Visiting utopias, fighting heat death, and making mysterious ‘dark earth’
A book on utopias and gender roles, India looks to beat climate-induced heat in cities, and how ancient Amazonians improved the soil First up on this week’s show: the latest in our series of books on sex, gender, and science. Books host Angela Saini discusses Everyday Utopia: In Praise of Radical Alternatives to the Traditional Family Home with ethnographer Kristen Ghodsee, professor of Russian and Eastern European studies at the University of Pennsylvania. See this year’s whole series here.   Also this week, as part of a special issue on climate change and health, host Sarah Crespi speaks with Vaishnavi Chandrashe...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - September 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Visiting utopias, fighting heat death, and making mysterious ‘dark earth’
A book on utopias and gender roles, India looks to beat climate-induced heat in cities, and how ancient Amazonians improved the soil First up on this week’s show: the latest in our series of books on sex, gender, and science. Books host Angela Saini discusses Everyday Utopia: In Praise of Radical Alternatives to the Traditional Family Home with ethnographer Kristen Ghodsee, professor of Russian and Eastern European studies at the University of Pennsylvania. See this year’s whole series here.   Also this week, as part of a special issue on climate change and health, host Sarah Crespi speaks with Vaishnavi Chandrashe...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - September 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

TWiV 1047: Long COVID and avian flu in ferrets
TWiV explains a study of postacute sequelae of COVID-19 at 2 years, and respiratory droplet transmission of human-isolated avian H3N8 influenza virus between ferrets. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server MicrobeTV store at Cafepress Research assistant position in Rosenfeld Lab CBER/FDA (pdf) 4:20 Postacute sequelae of COVID-19 at 2 years (Nat Med) Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (WHO) Respiratory droplet transmission of H3N8 viru...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - September 24, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts

TWiV 1044: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of coadministration of COVID-19 and Influenza vaccines, interim effectiveness estimates of 2023 southern hemisphere influenza vaccines in preventing Influenza-associated hospitalizations, genome-wide association study of susceptibility to RSV hospitalization in young children (Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition)
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - September 16, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts

A mussel-inspired glue for more sustainable sticking
In this episode:00:46 A sustainably-sourced, super-strong adhesiveThe modern world is held together by adhesives, but these fossil-fuel derived materials come at an environmental cost. To overcome this, a team have developed a soya-oil based adhesive, which also takes inspiration from the proteins that marine animals like mussels use to stick firmly to rocks. The researchers say their glue is strong, reversible, and less carbon intensive to produce than existing adhesives.Research article: Westerman et al.07:43 Research HighlightsWhy chemicals derived from wood could be sustainable alternatives to a common plastic building...
Source: Nature Podcast - September 13, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

Sedentary Behavior and Dementia
There is an established link between sedentary behavior and cardiovascular disease, but the association between sedentary behavior and dementia is unclear. JAMA Deputy Editor Christopher C. Muth, MD, speaks with David A. Raichlen, PhD, University of Southern California, about a new study that investigates the relationship between sedentary behavior and dementia in older adults. Related Content: Sedentary Behavior and Incident Dementia Among Older Adults (Source: JAMA Author Interviews)
Source: JAMA Author Interviews - September 12, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: JAMA Network Source Type: podcasts

Our ancestors lost nearly 99% of their population, 900,000 years ago
In this episode:00:30 Early humans pushed to brink of extinctionAround 900,000 years ago the ancestors of modern humans were pushed to the brink of extinction, according to new research. Genetic studies suggest that the breeding population of our ancestors in Africa dropped to just 1,280 and didn’t expand again for another 117,000 years. This population crash would likely have had an impact on human genetic diversity, and may have driven the evolution of important features of modern humans, such as brain size.Nature News: Human ancestors nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago3:49 The pollution legacy of Antarctica’s res...
Source: Nature Podcast - September 6, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

Psilocybin for Major Depressive Disorder
In a new study, psilocybin showed promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). JAMA Associate Editor Donald C. Goff, MD, speaks with author Charles L. Raison, MD, from the Usona Institute, about the study, as well as Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who wrote an accompanying editorial about the potential benefits of psychedelic therapies. Related Content: Single-Dose Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder Psychedelic Therapy—A New Paradigm of Care for Mental Health (Source: JAMA Author Interviews)
Source: JAMA Author Interviews - August 31, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: JAMA Network Source Type: podcasts

