x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Pulse

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.

science

All Episodes

49:34

How Noise Affects Our Health

The Pulse ·

2026/01/01

For a lot of us, noise is a constant factor — an inescapable soundtrack playing on loop in the background. Kids screaming, sirens blaring, the roar of traffic, the sounds of music, lawn mowers, construction, and so much more.We ignore it when we can, or wear headphones to block out the racket. But all that noise can actually damage our hearing and, subsequently, our overall health. On this encore episode, we explore what researchers are learning about the connections between noise, hearing

en-us

49:34

Inside the Dramatic Race to Decode the Human Genome

The Pulse ·

2025/12/25

Twenty-five years ago, President Bill Clinton stood before a podium in the East Room of the White House, and, in front of an all-star lineup of researchers and dignitaries, made a historic announcement: After years of painstaking work, scientists had created “the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by humankind” — the first-ever survey of the human genome.In his remarks, Clinton compared the achievement to the maps created by Lewis and Clark’s expedition into the American West —

en-us

49:34

When Should Patients Decide for Themselves?

The Pulse ·

2025/12/18

As patients, we often wonder what our role should be when it comes to getting better. Should we research options, get second opinions, and ask lots of questions? Or should we sit back, and let the health care professionals take charge? When does it make sense to push, and when is it best to do less?On this episode, we examine our role as patients, the choices we make, and charting our path toward better health. A reporter gets a wake-up call while looking into diabetes rates among Latinos

en-us

49:34

Searching for the Truth — and Finding Unexpected Answers

The Pulse ·

2025/12/11

In 1973, Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan published a bombshell paper called “On Being Sane in Insane Places.” In the paper, Rosenhan described faking symptoms to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and recruiting several other pseudo patients to do the same. Could staff tell they were faking? What was it like to be a patient in an institution? The “Rosenhan experiment,” as it came to be known, created a major stir, sparking public debates over the validity of psychiatric diagnoses

en-us

50:00

Inside the Hidden Wonders of the Shrinking Arctic

The Pulse ·

2025/12/04

Over the course of 20 years, writer Neil Shea explored the awe-inspiring landscape of the Arctic. He saw narwhals poking their tusks above the water, herds of caribou moving across the tundra, and majestic white wolves raising their young. He documents this fragile beauty in his new book, “Frostlines.” We talk to Shea about his adventures, and how climate change is transforming the region.

en-us

49:34

Why Nurturing Connection is Good for Your Health

The Pulse ·

2025/11/27

So often, our relationships take a backseat to everything else on our to-do lists — but new research shows that nurturing personal connections plays a central role in our health and well-being. On this episode, we explore the science of connection, from why it’s important, to how we can make it a priority in our lives.

en-us

49:34

What Science Says About How Much Our Food Choices Matter

The Pulse ·

2025/11/20

Ahead of Thanksgiving, we do a deep dive into what we actually know about diet, and what we should and shouldn’t be eating. We talk with a nutrition and metabolism scientist about recent diet trends and how they affect our health, hear from several chefs about how they balance nutrition and taste, and find out how the avian flu outbreak could be affecting this year’s turkeys.

en-us

31:33

How to 'Engineer' Your Dreams and End Nightmares

The Pulse ·

2025/11/17

How do our dreams connect to health, and how could “dream engineering” help people get over nightmares? Researcher Michelle Carr writes about that in her new book “Nightmare Obscura: A Dream Engineer's Guide Through the Sleeping Mind.” We talk with Carr about why we dream, the benefits of lucid dreaming, and what she’s learning about our ability to “engineer” our dreams.

en-us

49:34

How Chatbots Make Us Feel

The Pulse ·

2025/11/13

Chatbots don’t have feelings of their own, but they’ve been stirring plenty of emotions in us humans. On this episode, we explore how AI is making us feel, and what those feelings say about us. We hear about using ChatGPT for DIY therapy, what kinds of personalities we prefer in our chatbots, and how both the market and online culture is responding to the spike in AI-generated content.

en-us

49:34

How Veterans Find Healing After War

The Pulse ·

2025/11/06

On this Veterans Day episode, we explore the invisible wounds of war — and the different paths veterans take to heal them. We talk with a Marine Corps vet about how ceramics helped him reconnect with civilian life, a retired Navy SEAL about his experience with psychedelic-assisted therapy, and a Vietnam vet who, decades after the war, found peace in an unexpected place.

en-us

54:43

Cybercrime and How Hackers Prey on Human Nature

The Pulse ·

2025/10/30

Cybercrime has been around for as long as computers have — but over the past 20 years, it's exploded into a global threat, with staggering financial, political, and even personal consequences. On this encore episode, we hear about the virus that ushered in the age of social engineering attacks, the history of cybercrime, and what led one man to become a hacker.

en-us

28:22

Coca-Cola and a Secret Research Operation Meant to...

The Pulse ·

2025/10/28

Coca-Cola is launching a cane sugar version of its classic soda in the U.S. after President Donald Trump urged a switch from high fructose corn syrup. The effort supports the administration's “Make America Healthy Again” initiative — but many experts argue that it won’t make a difference. On this episode, journalist Murray Carpenter discusses his new book, Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick.

en-us

49:34

Searching for Ghosts: The Quest to Prove the Paranormal

The Pulse ·

2025/10/23

Ghosts seem far out of the realm of science. But small groups of investigators remain committed to proving — or disproving — the existence of paranormal phenomena. On this episode, we find out what motivates these investigators, and we’ll hear about a lab on the UCLA campus that studied paranormal activities.

en-us

47:56

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

The Pulse ·

2025/10/16

If it feels like urgent care centers are everywhere these days — that’s because they are. Over the past decade, they’ve exploded in popularity, offering a quick and convenient alternative to long waits at the ER, and even longer waits to see your primary care provider. On this episode, we explore the rise of urgent care, from the role of private equity to its impact on patient care.

en-us

20:50

How David Fajgenbaum Found His Own Treatment &...

The Pulse ·

2025/10/14

What if treatments or even cures for devastating rare diseases already existed — and were just waiting to be discovered? On this podcast extra, we dive into the extraordinary journey of physician and researcher David Fajgenbaum, cofounder of Every Cure. After facing death five times due to a rare illness called Castleman Disease, Fajgenbaum not only discovered his own treatment, but also launched an ambitious project using AI to unlock existing drugs for countless other conditions. He has a

en-us

49:34

Finding Focus in the Age of Distraction

The Pulse ·

2025/10/09

We often think of digital distractions, from TikTok to newsfeeds, as a way of giving our brains a break. But in reality, they could be doing the opposite. We talk with psychologist Marc Berman about a better way of restoring our focus — spending time in nature. We also try a dopamine fast, to see if it can really improve our attention spans.

en-us

49:34

The Search for the Golden Toad and Other Adventures...

The Pulse ·

2025/10/01

Many adventurers and researchers feel the call of the wild — a force tugging them to explore, climb distant mountains, venture into faraway forests, and discover or rediscover something: a creature, a place, some new clue. On this episode: Adventures in the Wild, featuring the mythical golden toad, raging elephants, and poisonous snakes.

en-us

49:34

Lessons on Weight Loss from ‘The Biggest Loser’

The Pulse ·

2025/09/24

In its heyday, “The Biggest Loser” was one of the biggest shows on TV. But now, nine years after it went off the air, a Netflix docuseries and new book by leading obesity researcher Kevin Hall, are prompting a re-examination of the show’s tactics, and some of the surprising discoveries it led to surrounding metabolism and weight loss.

en-us

58:32

Different Patients, Different Outcomes

The Pulse ·

2025/09/17

Different Patients, Different Outcomes

en-us

49:34

The Science and Beauty of Muscles

The Pulse ·

2025/09/11

Most of us take our muscles for granted, but they play a bigger role in our physical and mental health than most people realize. On this encore episode, we explore their cultural and scientific significance. We hear about the history of weight-lifting, along with how it went from niche hobby to medical treatment, and learn about the intricate biology and beauty of our muscles.

en-us

193 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter