238 episodes
Science Vs Spotify Podcasts
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- Science
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4.4 • 10.7K Ratings
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There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs is the show from Gimlet that finds out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. We do the hard work of sifting through all the science so you don't have to and cover everything from 5G and Pandemics, to Vaping and Fasting Diets.
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Caffeine: How Much is Too Much?
Caffeine is a drug that tons of us take every day. But is that a bad thing? And if we get it in the form of energy drinks, is that super dangerous? We talk to Dr. Astrid Nehlig, Prof. Gregory Marcus, and Prof. Sachin Shah.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsCaffeineEnergyDrinks
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Chapter 1: We love/hate caffeine
(02:12) Chapter 2: Coffee and our guts
(07:12) Chapter 3: Coffee and our brains
(12:40) Chapter 4: Coffee and our zzzzzzs
(17:42) Chapter 5: Coffee makes us go vroom vroom vroom!
(20:30) Chapter 6: Are we caffeine addicts?
(28:04) Chapter 7: Are energy drinks dangerous?
This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, as well as Nick DelRose, Joel Werner, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Sarah Baum. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Special thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode – including Dr. Bryan Saunders, Dr. Sergi Ferré, Prof. Andreas Heinz, Prof. Christine Curran, Dr. Erikka Loftfield, Dr. Felix Oberhoffer, Dr. Alan Wayne Jones, and Dr. Vijay Yadav. Extra special thanks to Jason Vytlacil and the Zukerman family.
Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. We are everywhere that podcasts are! If you are listening on Spotify, follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. And if you like us, give a five star review!
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MDMA: Can Ecstasy Cure Your Agony?
Molly, ecstasy, MDMA: whatever you call it, this drug is blowing up. Some say MDMA can be a legitimate medicine to treat conditions like PTSD. But others reckon it's a dangerous drug that can fry your brain, and even kill you — from just one bad pill. Who's right? That's what we're snorting up today. We talk to psychiatrist George Greer, public health researcher Prof. Joseph Palamar, former DEA special agent James Hunt, and neuroscientist Prof. Harriet de Witt.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsMDMA2023
This is an updated version of our MDMA episode from a few years ago.
Chapters:
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Chapter 1: Cops and club kids
(05:02) Chapter 2: Therapists try MDMA
(09:05) Chapter 3: Your brain on MDMA
(15:34) Chapter 4: Can MDMA cure racism?
(20:32) Chapter 5: Can MDMA Cure PTSD?
(23:13) Chapter 6: Is the MDMA comedown real?
(26:40) Chapter 7: Can MDMA damage your brain?
(30:04) Chapter 8: Can MDMA kill you?
(33:23) Chapter 9: Buying MDMA on the street
(37:01) Chapter 10: Conclusion
This episode was produced by Heather Rogers and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Shruti Ravindran, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Rose Rimler, Joel Werner, Nick DelRose and Michelle Dang. Edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Harris, Ben Kuebrich and Diane Kelly. Sound design by Martin Peralta, Haley Shaw and Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, So Wylie and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we reached out to for this episode, including Prof. Jerrold S. Meyer, Prof. Niamh Nic Daéid, Dr Brian Earp, Dr. Carl Roberts and Dr. Matthew Baggott. An extra thanks to Lucy Little, Johnny Dynell, Jesse Rudoy, Joseph Lavelle Wilson, and the Zukerman family.
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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Pssst!! The Science of Gossip
We all know gossip can be bad — but some of us still can’t seem to get enough of it. So today we’re digging into the science of gossip to answer questions like: who really gossips? And why do we love it so much? We spill the tea with sociologist Dr. Stacy Torres and neuroscientist Professor Josep Marco-Pallarés.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsGossip
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Gossip has a bad rap
(06:21) Who gossips?
(17:13) Your brain on gossip
(24:14) Can gossip be good?
(32:27) How to fight nasty gossip
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Find us on instagram: @science_vs
This episode was produced by Nick DelRose with help from Wendy Zukerman, Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wiley, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thank you to all the researchers we spoke to, including Dr. Megan Robins, Dr. Jan Engelmann, Dr. Konrad Rudnicki, Dr. Alex Karan, and Dr. Julie Wargo Aikins. Recording assistance from Jaz Williams. Special thanks to the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.
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When Your Eyes See Lies
A dead man with a bitten penis and perplexing DNA, a terrifying syndrome where everything around you appears in miniature, and the big lie we all believe about lemmings: Wendy and Joel tell three science stories about times when things were not what they seemed, recorded live at the Beaker Street Festival in Tasmania.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsLIVE
Chapters:
(00:00) Welcome to Science Vs LIVE!
(02:08) The Case of the Missing Penis
(17:55) Alice In Wonderland Syndrome
(31:35) The Big Lemming Lie
This episode has been produced by Wendy Zukerman, Joel Werner and Austin Mitchell, with help from Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, and Nicholas DelRose. Our original version of lemmings was helped into the world by Kaitlyn Sawrey, Ben Kuebrich, Heather Rogers, and Shruti Ravindran.
