Follow the Science
127 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★ - 34 ratingsFiguring out what to believe is harder than ever in this pandemic, as we’re told we should trust scientists who often disagree or change their minds. In this podcast I’ll be covering the science behind Covid-19 and other medical issues while examining how we can distinguish scientific ideas from chatter, speculation, sanctimony, hype and noise. I’m Faye Flam and I’m a science journalist so it’s my job to sort it out.
I’ll also be investigating how misinformation spreads through social media and why so many people believe dubious claims – from miracle cures to Q-anon conspiracy theories.
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Episodes
The Oldest Everything: Searching for the Oldest Thing in the Universe
June 30, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes - 52.1 MBWhat’s the world’s oldest surviving building? Language? Useful technology? The oldest living organism? The oldest species of living organism? The oldest rock on the planet and the oldest star in the cosmos? How do scientists measure the ages of ancient things? In this podcast series, “The Oldest Everything”, I’ll go in search of the oldest things in the world, and along the way I’ll explore the physics of time’s passage, which is tied up with the concept of entropy, itself intertwined with...
66. Cracking the Mystery of Long Covid w/ Bruce Levy
April 16, 2022 12:00 - 30 minutes - 42.1 MBSome scientists think long Covid is caused by lingering inflammation. Others think the virus might hide out in the body. Two years into the pandemic, scientists are scrambling to understand long Covid and find treatments. Bruce Levy is chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He now heads the Recovery Center, which was set up to treat and study long Covid. We talk about risk factors for long Covid, the most common lingering symptoms, t...
Pandemic Misinformation - How Politics and Polarization Are Distorting the Science w/ Roger Seheult & Florian Krammer [Episode 11 Rebroadcast]
April 09, 2022 12:00 - 31 minutes - 43 MBI think this February 2021 episode is more relevant than ever today. It explores the subjective, politicized way that some ideas get labelled as misinformation and why it’s so important for experts to explain why something is likely to be wrong rather than dismissing it out of hand - and why censorship can cause more harm than good. Original Description: Misinformation about the pandemic is flooding over social media and traditional news media as well. But it’s not obvious what constitutes...
65. Science vs. Long Covid w/ Ziyad Al-Aly
April 02, 2022 12:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBSome people still have symptoms from a Covid-19 infection picked up in 2020 and are wondering if there’s any relief in sight. Many suffer months of debilitating fatigue and neurological problems, and Covid-19 can increase risk for heart disease. Scientists are scrambling to understand why, and how to prevent or treat what’s come to be called "long Covid". Ziyad Al-Aly has been a leader in research on long Covid. We talk about the symptoms he’s seeing in his patients, leading ideas for wha...
64. Covid-19, Sense of Smell and the Brain w/ Mark Albers
March 26, 2022 12:00 - 31 minutes - 43.1 MBCovid-19 has some weird long-term effects, including prolonged inability to taste or smell, and various neurological symptoms – difficulty concentrating, memory loss and crushing fatigue. Alzheimer’s Disease is also connected to changes in smell and ability to remember smells. My guest, neurologist Mark Albers of Massachusetts General Hospital will help explain what all this means. We talk about how to interpret a brain scanning study showing brain “shrinkage” in people who’d had Covid; Ho...
63. Lessons from Germ Warfare Against Rabbits w/ Andrew Read
March 19, 2022 12:00 - 31 minutes - 42.7 MBIn the 1950s, 100 million rabbits were overrunning Australia – an invasive species crisis that led people to unleash germ warfare – infecting them with a deadly virus called myxomatosis. It was devastating – 99.9% of the rabbits across the continent died, according to Penn State University biologist Andrew Read. But the survivors rebounded, and over the subsequent decades the virus became less virulent, and then deadlier, and the rabbits evolved resistance. I talk to Dr. Read about that epi...
62. Overconfidence and Other Covid-19 Mistakes w/ Michael Osterholm
March 12, 2022 13:00 - 29 minutes - 40.8 MBWe seem to be in Covid intermission now, with low cases but lots of warnings that the disease will stage a comeback, probably in some new mutated form. It’s a time to reflect back on the last two years, and consider the many misleading predictions and projections, including the notion that the pandemic would go away if enough people wore a mask. In this episode I’ll talk with epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, who heads the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University...
