Science Vs

Today we’re presenting Trillion Dollar Shot, a new series that explores the business story behind the rise of Ozempic and other blockbuster drugs being used for weight loss. The first episode focuses on the Novo Nordisk scientist who invented the compound that paved the way for Ozempic. You can find every episode on The Journal’s show feed.

Trillion Dollar Shot is part of The Journal, which is a co-production of Spotify and the Wall Street Journal. This episode was hosted by Jessica Mendoza, with Bradley Olson. It was produced by Matt Kwong, with help from Jeevika Verma. Additional production from Adrienne Murray Nielsen. The series is edited by Katherine Brewer. Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard. Mixing for Science Vs by Bobby Lord. Music in this episode by Peter Leonard and Bobby Lord. Theme music by So Wylie, remixed for this series by Peter Leonard. Special thanks to Maria Byrne, Stefanie Ilgenfritz, Kate Linebaugh, Peter Loftus, Sara O’Brien, Enrique Perez De La Rosa, Sarah Platt, Sune Rasumssen, Jonathan Sanders, Nathan Singhapok, Leying Tang, Rolfe Winkler, Liz Essley Whyte, and Tatiana Zamis.

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Health care for trans kids has been in the spotlight, with battles over what the science says and tons of U.S. states restricting the care that children can get. And then there’s a new report out of the UK, called the Cass Review, saying that a bunch of the evidence that doctors have been relying on to treat trans kids is “remarkably weak.” So what’s going on here? What is the best health care for trans kids? We sort through the science with Professor Stephen Russell, Dr. Cal Horton, and Dr. Ada Cheung.

UPDATE 6/6/24: In a previous version of this episode, we said a study was published this year, when it was actually published last year. The episode has been updated.

Find our transcript here: bit.ly/ScienceVsTransKidsCassReviewTranscript 

Here are links to our previous episodes about the science of being transgender and misinformation about care for trans kids.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) The battle over care for trans kids

(02:45) What to do when a kid wants to change their name and pronouns

(13:44) Do puberty blockers help trans kids’ mental health?

(20:44) Does hormone therapy help trans people’s mental health?

(25:25) How often are people "retransitioning"?

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Michelle Dang and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Consulting by Rebecca Kling. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka and Peter Leonard. Thanks so much to all the researchers we spoke with for this episode, including Blake Cavve, Dr. Doug VanderLaan, and Dr. Quinnehtukqut McLamore. And a very special thanks to the trans folks and their families we talked to, Christopher Suter, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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More than 150 years ago, just before dino-mania struck, New York City was supposed to get a majestic dinosaur museum full of amazing models of dinos. There would have been nothing like it in the world. Until a bunch of thugs showed up with sledgehammers and smashed every bit of the models to smithereens — and buried it all in Central Park. Today we’re finding out what happened — and WHY. We speak with doctoral researcher Vicky Coules and paleontologist Carl Mehling.

SURVEY!! HELP US SCIENCE!! WE NEED YOUR HELP TO UNCOVER THE LAST MYSTERIES OF SEX https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSurvey

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsTheGreatDinosaurSmashup

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) ​​The amazing dino museum we didn’t get to have

(03:15) What we knew about dinos in the 1800s

(04:57) The famous Crystal Palace dinosaurs

(06:48) The plan for the Paleozoic Museum is born

(10:40) The Great Dinosaur Smashup of 1871

(12:52) Suspect No. 1: Boss Tweed

(17:58) Vicky cracks the case!

(26:17) One final mystery — where are the dino pieces??

This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell with help from Wendy Zukerman, R.E. Natowicz, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler and Joel Werner. Editing by Wendy Zukerman. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wylie, Bumi Hidaka and Peter Leonard. Thanks so much to everyone we spoke to about this episode, including Gowan Dawson, Robert Peck, Wendy Anthony and Jessica M. Lydon. Also thanks to Jack Weinstein, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 

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The Abortion Pill is now the most common way to have an abortion in the US. Yet what exactly happens when you take these pills is shrouded in mystery. Even many doctors don't know how well they work! Today, we're letting the sun shine on the abortion pill. We'll walk you through what happens when you take these pills: what they do to your body, and how safe are they for your physical and mental health? To explore all this - and more - we speak to Dr Sara Whitburn, Professor Oskari Heikinheimo, and Professor Ushma Upadhyay.

UPDATE 7/15/24: The episode has been updated to clarify that surgical abortions do not always happen at a hospital by a doctor, while the patient is under general anesthesia. They can also happen at clinics and patients can get a local anesthetic.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsTheAbortionPiill

The Abortion Project's Instagram @theabortionproject

Science Vs's Instagram @science_vs

If you want to talk to someone - there's some great resources in here: spotify.com/resources

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) The battle over the abortion pill 

(04:28) How does the abortion pill work? 

(09:05) How it feels to take the abortion pill

(14:34) How often do people hemorrhage?

(21:22) What's "normal" bleeding? 

(24:11) Does taking the abortion pill affect your mental health? 

(32:02) Why some people prefer the abortion pill

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Rose Rimler, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wylie, Bumi Hidaka and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr. Tiffany Green, Dr. Ned Calonge, Professor Jenny Higgins, Dr. Daniel Aaron, Dr. Beverly Winikoff, and Dr. Abigail Aiken. Also thanks to Lauren Silverman, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 

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With the powers of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists discovered some super weird things in the early Universe, and it's making some nerds question our theory of everything. 

