Shots of Science Vs

For centuries, people have been looking to the stars to tell us all kinds of things — what our future holds, who we should date. So... can astrology help find you true love? We speak to Prof. Dave Henningsen.

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Is it true that exercise can boost our immune system? We speak to immune aging researcher Niharika Duggal. 

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Today we're going behind the scenes of Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film “Oppenheimer.” Professor David Saltzberg, one of the scientists who consulted on the movie (also “The Big Bang Theory”), joins us to chat about the science behind the movie. 

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Many bats can live a bizarrely long time, and brush off viruses that kill people. How do they do it and what can we learn from them? Zoology Professor Emma Teeling and bat researcher and clinician Matae Ahn fly through the science. 

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

This episode was produced by Flora Lichtman with help from Wendy Zukerman, Joel Werner, R.E. Natowicz, and Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler. Editing by Jorge Just, Annette Heist and Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Carmen Drahl. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Billy Libby, Emma Munger, Darah Hirsch, So Wylie and Bobby Lord. Thanks to everyone we reached out to for this episode including Dr. Vera Gorbunova, Dr. Sharon Swartz, Dr. Gerry Wilkinson, and Dr. Lisa Cooper. 

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Today we're diving into the mysteries of the immortal jellyfish. We speak to Prof. Ferdinando Boero and Prof. Shin Kubota.

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Probiotic-crammed foods and pills are marketed as charmers of the human microbiome — and the key to immune, gut and brain health. But can they really boost your mood and help with things like depression? We talk to psychiatry professor Ted Dinan.

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Tons of people struggle to get revved up about sex. It can mess with their relationships and how they feel about themselves. So enter the multimillion-dollar supplement industry with miracle solutions. Even Big Pharma has joined the battle for our libido, with drugs that claim to work wonders. But what if our ideas about sex drive are completely wrong? What if a pill (or testosterone injection) isn't the answer? We dive into the groundbreaking science on libido — and what you can do if you can't get no satisfaction. With sex therapist Professor Heather Goltz and sexual health researcher Professor Caroline Pukall.

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Many people point their finger at AirBnB for contributing to the affordable housing crisis. They say that short-term rentals like AirBnB take housing off the market and cause rents and house prices to go up. Is that true? We talk to University of Sydney prof. Nicole Gurran.

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Going gluten-free is all the rage — we hear it’s the secret hack to weight loss.  Is it true? We talk to nutrition epidemiologist Dr. Natalie Riediger.

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We dig into one of the biggest problems that scientists are worried about: The ability of AI to trick us. We talk to Dr. Professor Seth Lazar about the science.

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