61. The Folly of Following the Science w/ Jacob Hale Russell
March 05, 2022 13:00 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBScience can tell us something about the risks of Covid-19 but it can’t tell us how much risk to accept, or how much to sacrifice in the name of mitigation. Too often politicians used the phrase “Follow the Science” to silence much-needed public debate and create the illusion that science allowed no other alternatives to the policies they wanted to impose. Rutgers University law professor Jacob Hale Russell has studied populism and the public’s attitude toward expertise. He questions the ste...
61. The Folly of Following the Science
March 05, 2022 13:00 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBScience can tell us something about the risks of Covid-19 but it can’t tell us how much risk to accept, or how much to sacrifice in the name of mitigation. Too often politicians used the phrase “Follow the Science” to silence much-needed public debate and create the illusion that science allowed no other alternatives to the policies they wanted to impose. Rutgers University law professor Jacob Hale Russell has studied populism and the public’s attitude toward expertise. He questions the ste...
60. Covid Threat Lingers, Society Turns the Page w/ Dan Barouch
February 25, 2022 19:12 - 19 minutes - 27.4 MBThere’s a lot of anxiety this week as the public, politicians and even some scientists are moving on from restrictions and mask-wearing that defined the last two years. And yet, SARS-CoV-2 is very much still with us, a sub-variant called BA.2 is still posing a threat, and new variants are likely to emerge. And there’s evidence that protection from our booster shots could wane. Immunologist Dan Barouch of Harvard and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will talk about all these threats, addr...
59. From The World’s Oldest Virus to The Newest Pandemic Variant w/ Erin Bromage, Bill Hanage, David Sanders & Sarah Otto
February 18, 2022 14:44 - 34 minutes - 47.1 MBIn this episode I set off on a quest to find the oldest endemic human virus–the one that’s been riding along with our species the longest. The answer is harder to get than I’d anticipated, but along the way I learn about some ancient viruses, and how viruses shape our evolution as they evolve themselves. I’ll also discuss where the omicron variant came from – including the possibility it jumped to another animal and back to humans. And I’ll get up to date on the latest worrisome variant –...
58. Why the Worst, Most Deceptive People Are Also the Most Politically Savvy w/ Michael Bang Peterson
February 12, 2022 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.2 MBSpreading rumors and misinformation about enemies for political gain has deep roots in humanity’s affinity for tribal behavior, says political scientist and evolutionary psychologist Michael Bang Petersen of Aarhus University in Denmark. His latest work shows that the biggest super-spreaders of misinformation and hatred on social media are actually the most politically savvy and well-connected. In this interview we talk about his latest work and about how both the US and Denmark recently e...
Alternatives to Censorship w/ David Rand & Gordon Pennycook [Episode 28 Rebroadcast]
February 05, 2022 17:21 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBSocial media companies may claim censorship is for our own good – to shield us from misinformation – but the process has no transparency. And Facebook and Twitter algorithms are set up to amplify sensational claims, to push people into polarized camps, and delude users about the popularity and value of what are often fringe ideas. Social scientists David Rand and Gordon Pennycook have studied social media behavior and found that people care about sharing accurate news, but often give in to...
57. What It Means If Covid-19 Becomes Endemic
January 28, 2022 18:31 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBSuddenly the word endemic is all over the media – perhaps it’s replacing “herd immunity” and “new normal” to put words to people’s hopes that the pandemic will end soon. But what does endemic mean and when will Covid-19 get there? I pose these questions to Aris Katzourakis, an expert in viral genomics and evolution at Oxford University, and author of a recent opinion piece in the journal Nature titled "Endemic Doesn’t Mean Harmless". We also talk about how new variants come along, and wh...
57. What It Means If Covid-19 Becomes Endemic w/ Aris Katzourakis
January 28, 2022 18:31 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBSuddenly the word endemic is all over the media – perhaps it’s replacing “herd immunity” and “new normal” to put words to people’s hopes that the pandemic will end soon. But what does endemic mean and when will Covid-19 get there? I pose these questions to Aris Katzourakis, an expert in viral genomics and evolution at Oxford University, and author of a recent opinion piece in the journal Nature titled "Endemic Doesn’t Mean Harmless". We also talk about how new variants come along, and wh...
56. The Strange Randomness of Covid-19 Immunity w/ Gaurav Das Gaiha
January 21, 2022 16:20 - 27 minutes - 38 MBAlmost everyone has a story of someone who was healthy and received all the shots and still got wiped out by Covid-19 this winter. While there’s no doubt getting vaccinated and boosted vastly lowers your odds being hospitalized, there’s a random element in this omicron phase of the pandemic that comes down to our genes. Immunologist Gaurav Das Gaiha explains how he and his colleagues discovered that about 20% of people don’t get nearly as much protection against omicron from their vaccines...
