The Pulse
NPR
Go on an adventure into unexpected corners of the health and science world each week with award-winning host Maiken Scott. The Pulse takes you behind the doors of operating rooms, into the lab with some of the world's foremost scientists, and back in time to explore life-changing innovations. The Pulse delivers stories in ways that matter to you, and answers questions you never knew you had.
Radio: WHYY 91 FM
Categories: Science & Medicine
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In January 1995, the New York Times Magazine published a bombshell story with the headline: "THE GREAT IVY LEAGUE NUDE POSTURE PHOTO SCANDAL." The article revealed that, from the 1940s through the 1960s, elite colleges had taken naked photos of thousands of freshmen, including future luminaries like George Bush, Bob Woodward, Meryl Streep, and Hillary Rodham. For years, the schools had teemed with anxious, tawdry rumors about both the purpose and fate of the photos. Who had them? What were they really for? And where did they end up?
On this episode, we get the real story behind the photos from science historian Beth Linker, whose new book, "Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America," dives deep into the era's widespread obsession with standing up straight, and how researchers tried to connect posture to people's health and character. We also hear from historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela about how America came to be both more obsessed with exercise than ever — and, yet, also unhealthier. Her book is "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession"
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Previous episodes
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697 - Rediscovering America's War on Bad Posture Fri, 03 May 2024
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690 - The Lasting Impacts of COVID-19 Fri, 15 Mar 2024
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687 - Atomic Angst and the Teenage Spy Fri, 01 Mar 2024
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686 - Bodies for Science Fri, 23 Feb 2024
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685 - All the Rage Fri, 16 Feb 2024
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684 - The Mysteries of Attraction Fri, 09 Feb 2024
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683 - Setting the Medical Record Straight Fri, 02 Feb 2024
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682 - Inside Facebook: A Conversation with Jeff Horwitz Wed, 31 Jan 2024
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681 - Facebook at 20 Fri, 26 Jan 2024
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679 - When Healing Happens But We Don't Know Why Fri, 19 Jan 2024
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678 - How to Live with Uncertainty Fri, 12 Jan 2024
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677 - Virtual Worlds, Virtual Lives Fri, 05 Jan 2024
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676 - The Transformative Power of Awe Fri, 22 Dec 2023
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675 - Why We Love and Hate Exercising — And How to Do It Either Way Fri, 29 Dec 2023
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674 - The Blurred Line Between Life and Death Fri, 15 Dec 2023
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673 - Lowering Barriers to Care Fri, 08 Dec 2023
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672 - Uncovering the Inner Workings of the Oceans Fri, 01 Dec 2023
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670 - How Gene Therapy is Offering Hope — Once Again Fri, 24 Nov 2023
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669 - Changing Tastes Fri, 17 Nov 2023
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668 - Salty, Crunchy, and Addictive: A Physician's Fight Against Ultra-Processed Foods Wed, 15 Nov 2023
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667 - Getting Better at Resolving Conflicts Fri, 10 Nov 2023
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665 - How We Talk About Death Fri, 27 Oct 2023
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664 - How UFOs Went from Fringe to Mainstream Fri, 20 Oct 2023
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663 - Shame and Blame: How Stigma Impacts Health Fri, 13 Oct 2023
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662 - How Science is Transforming Weight Loss Fri, 06 Oct 2023
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661 - Space Pioneers Fri, 29 Sep 2023
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660 - Boredom in the Age of Information Overload Fri, 22 Sep 2023
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659 - Face Recognition and What it Means for our Privacy Wed, 20 Sep 2023
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658 - How Art and Science Intersect Fri, 15 Sep 2023
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657 - Finding Happiness Fri, 08 Sep 2023
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656 - Helping Teens Navigate Mental Health Challenges Fri, 01 Sep 2023
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655 - Remote Working vs. the Office — Which is Better? Fri, 25 Aug 2023
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654 - Bringing Physics from Theory to Practice Fri, 18 Aug 2023
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653 - Will A.I. Take Your Job — or Make It Better? Fri, 11 Aug 2023
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652 - Skin Care and the Quest for Eternal Youth Fri, 04 Aug 2023
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651 - What's Behind Health Care Shortages? Fri, 28 Jul 2023
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650 - Searching for Utopia Fri, 21 Jul 2023
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649 - Behind the Scenes — Challenges in Medicine Fri, 14 Jul 2023
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648 - Inside the Minds of Thrill Seekers Fri, 07 Jul 2023
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647 - Degrees of Freedom Fri, 30 Jun 2023
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646 - Buried Secrets, Buried Waste Fri, 23 Jun 2023
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645 - Black Health: Finding Solutions to End Disparities Fri, 16 Jun 2023