Ep 70 Henrietta Lacks: HeLa, There, & Everywhere

Ep 70 Henrietta Lacks: HeLa, There, & Everywhere

Of the many topics our podcast has covered in the past, from smallpox to scurvy, vaccines to birth control and beyond, one factor has linked nearly all of them: HeLa cells. These cells and the woman from whom they were taken have often remained behind the scenes in the coverage of these topics, but they have nevertheless been absolutely fundamental in the development of technologies, the advancement of knowledge, and the discussions of ethics, ownership, and informed consent. In this week’s episode, we want to do more than acknowledge the contribution of Henrietta Lacks and her cells to the field of biomedical science. We want to explore what it is about HeLa cells and other cell lines that makes them ‘immortal’. We want to learn what Henrietta was like as a person. We want to ask how it was possible for her cells to be taken from her without her consent or knowledge. And we want to share the tremendous impact Henrietta and her cells have made and continue to make on our world in so many ways.

For more information about the Henrietta Lacks Foundation, check out the website.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ep 181 PCOS: Beyond the cysts

Ep 181 PCOS: Beyond the cysts

What’s in a name? What can you really tell from a label like “polycystic ovarian syndrome”? And how much of that is more misconception than truth? The answer, as it turns out, is the former. In this e...

8 Heinä 20251h 26min

Ep 180 Food Dyes: It’s all marketing

Ep 180 Food Dyes: It’s all marketing

This episode, we aren’t asking you to taste the rainbow, but we are scrutinizing the artificial dyes that give it its color. When you’re munching on brightly colored candies or dipping a french fry in...

1 Heinä 20251h 25min

Special Episode: Professor Steven Mithen & The Language Puzzle

Special Episode: Professor Steven Mithen & The Language Puzzle

From the earliest grunts and gestures to the complex sentences we use today to convey a multitude of concepts, language has evolved to become one of humanity’s most powerful tools. It allows us to con...

24 Kesä 202549min

Ep 179 Fluoride 2: Fighting tooth and nail

Ep 179 Fluoride 2: Fighting tooth and nail

In last week’s episode, we traced the history of fluoridation (and the anti-fluoridation movement) to its roots in the early 20th century, but we left you wondering whether there’s anything to back up...

17 Kesä 20251h 3min

Ep 178 Fluoride 1: The real tooth fairy

Ep 178 Fluoride 1: The real tooth fairy

Is it just us, or does it seem like every other week there’s a new headline about some state or town banning water fluoridation? As it turns out, this has been going on for decades, basically since fl...

10 Kesä 20251h 2min

Special Episode: Dr. Wendy Kline & Exposed

Special Episode: Dr. Wendy Kline & Exposed

For many of us, pelvic exams are a routine part of our healthcare. Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t await them with some dread or anxiety; naturally, these exams evoke a wide range of emotions. B...

3 Kesä 202556min

Ep 177 Toxic Shock Syndrome: A shock to the system

Ep 177 Toxic Shock Syndrome: A shock to the system

If you’ve ever read the little instructions pamphlet included in a box of tampons, you probably came across a paragraph calling attention to a condition called toxic shock syndrome (TSS). It describes...

27 Touko 20251h 25min

Ep 176 Strychnine: The WD-40 of Victorian Medicine

Ep 176 Strychnine: The WD-40 of Victorian Medicine

This week, we’re coming at you with a classic TPWKY episode on one of the most notorious poisons out there: strychnine. Although strychnine might not flash across too many headlines these days, it was...

20 Touko 20251h 19min

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