The Pulse

Series produced by WHYY

Series image

Weekly subscribable series.

Host Maiken Scott leads this one-hour, weekly tour of the people and places at the heart of health and science.

The Pulse is a show for curious people who ask: "Yeah, why is that?" Often surprising and always captivating, The Pulse makes science and discovery personal. Produced at WHYY in Philadelphia, the show features scientists, doctors, innovators and storytelling from across the country.

For information about The Pulse please contact Steve Martin at steve@sfmconsulting.com or call 703.715.0827.

For help subscribing please contact PRX at prxhelp@prx.org.


373 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Piece image
This rebroadcast of the Pulse takes a look at one of our most important and amazing human tools. What does neuroscience tell us about how language ...

  • Added: Apr 05, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
For a long time disability meant one thing — limitations. Think about the word disabled: its literal meaning is broken, not functioning. In a world...

  • Added: Apr 12, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
As Kermit the Frog once said — it’s not easy being green. Amid challenges like pollution, deforestation and climate change, engaging with environme...

  • Added: Apr 23, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
Diabetes costs more healthcare dollars than any other disease in the United States. But beyond the huge financial price tag — diabetes takes a majo...

  • Added: Apr 26, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
When it comes to scientific knowledge, we’re selective about who and what we believe. But how do we get to a place of knowing? In this episode, we ...

  • Added: May 03, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
On this rebroadcast, The Pulse celebrates Mother's Day with stories about the ways humans — and other species — juggle fierce love and the never-en...

  • Added: May 09, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
We like to romanticize farming – but the truth is, that it’s tough, complicated, sometimes dangerous work. Technology has made some of that work ea...

  • Added: May 16, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
A gun can change a moment, a life, a family, an entire neighborhood. Like a catalyst in a chemical reaction, guns have a unique ability to transfor...

  • Added: May 21, 2018
  • Length: 50:30
Piece image
This week, we talk with people taking their health and wellness into their own hands — with varying results. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever ...

  • Added: May 30, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
We have dogs to thank for pacemakers. We probably should be a little grateful to mice for the development of chemotherapy. Cows helped us conquer s...

  • Added: Jun 06, 2018
  • Length: 50:28
Piece image
The Atlantic hurricane season is here — that time of the year when tropical storms whip their way in from the sea, cutting paths of destruction fro...

  • Added: Jun 13, 2018
  • Length: 50:28
Piece image
Sometimes it feels like the world is conspiring to make us pack on the pounds — we sit at desks all day, grab fast food on the run, and spend our e...

  • Added: Jun 20, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
On this rebroadcast of The Pulse- Happy Birthday, America! From the very beginning, science has shaped this country. Many of the Founding Fathers —...

  • Added: Jun 27, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
As drug overdose deaths continue to soar, cities hit hard by the opioid crisis are considering a controversial new proposal: safe injection sites. ...

  • Added: Jul 05, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Piece image
The Pulse explores the ways that genetic instructions can be re-programmed — by the environment, animal breeding, or gene editing. The show begin...

  • Added: Jul 12, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
This is a rebroadcast of the Pulse. For a long time disability meant one thing — limitations. Think about the word disabled: its literal meaning is...

  • Added: Jul 16, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
In science and medicine, we often fail to predict the outcomes of our experiments and actions. The result: unintended consequences. Sometimes the s...

  • Added: Jul 26, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
On this rebroadcast of The Pulse, we explore travel — how it changes us and how we change the places we visit. The journey includes a trip to the c...

  • Added: Aug 01, 2018
  • Length: 59:00
Piece image
We think of sports as part of a healthy lifestyle — a chance to move our muscles, work up a sweat, release endorphins. Often that’s true… other tim...

  • Added: Aug 09, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
From panic disorders to social phobia, anxiety is the most common mental health condition in the United States. What toll does anxiety take on our ...

  • Added: Aug 16, 2018
  • Length: 58:59