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.


93 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
The Cost of Diabetes
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Diabetes costs more healthcare dollars than any other disease in the United States. But beyond the huge financial price tag — diabetes takes a majo...

Bought by WFAE and KUOW


  • Added: May 08, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Shades of Green
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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As Kermit the frog once said — it’s not easy being green. Amid challenges like pollution, deforestation and climate change, engaging with environme...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KUT, KJZZ, KUAF Public Radio, WYSO and more


  • Added: Mar 25, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 27
Who's In Control - Tech or Us?
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Technology helps us run our lives, do our jobs, get directions, and keep track of our calendar. Right? Or, is technology taking control of our live...

Bought by KUSU, RadioFreePalmer, and WMRA


  • Added: Mar 30, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 3
Dare to Repair
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Whether you're fixing a leaky toilet or a busted iPhone, there's no satisfaction quite like doing it yourself. On this episode, we celebrate our in...

Bought by KUSU and KJZZ


  • Added: Mar 26, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 2
The Way Wounds Work
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Bruises. Burns. Lesions. Lacerations. Wounds can be dangerous, painful, even gruesome. But they also represent our ability to survive and heal. The...

  • Added: Mar 15, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
Why We Travel
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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We travel to experience awe or learn something new — maybe even to get our worldview shaken up a bit. On this episode, The Pulse explores how trave...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KUSU, WFAE, WMRA, WKAR and more


  • Added: Mar 05, 2018
  • Length: 50:30
  • Purchases: 6
Separate: Black Health in America
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Segregation in housing and education has had reverberations on health care and health outcomes for African Americans. In this episode, we explore t...

Bought by WGCU, WWNO, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WLPR , Nevada Public Radio and more


  • Added: Feb 09, 2018
  • Length: 50:30
  • Purchases: 8
The Secret is Out
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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On this episode of The Pulse ... that moment when your secret gets out ... and what happens next.

Bought by Indie3 Radio and WGCU


  • Added: Feb 08, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 2
A Different Tune
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Music touches nearly every part of our lives. On this episode, we explore the science and power of music — what does research tell us about this em...

Bought by WGCU


  • Added: Feb 05, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 1
Why do we need the wild?
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Being in nature is restorative, the wild can feed your soul. But for hundreds of years, we pushed west across the country trampling and displacing ...

Bought by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and KPIP-LP


  • Added: Feb 05, 2018
  • Length: 50:28
  • Purchases: 2
Making Cities Work
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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By 2030 about 60 percent of people will live in urban centers. We flock to cities for their energy and opportunity, but that bustle can take a toll...

Bought by WGCU, Northeast Indiana Public Radio, WMRA, Spokane Public Radio, WBEZ and more


  • Added: Jan 18, 2018
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 7
Star Wars: Science Strikes Back
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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To celebrate the newest sequel in the space opera saga, The Pulse is searching for the science in “Star Wars.” Along way, we discover that, while t...

Bought by KUHF, New Hampshire Public Radio, KCUR, and South Dakota Public Broadcasting - Radio


  • Added: Dec 19, 2017
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 4
Standing Guard
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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On this episode, The Pulse visits people standing watch over the world around them. There’s a certain kind of person who decides to be the one to h...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.


  • Added: Dec 11, 2017
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 1
How We Talk
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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The Pulse takes a look at one of our most important and amazing human tools. What does neuroscience tell us about how language works, and how we ac...

Bought by WMRA and Troy Public Radio


  • Added: Dec 06, 2017
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 2
Religion and Science
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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On this episode of The Pulse, we explore the ways faith and religion intersect with science. Sometimes the collision is fraught with misunderstandi...

Bought by WKAR, Spokane Public Radio, KUHF, WMRA, and WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.


  • Added: Nov 20, 2017
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 5
Politics on Your Plate
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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What’s on your plate can say a lot about your likes, dislikes — and what you believe in. Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian. Grillmaster. Sushi Lover. Kosher. Pa...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.


  • Added: Oct 25, 2017
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 1
Super Nerds
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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We used to think of nerds as unattractive, pimply or tragically unfashionable — but somehow over the years — the meaning changed. Today we embrace ...

  • Added: Oct 19, 2017
  • Length: 50:30
Cleaning Up
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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Everywhere we go, in just about everything we do, we make trash. The Pulse explores the hard work of cleaning up. It’s a science, you know. We visi...

Bought by WMRA


  • Added: Oct 06, 2017
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 1
The Mighty Mississippi
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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The words ‘Mississippi River’ evoke images of a mustachioed Mark Twain — or the whistle of a steamboat calliope. But that river doesn’t exist anymo...

Bought by WWNO and WLPR


  • Added: Oct 01, 2017
  • Length: 50:29
  • Purchases: 2
Another Life
From: WHYY
Series: The Pulse Specials
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On this episode, The Pulse explores opportunities for another life in health, science and technology. What does it take for things — and people — t...

Bought by KRCU Public Radio


  • Added: Sep 26, 2017
  • Length: 50:28
  • Purchases: 1

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