Unbiased Science

Should you panic if you find a bat in your house?
What happens if your dog tangles with a raccoon?
Why are more people getting rabies shots this year?
What should you do in the first few minutes after an animal bite?

We tackle ALL those questions on this week's episode of the pod.

You can also watch the convo on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H-1IsYtO4jU

(00:00) Intro
(03:25) Why does vaccinating our pets still matter?
(06:40) What about pets that have adverse reactions to the rabies vaccine?
(12:30) Some rabies stats
(16:05) Why should we be cautious of getting close to wild animals?
(18:10) What if you suspect you've been bitten or had contact with a potential rabies carrier?
(20:20) What is the treatment for suspected rabies?
(24:12) Should you go to the urgent care or the ER?
(26:30) The current state of emergency medicine in general
(33:00) Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

https://www.cdc.gov/han/php/notices/han00533.html
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/php/protecting-public-health/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/rabies-kidney-donor-skunk-kitten
https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/media/releases/2019/p0611-bats-rabies.html
https://www.instagram.com/thehonestvet

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Who's actually giving out health advice online?
How much of your feed is really about health?
How often is someone trying to sell you something?
Should you trust what you see?

We tackle ALL those questions on this week's episode of the pod. We are grateful to Pew for sponsoring this episode.

You can also watch the convo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXOiadBTn_A

(00:00) Intro
(02:25) Why did Pew take on this research?
(04:50) How was the research done?
(06:10) What did the research show?
(07:15) Are most of those sharing health information online actually credentialled in the relevant field?
(10:05) What is actually IN our feeds?
(14:05) How much of a health influencer's feed is actually about health?
(17:17) How often do influencers tell viewers where their claims came from?
(21:30) What matters most to people for trusting an influencer?
(25:17) Practical takeaways from Pew's research
(26:37) Dr. Matthew Facciani explains how health misinformation has changed over time
(28:05) Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/05/07/moms-coaches-doctors-entrepreneurs-who-are-americas-health-and-wellness-influencers/
https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/10/07/what-do-health-and-wellness-influencers-post-about/
https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/galen-stocking/
https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/eileen-yam/

Dr. Facciani’s book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/42b9TRk

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Is cancer actually on the rise?
Why are we hearing so much about cancer in young people?
Are new treatments making a difference?
Will we ever have a cure?
We tackle ALL those questions on this week's episode of the pod.

You can also watch the convo on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DLon6350L5o

(00:00) Intro
(01:58) Is cancer really on the rise in young people?
(05:11) Have we made progress on cancer treatments?
(09:05) What are some therapies being researched currently?
(11:38) What is CAR-T therapy?
(14:55) What about deaths in therapy trials?
(18:03) Could the current therapies become more 'targeted' to avoid side effects?
(20:10) Will we ever have a cure?
(26:08) What a GI medical oncologist wants people to know
(28:48) Final Thoughts

https://www.instagram.com/david_robert_grimes/
https://www.instagram.com/doctor.yas_/
https://www.instagram.com/shrutipatelmd/
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/06/cancer-rates-rising-more-quickly-among-younger-people-international-study-finds
https://immunternet.substack.com/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DczJFQEkjcr/?img_index=1
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/novartis-bristol-myers-squibb-halt-car-t-cell-trials-due-immune-events?media_id=3977511258425992591_63272082957&media_author_id=63272082957
https://www.instagram.com/p/DczJFQEkjcr/?img_index=1
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/novartis-bristol-myers-squibb-halt-car-t-cell-trials-due-immune-events?media_id=3977511258425992591_63272082957&media_author_id=63272082957
https://theunbiasedscipod.substack.com/p/four-cancer-myths-that-keep-going
https://www.instagram.com/unbiasedscipod/p/DUD69FcDOcM
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7AC39pJDEd
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu1_XcvuXu0
https://theunbiasedscipod.substack.com/p/the-appeal-to-nature-fallacy
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnClpydOsP1

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What diseases are spreading right now? Are we even tracking diseases anymore? Should I be worried about measles? Should I bother getting my flu and COVID vaccines? We dive in and answer ALL those questions on this week's episode of the pod.