56. The Strange Randomness of Covid-19 Immunity
January 21, 2022 16:20 - 27 minutes - 38 MBAlmost everyone has a story of someone who was healthy and received all the shots and still got wiped out by Covid-19 this winter. While there’s no doubt getting vaccinated and boosted vastly lowers your odds being hospitalized, there’s a random element in this omicron phase of the pandemic that comes down to our genes. Immunologist Gaurav Das Gaiha explains how he and his colleagues discovered that about 20% of people don’t get nearly as much protection against omicron from their vaccines...
55. How Vaccine Memory Works Against Covid-19
January 14, 2022 15:44 - 35 minutes - 49.1 MBIt’s a confusing time right now - in January of 2022, since so many vaccinated people are coming down with omicron. The virus has changed a lot since the vaccines were formulated, but the data show they are still offering partial protection. To understand what’s going on, I asked immunologist(and poet) Shiv Pillai to explain how our bodies “remember” those vaccines. I wanted to know how vaccines work in the first place, and how they can protect us after the virus mutates into a new variant. ...
55. How Vaccine Memory Works Against Covid-19 w/ Shiv Pillai
January 14, 2022 15:44 - 35 minutes - 49.1 MBIt’s a confusing time right now - in January of 2022, since so many vaccinated people are coming down with omicron. The virus has changed a lot since the vaccines were formulated, but the data show they are still offering partial protection. To understand what’s going on, I asked immunologist(and poet) Shiv Pillai to explain how our bodies “remember” those vaccines. I wanted to know how vaccines work in the first place, and how they can protect us after the virus mutates into a new variant. ...
54. When to Trust Big Pharma in the Covid-19 Battle
January 07, 2022 17:57 - 31 minutes - 43.6 MBBig pharma is out for big pharma, but that doesn’t mean we don’t benefit from drugs, vaccines and treatments – AIDS was a death sentence until pharma came up with drugs called protease inhibitors that allowed people with HIV to live out their lives. Now there’s Paxlovid - a protease inhibitor to fight Covid-19. The biggest downside of this drug is there isn’t enough of it to go around. I’ll be talking about that drug and more with medicinal chemist Derek Lowe, who is the author of Scienc...
54. When to Trust Big Pharma in the Covid-19 Battle w/ Derek Lowe
January 07, 2022 17:57 - 31 minutes - 43.6 MBBig pharma is out for big pharma, but that doesn’t mean we don’t benefit from drugs, vaccines and treatments – AIDS was a death sentence until pharma came up with drugs called protease inhibitors that allowed people with HIV to live out their lives. Now there’s Paxlovid - a protease inhibitor to fight Covid-19. The biggest downside of this drug is there isn’t enough of it to go around. I’ll be talking about that drug and more with medicinal chemist Derek Lowe, who is the author of Scienc...
53. Why Some Covid-19 Treatments Work
December 31, 2021 17:55 - 26 minutes - 36.6 MBFew subjects are more contaminated with misinformation than treatments for Covid-19, with many patients still demanding Ivermectin in hospitals despite the drug’s failure in clinical trials. But now, finally, we’re hearing claims that new drugs really do save lives. Pfizer just got approval for a pill called Paxlovid, and now there’s evidence a cheap anti-depressant called Fluvoxamine can save lives as well. But how do we sort out the science from the big pharma hype? I’ll be talking to Rog...
53. Why Some Covid-19 Treatments Work w/ Roger Seheult
December 31, 2021 17:55 - 26 minutes - 36.6 MBFew subjects are more contaminated with misinformation than treatments for Covid-19, with many patients still demanding Ivermectin in hospitals despite the drug’s failure in clinical trials. But now, finally, we’re hearing claims that new drugs really do save lives. Pfizer just got approval for a pill called Paxlovid, and now there’s evidence a cheap anti-depressant called Fluvoxamine can save lives as well. But how do we sort out the science from the big pharma hype? I’ll be talking to Rog...
