In this episode of TWOH, we explore some recent research on the dreaded triple-negative breast cancer. In her research laboratory at Hunter College, Dr. Jill Bargonetti uses mouse models to study breast cancer and in this episode, she discuss some of her recent research on how triple-negative breast cancer cells spread through the body. Metastasis …

This is a unique episode of TWOH. Instead of speaking with a scientist about a recent paper or study, we will explore a tool that anyone - students and researchers alike - can use to explore research in the field of evolutionary psychology. The tool is called PsychTable and it is designed to foster a collaborative space where psychologists and othe…

In this episode of TWOH, we explore the unique role the hippos play in the ecology of rivers in Africa. These giant semiaquatic animals are vegetarians and move enormous amounts of organic nutrients from the dry land, where they eat, to the river systems, where they rest and, well, defecate. This has a big impact on the ecology of the rivers. As ri…

In this episode of TWOH, we flip the tables. Professor Nathan H. Lents, usually the host of TWOH, is interviewed by Sam Anderson about his new book, Human Errors: A Panorama of our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes. The book is a tour through the quirks, glitches, and imperfections throughout the human body and mind and the interesting…

This episode of TWOH explores the incredibly complicated research on taurine, the amino acid supplement commonly found in energy drinks. Dr. Kaliris Salas-Ramirez explores the many affects of taurine on the central nervous system of rodents and has made surprising discoveries when it comes to addiction, memory, and other cognitive functions. The ef…

This episode of TWOH explores the issue of romantic and sexual attraction, an important field of study within psychology. Joining us is Dr. Daniel Conroy-Beam from the University of California at Santa Barbara who is the author of a new study in this field. Dr. Conroy-Beam has developed a new computational method for understanding how the various c…

This episode of TWOH explores the relationship between LGBT-targeted hate crimes in a given neighborhood and suicide among LGBT adolescents in that same neighborhood. Joining us is Dr. Dustin Duncan, a spatial epidemiologist from New York University, who explains the science of how this kind of public health research is carried out. Dr. Duncan and …

This episode of TWOH focuses on when, how, and why children tell lies. We all begin life as perfectly honest little babies, but as our brains develop more complexity, we discover that we don't always have to tell the truth. Our guest is Dr. Angela Crossman, chair of the Psychology Department at John Jay College and a developmental psychologist who …

This episode of TWOH discusses a new technique designed to detect spots in our genome that have been under recent natural selection. The human lineage and the chimpanzee lineage split around 7 million years ago and, during that time, we have accumulated very few genetic differences despite our very big physical and mental differences. Therefore, di…

This episode features a recent meta-study combining the results of many similar studies analyzing the effect of immigration on crime rates. Joining us are Dr. Charis Kubrin from the University of California at Irvine and Dr. Daniel Stageman from John Jay College (CUNY).Learn more https://www.visionlearning.com/en/twoh…

This episode features a new study examining the value of social relationships in Rhesus monkeys as they age. This work was published by a group of animal behavior scientists including Dr. Angelina Ruiz-Lambides from the University of Puerto Rico and Dr. Lauren Brent from the University of Exeter. This research took place at the Caribbean Primate Re…

This episode features a recent study showing that air pollution from automobiles can cause shortening of teloimeres, the extreme ends of chromosomes, in children and adolescents. This work was published by Professor John Balmes from the University of California at San Francisco and was conducted on children and adolescents in Fresno, California. Le…

This episode features a recent study linking the working conditions of low-wage healthcare workers and the health outcomes of their patients. TWOH host Nathan Lents interviews one of the main authors of this study, Dr. Grace Sembajwe of the CUNY School of Public Health. Professor Sembajwe explains why providing family-supportive and flexible polici…

This episode of This World of Humans features an interview with Professor Dan Graur, from the University of Houston, who has just published a new article estimating that at least 75% of our DNA has no function whatsoever. The issue of so-called “Junk DNA” is a controversial one, with scientists passionately disagreeing about exactly which parts of …