Podcast Episodes

The Science Behind The FDA Ban On Food Dye Red No. 3

Episode 1207

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it is banning the dye called Red No. 3, a food dye additive in many processed foods, like sodas, sweets and snacks. Recently, it and other dye…

Published on 11 months, 1 week ago

All of life has a common ancestor. What was LUCA?

Episode 1206

Imagine the tree of life. The tip of every branch represents one species, and if you follow any two branches back through time, you'll hit an intersection. If you keep going back in time, you'll even…

Published on 11 months, 1 week ago

Some Dinos Had Feathers. Did They Fly?

Episode 1205

When you picture a dinosaur, what does it look like? For Jingmai O'Connor, paleobiologist and associate curator of reptiles at the Field Museum of Chicago, the dinosaurs she studies look a lot more l…

Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago

Bone Marrow Cells: Key To Vaccine Longevity?

Episode 1204

The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine generates enough of an antibody response to protect against severe disease for six months. But other vaccines offer years-long — even lifelong — immunity, such as the measle…

Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago

The Science Behind Wildfire Smoke

Episode 1203

Air quality in the Los Angeles region has plummeted due to smoke from the ongoing wildfires. With all that smoke comes possible risks to human health. So what actually is smoke and why is it so harmf…

Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago

What Are California's Santa Ana Winds?

Episode 1202

Over 29,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area are on fire right now. The fires emerged after the Santa Ana winds swept into the Los Angeles area Tuesday. The largest is the Palisades fire, which …

Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago

Fluoride: Fact vs. Fiction

Episode 1201

Fluoridating the public water supply has been common practice for nearly 80 years in the U.S. It's an acclaimed public health intervention that helps prevent cavities. For just as long, some have rai…

Published on 11 months, 3 weeks ago

How Two Veterans Developed The Same Rare Brain Condition

Episode 1200

Some weapons used by the U.S. military are so powerful they can pose a threat to the people who fire them. Today, we meet two Marines, William Wilcox and Michael Lozano, who spent years firing missil…

Published on 11 months, 3 weeks ago

The Great Space (Clock) Race

Episode 1199

There are hundreds of atomic clocks in orbit right now, perched on satellites all over Earth. We depend on them for GPS location, Internet timing, stock trading ... and space navigation?

Today on the …

Published on 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Jimmy Carter's Triumph Over The Guinea Worm

Funeral services begin today for former President Jimmy Carter. He died Sunday, at 100-years-old. Carter brought attention to global health challenges, particularly "neglected" tropical diseases li…

Published on 11 months, 3 weeks ago