The Pulse Specials

Series produced by WHYY

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

It’s 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.


98 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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We hear about the big picture of climate change almost every day — the threats it poses, the effects on our world and lives, the fight to stop it. ...

Bought by Boise State Public Radio, RadioFreePalmer, and RadioStPete Florida


  • Added: Apr 11, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 3
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On April 3, 1973, an engineer named Martin Cooper stood nervously along a busy midtown Manhattan street, about to make a phone call. It was a call ...

Bought by WJCT, KFCF FM, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WHFR, New England Public Media and more


  • Added: Mar 31, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 21
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Health disparities between Black and white Americans run deep in the U.S. Black people are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions like diabe...

Bought by Oregon Public Broadcasting, RadioStPete Florida, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WAMU, WDDE and more


  • Added: Feb 13, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 7
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On this episode, we look at the forces that are shaping and changing the way we eat, along with some of the foods that may become far more common i...

Bought by KUNM, KUSU, WLPR , WHCP-LP Cambridge, KVSC and more


  • Added: Nov 11, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 9
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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. ...

Bought by RadioStPete Florida, KUSU, WNMU-FM, KAZU Seaside, Calif., WAMU and more


  • Added: Sep 01, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 10
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There are 19 million veterans in the U.S. who have served in the armed forces. For many, the military gave them a sense of shared purpose, a strong...

Bought by Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WLPR , KUFM - Montana Public Radio, KCNP, WAMC Northeast Public Radio and more


  • Added: Nov 09, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 19
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The passing of 20 years since the 9/11 terror attacks has meant that some of the wounds cut by that day have closed — others have not. Thousands of...

Bought by KOSU, KNCT FM, KCPW Salt Lake City, KTSW 89.9, WYAP and more


  • Added: Aug 27, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 19
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Humans have been obsessed with Mars from a distance for thousands of years. At first, maybe it was the fact that Mars stands out in the night sky b...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KUOW, Morehead State Public Radio, WAMU, WRVO Public Media and more


  • Added: Jul 02, 2021
  • Length: 59:29
  • Purchases: 11
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More than 2 million people in the U.S. are incarcerated — and tens of thousands have had COVID-19. The pandemic has brought more attention than eve...

Bought by Boise State Public Radio, KUSU, KUOW, WCMU Michigan, KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif. and more


  • Added: Apr 20, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
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Throughout the darkest hours of this pandemic, the world kept its gaze trained on the light at the end of the tunnel: a vaccine. Just over a year i...

Bought by Nevada Public Radio, KUSU, KMXT, Boise State Public Radio, KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif. and more


  • Added: Mar 08, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 6
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School closures during the pandemic have pushed education for millions of kids into a virtual setting. The sudden changes have caused some people t...

Bought by KUSU and KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif.


  • Added: Mar 02, 2021
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 2
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Owning a pet means making decisions that affect their health — from what they eat, to whether and how much they exercise, to how they spend their d...

  • Added: Jan 08, 2021
  • Length: 58:59
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Thanksgiving usually means we’re going big — way over the top. Twice the size bird we could possibly eat; more side dishes than the table can hold;...

Bought by KMXT, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WRST-FM Oshkosh, RadioFreePalmer, WSHU and more


  • Added: Nov 20, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 36
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We’re trying to have more meaningful conversations about racism as a country. Part of that means talking about implicit bias — assumptions and ster...

Bought by KUOW, WAMU, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, KALW, KICI Iowa City and more


  • Added: Oct 26, 2020
  • Length: 58:56
  • Purchases: 12
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Fall usually means the start of a new school year — but for millions of American kids, it marks the continuation of an extended limbo that’s come t...

Bought by KALW, KBUT Crested Butte, Colo., KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif., WRGY, KUSU and more


  • Added: Aug 25, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 16
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The killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis has sparked another wave of national outrage over police brutality and violence. Prot...

Bought by KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif., KQED, KUOW, WITF, WAMU and more


  • Added: Jun 05, 2020
  • Length: 58:58
  • Purchases: 17
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Most of us dread mosquito season — but on some level, you've got to admire these pesky bloodsuckers. Over the millennia, they’ve spread around the ...

Bought by KUSU, C89.5 - KNHC Seattle, KJZZ, WCPN, KOJB 90.1 FM The eagle and more


  • Added: May 12, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 7
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You know you've made it when you get parodied on Saturday Night Live … by none other than Brad Pitt. And you really know you’ve made it when Pitt b...

Bought by KUNM, KTSW 89.9, WCPN, Red River Radio Network (E. Texas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Mississippi), KSFR and more


  • Added: May 05, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 8
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It feels like we’ve been invaded by an invisible enemy — so scary we don’t even want to go to the grocery store. Inside of hospitals, patients and ...

Bought by KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif., KCPW Salt Lake City, WYAP, WLPR , KJZZ and more


  • Added: Apr 30, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 6
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Optimizing our brains has become an obsession of the modern world. We meditate, take supplements, read books on productivity — all in the name of s...

Bought by KMXT, WAMU, KICI Iowa City, KQED, KOJB 90.1 FM The eagle and more


  • Added: Apr 21, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 9