You can also watch the convo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adkTVjiXPD0

(00:00) Intro
(02:35) Introducing Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo And The Brown Pandemic Center Tracking Report
(05:23) What Is Trending Up Right Now In The U.S.?
(08:22) How Has Our Ability To Monitor Disease Changed?
(12:45) Confusion Over Data Discrepancy/Reports
(15:41) Practitioner Patsy Stinchfield Shares Her Measles Wisdom And Experience
(21:45) What About Measles In Adults?
(27:01) Epidemiologist Dr. Nicole Basta Breaks Down The Latest Data
(41:30) Final Thoughts

https://www.wral.com/news/state/diarrhea-parasites-glass-us-food-less-safe-august-24/
https://downloads.regulations.gov/FDA-2013-N-0013-0178/content.pdf
https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM199705293362210
https://mailchi.mp/messages/pandemic-center-tracking-report-9-17-2026
https://mailchi.mp/messages/pandemic-center-tracking-report-10-01-26?e=6397393980
https://6abc.com/post/5th-measles-related-death-reported-pennsylvania/19893187/
https://escaperoom.unbiasedscience.com/flu-vaccine-65
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6646858019fad6412b31bf24/t/6ab163587341c716ba04c0d6/1790010200525/The+Flu+Shot+Conversation+For+Older+Adults+and+the+People+Who+Love+Them.pdf
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6646858019fad6412b31bf24/t/6aa94c39d11bb166775378e9/1789479993326/Flu+Vaccines+and+the+65%2B+Patient+-+GUIDE.pdf
https://escaperoom.unbiasedscience.com/flu-vaccine/

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How safe is our food supply??

Dr. Jess Steier kicks off a new season of Unbiased Science with a fresh format! Each episode tackles one concern or question that's gone viral online. It can be hard to know what to trust, so each episode this season tackles one question head-on.

Between this summer's Cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce and the constant stream of food recalls in our feeds, this week we're joined by Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota, along with other experts, to dig into how our food is kept safe and when we should worry.

You can also watch the convo on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QGiFDLSEAbM

(00:00) Season and Episode Intro
(10:11) Introducing Dr. Mike Osterholm
(11:27) Early Days of the Summer Cyclospora Outbreak
(18:15) What Does the Expert Say to People Who Are Worried About Outbreaks?
(20:35) Is There An Increase In Food Safety Issues?
(25:57) Former FDA Food Scientist Shares Her Perspective
(28:32) Could We Find The Cause Right Now?
(30:45) Is There Anything The Expert Avoids?
(33:44) Immunotoxicologist Food Safety Expert Shares His Perspective
(36:15) What Can We Do To Make The Food Supply Safer?
(40:20) Final Thoughts

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/09/food-safety-crisis-trump-cyclospora/688495/
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/09/foodborne-illness-recall-cyclospora-summer/688497/
https://time.com/article/2026/08/26/e-coli-salmonella-cyclospora-is-the-u-s-seeing-a-surge-in-foodborne-illnesses-/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2852106
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199605163342001
https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM199705293362210
https://drjessicaknurick.substack.com/p/why-foodborne-illness-is-surging
https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/foodborne-illness-increase-common
https://www.wral.com/news/state/diarrhea-parasites-glass-us-food-less-safe-august-24/
https://downloads.regulations.gov/FDA-2013-N-0013-0178/content.pdf
https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM199705293362210

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/

https://sprout.link/cidrap_
https://www.instagram.com/cidrap_?stkn=czA0d3cxczB2emdy

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Hello Unbiased Scientists! New season drops NEXT WEEK and we are so excited! Thank you for hanging in there with us over the summer break!

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Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Episode Disclaimer: Dr. Baxt represents herself and not her employer on this platform and all views expressed are her own

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Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Thanks for being here and we’ll see you a couple of months with some fresh new episodes for season SEVEN of Unbiased Science, your trusted source for no nonsense, just science!

Find us on all social media platforms!

