The Pulse
Episodes
The Problem with Being Perfect: How Unrealistic Standards Hurt Our Minds and Bodies
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We often think of perfectionism as a virtue; a kind of shorthand for high standards, a solid work ethic, and attention to detail.But in reality, perfe...
Unearthing the Hidden Stories of Women Scientists
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From Kevlar to windshield wipers, pulsars to dark matter and radioactivity, women are responsible for countless scientific discoveries and inventions ...
When Love Becomes Caregiving: How Illness Changes Relationships
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Over 60 million Americans — or one in four adults — currently serve as family caregivers for partners, parents, or other loved ones with illness o...
Already Forgotten About Your New Year’s Resolution? Here’s Why
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The signs are all there — the perfectly packed gym bag is collecting dust in your closet, the kitchen pantry has quietly been refilled with junk foo...
Hello? From Bell’s First Call to Gen Z’s Telephobia: 150 Years of the Telephone
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When Alexander Graham Bell made the first-ever phone call on March 10, 1876, he never could have dreamed how the telephone would evolve — not to men...
Beyond Anthropomorphism: The Science of Animal Emotions
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Do animals feel love, anger, or empathy? Researchers have long dismissed such ideas as anthropomorphism, arguing that attributing human emotions to an...
Revenge Feels Great — But the Cost is High
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When someone wrongs us, getting revenge can feel like the only right move — the only way for us to balance the scales, to set the world right again....
Will My Doctor Be a Bot? AI and the Future of Medicine
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial Intelligence is already guiding surgeons in operating rooms; it’s used to read image scans or take notes during your doctor’s visit. An...
Finding Your Match: The Science of Love and Attraction
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For those deep in the dating trenches, love and attraction can feel like uncrackable riddles. How do I make myself attractive to others? How do you kn...
Closing the Gap: Improving Health Outcomes for Black Americans
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, and cancer, Black Americans have higher rates and worse outcomes than most other g...
From Buzz to Burnout: How Alcohol Affects the Brain and Body
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
At the best of times, alcohol makes us feel great — relaxed and gregarious, warm and fuzzy, happy and confident. But at the worst of times, it can m...
Challenger at 40: How the Disaster Shaped the Future of NASA
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On January 28, 1986, a frigid cold day with an icy blue sky, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after launching from Cape Canaveral...
Triumph, Tragedy and Ennui: Three NASA Missions That Shaped the Future of Space Exploration
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Space exploration relies heavily on the interest of the public — the voters, and taxpayers, who are ultimately footing the bill. But that support an...
The Weird Menopause Symptoms No One Ever Told You About — And How to Treat Them
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you go by pop culture depictions, menopause seems like no big deal — a few hot flashes, some comical bouts of hormone-fueled rage, and the “big...
From Soy to Carbs: How Food can Ease Menopause Symptoms
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Capsule wardrobes have become a popular way to streamline and organize your closet — basically, paring it down to a few staple pieces that you can c...
Engineering Happiness into our Daily Lives
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Think about the last time you were really happy — where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with? And, most importantly, how can you recreat...
How Noise Affects Our Health
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For a lot of us, noise is a constant factor — an inescapable soundtrack playing on loop in the background. Kids screaming, sirens blaring, the roar ...
Inside the Dramatic Race to Decode the Human Genome
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty-five years ago, President Bill Clinton stood before a podium in the East Room of the White House, and, in front of an all-star lineup of resear...
When Should Patients Decide for Themselves?
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As patients, we often wonder what our role should be when it comes to getting better. Should we research options, get second opinions, and ask lots of...
Searching for the Truth — and Finding Unexpected Answers
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1973, Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan published a bombshell paper called “On Being Sane in Insane Places.” In the paper, Rosenhan describe...
Inside the Hidden Wonders of the Shrinking Arctic
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the course of 20 years, writer Neil Shea explored the awe-inspiring landscape of the Arctic. He saw narwhals poking their tusks above the water, ...
Why Nurturing Connection is Good for Your Health
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So often, our relationships take a backseat to everything else on our to-do lists — but new research shows that nurturing personal connections plays...
