
The Pulse Archive
A look at how music affects our brains, and its power to treat illnesses ranging from Parkinson’s to depression.
Air Date: December 27, 2024
Listen 50:50Firefighting is a dangerous job. Now, there's growing awareness of an invisible risk: cancer
Philadelphia’s first female battalion chief, Linda Long, retired in 2023 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. She thinks it’s linked to years of toxic exposures.
6 days ago
Listen 9:53First Responders and the Toll on Their Health
We turn to first responders during emergencies — but who’s looking out for them? Understanding the mental and physical toll their work takes on their health.
Air Date: December 20, 2024
Listen 48:54Why are we so outraged all the time? We explore how outrage connects to fear and perceived harm.
Air Date: December 13, 2024
Listen 48:54Artificial voices sound like us, but they lack fundamental qualities of human speech
Professor of linguistics Emily Bender discusses the limitations of speech powered by LLMs and why it’s fundamentally different from human speech.
3 weeks ago
Listen 21:03How some endangered language speakers get creative with AI for preservation efforts
Revitalizing endangered Indigenous languages that have little or no digital presence is challenging with artificial intelligence—but not impossible.
3 weeks ago
Listen 11:05How AI and 40 years of recordings can help detect the subtle forces that shape how we speak
The Philadelphia Neighborhood Corpus collected more than 400 audio recordings to study spoken language. AI is helping researchers understand the data.
3 weeks ago
Listen 14:08Parrot or Prophet: How AI is Shaping Language
How AI-generated language is changing the world — from how we communicate, to what it means to be human.
Air Date: December 6, 2024
Listen 48:39When Being ‘Gifted’ No Longer Feels Like a Gift
We take a look at giftedness — how it’s defined, who qualifies as gifted, and how our understanding of giftedness is changing.
Air Date: November 29, 2024
Listen 48:31When holiday travel goes wrong: How flight crews deal with unruly passengers
Flying has gotten worse over the years — and so have passengers. An inside look at how aviation workers deal with angry customers
1 month ago
Listen 14:00How a turkey farmer dealt with an avian flu outbreak on Thanksgiving
The bird flu virus continues to spread around the world, including in mammals like cows. Scientists are worried it could become a human virus.
1 month ago
Listen 9:25Thanksgiving Disasters — And How to Avoid Them
We talk with experts ranging from food scientists to ER docs about how to avoid common Thanksgiving disasters.
Air Date: November 22, 2024
Listen 56:56The Threats Facing Trees — and How to Save Them
We look at the threats facing trees around the world, along with new efforts to save them — and help them survive and thrive.
Air Date: November 15, 2024
Listen 48:49The years-long quest to make an ‘artificial leaf’ as a promising fuel alternative
The artificial leaf was a vision for moving beyond fossil fuels. Researchers have since run into obstacles, but continue to push the field forward.
2 months ago
Listen 10:00Nature's grip: Scientist examines gecko feet to develop new medical adhesives
A Villanova University biologist is studying how geckos stick to surfaces in an effort to replicate this mechanism for new medical adhesives
2 months ago
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