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.


103 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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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
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What does it take to get through a global pandemic? How do you keep going, keep working, get up every day and hope for the best? Around the world, ...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, WITF, KUSU, WCPN, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass. and more


  • Added: Apr 10, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 8
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The COVID-19 outbreak is creating increased demand for mental health services — lots of people are feeling anxious, or are getting depressed. At th...

Bought by KMXT, Red River Radio Network (E. Texas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Mississippi), KTSW 89.9, Capital Public Radio, WFAE and more


  • Added: Apr 06, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 18
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We rely on our friends for all kinds of things — companionship, laughter, and right now — support in times of crisis. But it's only recently that s...

Bought by KAZU Seaside, Calif., WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KMUN, KOJB 90.1 FM The eagle, KQED and more


  • Added: Apr 01, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 6
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Communities around the world are scrambling to slow the spread of COVID-19: closing businesses and schools, canceling gatherings, and limiting soci...

Bought by KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif., KOJB 90.1 FM The eagle, KUOW, WHCP-LP Cambridge, 'The Sea' and more


  • Added: Mar 19, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 19
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What is love? That warm and fuzzy feeling, that crazed obsession, that deep sentiment of trust and good will. It’s all of those things, but where a...

Bought by KUFM - Montana Public Radio, WYAP, WJCT, KMXT, WWNO and more


  • Added: Jan 28, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 7
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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 WNMU-FM, WNMU-FM, WCQS, WITF, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Oct 09, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 47
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Sadness seemingly comes out of nowhere sometimes: a song, a photo, a movie scene, a memory, and there it is. Your heart seems heavy. Tears well up ...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WFAE, KUSU, and KQED


  • Added: Sep 10, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 4
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On July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon. They had reached the distant light that humans had admired and looked up t...

Bought by KMUN, 'The Sea', WMMT, Radio Catskill, WDSE and more


  • Added: Jul 08, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 63
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“Motherhood will change your life.” It may sound like a greeting card sentiment — but it’s also a statement of fact. Pregnancy changes the way bodi...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KUNM, 'The Sea', KRPS, WCQS and more


  • Added: May 03, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 7
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Often we think of life and death as opposite sides of a coin — categories as final as they are discrete. But in an age when machines can keep heart...

Bought by RadioStPete Florida, KMXT, KOSU, KJZZ, KUSU and more


  • Added: Mar 15, 2019
  • Length: 59:58
  • Purchases: 13
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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 RadioStPete Florida, WITF, MPR News Stations, WCPN, WAMU and more


  • Added: Jan 07, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 21
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On this episode of the The Pulse, we examine violence — what sparks it, how it spreads, and where it can lead. We’ll learn about the spectrum of vi...

Bought by WLPR and KMXT


  • Added: Dec 20, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 2
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On this updated rebroadcast of The Pulse: A gun can change a moment, a life, a family, an entire neighborhood. Like a catalyst in a chemical reacti...

Bought by WCPN, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WCQS, KUSU, and WYAP


  • Added: Nov 23, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 5
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Ever sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, look around at the shining faces of your family, and think to yourself: “How the heck am I related to these p...

Bought by WUGA (part of GPB), Georgia Public Broadcasting, KUAF Public Radio, Indie3 Radio, KVNF and more


  • Added: Nov 16, 2018
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 15
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On this episode, The Pulse celebrates the service and innovative spirit of U.S. veterans. There are about 20 million American vets. We’ve got a few...

Bought by WHCP-LP Cambridge, WYAP, RadioFreePalmer, WUTC, KMXT and more


  • Added: Oct 25, 2017
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 16