This story comes to us from our friends at Unexplainable at Vox Media.

Find Unexplainable’s transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsUnexplainable

In this episode, we cover:

(0:00) Liftoff

(01:10) The James Webb Space Telescope 

(04:57) Party of the early universe 

(08:39) Mysteries of the early galaxies 

(15:23) How do we figure it out?

This episode was produced by Brian Resnick, with help from Noam Hassenfeld and Meradith Hoddinott, who also manages the Unexplainable team. Editing from Jorge Just, music from Noam, and mixing and sound design from Cristian Ayala. Fact checking from Kelsey Lannin. Mandy Nguyen is searching for new forms of life.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 

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Getting your heart broken sucks — and for some of us, it even feels physically painful. So why does it hurt so bad? And what can science tell us about how to get over it? We dive into all of this with neuroscientist Prof. Lucy Brown. 

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsHeartbreak

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Heartbreak sucks

(07:17) What heartbreak does in the brain

(12:14) What heartbreak does in the body

(15:07) How to get over heartbreak 

The episode does mention abuse. Here are some resources if you’re struggling to move on from abuse: 

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Kaitlyn Sawrey and Lexi Krupp. Editing by Caitlin Kenney and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly and Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard and Bobby Lord. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the scientists we got in touch with for this episode, including Professor Larry Young, Professor Tiffany Field, Professor Ethan Kross, Professor Sandra Langeslag, and Professor Naomi Eisenberger. Thanks to Lori Segal. A special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 

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Comedian Tig Notaro, who just released her fifth comedy special, "Hello Again," joins us for a chat about the science of her comedy: telling us how she builds jokes, and of course sharing a bunch of dumb and fabulous jokes. Enjoy! 

Here's our Funniest Joke in the World Episode!! 

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsTigNotaro

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) We're interviewing Tig! 

(01:22) I could be a comedian? 

(02:47) How Tig creates a joke 

(08:59) The element of surprise

(12:27) The world's funniest joke?

(13:55) Tig's favorite jokes

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord and Bumi Hidaka. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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If you Google "The Funniest Joke in the World," you'll be very disappointed. The internet might serve you something like, "What has many keys but can't open a single lock??” (Answer: A piano). Screw that. That's not funny. Enter Science Vs. We’re going on a romp to find out once and for all: What is the funniest joke in the world. According to science. And for this quest we've interviewed a bunch of amazing comics including Tig Notaro, Adam Conover, Dr Jason Leong, Loni Love, as well as special guest Latif Nasser of Radiolab and, of course, some scientists: Neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott and Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman. Which Joke Will Win??? 

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsFunniestJoke

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) The Quest Begins

(08:40) Why laughing matters

(13:13) The scientific search for the world's funniest joke

(17:40) Woof, quack or moo?

(21:33) The comedy K

(26:30) Do different cultures have different senses of humour?

(28:27) The winner!

(32:15) Scientific theories of humour (lol)

(38:28) Why the winning joke isn't funny

(40:26) How do you stop a dog from humping your leg? 

(44:43) Meet the comedy gods

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Michelle Dang, Joel Werner, Rose Rimler and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Sarah Baum. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, So Wylie, and Bobby Lord. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr Andrew Farkas, Professor Penny MacDonald, Dr Maggie Prenger and a huge thank you to Professor Chris Westbury for sharing your amazing spreadsheet!! Thanks to all the comedians we interviewed in this episode including Tig Notaro, Adam Conover, Loni Love, Takashi Wakasugi, Urooj Ashfaq, Dr Jason Leong, Penny Greenhalgh and Mohammed Magdi.

Another big thanks to Lindsay Farber, Roland Campos, Lauren LoGiudice, Andrea Jones-Rooy and the other comics at Ha! or Nah!: A Joke Lab; and all the comics that we spoke to and couldn't fit into the episode, we really really appreciate you and your time! Thanks to Ben Milam, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Stupid Old Studios, Paige Ransbury, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. 

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[Video available on Spotify] Wendy and emma chamberlain of the Anything Goes podcast sit down for a chat and get deep about “the guru effect,” science garbage on the internet, accusations Wendy’s faced of being a pyromaniac, orgasms and much more.

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Tons of us are feeling run-down and crummy and are wondering: What can we do about it? Well, lots of influencers have an answer: balancing our hormones. These influencers, including some doctors, recommend special supplements, diets, exercises, and prescriptions to tame our cortisol, boost our testosterone, and tackle our estrogen. Are they on to something? We get to the bottom of it with endocrinologists Dr. Deena Adimoolam and Prof. Anne Cappola; and urologist Prof. Mohit Khera. 

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsHormoneBalancing

(00:00) Hormones are hot right now 

(02:57) A tale of cortisol and supplements

(14:25) Are we in a testosterone crisis?!

(20:42) Should you boost your T?

(27:35) Is estrogen the enemy?

This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang,  and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, and Peter Leonard. Research help from O. Rose Broderick. Recording help from Alex Stuckey. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr. Amit Raval, Dr. Andrea Sansone, Prof. Bob Spencer, Dr. Daniel Rippon, Dr. Emma Adam, Dr. Hannah Troxel, Dr. John Hough, Dr. Jonathan Little, Prof. Paul Cooke, and Prof. Paula Hillard. Special thanks to Joel Werner, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

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