The Pulse

In hospitals lately, the emphasis has been on quality of care, patient outcomes, and avoiding repeat visits whenever possible. So do those goals change who should run the show? We look inside why there are so few nurses at the top. 

Plus, those rad NASA posters, algae used in unlikely ways, and a Patient File that starts with a kid who has a headache, and ends with…well we don’t want to spoil anything. 

You’re walking around, going about your day-to-day life, and suddenly, a song pops into your head. Our brains are filled with songs and melodies, but the question is who hits play?

Plus, a pregnant man, the sounds of blood, and a very old computer. Tune in…and sorry if we get a song stuck in your head! 

We’ll take you back in time to 1976 in Philadelphia. The American Legion is having a conference at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel when horror strikes — a disease starts killing various attendees. The CDC launches a full-fledged field investigation to try and solve what is now known as one of the greatest medical mysteries of the 20th century. 

Plus, we dive head first into the football concussion debate, find out what happens when a doctor and a fashion designer join forces, and learn how to name a disease. 

Of the women who find out they are carrying a baby who has Down Syndrome, 74 percent choose to terminate the pregnancy, according to one researcher. In real numbers that translates to about 3,100 Down Syndrome-related abortions in the U.S. each year.

This is one of the difficult decisions people face when they see the results of genetic tests. But finding genetic counselors to read those tests? That’s difficult, too. 

Plus, we look into the Zika outbreak, the Flint water crisis, and bird flu. 

We’ll take you from pages to pixels, through stories in the stacks, all to get a better idea about what the next chapter has in store for libraries, librarians and the books they hold dear. On this edition of The Pulse, we go to the library to find out how these old-school institutions are reinventing themselves to stay relevant in the modern age. 

But make sure to keep the volume down…it is the library after all. 

It’s a new year, so that means a new you, right? 

We dissect our desires to start over — to do things better and perhaps be healthier. Why is it so hard to stick to good intentions? How did the slowest marathoner ever finish the race? And we’ll follow a man on a long journey to getting a new liver. 

Plus, a surprise visit from Hidden Brain’s Shankar Vedantam. 

We’re drilling down to the root of some important questions: why are teeth treated differently than other body parts, when it comes to care and insurance? Why aren’t big research institutions reporting study results? What’s the best way for doctors to ask patients about assault? 

Plus, smog detecting bicycles, and a lesson about family, just in time for the holidays. 

We tend to think of creativity as a personality trait, or even a gift. Those who have it have ideas, solve problems, and make the world a more beautiful and interesting place. But…what if you could learn how to be creative? We take you inside a class that tries to teach just that. 

Plus, moths, ants, and a bit of magic. 

Another mass shooting. More violence. This time in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people were killed.

You’ve followed the news, and read the slew of opinion pieces, and perhaps engaged in arguments over how many mass shootings have happened this year. So we asked ourselves — what are we not talking about, but perhaps should?

Two things came to mind.  People are advocating that we treat violence as a public health issue, but what exactly does that look like? And secondly, why is it so hard for us to talk about this problem?

‘Who cares?’ sounds like a pretty harsh statement, but on this week’s show we’re delving into it — can you make people care about something? Hepatitis C is a very common disease, and yet people rarely ever talk about it. Scientists and activists have been trying to get more people engaged with the topic of climate change for a long time now. Plus, stories about caring for your noggin.