The Pulse – May 9, 2014

When you consider the sizeable challenges faced by Camden, N.J.—poverty, drugs, and “white flight”—it may seem hard to believe, but it was once the Silicon Valley of its era. But some are hopeful that it could one day re-emerge as a tech hub with the right focus. We take a look at Camden’s past, and investigate whether a new generation of medical inventions can bring the struggling city back from the brink.

Resident physicians famously work very long hours, but some still find time to engage in issues that are important to them. Jefferson Hospital pediatrics resident Dr. Kanani Titchen was just recognized for her “extracurricular activities” with the $25,000 Medelita Hero award for her research on child sex trafficking. She sat down with us this week to talk more about that effort.

There’s little debate that a dad’s consistent presence makes children’s lives better. It’s less clear if you can actually, effectively teach fathers to be involved. Even though there isn’t much research on outcomes, many people are big supporters of “responsible fatherhood” programs. To see how they work, we stopped by the West Philadelphia YMCA and joined a class already in session.

Broadway singers usually perform eight shows a week, with just Mondays off. For the stars of the show, that can mean belting for several hours almost every night. Given that brutal schedule, you might think Broadway performers take extra care to keep their voices healthy, but a new survey suggests that’s not the case. We take a look at how these singers keep their instruments—namely, their voices—finely tuned.

Temple University researchers are in the Gulf of Mexico right now, studying the effects of ocean acidification on the deep sea. Temple University Marine Biologist Erik Cordes is one of them, and we called him up while he was in the three-man submersible Alvin to get a description of the state of deep-sea coral reefs first hand.

Also on the show: white nose syndrome in bats, penguin flu, and using blood from young mice to rejuvenate older ones. 

Music from today’s show: 

“Glory Days” – 4:15Bruce SpringsteenAlbum      Born in the U.S.A.Label Columbia

“Rave: String Quartet in F major (1903) 2. Assez vif. Tres rythme” – 6:18Quatuor YasyeAlbum      Ravel, Debussy: String QuartetsLabel Decca

“Big Shot” – 3:49Dr. JohnAlbum      Locked DownLabel        Nonesuch Records

“Just Like I Pictured It” – 3:27Medeski Martin & WoodAlbum      CombusticationLabel        Blue Note Records

“Sleeping Lessons” – 3:58The ShinsAlbum      Wincing the Night AwayLabel        Sub Pop

“I’m So Sleepy” – 2:24Cat StevensAlbum      New MastersLabel        Deram Records

“Fur Hildegard von Bingen” – 2:36Devendra BanhartAlbum      MalaLabel Nonesuch

“Ice Age” – 4:24Dr. JohnAlbum      Locked DownLabel        Nonesuch Records