The Pulse

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 science on the healing power of our favorite tunes, from how they affect our brains, to why they improve our workouts, to the promise they show in treating illnesses like epilepsy and Parkinson's.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans." On this podcast extra, Schutt explains why teeth are key to understanding evolution; the controversy over fluoride in water; and why people once thought decay was caused by tooth worms.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 deep dive into some of those forces. We hear stories about mirroring and how it affects our interactions, whether implicit bias trainings actually work, and how hierarchies influence productivity.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On this encore episode of The Pulse - We're in a major technological revolution where artificial intelligence, gaming, and virtual reality are allowing us to create and enter totally new spaces and have new experiences.But as these worlds grow bigger, more intense, and more consuming, they're also raising questions about what this new future will look like.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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, when the Food and Drug Administration rejected a bid by Lykos Therapeutics to approve the first-ever MDMA treatment for PTSD. The agency said it needed more research to show that the drug was safe and effective. The decision means that an active research community that has formed over the last few decades will likely continue as it started — more underground than above ground.On this episode, we look at the latest on psychedelics and mental health, along with the challenges to moving the research forward. We hear stories about the battle over MDMA, new questions about whether ketamine can actually help treat depression, and a group that says it's found the solution to cluster headaches in psilocybin.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 completely transformed the way we live and eat.A massive cold chain makes it possible to buy salmon from Alaska, grapes from Chile, and cheese from Italy; to have sushi in Kansas and ice cream in the summer. Air conditioning allows us to function and to be comfortable during the hot summer months. But it all comes at a cost, and not just financially. Refrigeration and air conditioning use a lot of energy, and that's a problem in our ever-warming world.On this episode, we look at how advances in cold technology have shaped our lives and changed the world — for better and for worse. We hear about working in a cold storage warehouse and the smell of frozen pizzas; about super-cold "blast" freezers that can bring us fresher seafood and reduce waste; and about the race to develop more sustainable air conditioners. We'll also find out what it actually looks like to have your body cryonically preserved.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 relationships and sense of self-worth — am I being a burden? Will they resent me later? What if they say no?And yet, the ability to ask for help is an important life skill that not only helps us survive, but can make us feel loved, supported and connected.On this episode, we hear stories about what happens when different people ask for help — from the struggles of a nurse and comedian to make herself vulnerable, to the dark side of GoFundMe, to how helpful a chatbot can really be for our mental health.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Before dinosaurs, before trees — even before Saturn had its rings – there were sharks. The fierce predators have been swimming in our oceans for hundreds of millions of years, standing the test of time as they survived all five of Earth's mass extinction events.Now, though, many of them face unprecedented threats, from overfishing to climate change. But there's a movement underway to protect sharks — and to change their public image, which suffered after the classic movie Jaws.On this episode, we explore the secret lives of sharks, and what can be done to help these ancient predators survive. We learn about the history of sharks, and what's made them so adaptable; hear about how some fishermen are helping to save them; and find out what the historical record can teach us about the largest, most fearsome shark to ever exist — the megalodon.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Health care is a billion dollar industry in the U.S. — one of the biggest in the country. The business aspect of medicine is an invisible force in the doctor's office that shapes treatment decisions and care. As patients, financial worries can affect whether we go to the doctor in the first place, make us suspicious of expensive procedures, or even cause us to turn down necessary care. And patients aren't the only ones worrying about money — on the provider side, everyone from doctors to hospitals to insurance companies are also weighing the costs and benefits of expensive tests and treatments, along with whether or not patients can pay.On this episode, we explore the complicated relationship between medicine and money, and how it affects patient care. We learn about the history of medical debt and why some patients end up in court over unpaid bills; we find out how financial incentives affect pharmaceutical companies' decisions about what treatments to develop; and we hear about a controversial practice that some are calling medical deportation.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's easy to forget that the earth below us is always changing and shifting — but sometimes, we get a dramatic demonstration of exactly that, like with the recent eruptions of a volcano in Iceland.Volcanoes can devastate and destroy, but they're also an integral part of our planet's history and even evolution. And the same goes for the rocks beneath our feet — they're ancient artifacts, historical records, time capsules filled with clues about Earth's past and its future.On this episode, we read into the geologic record — written in stone — to decipher the secrets it holds. We talk with an adventurous researcher, who explains how volcanoes helped shape our planet's evolution; we find out what we can learn from studying rocks; and hear about how rock collecting helped save one woman's life.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy