In Plain English: Science Made Simple

I chatted with William Ngiam of the ReproducibiliTEA podcast about scientific rigor and reproducibility, and the daunting, exciting, creative work of making science better. If you liked this episode, check out Will & co. on the ReproducibiliTEA podcast! 2024 has already been hectic, but I hope to be back next week with more SfN Shorts! In Plain English now has a Discord server! Join  ⁠here ⁠ t...

Play along with Rigor Jeopardy ! featuring the wonderful folks at Community for Rigor ! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year! In Plain English will return with a full length episode on January 2nd, 2024! Remember to follow In Plain English on  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ,  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , and  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, plea...

Last month, I attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, DC and interviewed neuroscientists from across the world about their research. This is the third in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. You can find Parts 1 and 2 here and here . I hope that these interviews showcase just how broad a field neuroscience is...

Last month, I attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, DC and interviewed neuroscientists from across the world about their research. This is the second in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. You can find Part 1 here . I hope that these interviews showcase just how broad a field neuroscience is, and just how...

Last month, I attended the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, DC and interviewed neuroscientists from across the world about their research. This is the first in a multi-part series called "SfN Shorts" that features these brief (5-10 minute) discussions. I hope that these interviews showcase just how broad a field neuroscience is, and just how many different kinds of rese...

What is CRISPR gene editing, and how can it help us understand how the brain works? Join me and my guests Dong-gyu Kim and Rachel Privett to learn about how neuroscience researchers use CRISPR today, and how gene editing might be used in the future! This episode is based on my first paper in the Copits lab, available now on BioRxiv: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.10.561249v1 Downl...

The past year has brought exciting advances in nuclear fusion, bringing us closer than ever to a fusion-powered future. So how close are we to achieving viable nuclear fusion, and what are some of the hidden challenges to overcome before we get there? Join expert Daniel Mulrow and guest Ryan Perez to answer these and more questions about nuclear fusion. Read the articles here: https://inplainengli...

How can we use computers to learn more about the brain? Join expert Dr. Eric Yttri and guest Sarah Brown to learn about how open source machine learning algorithms are revolutionizing neuroscience! You can download the paper here: ⁠ https://inplainenglishpod.org/2023/09/07/season-2-episode-12-machine-learning-revolutionizing-neuroscience/ If you liked this episode, check out Sarah's podcast ⁠T...

What is "benevolent" sexism and does it predict opposition to abortion rights? Join expert Abby, of Political Psych with Abby , and guest Rebekah to discuss the links between hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, abortion rights, and motherhood. You can download the paper here:  https://inplainenglishpod.org/2023/08/01/season-2-episode-11-benevolent-sexism-abortion-and-motherhood/ If you li...

In this episode I discuss the new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics on treatments for childhood obesity with expert Dr. Nicole Cifra and guest Brad Hicks. Content note: This episode contains discussions of eating disorders and weight stigma. You can download the guidelines and supporting documents here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2023/07/06/season-2-episode-10-new-guidelines-fo...

In this can't-miss episode, expert Jimmy Waldron of Dinosaurs Will Always Be Awesome and guests William Gousios and Ashley Hamer answer pressing questions like: "What did dinosaurs sound like?" "Did T-Rex have luscious lizard lips?" and "What is a dinosaur anyway?" Download the paper here: https://inplainenglishpod.org/2023/06/06/season-2-episode-9-what-did-dinosa...

Interest in psychedelic therapy as a treatment for depression has been growing exponentially. But how do psychedelics leave a lasting impact on the brain, and why might this be useful for treating depression, anxiety, and similar conditions? Join expert Alex Kwan and guests Raven and Asmodeus to learn about the fascinating, long-lasting effects that psychedelic drugs have on the brain. If you like...

Can a virus increase your risk for developing multiple sclerosis? Join expert Dr. Neuro and guests The Pop Historian and Andrew Jensen to learn about the surprising link between multiple sclerosis and Epstein-Barr Virus, one of the viruses that cause mono. If you liked this episode, you can follow Dr. Neuro on Twitter @neurofourier or on Twitch at twitch.tv/dr_neuro . Also, be sure to check out Th...

