The Pulse

Series produced by WHYY

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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
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Tom Mustill was sure he was going to die — that was the last thing he thought as he watched a humpback whale arc majestically out of the water … an...

  • Added: Sep 14, 2022
  • Length: 59:02
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse: Around the world, at dawn, something magical happens. As the sun comes up, nature seems to be waking up, and diff...

  • Added: Sep 07, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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The pandemic hasn't just changed how we live — it's changed how we work, and how we feel about our jobs. One of the major ripple effects: burnout. ...

  • Added: Sep 01, 2022
  • Length: 59:02
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It was a summer day in 2012 when Bob Richey’s life was changed forever. He was a new college grad, having fun with friends at the beach. Like he'd ...

  • Added: Aug 25, 2022
  • Length: 59:02
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse - Learning how to be a parent can feel overwhelming, and advice is everywhere. There are the things you’re learnin...

  • Added: Aug 16, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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The modern ICU, or Intensive Care Unit, was born out of a time of crisis. It was 1952, and polio was raging in many places — especially the city of...

  • Added: Apr 27, 2023
  • Length: 58:58
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Science is all about discovery — tackling the big questions that define our world, and hopefully our future. But some of these questions are as obs...

  • Added: Aug 04, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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On this rebroadcast of the Pulse - When a dark alleyway makes the hairs stand up on the back of our neck; when a mother just knows that something’s...

  • Added: Jul 27, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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In the fall of 2019, reporter Grant Hill jumped into a cab — where his driver, Clyde Ashley Sherman, told him the story of a lifetime. Decades bef...

  • Added: Jul 21, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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Our lives depend on water — not just any water: clean, safe water. We need it for drinking, for cooking, for washing. And very often, we take it fo...

  • Added: Jul 14, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Science is constantly propelling athletes to run faster, jump higher, push harder, and break records. Scientific advances have become such a big pa...

  • Added: Jun 23, 2022
  • Length: 59:03
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse ... When we’re stressed, upset, feeling down, or off, most of us have things we do to decompress. Things we find t...

  • Added: Jun 29, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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Imagine yourself out in nature — away from all the noise and the distractions of our lives. You can smell the rich scents of the forest, you can he...

  • Added: Jun 23, 2022
  • Length: 59:02
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In 2018, journalist Linda Villarosa wrote an article for The New York Times Magazine that kicked off a national conversation about health dispariti...

  • Added: Jun 16, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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IVF clinics have long tested embryos for genetic disorders and abnormalities — but in recent years, new startups have been pushing the envelope of ...

  • Added: Jun 09, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Emotions are fleeting — they can bubble up seemingly out of nowhere and change quickly. Studying them is challenging, but it’s also important. Emot...

  • Added: Jun 02, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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On this rebroadcast of the Pulse, Sleep — we all need it, but most people aren’t getting enough of it. Ideally, we spend about a third of our lives...

  • Added: May 25, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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Skydiving, BASE jumping, climbing the highest peaks, adventuring to remote parts of the world — pushing the boundaries of safety. For thrill-seeker...

  • Added: Jun 30, 2023
  • Length: 59:01
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We all know the vow: “In sickness and in health.” But in reality, when serious illness enters a relationship, everything changes. A powerful mix of...

  • Added: May 11, 2022
  • Length: 59:02
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How do you sum up the experience of motherhood — all of the changes it brings, big and small? It’s a transformation that affects everything — hormo...

  • Added: May 05, 2022
  • Length: 59:01