The Pulse

Science

The Pulse

by WHYY

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 some of the world's foremost scientists, and back in time to explore life-changing innovations. The Pulse delivers stories in ways that matter to you, and answers questions you never knew you had.

100 episodes

EN-US language

All Episodes

1

The Problem with Being Perfect: How Unrealistic Standards Hurt Our Minds and Bodies

49:54 Mar 26, 2026

2

Unearthing the Hidden Stories of Women Scientists

49:34 Mar 19, 2026

3

When Love Becomes Caregiving: How Illness Changes Relationships

49:50 Mar 12, 2026

4

Already Forgotten About Your New Year’s Resolution? Here’s Why

31:52 Mar 10, 2026

5

Hello? From Bell’s First Call to Gen Z’s Telephobia: 150 Years of the Telephone

49:39 Mar 5, 2026

6

Beyond Anthropomorphism: The Science of Animal Emotions

49:34 Feb 26, 2026

7

Revenge Feels Great — But the Cost is High

49:18 Feb 19, 2026

8

Will My Doctor Be a Bot? AI and the Future of Medicine

37:33 Feb 18, 2026

9

Finding Your Match: The Science of Love and Attraction

49:34 Feb 12, 2026

10

Closing the Gap: Improving Health Outcomes for Black Americans

49:34 Feb 5, 2026

11

From Buzz to Burnout: How Alcohol Affects the Brain and Body

49:34 Jan 29, 2026

12

Challenger at 40: How the Disaster Shaped the Future of NASA

37:45 Jan 26, 2026

13

Triumph, Tragedy and Ennui: Three NASA Missions That Shaped the Future of Space Exploration

57:09 Jan 22, 2026

14

The Weird Menopause Symptoms No One Ever Told You About — And How to Treat Them

49:34 Jan 15, 2026

15

From Soy to Carbs: How Food can Ease Menopause Symptoms

48:51 Jan 13, 2026

16

Engineering Happiness into our Daily Lives

49:34 Jan 8, 2026

17

How Noise Affects Our Health

49:34 Jan 1, 2026

18

Inside the Dramatic Race to Decode the Human Genome

49:34 Dec 25, 2025

19

When Should Patients Decide for Themselves?

49:34 Dec 18, 2025

20

Searching for the Truth — and Finding Unexpected Answers

49:34 Dec 11, 2025

21

Inside the Hidden Wonders of the Shrinking Arctic

50:00 Dec 4, 2025

22

Why Nurturing Connection is Good for Your Health

49:34 Nov 27, 2025

23

What Science Says About How Much Our Food Choices Matter

49:34 Nov 20, 2025

24

How to 'Engineer' Your Dreams and End Nightmares

31:33 Nov 17, 2025

25

How Chatbots Make Us Feel

49:34 Nov 13, 2025

26

How Veterans Find Healing After War

49:34 Nov 6, 2025

27

Cybercrime and How Hackers Prey on Human Nature

54:43 Oct 30, 2025

28

Coca-Cola and a Secret Research Operation Meant to Exonerate Sugar

28:22 Oct 28, 2025

29

Searching for Ghosts: The Quest to Prove the Paranormal

49:34 Oct 23, 2025

30

Inside the Boom of Urgent Care: How It’s Changing American Medicine

47:56 Oct 16, 2025

31

How David Fajgenbaum Found His Own Treatment & Launched Every Cure

20:50 Oct 14, 2025

32

Finding Focus in the Age of Distraction

49:34 Oct 9, 2025

33

The Search for the Golden Toad and Other Adventures in the Wild

49:34 Oct 1, 2025

34

Lessons on Weight Loss from ‘The Biggest Loser’

49:30 Sep 24, 2025

35

Different Patients, Different Outcomes

58:32 Sep 17, 2025

36

The Science and Beauty of Muscles

49:34 Sep 11, 2025

37

The Science of Attraction and Dating

36:53 Sep 9, 2025

38

Mars Mania: How America Became Obsessed with Mars

49:34 Sep 4, 2025

39

Why It’s Time to Rethink Productivity

49:34 Aug 28, 2025

40

Back to School in a Rapidly Changing World

49:30 Aug 21, 2025

41

How Scientists Discovered Legionnaires' Disease

26:32 Aug 15, 2025

42

Protecting the People Who Grow Our Food

49:34 Aug 14, 2025

43

How Noise Affects Our Health

49:34 Aug 7, 2025

44

I Survived — Now What?

44:31 Jul 31, 2025

45

When Organ Donation Goes Wrong

35:48 Jul 30, 2025

46

Untangling Shame and Its Effects On Our Health

49:34 Jul 24, 2025

47

The Inner Workings of the Oceans

49:34 Jul 17, 2025

48

Finding Your Body’s Sleep Rhythm

49:34 Jul 10, 2025

49

The Big Chill and the Future of Refrigeration

49:29 Jul 3, 2025

50

Inside the Dramatic Race to Decode the Human Genome

49:34 Jun 26, 2025

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