A perfect storm of factors has led to huge racial disparities in maternal healthcare. In the U.S., as abortion clinics continue to close, this inequity is projected to widen. In this podcast from Nature and Scientific American , we hear from leading academics unpacking the racism at the heart of the system. From the historical links between slavery and gynec ... Show More
Oct 8
Chris Hadfield’s Fictional Universe Is Rooted in Real Space History
What happens when a real-life astronaut turns to fiction? In this episode, Chris Hadfield shares how decades of spaceflight and global diplomacy inspired his latest novel, Final Orbit, a cold war thriller packed with historical intrigue and technical precision. Host Rachel Feltma ... Show More
10m 52s
Oct 6
Enceladus’s Alien Ocean, Ancient Fungi and the Flavor of Influenza
Saturn’s moon Enceladus reveals complex organic molecules that could hint at extraterrestrial life. Researchers also uncover fungi’s ancient reign over Earth and warn that second COVID infections may pose greater risks to young people. Plus, ants ferment yogurt, and flu detection ... Show More
9m 47s
Jul 2023
The Black Maternal Mortality Crisis and Why It Remains an Issue
The U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate of high-income countries globally, and the numbers have only grown. According to a new study published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association – maternal death rates remain the highest among Black women, and those hi ... Show More
15m 24s
Oct 2019
Canaries in the Mine: Latham Thomas on Doula Work and Maternal Mortality Rates in the U.S.
We are a country built upon a foundation of slavery, and the truth is that that has affected every aspect of our culture. We live in an era of #blacklivesmatter and #metoo, spurred by the need to, once and for all, stare down the face of inequality, of institutionalized racism, s ... Show More
37m 16s
Mar 2023
This Racism Is Killing Me Inside
This week, we revisit an episode from 2018 that looks into how discrimination not only degrades your health, but can cost you your life. We hear the story of Shalon Irving, who died after giving birth to her daughter. Black women like her are 243 percent more likely than white wo ... Show More
29m 18s
Jul 2019
How we can improve maternal healthcare -- before, during and after pregnancy | Elizabeth Howell
Shocking, but true: the United States has the highest rate of deaths for new mothers of any developed country -- and 60 percent of them are preventable. With clarity and urgency, physician Elizabeth Howell explains the causes of maternal mortality and shares ways for hospitals an ... Show More
15m 18s