The Pulse

Space exploration relies heavily on the interest of the public — the voters, and taxpayers, who are ultimately footing the bill. But that support and excitement can be fickle. When space missions go well, and deliver new insights, the payoff is cheering crowds and increased support. But when they don’t, the result can be reduced funding, canceled missions — and even deaths.
That means, with each mission, the pressure is on to push boundaries, break new ground, and get everything right. Even a small mistake or malfunction could potentially lead to absolute disaster.
On this episode, we look back at three historic NASA missions and how they shaped the course of space exploration. From the awe-inspiring triumph of the first unmanned spacecraft landing on Mars in 1976, to a devastating national tragedy in 1986, to the long-game Pluto mission launched in 2006.

It was the mission that was supposed to reignite the public's interest in the work of NASA — the Space Shuttle Challenger, an orbiter that, in January 1986, would carry six astronauts and one civilian, a teacher named Christa McAuliffe, into space. But on the day of lift-off, tragedy struck — the Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members. We talk with author Adam Higginbotham about what led up to the mission, what went wrong, and the lasting impact it had on both NASA and the public's perception of space exploration. He’s the author of “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space.”

In 2006, NASA launched New Horizons — an interplanetary space probe slated to become the first spacecraft to perform a flyby of Pluto, a journey of roughly 10 years. Pulse reporter Alan Yu tells the story of the mission's difficult beginnings, what we learned, and the dramatic moment that almost derailed everything.

If you go by pop culture depictions, menopause seems like no big deal — a few hot flashes, some comical bouts of hormone-fueled rage, and the “big change,” as it was once called, is over. But for many of the 2 million American women who enter menopause each year, the symptoms can be a lot more serious and long-lasting, ranging from vertigo and joint pain to brain fog and heart problems.
On this episode, we take a deep dive into perimenopause and menopause – what’s going on biologically? What can be done to ease symptoms? And why do so many women struggle to receive help from their doctors?
We talk with menopause experts about hormone replacement therapy, and why it was demonized for many years; find out what researchers have discovered about the causes of brain fog; and hear about new efforts to deal with medically induced menopause.

In this excerpt from our live event, Reimagining Menopause, host Maiken Scott talks with two certified menopause providers — Robyn Faye, an OB-GYN at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, and Arina Chesnokova, assistant professor in of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine — about the ins and outs of hormone therapy, which symptoms it alleviates, when it’s safe and when it’s not. Watch the full discussion here.

Reporter Alan Yu talks with researchers about what’s behind one of the most vexing symptoms of menopause for many women — brain fog.

For women who have cancer when they’re younger, especially breast or ovarian cancer, chemotherapy and other medications needed to treat the disease can affect hormones - and suddenly plunge them into menopause, years before they might naturally experience it. We explore what their options are, and why so many say they were not prepared for this change.

Capsule wardrobes have become a popular way to streamline and organize your closet — basically, paring it down to a few staple pieces that you can combine in multiple ways, and freshen up with seasonal accessories. Registered Dietitian Jenn Salib Huber says this is how women should think about nutrition during perimenopause and menopause. Rather than obsessing over calorie counts and macronutrients, they should focus on staples like soy and fish that are not only delicious but can also alleviate symptoms like hot flashes or brain fog. Huber joins us to discuss her new cookbook, “Eat to Thrive During Menopause.” She offers advice for getting the most out of your meals, tells us which ingredients are “must-haves” during menopause, and shares some of her favorite recipes.

Think about the last time you were really happy — where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with? And, most importantly, how can you recreate that feeling?
Happiness can feel like lightning in a bottle — beautiful in the moment, but hard to find and harder yet to sustain. So what is it that makes for a happy life? And how do we engineer our lives for greater contentment, fulfillment, and joy?
On this episode: the science of happiness and how we can experience more of it every day. We talk with psychologist Eric Zillmer about why certain places bring us joy, and how to engineer happiness in our lives. We hear about one reporter’s experiment to bring more moments of serendipity in her life. And, writer Daniel Coyle explains why community is at the heart of what it means to flourish.
Drexel University psychologist Eric Zillmer created a “happiness map” of Philadelphia with the help of his students. He says it holds greater lessons on why certain places bring us joy, and how we can reverse-engineer happiness into our days. Zillmer directs the happiness lab at Drexel University.

Writer Daniel Coyle built his career on exploring what it is that makes people successful — but when both of his parents died a few years ago, Coyle found himself unmoored, questioning what makes for a happy and meaningful life. The resulting journey led to his newest book, “Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment.” We talk with Coyle why he says community is at the heart of flourishing, how to create the right conditions for happiness, and why he says life isn’t a treasure hunt — it’s the process of treasure creation.

For a lot of us, noise is a constant factor — an inescapable soundtrack playing on loop in the background. Kids screaming, sirens blaring, the roar of traffic, the sounds of music, lawn mowers, construction, and so much more.
We ignore it when we can, or wear headphones to block out the racket. But all that noise can actually damage our hearing and, subsequently, our overall health. 
On this encore episode, we explore what researchers are learning about the connections between noise, hearing loss, and our well-being. We find out whether constant headphone listening could put our hearing at risk, and why live concerts are so loud, along with how to protect your ears. Also, why stigma remains around hearing aids, even though so many people need them.
SHOW NOTES:
We talk with exposure scientist Rick Neitzel about the long-neglected topic of noise pollution and its effects on our health. He explains the physiological effects of noise, theories on how it causes harm, and some of the most common sources of damaging sound exposure.

Meg Wallhagen — a geriatric nurse practitioner and hearing loss researcher — explains age-related hearing loss, and why there still remains a stigma against hearing aids.