The Pulse

By WHYYScience Health & Fitness

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The Pulse episodes

April 26, 2019Marijuana Now
Marijuana is starting to feel like the new normal. In less than 25 years, it’s gone from illicit drug to accepted medical treatment in more than half the country — plus cannabis is now legal recreationally in 10 states.
It’s been a stunning transformation — one that’s thrust weed (and us) into a brand new reality. On this episode, we tackle some of the questions that have popped up along the way. How “medical” are those medical dispensaries, really? What are the risks for pregnant women and their babies? And what’s weed’s power and potential for abuse?
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Medical marijuana is now legal in 33 states — but are we really treating it like other drugs?
You’ve heard of CBD and THC — but what are they, and what do they do? Emergency room physician Avir Mitra gets a refresher course.
Doctors say marijuana’s a no-no for moms-to-be — but for some, it’s a big help for pregnancy-related nausea. We hear from moms in Los Angeles about what it’s like using while expecting.
We venture inside the kitchen of an edibles chef in Philadelphia, who says weed-infused goodies help her create community.
Researcher and pediatrician Karen Wilson from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai says we don’t know enough about the potential health risks of second-hand marijuana smoke on kids.
The mother of an autistic son says medical marijuana helped ease her son’s violent outbursts.
49 min
April 19, 2019Shades of Green
As Kermit the Frog once said — it’s not easy being green. Amid challenges like pollution, deforestation and climate change, engaging with environmental problems can feel like an overwhelming task. To mark Earth Day, we explore some of the ways, big and small, people are working to do just that.
Also on this week’s show:
How a recent landmark study uncovered a hidden – and huge – source of air pollution.
We talk with Chicago weatherman Tom Skilling on his decision to speak openly about climate change on the air.
A look back at Population Bomb, the doom-and-gloom book from 1968 that helped shape the debate on saving the planet.
Environmental scientist Halina Brown says saving the earth means cutting down what we buy.
We ask a range of people about what “being green” means to them.
49 min
April 12, 2019Failing Better
In science — and in life — failure is both a stumbling block and a building block. We regard failure as the enemy of success — but really, it’s just part of the process. Mistakes and missteps, blunders and slips are often stepping stones toward places of greater knowledge. But failure can also take us on detours, deflate our ambitions, and lead us down blind alleys. In this episode of The Pulse, we hear stories about failure — what we can learn from it, how we cope with it, and how we can harness its potential by observing the way it affects our thoughts and behavior.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Progress depends on acknowledging our mistakes. So why does it take us so long to admit when they happen? We investigate the mental block that prevents us from owning our failures in the moment, and what we could learn if we did.
Psychologist Katherine Dahlsgaard explains the developmental logic behind a childhood superpower: the ability to fail constantly, and not to care.
By day, James Heathers is a researcher at Northeastern University — by night, he’s a “data thug,” a self-appointed detective who tracks and exposes shoddy and fraudulent science.
Ben Gross — vice president for research and scholarship at the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City — tells us the story of the last consumer electronics product RCA ever tried to release, and how the line between success and failure is sometimes blurred.
We hear about a new documentary from Frontline and ProPublica called “Right to Fail.” It digs into an ambitious effort to give New Yorkers with severe mental illnesses the chance to live independently.
50 min
April 05, 2019Becoming a Mother
“Motherhood will change your life.” It may sound like a greeting card sentiment — but it’s also a statement of fact. Pregnancy changes the way bodies function and look. It affects women’s hormones and weight — even their brain chemistry. In this episode, The Pulse looks at the impact of new motherhood on women’s health. We hear stories about the ongoing debate over breastfeeding, and why so many hospitals are no longer using their nurseries. Plus, why some women of color are reluctant to seek help for postpartum depression.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Inside a new initiative that’s letting incarcerated women pump breast milk as a way to maintain their ties with newborn infants (based on this story published by Generocity)
We hear from women about the many ways pregnancy and motherhood have affected their health.
49 min
March 29, 2019How We Eat
Chow. Nibbles. Grub. Food — we relate to it in a lot of different ways. It can serve as nourishment, as pleasure, as fuel for our bodies, or the glue that holds communities together. But food can also make us sick — or cause us to feel powerless over our cravings and habits. So what determines our relationship with food? In this episode, we explore that question, with stories about the rise of — and backlash against — food allergies, the connection between climate change and eating meat, and how our circadian rhythms can drive appetite.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
A recent study found that only half of people who say they have food allergies, actually do. So what’s going on here? Is it all in our heads? We dive into the latest research to find out.
You’ve heard of the Mediterranean diet, the Atkins diet, the Flexitarian diet — now consider the CRON lifestyle (don’t call it a diet), in which practitioners use serious calorie restriction to fight the aging process.
University of Pennsylvania researcher Kelly Allison explains how our circadian rhythms drive the way we eat — and how timing can determine whether we gain or lose weight.
When a bully teased Sandhya Menon’s 10-year-old daughter about the Indian food in her lunchbox, Sandhya issued a plea on Twitter: that parents talk with their kids, and correct the idea that foods from other cultures are “weird” or “gross.”
Your stories: Listeners sent in their favorite food memories.
49 min
March 22, 2019Sex and Health
At its best, sex isn’t just fun — it’s good for our health. It can relieve stress, enhance our mood — even offer a bit of a workout! But sex can also be painful, both physically and emotionally; it can open the door to injury and disease; and it can reflect, or even magnify, changes that we’re not willing to face.
In this episode, we explore sex and our health. We hear stories about PrEP, asexuality, the online world of NoFap, and enjoying sex as you age.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