What Science Says About How Much Our Food Choices Matter
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of Thanksgiving, we do a deep dive into what we actually know about diet, and what we should and shouldn’t be eating. We talk with a nutrition...
How to 'Engineer' Your Dreams and End Nightmares
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do our dreams connect to health, and how could “dream engineering” help people get over nightmares? Researcher Michelle Carr writes about that...
How Chatbots Make Us Feel
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chatbots don’t have feelings of their own, but they’ve been stirring plenty of emotions in us humans. On this episode, we explore how AI is making...
How Veterans Find Healing After War
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this Veterans Day episode, we explore the invisible wounds of war — and the different paths veterans take to heal them. We talk with a Marine Cor...
Cybercrime and How Hackers Prey on Human Nature
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cybercrime has been around for as long as computers have — but over the past 20 years, it's exploded into a global threat, with staggering financial...
Coca-Cola and a Secret Research Operation Meant to Exonerate Sugar
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Coca-Cola is launching a cane sugar version of its classic soda in the U.S. after President Donald Trump urged a switch from high fructose corn syrup....
Searching for Ghosts: The Quest to Prove the Paranormal
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ghosts seem far out of the realm of science. But small groups of investigators remain committed to proving — or disproving — the existence of para...
Inside the Boom of Urgent Care: How It’s Changing American Medicine
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If it feels like urgent care centers are everywhere these days — that’s because they are. Over the past decade, they’ve exploded in popularity, ...
How David Fajgenbaum Found His Own Treatment & Launched Every Cure
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if treatments or even cures for devastating rare diseases already existed — and were just waiting to be discovered? On this podcast extra, we d...
Finding Focus in the Age of Distraction
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We often think of digital distractions, from TikTok to newsfeeds, as a way of giving our brains a break. But in reality, they could be doing the oppos...
The Search for the Golden Toad and Other Adventures in the Wild
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many adventurers and researchers feel the call of the wild — a force tugging them to explore, climb distant mountains, venture into faraway forests,...
Lessons on Weight Loss from ‘The Biggest Loser’
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In its heyday, “The Biggest Loser” was one of the biggest shows on TV. But now, nine years after it went off the air, a Netflix docuseries and n...
Different Patients, Different Outcomes
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Different Patients, Different Outcomes
The Science and Beauty of Muscles
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us take our muscles for granted, but they play a bigger role in our physical and mental health than most people realize. On this encore episod...
The Science of Attraction and Dating
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we see surprising couples, like Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, we can’t help but wonder what brought them together. In this podcast extra, we...
Mars Mania: How America Became Obsessed with Mars
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We think of Martians as belonging to the realm of sci-fi — but in the early 1900s, a radical idea swept the nation, scientists included: that Martia...
Why It’s Time to Rethink Productivity
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It seems like we’re all constantly striving to be more productive — to find the right hacks or systems or habits that will allow us to squeeze mor...
Back to School in a Rapidly Changing World
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s back-to-school time, which, for millions of families across the country, means a return to bedtimes, shopping for school supplies, and frantic ...
How Scientists Discovered Legionnaires' Disease
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 1976, when 2,000 people came to Philadelphia for a national convention of the American Legion, a strange illness gripped hundreds of ...
Protecting the People Who Grow Our Food
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Farming is a tough gig — physically, and mentally. And it’s only gotten harder in recent years, with the impact of climate change and a shifting...
How Noise Affects Our Health
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a noisy world — from the din of busy restaurants, to the roar of traffic, to the clamor of partying neighbors. We’ll explore what resea...
I Survived — Now What?
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we explore the stories of people who survived extraordinary trials, from life-threatening illnesses to assault, and ask what came aft...
When Organ Donation Goes Wrong
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More than a hundred thousand people in the U.S. are on the national transplant list waiting for a life-saving organ. Hospitals across the country tran...
Untangling Shame and Its Effects On Our Health
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shame has a way of making us feel alone — like we’re the only ones in the world struggling with something. It can make us withdraw or feel depress...
The Inner Workings of the Oceans
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What comes to mind when you think of the ocean? Maybe a day at the beach — swimming in the waves, snorkeling through coral reefs, fishing, surfing, ...
