Episodios

  • Ep 149 Poison Control Part 2: Call me maybe

    Ep 149 Poison Control Part 2: Call me maybe
    Aug 20 2024
    In last week’s episode/love song to poison control centers, we journeyed through the history of these centers, from idea to institution. This week, we pick up where we left off by taking stock of the incredible impact that poison control centers have had on public health and individual lives. We also get a thrilling behind-the-scenes look at the operational side of things - who is on the other end of the line when you call poison control? How do they know so much and where do they get their information? Dr. Suzanne Doyon, Medical Director at the Connecticut Poison Control Center and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Connecticut joins us to answer these questions and so many more. If last week’s episode didn’t turn you into a poison center superfan, this one certainly will. Tune in today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h
  • Ep 148 Poison Control Part 1: Who you gonna call?

    Ep 148 Poison Control Part 1: Who you gonna call?
    Aug 13 2024
    If you’ve ever called poison control, you probably already have a deep appreciation for the voice on the other end of the line who provides solid answers, emanates calm, and empowers you to take whatever steps necessary to be safe and healthy. If you haven’t, this episode will turn you into a superfan anyway. How did this incredibly valuable yet often overlooked service come to be, and why did it arise when it did? In the first of what ends up being a two-part ode to poison control centers, we explore the origins of poison control centers in the US, from the early days when literally one guy answered calls from all over the country to the lifesaving nationwide coordinated organization it is today? Tune in to find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    56 m
  • Special Episode: Ben Goldfarb & Crossings

    Special Episode: Ben Goldfarb & Crossings
    Aug 6 2024
    Roads are essential to our modern lives, so much so that they largely exist in the background of our minds. When we do think of roads, we’re either complaining about traffic or celebrating them for enabling our restless need to explore. Can you imagine if all of the world’s 40 million miles of roads were suddenly erased? Chaos for humanity. But a boon perhaps to natural ecosystems. In Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, author Ben Goldfarb takes readers on a fascinating tour of the relatively recent science of road ecology. Even beyond their impact on roadkill, roads are powerful disruptors of natural ecosystems, bringing noise, pollution, and humans to natural areas and fragmenting landscapes. And as Goldfarb demonstrates, we are only just starting to reckon with the widespread effects of roads and integrate this knowledge into road design. After this fascinating conversation, you’ll never think of roads in the same way again! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h
  • Ep 147 Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease: Sympathy for the Devil

    Ep 147 Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease: Sympathy for the Devil
    Jul 30 2024
    Think of an infectious disease. What comes to mind? A viral infection like influenza? Or a bacterial illness like cholera? Maybe some of you thought of a fungal pathogen or a parasite. But how many of you thought of a cancer? In this episode, we explore the bizarre, stranger than fiction story of devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a transmissible cancer that has devastated Tasmanian devil populations over the past few decades. And when we say transmissible cancer, we don’t mean a cancer caused by a virus - we mean the cancer itself is transmissible. How is that possible? What does it do to the devils? What are Tasmanian devils like? What role do they play in the ecosystem? What does the future hold for these adorable creatures? Tune in for a lively discussion all about these devils and their disease, featuring Dr. Rodrigo Hamede, Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania and DFTD expert. This episode will have you looking up pictures of baby devils, listening to their wide range of sounds, and rethinking the lines between contagious and non-contagious disease. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 27 m
  • Ep 146 Celiac Disease: Rootin tootin gluten

    Ep 146 Celiac Disease: Rootin tootin gluten
    Jul 23 2024
    CW: discussion of disordered eating, eating disorders Did the word gluten manifest in everyone’s consciousness one day in 2010? Suddenly, grocery stores were filled with gluten-free crackers, cookies, buns, you name it. Everyone went on gluten-free diets or knew someone with a gluten intolerance or sensitivity. For some, it might seem that gluten-related disorders went from 0 to 60 overnight, but those who had lived with these illnesses for decades knew better. In this episode, we delve into the story of gluten intolerance and celiac disease, a story which begins thousands of years ago, not just in the 2010s. We break down why gluten makes some people sick, how scientists finally made the link between grain and pain, and what promising new research is on the horizon for treating gluten-related disorders. Tune in today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 34 m
  • Special Episode: Dr. Rageshri Dhairyawan & Unheard

    Special Episode: Dr. Rageshri Dhairyawan & Unheard
    Jul 16 2024
    Going to the doctor is probably not at the top of anyone’s list of enjoyable activities, but when we do go, we expect and deserve to be heard, to have our concerns listened to and our questions answered. However, most, if not all, of us have at some point felt unheard, dismissed, or even gaslit by our healthcare provider. What is it about the doctor-patient relationship or the way medicine is practiced today that enables this miscommunication or mistreatment, and how can we make things better? In Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing, author Dr. Rageshri Dhairyawan draws upon her experience on both sides of the patient-physician relationship to explore these questions in depth. Dr. Dhairyawan, who is a sexual health and HIV doctor with the NHS as well as a health equity researcher and science communicator, demonstrates with clarity and compassion how each dimension of healthcare, from training to research and beyond, can contribute to this pattern of patients going unheard. Tune in to this fascinating discussion today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h
  • Ep 145 IVF, Part 3: Industry

    Ep 145 IVF, Part 3: Industry
    Jul 9 2024
    CW: mentions of infertility, pregnancy loss, body-shaming The third and final installment of our series on IVF surveys the current and potential future landscape of this powerful technology. We first trace the growth of the IVF industry in the US since its inception in the early 1980s up to today before then giving an overview of some of the regulatory and ethical considerations facing this field on a global scale. Alongside these challenges of access and regulation are the incredible innovations that expand how we use IVF today as well as paint a world of possibilities for the future of IVF as we incorporate these revolutionary technologies. Tune in for a conversation about the past, present, and possible future of IVF! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 28 m
  • Ep 144 IVF, Part 2: Invention

    Ep 144 IVF, Part 2: Invention
    Jul 2 2024
    CW: mentions of infertility, pregnancy loss, suicide In the second part of our three-part series on IVF, we’re picking up where we left off last week. From the historical side of things, that means investigating how the revolutionary technology of IVF was developed over the decades of the 20th century leading to the first “test tube babies” born in 1978, and how the field of IVF transformed from uncertain technology to burgeoning industry. From the medical side of things, that means exploring what a typical cycle of IVF might look like step by step (or rather, injection by injection) and go over how we define “success” when it comes to IVF. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly goes into the IVF process and how we developed such an incredible technology, this is the episode for you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 27 m