samsplaining science

Let’s talk about STATS, baby! Let’s talk about mu and p! Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things math can be!

DON’T RUN AWAY. Yes - we’re talking about statistics. Yes - it is kinda confusing and also pretty boring. BUT IT’S IMPORTANT! Without statistics, science is NOTHING! So we’ll respect it (for today’s episode, at least!)

Sources:

1. Marshall, G. and Jonker, L., An introduction to descriptive statistics: A review and practical guide. (2010). Radiography. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1078817410000027?casa_token=hMK8iYJ54kIAAAAA:kgZmt-fzeM6XlJzboKBEKoHotzPfuh1QMI0V9y0-kXB2jjcqk2k__Qck_nNfP9pHv_B3QY8k9g

2. Emmert-Streib, F. and Dehmer, M., Understanding Statistical Hypothesis Testing: The Logical of Statistical Inference. (2019). Machine Learning & Knowledge Extraction. Link: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-4990/1/3/54

3. Khan Academy - Link: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/statistics-probability/modeling-distributions-of-data/normal-distributions-library/a/normal-distributions-review

4. Statology: Two Sample T-test - Link: https://www.statology.org/two-sample-t-test/

Follow the Show:

www.twitter.com/samsplainingsci

www.instragram.com/samsplainingsci

www.tiktok.com/@samsplainingscience

Subscribe on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPxRm2HxAdF8ahCJbD5Bj7Q

Ask a Question:

www.samsplainingscience.com/ask

This week, sam-splains SPACE! Let’s learn about the James Webb Space Telescope and talk about those stunningly beautiful gorgeous amazing incredible pictures together!

Sources:

1. WebbSpace Telescope. NASA. link: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/index.html

2. NASA/JWST Twitter Accounts: twitter.com/NASA ; twitter.com/NASAWebb ; twitter.com/SpaceTelescope

3. The James Webb Space Telescope Observatory - NASA Mission Pages. Link: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/observatory/index.html

4. Diffraction Spikes - Link: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/01G529MX46J7AFK61GAMSHKSSN

Follow the Show:

www.twitter.com/samsplainingsci

www.instragram.com/samsplainingsci

Subscribe on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPxRm2HxAdF8ahCJbD5Bj7Q

Ask a Question:

www.samsplainingscience.com/ask www.samsplainingscience.com/ask

Aaaaand we’re back! Welcome to Summer School! This week, sam-splains the great outdoors and walks through some studies that look at how time spent outdoors is related to both mental and physical health!

Sources:

1. Belanger M, et al., Physical activity mediates the relationship between outdoor time and mental health. (2019) Preventative Medicine Reports. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335519301779 

2. Twohig-Bennett, C. and Jones, A. The Health Benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes. (2018). Environmental Research. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935118303323 

Subscribe to the samsplaining science Youtube Channel!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPxRm2HxAdF8ahCJbD5Bj7Q 

Follow the show:

www.instagram.com/samsplainingsci

www.twitter.com/samsplainingsci 

Ask a question:

www.samsplainingscience.com/ask 

June is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month! In this episode of the podcast, sam-splains Alzheimer’s disease in a societal and neurobiological context. We also talk about aducanumab - the drug that was FDA approved for Alzheimer’s Disease last year!

Sources:

1. DeTure, M.A. and D.W. Dickson, The neuropathological diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (2019). Molecular Neurodegeneration. Link: https://molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13024-019-0333-5 

2. Budd Haeberlein, S. et al., Two Randomized Phase 3 Studies of Aducanumab in Early Alzheimer’s Disease. (2022). J Prev Alz Dis. Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.14283/jpad.2022.30#Sec1 

Follow the show:

twitter.com/samsplainingsci

instagram.com/samsplainingsci

Ask a question:

samsplainingscience.com/ask

In this episode, sam-splains meditation! What is meditation? What happens in our brains when we meditate? Let’s learn about it together!

Sources:

1. What is Meditation | Headspace. (2022). Link: https://www.headspace.com/meditation-101/what-is-meditation 

2. Vishnubhotla, R.V. et al., Advanced Meditation Alters Resting-State Brain Network Connectivity Correlating With Improved Mindfulness. (2021). Front Psychol.Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8636330/ 

Follow the show:

twitter.com/samsplainingsci

instagram.com/samsplainingsci

Ask a question:

samsplainingscience.com/ask

Let’s learn about consciousness! What even ~is~ consciousness and how can we study it? How does our brain work to help us be aware of and responsive to our surroundings? Sam will splain it to ya!