Finding Your Body’s Sleep Rhythm
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We often think of sleep as the gas that keeps us running. We refuel at night — or whenever we can — run around all day until our tanks are empty, ...
The Big Chill and the Future of Refrigeration
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve only been able to harness the cold for our benefit for a little over 100 years, but innovations like refrigeration and air conditioning have c...
Inside the Dramatic Race to Decode the Human Genome
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty-five years ago, President Bill Clinton announced a historic achievement: The completion of the first-ever survey of the human genome. The cerem...
Why Friends Are Good for Your Brain
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Friends make us laugh, they have our back, we share memories and stories. Beyond that, scientists are learning that friendships are key in keeping us ...
Why We’re Hardwired for Revenge
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When someone wrongs us, getting revenge can feel like the only right move — the only way for us to balance the scales, to set the world right again....
Exploring the Secrets of Human Creativity
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Creativity plays a role in every facet of our lives, from childhood education, to everyday problem-solving, to the artistic works we enjoy and the inn...
Sharks — From Fear to Fascination
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before dinosaurs, before trees — even before Saturn had its rings – there were sharks. The fierce predators have been swimming in our oceans for h...
What It Takes to Prove the Truth
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all want the truth — but how exactly do we know when something's true? Often, the answer relates to evidence or proof, something capable of convi...
Cybercrime and How Hackers Prey on Human Nature
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cybercrime has been around for as long as computers have — but over the past 20 years, it's exploded into a global threat, with staggering financial...
Lightening the Load of Motherhood
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We often hear about the joys of motherhood — the incomparable sense of love, the magic of watching your kids discover the world, and the fulfillment...
The Life-Changing Power of Lifting Weights
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For a long time, weightlifting was relegated to the realm of muscle heads — but today, it's popular among people of all ages and fitness levels. On ...
50 Years Later: The Lasting Impact of the Vietnam War
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Vietnam War changed the world — and the lives of millions of people, who remain scarred by the traumas they experienced. On this episode, we mar...
Finding Strength and Beauty in Muscles
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the doors of the Vatican were opening, Bonnie Tsui sprinted through the galleries to the Sistine Chapel. She wanted to experience Michelangelo's fr...
Loneliness and How to Rekindle Social Connection
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past few years, public health experts have been sounding the alarm over a growing and potentially deadly epidemic: loneliness. On this episod...
The Rise of YouTube and How It's Changed Our Lives
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we mark the 20th anniversary of YouTube with an exploration of how the video-streaming platform has transformed everything from globa...
In Search of Work-Life Balance
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our jobs can provide us with a sense of identity, connection, and meaning — but they can also feel like a never-ending to-do list that gets in the w...
Biomimicry: What Nature Can Teach us about Engineering and Design
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does nature make durable materials like corals and seashells without a heat or a kiln? How do peacock feathers get their beautiful colors? Scienti...
The Mystery of Consciousness
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks the 20th anniversary of Terri Schiavo's death. She was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, but ...
Why the Internet Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all have digital footprints — unique trails of data based on our online activities that corporations use to predict our behavior and influence ou...
How the Way We Look Affects the Way We Feel
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we don't like how we look, or are hypercritical about our appearance, it can really do a number on our mental health. On this episode, we explore...
(Mis)Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For more than 15 years, bipolar disorder defined Abigail Kafka's life. Abigail was heavily medicated, unable to work, or have a social life. Then a th...
Ripple Effects
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We trace the ripple effects of both scientific breakthroughs and public health disasters — understanding the long-term consequences of decisions and...
Pushing for Change
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whether we're talking about something as small as our work habits, or as big as public health policy, change can be tough. It requires energy, courage...
Meeting Your Match: Navigating the World of Modern Dating
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of Valentine's Day, we explore the modern world of dating — and why so many people are frustrated with it. We talk with a behavioral scientist...
Exposure
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every day, our bodies come in contact with all kinds of potentially harmful things that we can't always see or smell — but which can have real conse...
Finding your 'Sleep Groove'
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In college, Olivia Walch was a self-described "sleep deprivation cowboy." She would go days with only 3 to 4 hours of sleep and then binge sleep at ot...
The DIY Medicine Movement
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DIY culture is all about teaching yourself new skills to do things on your own. But what happens when the DIY approach extends to something as complic...