Edited by Blythe Terrell and Annie-Rose Strasser. Fact Checking by Carmen Drahl. Mix and Sound Design by Bobby Lord and Bumi Hidaka. Scoring by Bobby Lord, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka, and Emma Munger. Thanks to all of the researchers we spoke to including… Dr. Malte Andersson, Dr. Anders Angerbjörn, Dr. Rolf Anker Ims, Dr. Charles J. Krebs, and others. As well as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the use of Cruel Camera. And special thanks to Barbara and Paul Werner, Tegan Taylor, Joseph Lavelle Wilson and the Zukerman family.
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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Sleep: How Do We Get More?
Not sleeping enough turning you into a monster? In one of our most popular episodes, we bring you the cutting-edge science that helps us understand why. And we sort through the fads to find out, what really works to get more ZZZs. We speak with lab coordinator Pam DeYoung, sleep researcher Dr. Brady Riedner, and circadian scientist Prof. Russell Foster.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSleep2023
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Not sleeping sucks
(03:00) What does lack of sleep do to us?
(06:07) Our beer vs. sleepiness experiment
(10:56) What happens in a sleepy brain
(17:45) How circadian rhythm affects sleep
(21:19) Does melatonin help with sleep?
(23:50) Does blue light keep us awake?
This episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Lexi Krupp with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn and Kaitlyn Sawrey. Editing by Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly and Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard and Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, and Bach. Recording assistance from Dave Drexler, Tim Peterson, Zoe Sullivan, and Martin Wiggins. Sonification of EEG data came from Dr. Gerold Baier and Dr. Thomas Hermann. A huge thanks to Dr. Amandine Valomon, Prof. James Krueger, Dr. Ari Shechter, Dr. Jade Wu, Dr. Bei Bei, Dr. Connor Sheehan, Dr. Jennifer Ailshire, Dr. Agostinho Rosa, and everyone else we spoke to for this episode, especially our frustrated sleepers. Thank you so much for all the voice messages! And special thanks to Chuma Ossé, 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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Seed Oils: Is Your Canola Oil Killing You?
We’ve been told that foods like butter and bacon are bad for us — because they're packed with saturated fats. And top dogs in nutrition say that a better option is vegetable oil, like canola oil. But there’s a trend popping off claiming that these top dogs are barking up the wrong tree. They say that butter is better and that those vegetable oils, aka “seed oils,” are incredibly dangerous. So — who’s right? Is canola oil really killing us? Or is butter the bad boy?
To find out, we speak to author and physician Dr Cate Shanahan, professor of nutrition science Jason Wu, professor of endocrinology David Schade, and Dr David Iggman.
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsSeedOils
A new Season of Heavyweight is out now! Find them here: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/heavyweight
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Seed oils are the devil
(05:35) Is saturated fat killing you?
(12:25) Does cholesterol cause heart attacks?
(22:02) Do seed oils cause inflammation?
(28:00) Are seed oils killing you?
This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Joel Werner, Rose Rimler, Nick DelRose and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Carmen Drahl. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, Peter Leonard, and Bumi Hidaka. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr Lorena Pacheco, Dr Qi Sun, Dr Tetsumori Yamashima, Dr Idrees Mughal, Professor Rashika Ahmed, Dr Hatem Tallima, Dr Heidi Silver, Professor Ronald Krauss, Dr Yutang Wang, Dr David Sullivan, Professor Peter Clifton, Dr Lee Hooper and others. And a big thank you to Morgen Rockel, 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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Customer Reviews
I loved your seed oil video!!! New subscriber :)
Hi!! I’m a college students and found myself going into the loophole of researching fat and also, like Kate, was thinking seed oils were completely bad but like other consumers believe, that it was the processing of the oils that made them less nutrient rich, therefore, less protective towards the body. I still feel weary about seed oils but am also cognizant of saturated fats and rather prefer to have a balanced diet of all food groups with a preference towards mono- and poly-unsaturated fats than saturated fats/animal-dense meals. I am curious with processed food: Is what makes them less healthy the additives, or is it the lack of nutrients that provide less protection towards oxidative stress? For example, fried foods— these oils are exposed to high heat, so they oxidize faster and lose their anti-oxidant effects making them calorie-dense baggies of nothingness. I didn’t know where to post my questions 🙈🙈 Best to you! Thanks for all your research!!
Potential to be good
I love science. There is potential for this to be a good show but the host speaks too quickly and has a very harsh voice. She sounds hyper, which is draining. Also I don’t think the research methods are thorough enough. The research seems lazy. If you’re calling something science you are taking on a responsibility to be very thorough and balanced. I don’t get that from this show, which is concerning. There is danger in spreading false info as fact. This isn’t meant to be political- I agree with a lot of the claims the show makes. But a LOT of relevant info is left out of the studies sited and “experts” used are very questionable. I call it Tabloid Science.
All-time favorite podcast
I’ve been listening to Science vs for about 5 years now and it’s still at the top of my list. I never miss a new episode of Science Vs and I regularly send episode links to friends so they can learn whatever I just learned.
I’ve really appreciated the way that Science Vs makes me question information in news and other mediums and helps me think about how I should look for supporting data before buying in. It’s all about the science!
Plus, Wendy is such a fun and charismatic host that even subjects I’ve never thought about suddenly seem interesting.