Science Vs

It's 1988 in Lesotho, and doctors at a hospital see something they thought was impossible. A 15-year-old girl shows up pregnant and in labor, but she's missing something pretty crucial to her delivery: a vagina. So — how did this happen?? We go on a roller-coaster ride through the reproductive system with Dr. Neel Shah to find out.

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/sciencevsnovagina 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) A small war 

(04:12) How do you get pregnant without a vagina?

(14:37) The final unbelievable chapter

This episode was produced by Ekedi Fausther-Keeys with help from Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wiley, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thank you to all the scientists we spoke to for this episode including, Dr. Sarah Ackroyd, Dr. Sarah Collins, Professor Adam Taylor, and Dr. Cathy Flood. Special thanks to 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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We’ve all been there. Feeling stuck with a problem because no one in our life can relate. Or because the one person we need to talk to … won’t. Or can’t. Enter Yowei Shaw and the show Proxy. Proxy is built on a simple idea: no one is ever as alone with their problem as they think. So Yowei brings in a proxy, a perfect stranger, to help her guests work through their dilemma. Today we’re sharing the case of Brian, a journalist whose mother-in-law has Alzheimer's. Even though Brian knows she can’t help misremembering things, he can’t stop losing his patience with her, and with himself. 

This episode was mixed for Science Vs by Bobby Lord.

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Find Proxy here.

Resources from Claudia on dementia caregiving, caregiving in general, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT):

On understanding dementia

Dementia Reimagined: Building a life of joy and dignity from beginning to end by Tia Powell (and this accompanying Fresh Air episode)

On preventing/addressing emotional or behavioral changes associated with dementia

When a Family Member Has Dementia: Steps to Becoming a Resilient Caregiver by Susan M. McCurry

On acceptance and commitment therapy (not specifically related to caregiving)

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Steven C. Hayes

The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living by Russ Harris
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Forget the questionable relationship advice from internet influencers. Today, we’re diving into the science of lasting love, fighting, and "red flags” to find out what really matters for a healthy relationship. We’ll find out what it means to fight well with your partner. And we’ll also look at the signs that a relationship might become dangerous or abusive. For all this, we speak with Professor Ben Karney, Dr. Megan Haselschwerdt, Dr. Elizabeth McLindon and Matt Brown.

U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800.799.7233 or www.thehotline.org

Find international resources and more at spotify.com/resources

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

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Influencers love giving advice

(02:36) How to have a ‘healthy fight’ 

(09:44) If you fight badly, will you get divorced? 

(13:55) What are ‘red flags’? 

(21:01) Red flags you should watch for

(28:23) Approaches to try to change abusive partners

(34:00) Why do people try to control their partners? 

(37:57) Can an abusive partner change? 

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to our consultants Maya Serelis and Jess Hill. A special thanks to the researchers and folks working in the space of domestic violence that we spoke to including, Dr Áine Travers, Claire Marshall, Professor Sharon Dawe, Professor Kelsey Hegarty, Dr Franscesca Righetti, Dr Andrea Meltzer, Professor Amy Rauer, and Dr Amie Zarling. A big thanks to 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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Federal agents have descended on Minneapolis in the U.S., and things have gotten chaotic — and deadly. The Trump administration says the agents are there to enforce immigration law, but officers have shot three people so far, killing two, and are using tear gas and smoke on protesters. So today, we’re looking at the potential health impacts of tear gas. We’ll talk about what we do — and don’t — know about potential long-term effects of this stuff. And we’re also looking into research on the mental health effects of immigration raids. We speak to Dr. Jennifer Brown, Dr. Carlee Toddes, and Dr. William Lopez.

This episode does mention mental health issues. Find resources here: spotify.com/resources 

For more on William Lopez’s research on ICE raids, check out his new book, Raiding the Heartland https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/53706/raiding-heartland?srsltid=AfmBOoperKoqv48ZYzaHfQ87nM2xI3QiAbI7lo2wLqt5BykNo-47cHxS

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/3MbC1Py

Transcripción en español: https://bit.ly/4cm5b9i

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) What’s going on in Minneapolis?

(05:40) Tear gas is banned in war 

(08:34) What tear gas does to the body

(16:44) The possible long-term effects of tear gas

(22:44) Can you protect yourself from tear gas?

(24:36) How immigration raids affect people’s health

(34:10) Do ICE raids make communities safer?

This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell, Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys and Rose Rimler. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Dang and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard.  

Special thanks to all the Minnesotans who took the time to speak to us about what’s going on there, including photographer Matt Gundrum. Thanks also to the other researchers we spoke to, including Dr. Margot Moinester, Professor Joanna Dreby. Thanks to Paul Schreiber, Nimra Azmi, Whitney Potter and Jack Weinstein.

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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There's claims out there that all kinds of things can make us happy in life, from making money to having kids to buying your dream home. But what actually works?? What does it take to have a happy life?? 

Professor Bob Waldinger is a psychiatrist at Harvard who has spent more than two decades as the director of this amazing study. It has tracked hundreds of people for decades and is the world's longest scientific study into happiness. So we're gonna find out what a lot of us get wrong in searching for the good life. Where we should be putting our time and attention. And we'll get this huge insight into how we can all be happier — and healthier.

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

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) What makes us happy?

(01:48) The world's longest study into happiness 

(07:25) The biggest finding of the study

(13:18) How do you build good relationships?

(18:26) How did Bob get happier??

(21:53) How childhood adversity changes us

(24:12) Does having kids make you happy? 

(25:22) Does making money make us happy? 

(27:55) The Happiest Person

(29:40) Looking back on our lives

Don't forget to text a friend you haven't seen in a while! Let us know what they say. Send us a photo if you end up catching up!! You can email us at [email protected] or tag us in an instagram post — we're at @science_vs. And come say hello to Wendy on tiktok, I'm @wendyzukerman

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking help by Ekedi Fauster-Keeys. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wiley, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. An extra 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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