The Pulse

Series produced by WHYY

Series image

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.


376 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Piece image
On this rebroadcast, The Pulse looks at cars. They've shaped our modern lives, from where we live and work, to the shape of our communities, to how...

  • Added: Oct 16, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
In this rebroadcast, we look at how modern medicine is increasingly blurring the line between life and death... and how that's changing the way we ...

  • Added: Oct 23, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
December 30, 2011 never happened in Samoa. The island nation in the South Pacific skipped this day, to move ahead into a different time zone. We ch...

  • Added: Oct 31, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
Tape measures and scales, calendars and speedometers are just a few of the tools we use to measure out our lives — inch by inch, pound by pound, da...

  • Added: Nov 07, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
Police forces in democratic societies are supposed to safeguard the rights of citizens, and protect their lives and well-being. We think of their r...

  • Added: Nov 14, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
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,...

  • Added: Nov 20, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
The roles of nurses have changed and expanded a lot in recent decades. Nurses are highly specialized, they have branched out into new areas of medi...

  • Added: Nov 26, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
Being a dentist can be a lonely job. Your patients don’t want to be there — and even if they did, it’s not like they can talk with their mouths ope...

  • Added: Dec 06, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
On this rebroadcast of The Pulse - You know what they say — all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And science seems to confirm that statement...

  • Added: Dec 09, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
Humans have a close relationship with trees. We plant and cultivate them for food and shelter. Trees offer protection from the rays of the sun. We ...

  • Added: Dec 18, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
Piece image
On this rebroadcast of The Pulse - Running, biking, weightlifting, swimming — for lots of people, working out is an important part of life. It’s ab...

  • Added: Dec 23, 2019
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
The New Year is often a time for a fresh start.  We reflect on our past habits, and resolve to do better — eat healthier, work harder, or work less...

  • Added: Jan 02, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
Piece image
After a decades-long hiatus, researchers are taking a fresh look at the potential of psychedelics in therapy. Could substances like ketamine, MDMA,...

  • Added: Jan 09, 2020
  • Length: 58:58
Piece image
In the decades after the Civil War, the nation was changing rapidly. Cities were industrializing, the railroad was expanding, business was booming ...

  • Added: Jan 16, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
On this rebroadcast of the Pulse - Hair can be our crowning glory, a big part of our identity, and a tool for self-expression. We shave it, style i...

  • Added: Jan 21, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
When you’re a teenager, everybody tells you that getting pregnant happens quickly, under all kinds of circumstances. But when you look at the proce...

  • Added: Jan 30, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
Movies may not be real — but in a lot of ways, they’re real to us. Great films help us understand the world, history, and one another. They have th...

  • Added: Feb 06, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
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...

  • Added: Feb 12, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
“It’s not fair!” That’s a common refrain anyone with kids is familiar with. From the time they learn to talk, kids begin protesting the innumerable...

  • Added: Feb 20, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
Piece image
On this rebroadcast of The Pulse - Sadness seemingly comes out of nowhere sometimes: a song, a photo, a movie scene, a memory, and there it is. You...

  • Added: Feb 24, 2020
  • Length: 58:59