Videos

In 2021 the search phrase “what precious metal is in a catalytic converter” saw a more than 5,000 percent increase in use. Here’s why.

The future of these guardians of the forest, some thousands of years old, is not assured

Lost Women of Science digs deep to uncover stories of scientists that have long been overlooked

It governs a lot of your digital life these days, but the story of where it first materialized is likely deeper than you know. 

There’s a good possibility that at least one of the dishes you eat this holiday will contain a gelling agent. But what is that, exactly? A new video series from Scientific American and Spektrum der Wissenschaft gives you a serving of science. 

In our final episode, we explore pathologist Dorothy Andersen’s legacy—what she left behind and how her work has lived on since her death. Describing her mentor’s influence on her life and career, pediatrician Celia Ores gives us a rare look into what Andersen was really like. We then turn to researchers, doctors and patients, who fill us in on the progress that has grown from Andersen’s initial work. These major developments include the discovery of the cystic fibrosis gene, the tremendous impact of the drug Trikafta and the potential of lifesaving gene-editing techniques

For decades, assumptions about weight have clouded our view of health

A missing portrait of physician and pathologist Dorothy Andersen takes us on a journey into the perils of memorialization—and who gets to be remembered. Pediatric intensivist Scott Baird hunts for the portrait, and psychiatry resident Nientara Anderson and emergency medicine resident Lizzy Fitzsousa, both former medical students at Yale University, explain how, in today’s diverse communities, “dude walls” can have an insidious effect on those who walk past them every day

A passionate outdoorswoman, a “rugged individualist” and a bit of an enigma—the few traces Dorothy Andersen left behind give us glimpses into who she was. In this episode, we track down people determined to stitch together her life. Our associate producer Sophie McNulty rummages through the basement of one of Andersen’s colleagues for clues about the elusive pathologist. Meanwhile, in Manhattan, N.Y., pediatric intensivist Scott Baird suggests we take a second look at the conventional wisdom surrounding the evolution of cystic fibrosis research in the 1950s. This is the Lost Women of Science podcast

Our electric grid is old and fraying, but new technology could insulate us from the possibility of widespread blackouts and cyberattacks.

When physician and pathologist Dorothy Andersen confronted a slew of confounding infant deaths, she suspected the accepted diagnosis wasn’t right. Her medical sleuthing led to the world’s understanding of cystic fibrosis, a disease that affects the lungs, the pancreas and a host of other organs. But she is by no means a household name. Who was this scientist, and how did she come to quietly make such an important medical contribution? This is the Lost Women of Science podcast

You see it mentioned in countless phone commercials, and your phone might use it. But do you know how it works?