Science Vs

Kombucha, kefir and other probiotic-crammed foods are marketed as charmers of the human microbiome — and the key to immune, gut and brain health. But how much does the microbiome actually matter, and do probiotics live up to the hype? To learn more we talked with biomedical engineering professor Ilana Brito, immunologist Dr. Yasmine Belkaid, psychiatry professor Ted Dinan, and microbiologist Dr. Namrata Iyer. UPDATE 8/28/20: An earlier version of this episode said there was a little bit of evidence that specific microbes can help with irritable bowel disease. This should have been inflammatory bowel disease. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/34ElmvR This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Nicholas DelRose, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Sinduja Srinivasan, and Hannah Harris Green. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge th

Science Vs is back August 27th. Fact you next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re six months into this coronavirus pandemic, which has shaken the world and stunned scientists. What have we learned? Where are we headed? To find out, we talk to virologist Professor John Dennehy, virologist and immunologist Professor Ann Sheehy, and hospital epidemiologist Dr. Cassandra Pierre. We also check back in with Dani Schuchman, who is now three months into his recovery from Covid-19. Also: MEAT-EATING SPONGES!! Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2CXa8GS This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Sinduja Srinivasan, Mathilde Urfalino, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney and Alex Blumberg. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. Translation help by Lisa Wang and Chiung H. Chuang. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Merrick Ekins, Dr. Joshua Santarpia, Dr. S

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and America's favorite nerd joins Science Vs again. Wendy chats with Dr. Fauci about the pandemic’s past, present and future.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2V82uQg This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, Mathilde Urfalino and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All through the pandemic, we’ve been waiting for a possible silver bullet: a vaccine. How soon could we actually get one? To find out, we talk to microbiologist and immunologist Professor Karla Satchell, immunologist Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, Pfizer executive Mike McDermott, and Ian Haydon, who’s participating in a vaccine clinical trial. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3egWFrc This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Michelle Dang, Sinduja Srinivasan, Laura Morris, Meg Driscoll, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, and Mathilde Urfalino. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Barney Graham, Dr. Melvin Sanicas, Dr. Norbert Pardi, Professor Peter Waterhouse, Professor Edward Mocarski, Dr. Ramin Herati, Dr. Rachel Roper, and Dr. Yvonne

The coronavirus seems to cause symptoms all over our body, from nose to toes. So how can one virus do so many strange things? To find out, we talk to gastroenterologist Dr. Anthony DeBenedet, virologist and immunologist Professor Ann Sheehy, otorhinolaryngologist Professor Thomas Hummel, and dermatologist Professor Amy Paller.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2zqehBZ  This episode was produced by Rose Rimler and Meryl Horn with help from Wendy Zukerman, Sinduja Srinivasan, Michelle Dang and Mathilde Urfalino. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Ahmad Sedaghat, Professor Richard Doty, Dr. Elnara Negri, Dr. Evgeniy Podolskiy, Prof. Yvonne Maldonado, Prof. Steven Mentzer, Dr. John Paget, Dr. Connor Bamford, and Dr Gaetano Santulli. And spe

Hundreds of thousands of people have joined the global protest movement sparked by the death of George Floyd. And a lot of doctors and public health experts are on board, despite concerns about the pandemic. So how can protesters stay safe — from coronavirus, and from police weapons like tear gas? To find out, we talk to epidemiologist Dr. Cassandra Pierre, Dr. Rohini Haar, and a protester who’s been tear gassed.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2MFnsRM  This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Sinduja Srinivasan with help from Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang and Mathilde Urfalino. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Professor Nina Harawa, Professor Vincent Racaniello, Professor Peter Katona, Professor Wafaa El-Sadr, Dr. Anne Pa

Life is on pause for many of us right now. But scientists don’t want to stop! Researchers have had to figure out how to keep experiments going and keep lab animals alive — all while keeping themselves safe. To find out how they’re managing it, we talk to evolutionary biologist Dr. Ximena Bernal, plant biologist Professor Frank Telewski, marine conservation biologist Christine Figgener, and station manager Erin Heard. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3dgBZ2i This episode was produced by Laura Morris with help from me Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Mathilde Urfalino, Michelle Dang and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney and Alex Blumberg. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to everyone who left us messages and spoke to us - including Dr. Stella Capoccia, Dr. Alessandra Fidelis, Professor Marco Festa-Bianchet, Dr. Joanna