In this bonus episode on Open Science, I sit down with Dr. Bryan Copits, an early career researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. We talk about the barriers to publishing open access papers as early career scientists, the research-stifling effect exerted by the most "prestigious" journals, and what efforts are currently underway to promote Open Science. This episode is a follow-up to last...

Currently, scientists need to pay to publish research and readers need to pay to access most research articles. This outdated approach to sharing science slows advancement by locking research behind paywalls, and prevents the public from being able to read the research that their tax dollars funded.  In this round table, Sci-Hub founder Alexandra Elbakyan, eLife Editor-in-Chief Michael Eisen,...

Tune in TOMORROW, February 27th at 10 am ET/9 am CT for the first ever In Plain English Live Stream! We will be hosting a round table discussion on Open Science and scientific publishing with the Editor-in-Chief of eLife, Michael Eisen; the founder of Sci-Hub, Alexandra Elbakyan; and WashU neuroscientist Bryan Copits. You can find the live stream at this link: https://youtube.com/live/4oiTDnGmWXs...

What do the blood in your blood vessels, the waves on a beach, and bubbles from a bubble bath have in common? They're all fluids, interacting with other fluids in complex ways that can be modeled by computers! Join expert Alex Barrett and guests Cole Barker and Christina Niavi to learn more about the important role surface tension plays in interactions between fluids, and the many important applic...

In this bonus episode of In Plain English, I talk with defense lawyer Alec Karakatsanis about the paper "The Injustice of Underpolicing in America," by Christopher Lewis and Adaner Usmani. We cover the undisclosed assumptions, missing statistics, and cynical worldview behind this piece of propaganda masked as a scientific paper. You can find the paper, Alec's response , and the authors' rebuttal o...

On this special episode of In Plain English, Brendan Ziebarth, Nick Wolslegel, and I talk about the political side of space travel: billionaire joy rides, corporate asteroid mining, climate impact, and more. This episode was inspired by our conversation on Season 1, Episode 4: Where did Earth's Water Come From? You can listen to that episode here . You can find the sources we referenced in our con...

Join expert SB Pye and guests Tania Lintz and Hannah Trettenero for a deep dive on virus outbreaks, and why some new viruses spread like wildfire while others peter out. You can download this paper on our website here . If you liked this episode and want to learn more about viruses, you can send questions to SB at e.pye@wustl.edu , or submit them via the Continue the Conversation tab on our websit...

Join expert Christina Niavi and guests Alex Barrett and David Latchman to learn what happens to our immune cells during chronic infections and cancer, and how we can harness our understanding of the immune system to develop better treatments for these diseases.  You can download this paper on our website here . If you liked this episode, be sure to follow Christina Niavi on Twitter @Christina...

Join expert Alex Albury and guests SB Pye and Sasha Dmytrenko to find out what kinds of music make us want to tap our feet, and why! You can download this paper for free on our website . If you liked this episode, be sure to follow Alex Albury on Twitter @albury_alex and check out his recent article in the conversation on why you know more about music than you think: https://theconversation.com/yo...

Join expert Vera Thornton and guests Doris Meinerding and Hannah Waterhouse for Part 2 of a thought-provoking look "behind the scenes" of scientific research, to answer the question "Why are research findings sometimes wrong?" Remember to follow In Plain English on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider becoming a Patron to hel...

Join expert Vera Thornton and guests Doris Meinerding and Hannah Waterhouse for Part 1 of a thought-provoking look "behind the scenes" of scientific research, to answer the question "Why are research findings sometimes wrong?" Part 2 will air on the first Tuesday of September. Remember to follow In Plain English on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram to keep up with the latest announcements! If you...

Join expert Hilary Agro and guests Vera Thornton and Brigid Lydon as they discuss the far-reaching impacts of the drug war and the importance of harm reduction. You can download the paper on our website . Remember to follow In Plain English on  Facebook  ,  Twitter , and  Instagram  to keep up with the latest announcements! If you are able, please consider becoming a Patro...