''Science Vs'' is a science

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

created and hosted by

Wendy Zukerman Wendy Zukerman is an Australian-American science journalist and podcaster. She is best known as the host of ''Science Vs'', a program that dissects areas of scientific controversy and public confusion. About Zukerman was born in the United St ...

. The show takes a myth-busting approach to controversial topics and current events, with fact checking and research of the scientific literature, as well as interviewing relevant experts. A typical show will have over a hundred citations and involve background interviews of dozens of scientists in addition to the scientists who speak on the show.

History

The show was first produced and distributed in 2015 by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

(ABC) as part of ABC Radio's First Run podcast program. ''Science Vs'' was bought by

Gimlet Media Gimlet Media LLC is a digital media company and podcast network, focused on producing narrative podcasts and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The company was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, who serve as the company's CEO ...

, a Brooklyn-based digital media company. Originally, Zukerman had to do all the research herself, but under Gimlet she was able to hire a dedicated research team. Episode topics have included immigration, gun control, ghosts, climate change, acne, and antidepressants, among others. Zukerman has said that the idea for ''Science Vs'' came from news headlines about

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

wanting women to participate in a "health practice" of

vaginal steaming Vaginal steaming, sometimes shortened to V-steaming, and also known as wormwood steaming, is an alternative health treatment whereby a woman squats or sits over steaming water containing herbs such as mugwort, rosemary, wormwood, and basil. It ha ...

, which she thought could combine science with humor. Zukerman summarized her podcast's position against

false equivalence False equivalence is an informal fallacy in which an equivalence is drawn between two subjects based on flawed or false reasoning. This fallacy is categorized as a fallacy of inconsistency. Colloquially, a false equivalence is often called "com ...

s, saying, "If there's a 95 percent consensus among scientists, you report the consensus." In 2019 the show, along with other Gimlet Podcasts, was acquired by

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

. In February 2022 Zukerman announced that in response to

COVID-19 misinformation False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messaging ...

spread by

The Joe Rogan Experience ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It launched on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and producer until ...

, another Spotify podcast, Science Vs would suspend regular programming and air only shows that fact-check other Spotify podcasts. Zukerman called the platform's support of

Rogan Rogan is an Irish surname, deriving from the Irish ''Ó Ruadhagáin'', which can be loosely translated to mean "red-haired." History The clan is descended from one of the septs of Oriel which originated in Counties Armagh and Monaghan and part ...

's COVID-19 misinformation "a slap in the face" in an email to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. The February 25, 2022 episode of the podcast was devoted to refuting claims about the

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

made on an episode of Rogan's podcast by virologist Robert Malone.

Reception

The show was a 2020 nominee for a Podcast Award, and the host

is a nominee for a 2021 Podcast Academy " Ambie" Best Host Award. It was Spotify's #1 Science podcast in the US and #20 overall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Science Vs 2015 podcast debuts Audio podcasts Health and wellness podcasts

History

Reception

See also

References