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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Around the world, at dawn, something magical happens. As the sun comes up, nature seems to be waking up, and different species break into a chorus ...

  • Added: Apr 28, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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When you hear the word fungi, chances are mushrooms come to mind: button mushrooms, maybe portobellos, or chanterelles. But so much of the fungi ki...

  • Added: Apr 21, 2022
  • Length: 59:02
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse - Jessie Flynn decided she’d had enough. For years, multiple sclerosis had taken more and more away from her life ...

  • Added: Apr 12, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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Learning how to be a parent can feel overwhelming, and advice is everywhere. There are the things you’re learning from other parents, the things yo...

  • Added: Apr 07, 2022
  • Length: 58:59
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Getting the right diagnosis can be life-changing. It can mean the end of pain and beginning of answers; it can mean treatment, a cure — or at least...

  • Added: Mar 31, 2022
  • Length: 58:58
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse: When it comes to generosity, there’s a wide spectrum in terms of how far we’ll go for others. There’s buy-your-fr...

  • Added: Mar 24, 2022
  • Length: 58:59
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On a technical level, noise and sound are the same thing: vibrating molecules that travel in waves straight to our ears. But when sound is annoying...

  • Added: Mar 17, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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The soundscape of our lives changes depending on where we are — the murmuring of voices, birdsong in trees, the beeps and dings of technology, and ...

  • Added: Mar 08, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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It’s when a dark alleyway makes the hairs stand up on the back of our neck; when a mother just knows that something’s wrong with her kid; when you ...

  • Added: Mar 03, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse: The human brain has an incredible capacity for processing information — from sensory data, to casual conversation...

  • Added: Feb 24, 2022
  • Length: 58:59
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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: Feb 17, 2022
  • Length: 58:59
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If there’s one thing humans can’t get enough of, it’s love. The spark of a first kiss, the warm glow of a happy couple, even if it leads to jealous...

  • Added: Feb 10, 2022
  • Length: 58:59
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From Amazon to Angie’s List, Google, Facebook and Yelp, we live in a world driven by feedback. In the best of circumstances, honest critiques can m...

  • Added: Feb 03, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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Sleep — we all need it, but most people aren’t getting enough of it. Ideally, we spend about a third of our lives asleep. When we’re well rested, w...

  • Added: Jan 27, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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Americans love their pets — as many as seven out of 10 households are home to cats, dogs, birds... or more unusual animal choices. What defines a p...

  • Added: Jan 20, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
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When it comes to generosity, there’s a wide spectrum in terms of how far we’ll go for others. There’s buy-your-friends-dinner generosity, donate-to...

  • Added: Jan 13, 2022
  • Length: 59:02
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The new year often feels like a good time to make a fresh start, to tackle some issue that’s giving you grief — eating habits, work-life balance, h...

  • Added: Jan 06, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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It seems like every week, we hear about new breakthroughs in cancer treatment — new discoveries, new medications, new hopes for a cure. The war on ...

  • Added: Dec 13, 2021
  • Length: 58:59
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse- As a materials scientist, Anna Ploszajski was trained to analyze materials on a number of levels — their atomic s...

  • Added: Dec 13, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse, humans have long tried to mitigate their own destructive impact on the planet through conservation efforts. Often...

  • Added: Dec 13, 2021
  • Length: 59:00