The Pulse
Series produced by WHYY

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.
347 Pieces
Order by:
Newest First |
Oldest First
How we talk about an issue has ramifications that go far beyond the words. Names, descriptions, and terms lay the foundation for how we think about...
- Added: Jan 10, 2019
- Length: 58:59
Hospitals can be a bewildering place. They operate according to their own special logic, which can make them feel a bit like a well-oiled machine —...
- Added: Jan 17, 2019
- Length: 58:59
From anti-vaxxers to climate change deniers and even flat-earthers, there’s a lot of mistrust in science. But how did we get here in the first plac...
- Added: Jan 24, 2019
- Length: 58:58
On this rebroadcast of The Pulse, we look at the legacy of segregation in the U.S., and how it continues to affect health care and health outcomes ...
- Added: Jan 31, 2019
- Length: 59:00
What matters to a child’s health? Sure, some things are embedded in our genetics. But from the moment we’re born, there are a million different exp...
- Added: Feb 07, 2019
- Length: 58:59
Math is a discipline of logic, but for lots of us, it may as well be magic: a force as powerful as it is unattainable. The “math anxious” among us ...
- Added: Feb 14, 2019
- Length: 58:59
Humans are social animals, equipped with brains hard-wired to connect with those around us. We rely on relationships for safety and survival, as we...
- Added: Feb 21, 2019
- Length: 58:59
In this rebroadcast, we explore the wild. Being in nature is restorative — it can feeds the soul. But, for hundreds of years, we pushed west across...
- Added: Feb 27, 2019
- Length: 58:58
Earthquakes, storms, fires, disease — they sweep into our communities, often unexpectedly. They don’t happen often, but when they do, emergencies c...
- Added: Mar 07, 2019
- Length: 59:00
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...
- Added: Mar 14, 2019
- Length: 58:59
At its best, sex isn't just fun — it's good for our health. It can relieve stress, enhance our mood — even offer a bit of a workout! But sex can al...
- Added: Mar 21, 2019
- Length: 58:58
Chow. Nibbles. Grub. Food — we relate to it in a lot of different ways. It can serve as nourishment, as pleasure, as fuel for our bodies, or the gl...
- Added: Mar 28, 2019
- Length: 58:59
“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...
- Added: Apr 04, 2019
- Length: 58:59
In science — and in life — failure is both a stumbling block and a building block. We regard failure as the enemy of success — but really, it’s jus...
- Added: Apr 11, 2019
- Length: 58:59
In honor of Earth Day, The Pulse presents this rebroadcast about the many ways people around the world are fighting for the environment. We start w...
- Added: Apr 17, 2019
- Length: 58:59
Marijuana is starting to feel like the new normal. In less than 25 years, it’s gone from illicit drug to accepted medical treatment in more than ha...
- Added: Apr 25, 2019
- Length: 58:59
Our planet’s surface is 71% water — with five vast oceans that come in a range of temperatures and shades of blue. Humans have long loved and feare...
- Added: May 02, 2019
- Length: 58:59
On this rebroadcast of The Pulse, when’s the last time you saw a get-well card for psoriasis or eczema? Skin’s our biggest organ — and does lots of...
- Added: May 07, 2019
- Length: 58:58
Cars have played a fundamental role in changing our modern lives — where we live, where we work, the shape of our communities, and how we spend ou...
- Added: May 16, 2019
- Length: 58:59
On this rebroadcast of the Pulse - For a lot of Americans, cats and dogs are more than just pets — they’re our fur babies. We’re willing to do what...
- Added: May 22, 2019
- Length: 58:59