We venture inside the world of NoFap — an online movement of men dedicated to improving themselves by abstaining from masturbation. We talk to a self pro-claimed “fapstronaught,” as well as a urologist and a therapist to find out whether there’s any real benefit to abstinence.
Sex can be a healthy part of our lives. But what if the sex you want to have is painful — or even impossible? Noa Fleischacker opens up about her years spent dealing with this very question.
Audio producer Paulus van Horne chats with a friend about asexuality — what it is, and the perfect metaphor for explaining it to family and friends.
Retired sex therapist and columnist Ginger Manley discusses the challenges — both physical and mental — that come with intimacy as we age. Her book is called “Assisted Loving: The Journey through Sexuality and Aging.”
Writer and black feminist adrienne maree brown explains why it’s important for women of color to discuss sexual pleasure, along with learning how to embrace your body.
Sexologist Susana Mayer says post menopause —her sex life is the best it’s ever been. She is the author of “Does Sex Have an Expiration Date? Rethinking Low Libido: A Guide to Developing an Ageless Sex Life.”
49 min
March 08, 2019When Disaster Strikes
Earthquakes, storms, fires, disease — they sweep into our communities, often unexpectedly. They don’t happen often, but when they do, emergencies can destroy lives. On this episode of The Pulse, we explore how the healthcare system — and the rest of us — deal with emergencies when they hit. We hear stories about facing danger, dealing with disaster — both natural and man-made — and ways of prepping for catastrophe before it arrives.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
What turns an outbreak into an epidemic? Adam Kucharski — who studies infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine — explains how mathematical models can track the progress of outbreaks.
When the Oklahoma City bombing happened, psychologist Robin Gurwitch was there to help survivors. Since then, she’s become a researcher and expert in helping children recover after trauma and disaster — from Sandy Hook to Hurricane Katrina.
An ER physician recounts his experience of the Northridge earthquake in 1994. This story is an excerpt from the “The Big One,” a podcast from KPCC about what the next major earthquake will mean for Los Angeles and beyond.
49 min
March 01, 2019Why do we need the wild?
Being in nature is restorative; the wild can feed your soul. But, for hundreds of years, we pushed west across the country, trampling and displacing wildlife along the way. Later, lots of people woke up to the effects of urban sprawl and industrialization. And, in 1964, the Wilderness Act was created to set aside places “where man himself is a visitor.” There are now many efforts to protect untouched land, and at the same time we want to enjoy the wild, be out there in it. Balancing those impulses requires a careful dance.
Does the wild still exist — and what qualifies as “wilderness” anyway? For answers, listen in as we chase tigers, track majestic elk, and help bears cross the road — safely.
Also heard on The Pulse this week:
Drew Lanham grew up on his family’s farm in South Carolina. He explains how wilderness has always meant happiness and freedom to him — but also makes him remember the painful history that same land holds.
We take a trip through Brigantine Wilderness in New Jersey with refuge manager Virginia Rettig
Deep sea ecologist Andrew Thaler describes wilderness at the bottom of the ocean
Sound artist Dianne Ballon shares some of her recordings from Shenandoah National Park
49 min
February 21, 2019The Impact of Isolation
Humans are social animals, equipped with brains hard-wired to connect with those around us. We rely on relationships for safety and survival, as well as love and fulfillment. And when we’re deprived of those connections, we suffer — both psychologically and physically. On this episode, we explore what happens to our health and our minds when we’re faced with isolation. We hear stories about dealing with the isolation of solitary confinement, medical quarantine, and even the lonely journey to another planet.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
A visit to the birthplace of solitary confinement — Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary — to learn about 19th century ideas about the redemptive power of solitude.
Nine people describe the psychological toll of their time in solitary, in this excerpt from Claire Schoen’s half-hour documentary “Survivors.”
Kate O’Brien tells us about the lonely months she spent in medical quarantine.
History professor Alan Kraut from American University explores how medical quarantine has sometimes been used as a way to discriminate against immigrants.
A story about caregiver isolation, told by Pat Davis, who’s spent the last decade watching dementia carry her husband further and further away.
50 min
February 15, 2019Math Attack
Math is a discipline of logic, but for lots of us, it may as well be magic: a force as powerful as it is unattainable. The “math anxious” among us get tripped up by simple calculations — lost in equations and fractions, until math becomes a barrier. But math competence is an everyday essential, from figuring out grocery-store discounts, to giving your kid the right dose of cough syrup, to deciding on a mortgage. Math also propels innovation and discovery. If you’re avoiding math, you’re probably missing out.
On this episode of The Pulse, we explore why math is necessary to our lives and health, how so many of us got alienated by it early on, and how we might improve our skills.
Also heard on this week’s episode:
Lots of little girls don’t love math and end up avoiding advanced math classes. But math skills can be key to academic and professional success. Math lover Tanya Ott asks if we’re socializing girls in a way that holds them back.
Wellesley College math professor Oscar Fernandez — author of “The Calculus of Happiness” — explains how math can help you improve your love life, diet, and sleep.
We get a blackjack tutorial from mathematician Adam Kucharski, then head to the casino to try out what we’ve learned. His new book is “The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling.”
Alex Stern says her stepdad (and his carpentry work) helped her learn her multiplication tables as a kid.
A chat with Nan Morrison, head of the Council for Economic Education, about the roots (and the consequences) of financial illiteracy.
Sixth-grade teacher Nicole Wisler says teaching math feels like an urgent calling — and a chance to disrupt the disempowering narratives students tell themselves about their math ability.
Psychologist Ellen Peters explains why math skills matter to health.
50 min

About The Pulse

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Go on an adventure into unexpected corners of the health and science world each week with award-winning host Maiken Scott. The Pulse takes you behind the doors of operating rooms, into the lab with…