While a lot of countries have put in strict measures, like lockdowns, to stop the coronavirus, there’s been a conspicuous outlier: Sweden. The country has carved a different path, trying to keep its hospitals from being overrun while allowing society to function as normally as possible. So, is the Swedish model working? To find out, we talk to medical epidemiologist Dr. Emma Frans, Professor Annelies Wilder-Smith, Dr. Gary Weissman, and Dr. Eric Schneider. Also: ANCHOVIES! Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2XiRsYT This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, Wendy Zukerman and Rose Rimler with help from Mathilde Urfalino, Michelle Dang, and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Kirsty Short, Prof. Keith Humphreys, Prof. Pau

When the pandemic started, we were told not to bother with masks. But now it looks like experts have done a 180 here, and a lot of us are being told to cover our mugs when we leave the house. So which is it? Should we mask up or not? To find out, we talk to epidemiologist Professor Benjamin Cowling, microbiologist Dr. Anna Davies, and clinical psychologist Dr. Olga Perski. Also: RED DEVIL SQUID!! Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2LxuxTW And here’s a link to the squid video: https://youtu.be/iANgyT95bmA  This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman with help from Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Laura Morris and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. David Simons and Benjamin Burford. And special thanks to the Zuk

How bad is the coronavirus for pregnant people and babies? Producer Meryl Horn is digging into this question for today’s episode. And it’s personal, because Meryl is pregnant and living in the pandemic hot spot that is New York City. We talk to Professor Emily Oster, pathologist Dr. David Schwartz, and obstetrician Dr. Suzanne LaJoie. Also: SWIMMING DINOSAURS!? Here’s a link to our transcript: bit.ly/2YKzD7e  This episode was produced by Meryl Horn with help from me Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Laura Morris, Michelle Dang and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr Neel Shah, Dr William Schweizer, Dr Edward Mullins, Dr David Shaffer, Dr Gianluca Esposito, Dr István Bókkon, Dr Vassilios Fanos, Dr Reut Avinun, Dr Anastasia Topalidou, Dr Al

Since the outbreak started, we’ve been hearing that this coronavirus came from bats before jumping to humans. But recently, claims that the virus escaped from a lab have been getting a lot of attention. So did it? Is there an evil scientist behind all of this? To find out, we talk to microbiologist Professor Benhur Lee, Christian Stevens, and virologist Dr. Oscar MacLean. Also: FROGS!! UPDATE 4/27/20: An earlier version of this episode played a quote from a politician saying that China has only one biosafety level 4 lab. This is incorrect, and the episode has been updated. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3eWnFNE This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Rose Rimler, with help from Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Sinduja Srinivasan and Laura Morris. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch

Social distancing has made it harder for a lot of us to get exercise. So we’re revisiting our episode on the seven-minute workout. Can this bite-size routine really keep us fit? Back in 2018, we asked exercise scientist Prof. Jeff Coombes — and Wendy gave it a go.  Check out the transcript here: https://bit.ly/2RQarYz  We also looked into the broader science of exercise in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3iMLOaNVAy0s6RsdecUySj  And find the original study on the seven-minute workout here: https://bit.ly/3aoe4eP  Credits: This episode was produced by Rose Rimler with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Meryl Horn and Odelia Rubin. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Music written by Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Recording assistance from Jack McDonnell. For this episode we also spoke to Martin Gibala, Chris Jordan, Kathryn Weston, Dan Schmidt, and others. Thank you so much f

We’re hearing stories of people getting this coronavirus, recovering, and then getting it again. So what’s going on: Does getting this virus give you immunity or not? To find out, we talk to virologist Dr. Kirsty Short of the University of Queensland and Dr. Robin Berzin of Parsley Health. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3ajK5om This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Sinduja Srinivasan and Laura Morris. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Marion Snyder, Professor Ann Sheehy, and Dr. Helen Petousis-Harris. Thanks also to Kyle Gunderson, Nora McKenna, Mike Pendleton, Hannah Wei, and Matt Weinberg. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic

