In this can’t-miss episode, expert Jimmy Waldron of Dinosaurs Will Always Be Awesome and guests William Gousios and Ashley Hamer answer pressing questions like: “What did dinosaurs sound like?” “Did T-Rex have luscious lizard lips?” and “What is a dinosaur anyway?” If you liked this episode, you can follow Jimmy Waldron on Twitter @JimmyWaldron. You can…
Author: In Plain English
Season 2, Episode 8: Can Psychedelics Treat Depression?
Interest in psychedelic therapy as a treatment for depression has been growing exponentially. But how do psychedelics leave a lasting impact on the brain, and why might this be useful for treating depression, anxiety, and similar conditions? Join expert Alex Kwan and guests Raven and Asmodeus to learn about the fascinating, long-lasting effects that psychedelic…
Season 2, Episode 7: What Causes Multiple Sclerosis?
Can a virus increase your risk for developing multiple sclerosis? Join expert Dr. Neuro and guests The Pop Historian and Andrew Jensen to learn about the surprising link between multiple sclerosis and Epstein-Barr Virus, one of the viruses that cause mono. If you liked this episode, you can follow Dr. Neuro on Twitter @neurofourier or…
Open Science Series: A Conversation with Bryan Copits
In this bonus episode on Open Science, I sit down with Dr. Bryan Copits, an early career researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. We talk about the barriers to publishing open access papers as early career scientists, the research-stifling effect exerted by the most “prestigious” journals, and what efforts are currently underway to promote…
Season 2, Episode 6: An Open Science Round Table
Currently, scientists need to pay to publish research and readers need to pay to access most research articles. This outdated approach to sharing science slows advancement by locking research behind paywalls, and prevents the public from being able to read the research that their tax dollars funded. In this round table, Sci-Hub founder Alexandra Elbakyan,…
Open Science Live Stream TOMORROW 2/27 @ 10 am ET
Tune in TOMORROW, February 27th at 10 am ET/9 am CT for the first ever In Plain English Live Stream! We will be hosting a round table discussion on Open Science and scientific publishing with the Editor-in-Chief of eLife, Michael Eisen; the founder of Sci-Hub, Alexandra Elbakyan; and WashU neuroscientist Bryan Copits. You can find the…
Season 2, Episode 5: Why Should I Care About Surface Tension?
What do the blood in your blood vessels, the waves on a beach, and bubbles from a bubble bath have in common? They’re all fluids, interacting with other fluids in complex ways that can be modeled by computers! Join expert Alex Barrett and guests Cole Barker and Christina Niavi to learn more about the important…
Bad Science: the Bogus Case for More Cops
In this bonus episode of In Plain English, I talk with defense lawyer Alec Karakatsanis about the paper “The Injustice of Under-policing in America,” by Christopher Lewis and Adaner Usmani. We cover the undisclosed assumptions, missing statistics, and cynical worldview behind this piece of propaganda masked as a scientific paper. You can read Alec’s response…
Bonus Episode: The Politics of Space
On this special episode of In Plain English, Brendan Ziebarth, Nick Wolslegel, and I talk about the political side of space travel: billionaire joy rides, corporate asteroid mining, climate impact, and more. This episode was inspired by our conversation on Season 1, Episode 4: Where did Earth’s Water Come From? You can listen to that…
Season 2, Episode 3: Virus Evolution: from Local Outbreak to Global Pandemic
Join expert SB Pye and guests Tania Lintz and Hannah Trettenero for a deep dive on virus outbreaks, and why some new viruses spread like wildfire while others peter out. If you liked this episode and want to learn more about viruses, you can send questions to SB at e.pye@wustl.edu, or submit them via the…
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