As someone who commutes daily, podcasts have become my means of escape from the mundane. They allow me to rest my eyes while turning the dullest subway rides into fascinating, edifying journeys. I’ve listened to many different podcasts over the years – but for those interested in health and sciences, these are my top recommendations:
When it comes to creative narrations of scientific topics, Radiolab is a seasoned veteran. The podcast brands itself as “a show about curiosity”, and presents captivating stories about science, philosophy, and history. Because the episodes are structured as stories, they are easily-digestible and, from personal experience, tremendously enjoyable. Radiolab is known for its excellent sound design, which plays an important role in their vivid storytelling.
Recommended Episodes:
Bringing Gamma Back: Scientists explore an elegant way to awaken the brain of mice with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Primitive Streak: In science labs that grow human embryos for the sole purpose of studying human development, the 14-day rule limits how long the embryos can grow for before they must be terminated. What are the ethical implications of modifying the 14-day rule?
Staph Retreat: An exploration of the origins of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance, and how scientists are fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Antibodies Part 1: CRISPR: A layman’s explanation of CRISPR-Cas9 technology and the implications of CRISPR. This episode features Jennifer Doudna, a leading figure in CRISPR-mediated genome editing.
Hosted by Roman Mars, 99% Invisible focuses primarily on design – specifically, the 99% of designs around us that go unnoticed. While many episodes discuss art and architecture, there are also a few great episodes related to science. This is by far my favourite podcast, as the topics are highly diverse and bring attention to things we rarely take time to appreciate.
Recommended Episodes:
Breaking Bad News: Historically, many doctors avoided telling their patients about poor prognoses out of fear of causing distress. To address this issue, the SPIKES Protocol was designed for doctors to break bad news informatively, honestly, and empathetically.
Repackaging the Pill: Upon entry into the US market in 1960, the birth control pill quickly became widely popular. In a more conservative America, such an invention was controversial. Even more problematically, women would often forget to take the pill, or would accidentally take multiple pills a day. This episode explores the controversies surrounding the birth control pill, as well as designs proposed to ensure they are being taken properly.
Oyster-techture: Believe it or not, New York City was once a major producer of oysters. In the 1700s, oysters were incredibly abundant along the coast until demand rapidly exhausted the supply. In an effort to combat New York’s growing vulnerability to floods, the Living Breakwaters project proposes repopulating the New York coast with oysters to recreate a flood-resistant oyster reef.
Nature Podcast, a weekly podcast produced by the famous Nature journal, it provides reliable and interesting summaries of some of the most important frontiers in science. Each episode highlights key articles from newest issues of Nature, and invites the authors and relevant scientists for discussion and commentary. Some university-level science background is highly recommended for listeners, as the podcast is primarily targeted toward science students and scientists.
Recommended Episodes:
Mexican cavefish, the gut microbiome, and a wearable brain scanner (3/22/2018): Adaptive insulin insensitivity in Mexican cavefish, unintended changes to gut microbiome by various non-antibiotic drugs (including the anti-diabetic drug metformin), usage of optogenetics to modulate yeast reproduction and fermentation, and a prototype for custom-made portable magnetoencephalography machines to map brain activity.
Science Vs is targeted towards the scientifically-inclined. It uses scientific evidence to debunk myths and clarify misconceptions. Science Vs episodes discuss topics such as vaccines, GMOs, and fracking in an attempt to increase public scientific literacy, and encourage the public to understand controversial topics from an evidence-based perspective.
Produced by the popular science magazine Scientific American, 60-second Science is proof that not all podcasts have to be long. The episodes range from 1 minute to 3 minutes in length, and are ideal for those in a rush. Leading scientists and journalists report on new and interesting developments in science and technology. Topics range from tallying birds using drones, to Salmonella enterica as a possible cause of the Aztec Empire’s decline.
Podcasts are an easy way to learn new things about this complex planet of ours. Next time you make your commute, whether it be on a bus, a subway train, or in a car, it’s my hope that you let these stories open your eyes to a much bigger world.