52. Muge Cevik’s Down-to-Earth View of Omicron
December 24, 2021 14:12 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBOmicron is less deadly but spreading at blinding speed. Is it the end of the world or no big deal? The UK is several weeks ahead of us in their omicron wave and can give us a sense of what might happen here. Physician Muge Cevik will join us from the Scotland, where she’s an infectious disease specialist and a lecturer at the University of St. Andrews. She’s become famous as a source of practical advice throughout the pandemic. We talk about what’s happening in the hospitals there, who’s a...
52. Müge Çevik’s Down-to-Earth View of Omicron
December 24, 2021 14:12 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBOmicron is less deadly but spreading at blinding speed. Is it the end of the world or no big deal? The UK is several weeks ahead of us in their omicron wave and can give us a sense of what might happen here. Physician Müge Çevik will join us from the Scotland, where she’s an infectious disease specialist and a lecturer at the University of St. Andrews. She’s become famous as a source of practical advice throughout the pandemic. We talk about what’s happening in the hospitals there, who’s a...
51. Booster Mandates: Where's the Science?
December 17, 2021 14:53 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBWith omicron exploding, we’re seeing vaccine mandates expand and booster mandates on the table. What’s the scientific rationale? Mandates are predicated on the idea that vaccines stop or at least reduce transmission, and booster mandates on the notion that unboosted people pose a danger to society. Do they? I’ll be talking about vaccines and transmission with Stephen Kissler. He’s a research fellow in immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard School of Public health. He’s the lead au...
51. Booster Mandates: Where's the Science? w/ Stephen Kissler
December 17, 2021 14:53 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBWith omicron exploding, we’re seeing vaccine mandates expand and booster mandates on the table. What’s the scientific rationale? Mandates are predicated on the idea that vaccines stop or at least reduce transmission, and booster mandates on the notion that unboosted people pose a danger to society. Do they? I’ll be talking about vaccines and transmission with Stephen Kissler. He’s a research fellow in immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard School of Public health. He’s the lead au...
50. Vaccines vs Omicron w/ Emma Hodcroft
December 10, 2021 13:11 - 26 minutes - 36.7 MBSome experts tell us to be very afraid, others are not so sure. But what matters about the omicron problem is how we solve it – and that means understanding what it is, how well vaccines protect against it, and whether to focus efforts on boosters, getting doses to other countries, or creating a new vaccine tailored for this emerging variant. My guest, Emma Hodcroft, is a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern, and has been closely tracking all the scientific work that’s been d...
50. Vaccines vs Omicron
December 10, 2021 13:11 - 26 minutes - 36.7 MBSome experts tell us to be very afraid, others are not so sure. But what matters about the omicron problem is how we solve it – and that means understanding what it is, how well vaccines protect against it, and whether to focus efforts on boosters, getting doses to other countries, or creating a new vaccine tailored for this emerging variant. My guest, Emma Hodcroft, is a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern, and has been closely tracking all the scientific work that’s been d...
49. To Boost or Not To Boost w/ Dan Barouch
December 03, 2021 14:53 - 30 minutes - 41.2 MBThat’s a hard question, with a sudden change in CDC recommendations that everyone over 18 get one and not much explanation. Scientists have started to change their minds about boosters as they’ve seen more breakthrough cases. Another rationale was protection against the new variant – omicron - but it’s not clear how well our vaccines will work against omicron if it becomes dominant. My guest is Dan Barouch, who is director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deac...
49. To Boost or Not To Boost
December 03, 2021 14:53 - 30 minutes - 41.2 MBThat’s a hard question, with a sudden change in CDC recommendations that everyone over 18 get one and not much explanation. Scientists have started to change their minds about boosters as they’ve seen more breakthrough cases. Another rationale was protection against the new variant – omicron - but it’s not clear how well our vaccines will work against omicron if it becomes dominant. My guest is Dan Barouch, who is director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deac...
48. Sick Buildings and the Pandemic
November 19, 2021 15:52 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBMost people aren’t going to wear a mask forever, even if viruses remain a persistent threat. What we now know is that respiratory viruses are transmitted mostly through the air, mostly indoors, and mostly in badly ventilated buildings. I talk with Harvard Professor Joseph Allen about a new normal that makes sense. It’s okay, he says, that vaccinated people are putting their masks back in the drawer. It’s not okay that so many of us live and work in “sick” buildings. There’s no downside to he...