Sources:

1. Frith, C.D. et al., The Neural Basis of Consciousness (2019). Psychological Medicine. Review. Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/085D31681E604891E411E97077BBA766/S0033291719002204a.pdf/div-class-title-the-neural-basis-of-consciousness-div.pdf 

2. Snider S.B. and Edlow B.L. Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Disorders of Consciousness (2020). Curr Opin Neurol. Review. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8938962/pdf/nihms-1788618.pdf 

Sam had COVID! But Sam was vaccinated? How could this have possibly happened?! On this week’s episode we’ll walk through COVID mRNA vaccines and why (mild!!) infections can still occur even if you’ve been vaccinated and boosted!

Sources:

1. Felenstein, S., et al., COVID-19: Immunology and treatment options (2020). Clinical Immunology, Link: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1521661620303181? 

2. Chaplin, D.D., Overview of the Immune Response (2010). J Allergy Clin Immunol. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2923430/pdf/nihms225107.pdf 

3. COVID-19 Vaccines are Effective (2021). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/index.html 

4. Puhach, O. et al., Infectious viral load in unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals infected with ancestral, Delta or Omicron SARS-CoV-2 (2022). Nature Medicine. Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01816-0 

Tons of more information resources on Instagram pages like: @niniandthebrain @unbiasedscipod @epidemiologistkat and @jessicamalatyrivera !! Check them out and give them a follow!

Follow the show!

twitter.com/samsplainingsci

instagram.com/samsplainingsci

Ask a question!

samsplainingscience.com/ask

This week on the podcast, samsplains sam! After a brief summary of my resume (and other things that make her a person too I guess) I take some of your questions that were submitted to instagram!

20 episodes in, it’s nice to meet ya!

Follow the show:

twitter.com/samsplainingsci

instagram.com/samsplainingsci

Ask a question:

samsplainingscience.com/ask

This week sam-splains neuroplasticity - how our brain works, and how it can change and adapt to new things in our environment!

Sources:

1. May, A. Experience-dependent structural plasticity in the adult human brain (2011). Review, Trends in Cognitive Sciences Volume 15 Issue 10. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661311001707?

2. Barnes S.J. and Finnerty G.T. Sensory Experience and Cortical Rewiring (2010). Review. The Neuroscientist Volume 16 Issue 2. Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1073858409343961?

3. Hickmott P.W. and Ethell I.M. Dendritic Plasticity in the Adult Neocortex (2006). Review. The Neuroscientist Volume 12 Issue 1. Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1073858405282417

4. Darian-Smith, C. Synaptic Plasticity, Neurogenesis, and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury (2009). The Neuroscientist Volume 15 Issue 2. Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1073858408331372?

Follow the show:

twitter.com/samsplainingsci

instagram.com/samsplainingsci

Ask a Question:

www.samsplainingscience.com/ask

This week, we’re talking about burn-out! In 2019, the World Health Organization classified burnout as an occupational phenomenon, and many studies have looked into what causes burnout, how we can prevent it, and the effect it has in different occupational settings. This week, we cover some of those studies and talk about some ways that maybe we can avoid or resolve burnout in our own jobs!

Sources:

1. World Health Organization - “Burn-out an ‘occupational phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases”. (2019). Link: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases 

2. Chatterjee, R. and Wronth C., WHO Redefines Burnout at ‘Syndrome’ Linked to Chronic Stress at Work (2019) NPR Morning Edition. Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/28/727637944/who-redefines-burnout-as-a-syndrome-linked-to-chronic-stress-at-work 

3. Rupert, P.A. Miller A.O., and Dorociak K.E., Preventing Burnout: What Does the Research Tell Us? (2015). Professional Psychology: Research and Practice Vol. 46 No. 3, 168-174.

4. Schlak, A., et al., Leveraging the Work Environment to Minimize the Negative Impact of Nurse Burnout on Patient Outcomes (2021). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Follow the show:

instagram.com/samsplainingsci

twitter.com/samsplainingsci

Ask a question:

samsplainingscience.com/ask