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The Pulse

The Pulse Archive

Man behind the glass
The Pulse
Science

Searching for Ghosts: The Quest to Prove the Paranormal

From ghosts to ESP, a look at paranormal phenomena and the investigators who chase them.

Air Date: October 24, 2025

Listen 50:04
WHYY’s the Pulse reporter Alan Yu receives his influenza vaccine at a Vybe urgent care center in Philadelphia. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
The Pulse
Health

Why urgent care clinics, once derided as ‘doc in a box,’ have spread like wildfire

The number of urgent care centers in the U.S. have doubled, from more than 7,000 to more than 14,000 over the last decade or so.

5 days ago

Listen 9:42
Over the past decade or two, the number of urgent care centers in the U.S. have doubled — in part, because they fill a void in the health care market, offering fast and convenient care to patients who would otherwise face long wait times at the ER, and longer wait times to see a primary care physician.  (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
The Pulse
Health

Inside the Boom of Urgent Care: How It’s Changing American Medicine

We take a look at the rapid rise of urgent care, what’s fueling it, and how it’s affecting patients

Air Date: October 17, 2025

Listen 48:55
David Fajgenbaum
The Pulse

How David Fajgenbaum Found His Own Treatment & Launched Every Cure

What if treatments or even cures for devastating rare diseases already existed — and were just waiting to be discovered? On this podcas ...

Air Date: October 14, 2025

Listen 23:03
Taking breaks from work is essential to maintaining focus — but what you do on those breaks can make a big difference in how restorative they are. In his research, environmental neuroscientist Marc Berman has found that spending time in nature is one of the best ways of improving attention, cognitive function, and behavior. (Bigstock/Mihailo K)
The Pulse
Science

Finding Focus in the Age of Distraction

Why “touching grass” is actually good advice when it comes to taking a break and restoring focus.

Air Date: October 10, 2025

Listen 50:33
In India, the human-elephant conflict is a growing phenomenon of dangerous interactions between humans and wild Asian elephants. The conflict is driven by habitat loss and human expansion. (Courtesy of Kim Frank)
The Pulse
Science

Chasing giants: One writer’s journey to bring nuance to India’s wild elephant conflict

About 10 years ago, writer Kim Frank set out to learn why wild elephants were trampling people in India. She revealed a complex human-wildlife conflict.

3 weeks ago

The brilliantly colored golden toad — found only in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in the Tilarán Mountains of Costa Rica — was last spotted in 1989 and then never seen again. (Martha Crump)
The Pulse
Science

The Search for the Golden Toad and Other Adventures in the Wild

Tales of adventure in search of lost and elusive species, from the golden toad to India’s wild elephants.

Air Date: October 3, 2025

Listen 50:33
In 2009, Tracey Yukich Lane competed in Reality TV Show 'The Biggest Loser.' (Courtesy of Yukich Lane)
The Pulse
Health

Surviving ‘The Biggest Loser’: Tracey Yukich Lane's untold story

16 years after "The Biggest Loser", Tracey Yukich Lane opens up about her experience, being painted a villain, and keeping the weight off.

4 weeks ago

Listen 18:05
Weight scale with a measuring tape. Bathroom Scale with a measur
The Pulse
Science

Lessons on Weight Loss from ‘The Biggest Loser’

What The Biggest Loser taught us about metabolism, shedding pounds — and what it takes to keep weight off.

Air Date: September 26, 2025

Listen 59:02
Two trees, one living and one dead facing each other
The Pulse
Health

Different Patients, Different Outcomes

A look at some of the recently discovered factors that shape health, disease, and survival.

Air Date: September 19, 2025

Listen 59:02
Muscle drawing
The Pulse
Health

The Science and Beauty of Muscles

A celebration of muscles — from their beauty and biology, to the history of how weightlifting went mainstream.

Air Date: September 12, 2025

Listen 50:04
Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson are just one of several celebrity odd couples that have kept the internet buzzing this summer. They're pictured here at the New York premiere of
The Pulse
Science

Podcast Extra: Odd Couples and the Science of Attraction

An exploration of the mysteries of attraction and the science of optimizing online dating.

Air Date: September 9, 2025

Listen 37:17
Map of Mars
The Pulse
Science

Mars Mania: How America Became Obsessed with Mars

Tracing the history of our obsession with Mars, from modern efforts to colonize to belief in a Martian civilization.

Air Date: September 5, 2025

Listen 50:03
Constant pressure to be more productive — especially at work — can cause declining performance and even burnout. That's led some thinkers in the field to push for an updated idea of what true productivity should look like. (Bigstock/Prostock-studio)
The Pulse
Science

Why It’s Time to Rethink Productivity

It’s something we’ve all said to ourselves at some time or other: “I just have to get through this week” — as if next week will ...

Air Date: August 29, 2025

Listen 50:03
Emergency medicine physician Kenny Banh measures a patient’s blood pressure. (Courtesy of UCSF Fresno)
The Pulse
Health

Amid fears of ICE raids, one California doctor is meeting farmworkers where they are

Mobile HeaL brings health care directly to farm workers and trains physicians in Fresno County.

2 months ago

Listen 08:33
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