The US supreme court has preserved nationwide access to mail-order abortion pills – for now. As Carter Sherman explains, the fight to protect this medication is far from over, as a nationwide, near-total abortion ban could be on the horizon. Carter speaks with Dr Angel Foster, co-founder of the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, who reveals ho ... Show More
May 26
Red-light masks: can they really slow ageing?
Home red-light therapy devices have exploded in popularity as masks, body wraps and mittens promise to reduce wrinkles, redness and even acne. But do the claims stack up, and what other benefits are scientists investigating? Ian Sample hears from his co-host, Madeleine Finlay, an ... Show More
14m 25s
Sep 2025
How chatbots — and their makers — are enabling AI psychosis
Verge senior AI reporter Hayden Field and New York Times reporter Kashmir Hill discuss the significant mental health impact AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, can have on users — both people in crisis, and also people who seemed stable. This episode contains non-detailed discussions o ... Show More
50m 11s
Oct 2024
Stijn Vanheule, "Why Psychosis Is Not So Crazy: A Road Map to Hope and Recovery for Families and Caregivers" (Other Press, 2024)
Today I talked with Stijn Vanheule about Why Psychosis Is Not So Crazy: A Road Map to Hope and Recovery for Families and Caregivers (Other Press, 2024). Are we all a little crazy? Roughly 15 percent of the population will have a psychotic experience, in which they lose contact wi ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2018
Schizophrenia with Dr. Cummings: Controversies, Brain Science, Crime, History, Exercise, Successful Treatment
In this episode, Dr. Puder addresses the fascinating realm of schizophrenia with Dr. Cummings, a previous guest in the show. Dr. Cummings is a psychiatrist with a wealth of experience from working at Patton State Hospital in California, one of the biggest forensic hospitals in th ... Show More
57m 27s
Feb 2025
Steven Lesk, "Footprints of Schizophrenia: The Evolutionary Roots of Mental Illness" (Prometheus, 2023)
Of all the mental illnesses, schizophrenia eludes us the most. No matter the strides scientists have made in neurological research nor doctors have made in psychiatric treatment, schizophrenia remains misunderstood, almost complacently mythologized. Without a reason for the illne ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 2025
AI Chatbots: Are They Dangerous?
Many of us use artificial intelligence for help with research, work, or creative projects. But some people are getting a LOT more personal with their AI chatbots. We’re hearing stories of people treating their chatbot like a friend, or something more than a friend — with some peo ... Show More
40m 50s