Science Vs

The U.S. just made a big change to its vaccine recommendations, cutting back on the number of shots it will routinely recommend for kids. The government says it wants to "better align" with countries like Denmark. But is following Denmark’s lead a fairy tale come true — or a nightmare in slow motion? Plus, we find out what this new schedule could mean for kids’ vaccines in the U.S. We hear from Professor Jens Lundgren and pediatrician and researcher David Higgins. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsVaccineSchedules  In this episode, we cover: (00:00) The growing turmoil around vaccines in the U.S. (02:20) Why did the CDC change its vaccine recommendations? (07:29) Vaccines, the Danish way (16:20) Should the U.S. copy Denmark’s vaccine schedule? (20:22) How bad is this? (22:03) RSV: A case study in confusion (28:27) What should parents do now? This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell and Meryl Horn with help from Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Additional research help from Erica Akiko Howard. Our executive producer is Wendy Zukerman. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks very much to the Unbiased Science network, who connected us with David Higgins. They’ve been doing some amazing work on trying to explain what’s going on with the U.S. and vaccines. Unbiased Science — check out their podcast and their socials. Thanks very much to all the scientists we spoke to and emailed with about these changes. And special thanks to Bernadette Sciandra and Laurence Horn.  Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People swear that weird stuff goes down on a full moon. In fact, even SERIOUS folks like the nerds who work in ERs will tell you that something is off about those nights. And what’s amazing is that science has actually looked at this. And … there is some weird stuff here! From animals to ERs to our circadian rhythms to our menstrual cycles, we’ll find out — is something afoot during a full moon? We talk to Emeritus Prof. of emergency medicine Dr. Wendy Coates and circadian rhythm researchers Prof. Horacio de la Iglesia, Prof. Kristin Teßmar-Raible, and Prof. Charlotte Helfrich-Förster.  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsFullMoon  In this episode, we cover: (00:00) What do people think the full moon is doing to us? (03:54) How the moon influences animals (07:47) Does the full moon make ERs busier? (15:09) Does the full moon affect our sleep? (22:11) HOW is the full moon messing with us? (31:05) Does the full moon affect our menstrual cycles? This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Fact checking by Marlowe Starling. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wylie, and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode, including Dr. Ron Flick, Dr. Michael Smolensky, Michael Bevington, Dr. Laurel Symes, Professor Laura Prugh, and Dr. Maarten Nijsten. Special thanks to Kevin Walsh and all the folks who chatted with me about the full moon.  Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices