention it deserves is that of becoming amnestic. That doesn’t mean that this effect hasn’t been on the radar of some researchers over the years, though. As far back as 2016, Neurology Specialist, Dr. Jed Barash, brought some case studies to Indre’s attention, and today’s guest, Lauren Aguirre, has built upon Jed’s findings to write The Memory Thief and the Secrets Behind How We Remember. An award-winning science journalist who has produced documentaries, short-form video series, podcasts, interactive games, and blogs for the PBS series NOVA, Lauren combines her personal experience with her extensive amount of research to generate both a book and an interview here today that you will not soon forget.

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Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds