This Study Shows

Knowing how COVID-19 emerged is critical for informing global strategies to prevent future outbreaks. But the story of how it originated can differ wildly depending on who you ask.

In this special episode of This Study Shows, our hosts Mary-Ann Ochota and Danielle George, explore what the biggest science story of recent years can teach us about how science communication operates in society. Joining the discussion are Dr Benhur Lee, Professor of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York; journalist Ian Birrell; psychologist Professor Karen Douglas; and Yanzhong Huang, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

When we hear about the environment in the news, it's so often doom and gloom. But Dr. Nancy Knowlton knows that when people are presented with a huge problem without a solution, it leads to apathy instead of action. We partnered with Earth Optimism Alliance in this special episode to answer the question "why hope?," and to hear some beautiful success stories from around the world.

 

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Discover the truth about the viral fish-punching octopus. In this episode, we're talking to Eduardo Sampaio, the researcher whose latest paper shares surprising observations about feisty cephalopods. What happened next as the media took notice and started to ascribe human emotions and intentions to these sea creatures?

AI has come a long way (it even named this episode) but what does it have to do with science communication? We find the line between the present and the future as we explore how AI will affect science communication, and how has it already taken hold, with Mara Pometti, lead data strategist at IBM, and Professor Charlie Beckett, lead of JournalismAI at the London School of Economics.

 

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As Sarafina Nance (author, PhD student, science communicator extraordinaire) says, "people respond to seeing the human behind the science." So we spend an entire episode talking about science communication for a mass audience: the passion, the stereotypes, the need for community, and more.

We want to know what you think about This Study Shows! Take a short survey and help us make this podcast the best it can be.

In this episode we're talking to Professor Suxia Liu about what happened when she agreed to talk about her research with the media. Her team published a paper on polar drift, which went viral as proof that our climate crisis has tilted the axis of the Earth. But was her work misrepresented?

Have you ever been too embarrassed to ask a question? Or maybe you were ashamed? Grossed out? This episode digs into how science communication can help us understand those taboo subjects. Hear from Florence Schechter, founder of the Vagina Museum, Dr. Matt Ziegelmann, a urologist who specializes in erectile function, and Dr. Rachel Santymire, a wildlife physiologist who studies poop.

 

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Sometimes a tiny change can have a giant impact. In this call-in episode, we hear new ideas to change the science communication game. From the pitfalls of rainbow maps to getting rid of PDFs, we speak to Matt Hall, Paige Jarreau, Alberto Pepe, Crystal Emery, Ngozi Erondu, and Chelsie Boodoo about all the things they would change.

 

We want to know what you think about This Study Shows! Take a short survey and help us make this podcast the best it can be.

How do we get from a research article to an eye-catching headline in your local newspaper? Join Dr. Sammy (Dr. Samuel Ramsey) as he hosts our new This Study Shows: Spotlights and follows science communication in action. 

 

In this episode, we're talking to Dr. Martin Fisher, the author of a face mask study that went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic and fed into conversation about whether masks were truly effective or not, and Sarah Avery, the director of the Duke Health News Office who helped bring this research to the media.

Mary-Ann and Dan meet Dr Samuel Ramsey, the host of our new mini series This Study Shows: Spotlight. 

Whoever said knowledge is power was right. We look at what happens when evidence gets placed in the hands of local communities and the freedom it gives them. Hear Monica Ramirez Andreotta, the director of Project Harvest, Esther Ngumbi, the founder of Oyeska Greens, and Nigel Zhang and Yinuo Wang of My H2O discuss how their projects connect research and community.

 

We want to know what you think about This Study Shows! Take a short survey and help us make this podcast the best it can be. 

We might think that science and money have nothing to do with each other, but whether it's video games, consumer DNA kits, or even the concrete we build with, the connections are everywhere. Listen to Dr. Mitu Khandaker, Dr. John Orr, and Dr. Jason Vassy explore what happens when research and commercial interests collide.

Who tells the stories of science and who gets to learn from them? We’ve spent this year reckoning with inequity on all sides of research communication. From barriers that stop underserved communities from engaging with research, to biases that can exclude researchers from sharing their work. Listen to Dr. Sunshine Menezes, Executive Director of the Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island, Professor Chris Jackson, Imperial College London, Sibusiso Biyela, a science communicator and columnist, and Lewis Hou, founder of Science Ceilidh discuss inclusive science communication. 

 

And keep learning about these issues with the help of the resources below: 

The journey to change someone's mind is a long and winding road. It takes passion, resilience, and hope, as we learn from Juliana Chan, founder of Asian Scientist Magazine, Per Espen Stoknes, author of What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming, and James Honeyborne, producer of Blue Planet.

Presented by Mary-Ann Ochota and Professor Danielle George.

Produced by Listen Entertainment.

Vulnerability gives us power. Sharing science openly while embracing failure and critique is what makes research strong. Listen to what Rackeb Tasfeye, founder of Broad Science, Chris Banks, Director of Library Service at Imperial College London, and Kathryn Sharples, Senior Open Access Director at Wiley, have to say.

Presented by Mary-Ann Ochota and Professor Danielle George.

Produced by Listen Entertainment. 

Can laughter and research go hand in hand? Are creativity and imagination central to helping the public understand research? Dominic Walliman, author of Professor Astro Cat, Sophie Scott, neuroscientist and stand up comic, and Sathyaraj Venkatesan, a contributor to Graphic Medicine, are here to say yes. 

Presented by Mary-Ann Ochota and Professor Danielle George.

Produced by Listen Entertainment. 

You're standing in the wings, waiting to take the stage and share your story and your research with the world. Are you scared? After talking with Liz Neeley, Executive Director of the Story Collider, Kat Kerlin, press officer at UC Davis, and Irene Robles, creator of PubHD, we think that fear will turn into excitement.

Presented by Mary-Ann Ochota and Professor Danielle George.

Produced by Listen Entertainment. 

Our hypothesis: when people have the chance to participate in research, they understand it better and trust it more. Do the secrets to a more engaged public lie with Kolbi Brown, of the NIH's All of Us program, or Els Baeten, a citizen scientist at Galaxy Zoo, or with Sarah McAnulty, the founder of Skype a Scientist?

Presented by Mary-Ann Ochota and Professor Danielle George.

Produced by Listen Entertainment. 

We're back for season two and we want to know how science communication makes you feel. Empathy is the name of the game this season, as we explore why research sometimes makes people angry, why emotional connections lead to greater understanding, and why we should never forget about hope.

We've all had those frustrating conversations about whether or not the facts are the facts. Whether arguing over evidence feels like an interrogation or makes you feel like screaming into a pillow, our guests Naomi Oreskes, author of Why Trust Science, Rick Potts, Director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, and Jim Hilbert, of the Expert Witness Training Academy, have tips to help you win over your critics.

Presented by Mary-Ann Ochota and Professor Danielle George.

Produced by Listen Entertainment. 

In this special episode, we’re looking at the emotional impact of science communication during COVID-19. From the media’s responsibility to understand what they’re reporting to the best communication strategies to influence the public’s behavior, we’re talking about how research can have an impact.