Dr. Steven Novella from "The Skeptics Guide to the Universe" (B&I 16)

/
steve_bw.jpg Episode 16 of Books and Ideas is a conversation with Dr. Steven Novella from the popular podcast The Skeptics Guide to the Universe. This interview is a response to numerous requests from fans of the Brain Science Podcast, but I put it in the Books and Ideas feed so that Dr. Novella could share some of his personal experiences both as a physician and as a podcaster. Listen to Dr. Novella's interview Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Subscribe by email Subscribe to Books and Ideas Blog Leave comments at the Discussion Forum Show Notes: Dr. Novella talked a little bit about why he became a physician and about choosing neurology as his specialty. We talked about the role of imaging and how recent advances in neuroscience are influencing patient care. We also talked about the importance of helping patients get accurate information, both from the internet and from their physicians, and how the pressure for physicians to see large numbers of patients hinders good communication. Dr. Novella is committed to evidence-based medicine and we talked about the role of skepticism in evaluating medical claims, both from mainstream and alternative sources. Dr. Novella also talked briefly about his podcast and his blogs, including a new blog specifically devoted to promoting evidence-based medicine. In the last section of this episode I looked back on the first 15 episodes of Books and Ideas. I particularly want to thank Matthew Cobb for being my first guest back in episode 7. You can get his book Generation at the Books and Ideas aStore at Amazon.com. Links:
Read More

My first interview: Matthew Cobb, author of "Generation" (B&I 7)

/
matthewcobb.jpgMatthew Cobb Show Notes In this podcast is an interview with Matthew Cobb who wrote Generation: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unraveled the Secrets of Sex, Life, and Growth, which was discussed in Episode 6. Cobb discusses how he became interested in the Dutch Golden Age and the pioneers who discovered the egg and the sperm, even though it was almost 200 years before the discovery of genetics helped solve the mystery of human reproduction. We also discuss how the history of of science reveals the role of human nature in the scientific endeavor. Matthew gave a great interview, but I haven't had time to compile detailed shownotes. Listen to the interview now. Download Episode Transcript Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Join email list Egg and Sperm website
Read More

Review: "Generation" by Matthew Cobb (B&I 6)

/
generation.jpgGeneration: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unraveled the Secrets of Sex, Life, and Growth by Matthew Cobb Listen to this episode now Subscribe to this podcast Subscribe via iTunes™ Join email list Show Notes In this episode I discuss the highlights of Matthew Cobb’s account of the early days of the scientific revolution. During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, several Dutch thinkers made important contributions to discovering how human reproduction happens. Their work helped established the scientific method of experimentation and helped revolutionize how we see ourselves relative to the other living things on earth. Here are the full names of the people mentioned: William Harvey Neils Steno Francesco Redi Robert Hooke Johannes van Horne Jan Swammerdam Reinier de Graaf Antoni Leeuwenhoek Gregor Mendel Other interesting Links: Matthew Cobb’s Website an American Scientist Bookstand interview of Matthew Cobb
Read More