48. Sick Buildings and the Pandemic w/ Joseph Allen
November 19, 2021 15:52 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBMost people aren’t going to wear a mask forever, even if viruses remain a persistent threat. What we now know is that respiratory viruses are transmitted mostly through the air, mostly indoors, and mostly in badly ventilated buildings. I talk with Harvard Professor Joseph Allen about a new normal that makes sense. It’s okay, he says, that vaccinated people are putting their masks back in the drawer. It’s not okay that so many of us live and work in “sick” buildings. There’s no downside to he...
47. Mental Health and the Pandemic w/ Lucy McBride
November 12, 2021 16:39 - 26 minutes - 36.7 MBFor the last 20 months society has focused primarily on a single aspect of health – avoiding SARS-CoV-2. But as the pandemic drags on, some people argue we need to bring back a big picture perspective. General practitioner Lucy McBride says her patients are showing up with all kinds of complaints about health problems beyond Covid-19, and she’s seeing an alarming number of mental health problems. We talk about what mental health means, why it’s an important aspect of overall health, what’s b...
47. Mental Health and the Pandemic
November 12, 2021 16:39 - 26 minutes - 36.7 MBFor the last 20 months society has focused primarily on a single aspect of health – avoiding SARS-CoV-2. But as the pandemic drags on, some people argue we need to bring back a big picture perspective. General practitioner Lucy McBride says her patients are showing up with all kinds of complaints about health problems beyond Covid-19, and she’s seeing an alarming number of mental health problems. We talk about what mental health means, why it’s an important aspect of overall health, what’s b...
46. Evolution and the Future of Covid-19
November 05, 2021 18:36 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MBOne of the most unnerving things about this pandemic is that the virus keeps changing. And yet, viruses we’re familiar with don’t spawn vastly more dangerous variants every year. Even flu, while it changes enough to require a new shot, doesn’t usually turn the world upside down. Will SARS-CoV-2 reach some limit on the new variants it can produce? Biologist Jesse Bloom of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center had studied influenza evolution for years before turning his attention to how S...
46. Evolution and the Future of Covid-19 w/ Jesse Bloom
November 05, 2021 18:36 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MBOne of the most unnerving things about this pandemic is that the virus keeps changing. And yet, viruses we’re familiar with don’t spawn vastly more dangerous variants every year. Even flu, while it changes enough to require a new shot, doesn’t usually turn the world upside down. Will SARS-CoV-2 reach some limit on the new variants it can produce? Biologist Jesse Bloom of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center had studied influenza evolution for years before turning his attention to how S...
45. Havana Syndrome: A Disease of Body or Mind? w/ Suzanne O'Sullivan
October 29, 2021 13:24 - 34 minutes - 47.2 MBIt started with a young undercover agent in Havana hearing a piercing noise, then realizing that his ears wouldn’t stop ringing and he’d lost some of his hearing. Soon he told colleagues who remembered hearing weird noises. Soon they, too, started to feel distressing symptoms – difficulty concentrating, headaches, insomnia, dizziness. Now more than 200 people in different foreign service posts around the world are reporting symptoms. Originally some experts thought it was some a sonic weap...
45. Havana Syndrome: A Disease of Body or Mind?
October 29, 2021 13:24 - 34 minutes - 47.2 MBIt started with a young undercover agent in Havana hearing a piercing noise, then realizing that his ears wouldn’t stop ringing and he’d lost some of his hearing. Soon he told colleagues who remembered hearing weird noises. Soon they, too, started to feel distressing symptoms – difficulty concentrating, headaches, insomnia, dizziness. Now more than 200 people in different foreign service posts around the world are reporting symptoms. Originally some experts thought it was some a sonic weap...
44. The Experts Change Their Tune on Covid-19
October 22, 2021 13:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBIn late October, experts in the US stopped talking about taking extreme precautions against Covid-19 and started talking about learning to live with the virus. Does this represent a change of heart or a change in the science? It’s been hard for experts to detangle their scientific opinions from their feelings and values. In this episode I’ll talk with Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He’s long advocated an approach called harm reduction, which wa...
44. The Experts Change Their Tune on Covid-19 w/ Amesh Adalja
October 22, 2021 13:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBIn late October, experts in the US stopped talking about taking extreme precautions against Covid-19 and started talking about learning to live with the virus. Does this represent a change of heart or a change in the science? It’s been hard for experts to detangle their scientific opinions from their feelings and values. In this episode I’ll talk with Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He’s long advocated an approach called harm reduction, which wa...
