How the heart actually pumps blood
AdultsBiologyHealthHumanScienceFor most of history, scientists weren't quite sure why our hearts were beating or even what purpose they served. Eventually, we realized that these thumping organs serve the vital task of pumping clean blood throughout the body. But how? Edmond Hui investigates how it all works by taking a closer look at the heart's highly efficient ventricle system.
The Science of Heartbreak
AdultsRelationshipsSciencePsychologyHealthWhy is a 'broken heart' so painful?
Why Vaccines Work
AdultsHealthHistoryScienceSocietyEducationAs more and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children or are vaccinating them later, diseases like measles are making a comeback. Are vaccines safe? How do they work? This week we look at why are people afraid of something that has saved so many lives, and look at the history and science of vaccines.
Why are my ears ringing?
AdultsHealthScienceNeuroscienceHumanA weekly show where we endeavor to answer one of your big questions. This week, Emma R. asks, "Why do I get that weird ringing noise in my ears?"
Do your organs grow with you?
AdultsHealthHumanBiologyNeuroscienceThis week, Jen Alexander asks, "Do your organs grow with you?"
Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors?
AdultsGadgetsHealthTechnologyScienceDo cell phones cause brain tumors? Conflicting results are resolved by looking at the big picture.
How a wound heals itself
AdultsBiologyHealthHumanWellnessScienceOur skin is the largest organ in our bodies, with a surface area of about 20 square feet in adults. When we are cut or wounded, our skin begins to repair itself through a complex, well-coordinated process. Sarthak Sinha takes us past the epidermis and into the dermis to investigate this regenerative response.
How do pain relievers work?
AdultsHealthScienceBiologySome people take aspirin or ibuprofen to treat everyday aches and pains, but how exactly do the different classes of pain relievers work? Learn about the basic physiology of how humans experience pain, and the mechanics of the medicines we've invented to block or circumvent that discomfort.
What are those floaty things in your eye?
AdultsBiologyNeuroscienceHealthSometimes, against a uniform, bright background such as a clear sky or a blank computer screen, you might see things floating across your field of vision. What are these moving objects, and how are you seeing them? Michael Mauser explains the visual phenomenon that is floaters.
This double amputee can control two robotic arms with his mind
AdultsBiotechnologyDisabilityTechnologyHealthScienceA Colorado man made history at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) this summer when he became the first bilateral shoulder-level amputee to wear and simultaneously control two of the Laboratory's Modular Prosthetic Limbs.
Derby the dog: Running on 3D Printed Prosthetics
AdultsAnimalsBiotechnologyDisabilityTechnologyHealthSee how unique, custom 3D printed prosthetics allow Derby the dog to run for the first time.
How does your brain respond to pain?
AdultsHealthNeurosciencePsychologyEveryone experiences pain -- but why do some people react to the same painful stimulus in different ways? And what exactly is pain, anyway? Karen D. Davis walks you through your brain on pain, illuminating why the "pain experience" differs from person to person.
Bionic Eye Allows A Blind Man To See After 33 Years.
AdultsBiotechnologyDisabilityHealthScienceLarry Hester, 66, has been blind for half his life from a condition called retinitis pigmentosa. In September, 2014, an electronic stimulator was surgically implanted in his left eye. On October 1st, 2014 Duke eye surgeon Dr. Paul Hahn turned it on for the first time. While the device does not restore vision in the normal sense, it provides light-and-darkness differentiation.