In the U.S. we've been social distancing for a few weeks now, and the question on everyone’s mind is: When can we go back to “normal”? And what’s happening in China, where they’ve already lifted the lockdown? To find out, we talk to Dr. Swapnil Mishra, part of the Imperial College Covid-19 Response Team, and Dr. Franz-Josef Schmitt.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2y5nJtc You can listen to The Journal’s full interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci here: https://spoti.fi/2x99xQ8 This episode was produced by Sinduja Srinivasan, Wendy Zukerman, Laura Morris, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler and Meg Driscoll. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam, Michael te Vrugt and others. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more abo

There are reports that the coronavirus can survive on surfaces for days. So how careful should we be about cleaning the stuff we touch? And do we need to be disinfecting our groceries? To find out, we talk to pathologist and microbiologist Dr. Josh Santarpia and toxicologist Dr. Joshua King. UPDATE 4/7/20: An earlier version of this episode suggested that Alex was wiping down his groceries with bleach, but the wipes he was using didn't contain bleach. We've updated the episode. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2VbYbTr  This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, Wendy Zukerman, Meg Driscoll, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Sinduja Srinivasan, and Laura Morris. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers that we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Christine Bruhn, Dr. Erin Leigh Dicaprio, Prof. Kalmia Kniel, Dr. Linda H

We’re hearing conflicting things about how the coronavirus spreads — is it through coughs and sneezes only? Or could it be floating in the air, infecting us as we walk down the street or go grocery shopping? We ask Dr. Rachael Jones, an industrial hygienist, and Dr. Zhi Ning, an environmental engineer.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3aI1kAE This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, Wendy Zukerman, Michelle Dang, Meryl Horn, Sinduja Srinivasan, Laura Morris, and Meg Driscoll. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A big thanks to all the researchers that we got in touch with for this episode, including Prof. Natasha Crowcroft, Prof. Linsey Marr, Dr. Stephanie King, and Noah Miller. And special thanks to the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the early days of this coronavirus outbreak, it’s looked like the disease is way worse for older people. But now we’re hearing more stories of younger folks getting really sick. What’s going on? Is this virus scarier for younger people than we thought? We hear from a Gen-Xer who landed in the hospital with Covid-19, and we talk to immunologist Professor Vincent Racaniello. Also: THE HIGHEST MOUSE! We’ve set up a voicemail to collect all of your questions about coronavirus. Or if you’re a healthcare worker with a personal story you want to share, please call ‪(774) 481-1238‬ and leave us a message. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3dILR5i  And you can check out the video of the mouse that breaks the record for high-altitude living: https://go.unl.edu/f8tx. This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn, Laura Morris, Meg Driscoll and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Lexi Krupp. Mix and sound design b

President Trump says an anti-malarial drug could be a “gift from god” for treating Covid-19. Does it really work? And is it dangerous? We talk to toxicologist Professor Daniel Brooks, infectious disease specialist Dr. Matthew Pullen, and microbiologist Professor Karla Satchell. Also: VAMPIRE BATS! We’ve set up a voicemail to collect all of your questions about Coronavirus. Or if you’re a healthcare worker with a personal story you want to share, please call ‪(774) 481-1238‬ and leave us a message. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/2xu4ER8 This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, Laura Morris, Meg Driscoll and Sinduja Srinivasan. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard. Music written by Peter Leonard, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. Thanks to the NBC News Archives. A big thanks to all the researchers that we got in touch with for this episode, including Professor Thomas Doerne

Healthcare workers across the U.S. are saying they don’t have enough protective gear to keep them safe against the coronavirus. They’re having to reuse masks, and they’re worried that they may have to resort to homemade cloth masks. Is all this safe? Plus, reports are saying that ibuprofen, the stuff in Advil, is making people with coronavirus sicker. But what does the science say? To find out we spoke to infectious disease expert Professor Raina MacIntyre, industrial hygienist Dr. Rachael Jones, public health researcher Professor Carlos Del Rio, and cardiologist Dr. Yogendra Kanthi.  UPDATE 4/23/20: An earlier version of this episode said that health care workers using N95 masks had roughly half the infection rate of workers using classic surgical masks. We’ve updated the episode to clarify that the study only compared the infection rates to a control group, not each other. Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3agVF4i Selected References The best study we could find on cloth masks: https://bit.ly