As storms raged through Oklahoma in 2013, Martha Lillard waited them out from inside her iron lung. She is one of just dozens of polio survivors who still rely on their decades-old machines.

This episode was reported and produced by Julia Scott. It was hosted for this episode of Transistor by Genevieve Sponsler and mixed for Transistor by Erika Lantz.

You can find more information at: http://transistor.prx.org/2015/07/the-last-of-the-iron-lungs/

Some things can be better left unsaid. Who would have thought that math could be one of them?

Tim Chartier has found a way to fuse his two great loves: math and mime. He and his wife strive to have their audiences become a part of the world that they’re creating on stage, and in so doing, the math becomes at once understandable and unforgettable.

This episode was reported and produced by Ari Daniel under the name “Loving Math and Mime” in 2014 for PRX’S STEM Story Project. It was hosted for this episode of Transistor by Genevieve Sponsler and mixed for Transistor by Erika Lantz.

Learn more at: http://transistor.prx.org/2015/06/where-math-and-mime-meet/

Told by the couple who lived it, this is a story of how Crohn’s disease can change lives when you least expect it. And it’s a story of how science can present multiple paths to — hopefully — relief or recovery.

This episode was reported and produced by Jack Rodolico in 2014 for PRX’S STEM Story Project. It was hosted for this episode of Transistor by Genevieve Sponsler and mixed for Transistor by Erika Lantz.

Learn more here: http://transistor.prx.org/2015/06/this-is-crohns-disease/

Photo of Christina and Jack by Shelley Fajans.

Science and violin-making meet to try to create an electric violin that sounds like a Stradavarius.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/1AJDQHK

This episode was reported and produced by David Schulman in 2013 for PRX'S STEM Story Project. It was hosted for this episode of Transistor by Genevieve Sponsler and mixed by Erika Lantz.

A story of movement, memory, and mentors. Dr. Wendy Suzuki introduces us to Dr. Marian Diamond, whose lively classes ushered Wendy into a career in neuroscience. And Wendy shares how she came to study how exercise profoundly affects the brain, not just the body.

http://transistor.prx.org/2015/05/totally-cerebral-exercise

Photo: Dr. Marian Diamond and Wendy Suzuki on Wendy’s undergrad graduation day.

This episode was hosted by Wendy Suzuki and produced by Julie Burstein, with editing and sound design by Derek John. Wendy Suzuki’s book Healthy Brain, Happy Life, is on sale now (http://wendysuzuki.com/).

One of the things we assign to science is that there are true, absolute facts. But scientists are human and, it turns out, as prone to blind spots in their thinking as the rest of us, especially when cultural assumptions and biases get in the way. Biologist Christina Agapakis explores ways these blind spots, especially around gender and sexism, have affected research and women’s careers in science. She talks with one of her heroes, anthropologist Emily Martin, and Emily's husband, biophysicist Richard Cone, about Emily's 1991 article "The Egg & The Sperm." She also talks with anthropologist Kate Clancy, who has spent a lot of time thinking and writing about the ways women’s careers in science are different from men’s.

More on this episode: http://transistor.prx.org/2015/05/sciences-blind-spots/

This episode was produced by Kerry Donahue and Sruthi Pinnamaneni, and mixed by David Herman.

When University of Washington researcher David Rhoades discovered that plants could communicate with each other, he was laughed out of science. But now, three decades later, science is reconsidering.

More about this episode: http://transistor.prx.org/2015/05/early-bloom/

Early Bloom was produced by Peter-Frick Wright and Robbie Carver of 30 Minutes West. It was hosted for this episode of Transistor by Genevieve Sponsler and mixed for Transistor by Erika Lantz.

What motivates young people to become scientists? Meet Maricruz Jaramillo and Samoa Asigau, two young women scientists from opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean, whose professional aspirations have taken them to the Galapagos Islands. Science reporter Véronique LaCapra joined Mari and Samoa in the Galapagos, where they are studying a type of malaria that is affecting native bird populations.

Learn more about this episode: http://transistor.prx.org/2015/04/galapagos/

his episode was produced and reported by St. Louis Public Radio science reporter Véronique LaCapra in 2013 for our STEM Story Project. It was mixed for Transistor by Erika Lantz. Photo of Mari (L) and Samoa by Véronique LaCapra.

Scents and tastes are powerfully evocative -- one whiff of perfume or cooking aromas can transport you back to a particular moment, a particular place, a particular person. Dr. Wendy Suzuki speaks with neuroscientist Howard Eichenbaum, an expert on olfactory memory, and together with chemist Kent Kirshenbaum, sits down to a meal with Chef Anita Lo to hear how she plays with our senses and our memories in her delicious creations.

More about this episode:

http://transistor.prx.org/2015/04/totally-cerebral-whats-that-smell/

This episode was hosted by Wendy Suzuki and produced by Julie Burstein, with editing and sound design by Derek John. Wendy Suzuki’s book Healthy Brain, Happy Life, goes on sale May 19, 2015.

Your skin is your largest organ and is also is a thriving ecosystem, covered in bacteria. While many of us consider regular showers key to keeping our skin healthy, a group of scientists -- and artists -- are starting to ask: Could the future of skin care not be soap, but bacteria?

More about this episode: transistor.prx.org/2015/04/the-skinny-on-your-skin/

Photo is of art by Noa Kaplan (http://www.noapkaplan.com/atopic). Photo by Jed Kim.

Hosted by microbiologist Christina Agapakis. This episode was produced by Kerry Donahue and Sruthi Pinnamaneni, and mixed by David Herman.