43. Antisocial Science
October 15, 2021 15:50 - 31 minutes - 43.9 MBThere’s no there’s no doubt science has advanced humanity’s store of useful, reliable knowledge. Still, sometimes scientists, groups or whole fields get off track. Stanford professor John Ioannidis is famous for diagnosing why medical research had started producing too many unreliable results. Statistical errors, lack of cross checks, and cutting corners were leading to bad science and bad medicine. But when he applied his critical eye to pandemic science, instead of praise, he got attacks. ...
43. Antisocial Science w/ John Ioannidis
October 15, 2021 15:50 - 31 minutes - 43.9 MBThere’s no there’s no doubt science has advanced humanity’s store of useful, reliable knowledge. Still, sometimes scientists, groups or whole fields get off track. Stanford professor John Ioannidis is famous for diagnosing why medical research had started producing too many unreliable results. Statistical errors, lack of cross checks, and cutting corners were leading to bad science and bad medicine. But when he applied his critical eye to pandemic science, instead of praise, he got attacks. ...
42. Why Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks Science Is True
October 08, 2021 14:38 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MBHow do we know what’s true? What should we trust and what should we question? I’ll talk about the nature of science, truth and critical thinking with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. We’ll talk about why so many scientists doubt the UFOs are alien interlopers, but do take seriously the possibility of multiple universes. We’ll also talk about his new book, “A Brief Welcome to the Universe”. By coincidence, this episode 42, a number that in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was the ans...
41. Where Medicine Doesn’t Follow the Science
October 01, 2021 12:00 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MBMedicine is based partly on science, partly on tradition, partly on assumptions and partly on profits. My guest in this episode, physician Gilbert Welch, says many screening healthy people for cancer, for example, is very profitable, but there’s surprisingly little evidence that it helps people live longer. His most recent book is called Less Medicine, More Health. We’ll talk about which tests and treatments are least likely to help us, why some cancers are better left alone, and how financi...
41. Where Medicine Doesn’t Follow the Science w/ Gilbert Welch
October 01, 2021 12:00 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MBMedicine is based partly on science, partly on tradition, partly on assumptions and partly on profits. My guest in this episode, physician Gilbert Welch, says many screening healthy people for cancer, for example, is very profitable, but there’s surprisingly little evidence that it helps people live longer. His most recent book is called Less Medicine, More Health. We’ll talk about which tests and treatments are least likely to help us, why some cancers are better left alone, and how financi...
40. Theranos: Medicine's Unhealthy Infatuation with Technology w/ Daniel Holmes & Eleftherios Diamandis
September 24, 2021 12:00 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBThe blood testing company Theranos was the darling of the medical establishment for years before a journalist helped expose the fact that its technology didn’t work. Now the CEO Elizabeth Holmes has gone from being the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire to being on trial for fraud. But the fact that the company got so big on so little evidence points to a bigger problem with American medicine. In this episode I’ll be talking to pathology professors Daniel Holmes of the Universit...
40. Theranos: Medicine's Unhealthy Infatuation with Technology
September 24, 2021 12:00 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBThe blood testing company Theranos was the darling of the medical establishment for years before a journalist helped expose the fact that its technology didn’t work. Now the CEO Elizabeth Holmes has gone from being the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire to being on trial for fraud. But the fact that the company got so big on so little evidence points to a bigger problem with American medicine. In this episode I’ll be talking to pathology professors Daniel Holmes of the Universit...
39. Are Vaccines Helping or Hurting?
September 17, 2021 12:00 - 27 minutes - 37.9 MBThe prevalence of Covid-19 even in highly vaccinated countries such as Israel has led to a scary rumor that vaccines are actually making the disease worse. That has happened before with other vaccines - sometimes antibodies can actually turn traitor and help the virus through something called antibody dependent enhancement. Medicinal chemist Derek Lowe has been getting lots of questions about this from concerned readers of his Science Magazine pharmaceutical blog In The Pipeline. In this e...
39. Are Vaccines Helping or Hurting? w/ Derek Lowe
September 17, 2021 12:00 - 27 minutes - 37.9 MBThe prevalence of Covid-19 even in highly vaccinated countries such as Israel has led to a scary rumor that vaccines are actually making the disease worse. That has happened before with other vaccines - sometimes antibodies can actually turn traitor and help the virus through something called antibody dependent enhancement. Medicinal chemist Derek Lowe has been getting lots of questions about this from concerned readers of his Science Magazine pharmaceutical blog In The Pipeline. In this e...