Beyond Human Conversation
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Humans have long dreamed of communicating with other species, from plants and animals to extraterrestrials. On this episode, we explore different effo...
What It Takes To Build The Future
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We often think of the future as some unknowable horizon, fueled by sudden discoveries and inventions — but in reality, the future is constantly bein...
Origin Stories and How We Become Who We Are
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Great origin stories aren't only for superheroes or villains in movies and comic books, lots of fascinating tales shed light on how places or people g...
The Science Behind the Healing Power of Music
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You've heard that music is the language of the soul — but could it also be a treatment for the body? On this reissued episode, we explore the latest...
First Responders and the Toll on Their Health
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We turn to first responders for help during emergencies. We expect them to stay calm and cool, and to know exactly what to do. In scary, dangerous, or...
Why We're All So Outraged
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When we're feeling morally outraged — over politics, global conflicts, or violence, like the recent murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson —...
Parrot or Prophet: How AI is Shaping Language
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For thousands of years, we've thought of language as one of the key features that makes humans unique. But with the rapid evolution of large language ...
When Being 'Gifted' No Longer Feels Like a Gift
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to be 'gifted'? Who qualifies and how should we teach and treat gifted children? And, where do the limits of their talents lie? On t...
Thanksgiving Disasters — And How to Avoid Them
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thanksgiving is a lovely holiday — a time for food, family, and counting our blessings. But let's face it: The festivities don't always go as planne...
The Threats Facing Trees — and How to Save Them
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We not only love trees for their beauty — we need them for our survival. But around the world, some trees, and even entire forests, are facing numer...
Biomimicry: What Nature Can Teach us about Engineering and Design
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How does nature make durable materials like corals and seashells without a heat or a kiln? How do peacock feathers get their beautiful colors? Scienti...
What Makes Our Circadian Clocks Tick
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Circadian rhythms affect more than our sleep — they can shape all aspects of our health, and are in turn shaped by the rhythms of our lives. We expl...
How Politics Are Changing Health and Science
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a contested presidential election looming, we explore what's at stake for health and science, from fertility medicine to cyber security with voti...
Thrills & Chills: The Psychology of Fear
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time of year when we celebrate something we usually hate: fear. We visit haunted houses and corn mazes or binge-watch the scariest horror mo...
All the Rage
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Your face flushes hot, maybe your fists clench, your heartbeat speeds up and your blood pressure rises. It's rage and it can go from zero to red-hot i...
When Law Enforcement and Health Care Meet
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Police generally aren't trained to deal with mental health crises — and yet they constantly find themselves called to intervene in these challenging...
When Every Second Counts: Advances in Cardiac Care
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every second counts when it comes to treating patients in cardiac arrest — which is why researchers and health care professionals are working consta...
Navigating Autism in School
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's the best educational setting for my child to learn and grow? It's a question many parents contemplate, but it's an especially difficult questio...
What It Takes to Treat Serious Mental Illness
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We explore what it takes to recover from serious mental illness, with stories about how a patient's decades-long relationship with his psychiatrist he...
The Healing Power of Music
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You've heard that music is the language of the soul — but could it also be a treatment for the body? On this episode, we explore some of the latest ...
What Teeth Tell us About Survival on Earth
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zoologist Bill Schutt argues that teeth were pivotal to the success of vertebrate animals, they're power tools for survival. His latest book is "Bite:...
The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Behavior
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are countless hidden forces that affect how we behave, the choices that we make, and the general shape of our lives. On this episode, we take a ...
Virtual Worlds, Virtual Lives
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this encore episode of The Pulse - We're in a major technological revolution where artificial intelligence, gaming, and virtual reality are allowin...
The Promise and Future of Psychedelics Research
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Interest in using psychedelics for mental health treatments has taken off in recent years — but the field was just dealt a major blow on August 9, w...
The Big Chill and the Future of Refrigeration
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've only been able to harness the cold for our benefit for a little over 100 years, but innovations like refrigeration and air conditioning have com...
Asking for Help
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Asking for help is hard. It can make us feel vulnerable, like we're sharing too much or admitting weakness. It can also stoke fears about our relation...