SCCM Pod-489 The AIMS Trial: Battle of the Bundles, Hour-1 Versus 3-Hour
The Assessment of Implementation of Methods in Sepsis and Respiratory Failure (AIMS) Study seeks to determine the safest and most effective approach to sepsis intervention using the evidence-based Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines. Marylin N. Bulloch, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM, was joined by Mitchell M. Levy, MD, MCCM, at the 2023 Critical Care Congress to discuss the goal of the AIMS Study and the elements of both the Hour-1 and 3-Hour bundles. Dr. Levy is chief of the Division of Critical Care, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine and professor of medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is also the medi...
Source: SCCM PodCast - iCritical Care - August 30, 2023 Category: Intensive Care Authors: The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Tags: Medicine Source Type: podcasts

Physicists finally observe strange isotope Oxygen 28 – raising fundamental questions
In this episode:00:47 First observation of oxygen 28Oxygen 28 is an isotope of oxygen with 20 neutrons and eight protons. This strange isotope has long been sought after by physicists, as its proposed unusual properties would allow them to put their theories of how atomic nuclei work to the test. Now, after decades of experiments physicists believe they have observed oxygen 28. The observations are at odds with theory predictions, so they imply that there’s a lot more physicists don’t know about the forces that hold atomic nuclei together.Research article: Kondo et al.News and Views: Heaviest oxygen isotope is found to...
Source: Nature Podcast - August 30, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

Audio long read: Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed?
Investigations suggest that, in some fields, at least one-quarter of clinical trials might be problematic or even entirely made up. Faked or unreliable trials are dangerous, as they could end up being included in the reviews that help inform clinical treatments. However, the extent of the problem in unclear, and many researchers urge stronger scrutiny.This is an audio version of our Feature: Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. (Source: Nature Podcast)
Source: Nature Podcast - August 25, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

Fruit flies' ability to sense magnetic fields thrown into doubt
In this episode:00:49 The search for animals’ magnetic sense sufferers a potential setbackExactly how animals sense Earth’s magnetic field has long eluded researchers. To understand it, many have turned to the fly model Drosophila melanogaster, long thought to be able to detect magnetic fields. However, a recent Nature paper has raised questions about this ability, a finding that could have repercussions for scientists’ efforts to understand the mechanism behind magnetic sensing, one of the biggest questions in sensory biology.Research article: Bassetto et al.News & Views: Replication study casts doubt on magneti...
Source: Nature Podcast - August 16, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

TWiV 1035: Poxvirus wars, warp speed COVID-19 vaccine rollout
TWiV dissects a study of COVID-19 vaccination which shows that the timing of initial rollout affects disease outcomes more substantially than final coverage or degree of socioeconomic disparity, and discovery of a novel cellular defense comprising a nuclease that is activated by poxvirus infection and cleaves a specific tRNA molecule to inhibit protein synthesis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Alan Dove, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode MicrobeTV Discord Server MicrobeTV store at Cafepress Research assistant ...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - August 13, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts

TWiV 1034: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses the immunogenicity, safety, and preliminary efficacy evaluation of OVX836, a nucleoprotein-based universal influenza A vaccine candidate, association between nose picking and SARS-CoV-2 incidence, a cohort study in hospital health care workers; effect of COVID-19 vaccination and booster on maternal-fetal outcomes, dynamics of inflammatory responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection by vaccination status in the USA, does monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 impact short and long- term outcomes in a large generalizable population, persistent endothelial dysfunction in post-...
Source: This Week in Virology - MP3 Edition - August 12, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Source Type: podcasts

How welcome are refugees in Europe? A giant study has some answers
In this episode:00:46 A measure of refugees’ welcome in EuropeWith repeated humanitarian crises displacing millions of people, researchers have been considering how this might affect acceptance of refugees. Will some refugees be more welcome than others? Will continued movements erode support for refugees overall? To answer these questions, a huge study looks at the attitudes of 33,000 people from 15 European countries towards refugees. They find that overall support for refugees has slightly increased, although some characteristics, such as ability to speak the language of the country they’re settling in, are preferre...
Source: Nature Podcast - August 9, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts