The Pulse

Series produced by WHYY

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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
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Thanks to COVID-19, social media has never been more important — or more dangerous. Information — good or bad — spreads at lightning speed, includi...

  • Added: Jun 18, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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On this rebroadcast of The Pulse — There was a time when seeing was believing — but that’s changing, thanks to new technology that’s elevating fake...

  • Added: Jun 09, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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...

  • Added: Jun 04, 2020
  • Length: 58:58
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Imagine for a moment a world without air conditioners, refrigerators, fans, or even ice. We take them for granted — but keeping cool is a lot more ...

  • Added: May 28, 2020
  • Length: 58:58
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Can it be true that just over two months ago, we were sitting through meetings at work, spending our evenings out at concerts, maybe planning trips...

  • Added: May 20, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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Around the globe, COVID-19 has frozen economies, closed schools, stores, and restaurants, and even canceled the Olympics. Millions of people are st...

  • Added: May 15, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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 ...

  • Added: May 07, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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...

  • Added: Apr 30, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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 ...

  • Added: Apr 23, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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...

  • Added: Apr 16, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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, ...

  • Added: Apr 09, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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...

  • Added: Apr 02, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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...

  • Added: Mar 26, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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...

  • Added: Mar 19, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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Think about the millions of details stored in your memory: what you had for breakfast; how to get to work; the smell of lavender; your first kiss; ...

  • Added: Mar 12, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
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Medicine is always changing. New treatments become available. Old ones become obsolete. But, how does a treatment become established? How long does...

  • Added: Mar 05, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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
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“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
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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...

  • Added: Feb 12, 2020
  • Length: 58:59
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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