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://substack.unbiasedscience.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.unbiasedscience.com/

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.unbiasedscience.com/

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linkedin.unbiasedscience.com/

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at http://merch.unbiasedscience.com

Thanks for being here and we’ll see you a couple of months with some fresh new episodes for season SEVEN of Unbiased Science, your trusted source for no nonsense, just science!

Find us on all social media platforms!

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://substack.unbiasedscience.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.unbiasedscience.com/

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.unbiasedscience.com/

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linkedin.unbiasedscience.com/

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you! And check out our BRAND NEW MERCH at merch.unbiasedscience.com

Thanks for being here and we’ll see you a couple of months with some fresh new episodes for season SEVEN of Unbiased Science, your trusted source for no nonsense, just science!

Find us on all social media platforms!

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://substack.unbiasedscience.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.unbiasedscience.com/

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/unbiased-science-podcast/posts/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.unbiasedscience.com/

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Hello Unbiased Scientists! We’re taking a little break for summer, but in the meantime we are re-airing some of our very favorite episodes as well as some of YOUR favorites. We will still be posting infographics to our socials as well as longer form content on our Substack at http://substack.unbiasedscience.com⁠ and some short form video clips from episodes as well as some NEW short form content to our YouTube channel over the summer. So if you’re not following us already, check out the links below. Be sure to leave us a review and drop some comments on our socials with questions or topics you want to see us cover. We love hearing from you!

Thanks for being here and we’ll see you a couple of months with some fresh new episodes for season SEVEN of Unbiased Science, your trusted source for no nonsense, just science!

Find us on all social media platforms!

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://substack.unbiasedscience.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.unbiasedscience.com/

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/unbiased-science-podcast/posts/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.unbiasedscience.com/

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@unbiasedscipod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this week's episode, Jess chats with Dr. Sarah Nosal to discuss the importance of adult vaccines, including shingles, HPV, flu, COVID, RSV, and more. They cover vaccine recommendations, personal experiences, and address common questions to help listeners make informed health decisions.

We'd like to thank the American Academy of Family Physicians for sponsoring today’s episode and helping us bring awareness to adult vaccines!

Watch the convo on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QKpau8xcMTk

(00:00) Intro & Public Health Update
(04:12) Shingles Vaccine
(11:37) HPV Vaccine
(18:35) Flu Vaccine
(25:23) COVID Vaccine
(27:19) RSV Vaccine
(30:15) Meningitis Vaccine
(31:19) Chicken Pox/Varicella Vaccine
(32:22) Adult Boosters For Childhood Vaccines
(34:29) Vaccination During Pregnancy
(36:09) Is There An Adult Vaccine Schedule?
(38:39) First Time Grandparent Vaccine Recommendations
(39:38) Final Thoughts

https://www.acog.org/clinical-information/maternal-immunization-schedule
https://www.aafp.org/about/leadership/board/sarah-nosal
https://www.aafp.org/clinical-insights/immunizations-and-vaccines/immunizations-schedules-resourceshhttps://familydoctor.org/the-importance-of-vaccinations/
https://familydoctor.org/vaccines-myth-versus-fact/

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NOTE: We would normally be on summer hiatus but we have a few more episodes to air before we officially break for summer. So in the meantime, we are re-airing a few of our favorite episodes in case you missed them. Enjoy!

(Original Airdate 02/11/2026) In this episode, Jess welcomes Dr. Liz Marnik and Dr. Irini Hadjisavva to explore the multifaceted nature of inflammation and its impact on health. The scientists distinguish between beneficial and harmful inflammatory responses while addressing the challenges of accurately measuring inflammation in clinical settings. They examine common misconceptions surrounding gut health, including the pitfalls of direct-to-consumer microbiome tests and the myth of leaky gut syndrome. The conversation also addresses dietary approaches to supporting gut health and discusses the concerning rise in colorectal cancer rates among younger adults. Throughout the episode, the experts emphasize evidence-based approaches to understanding inflammation while concluding with an encouraging message about the importance of community support in navigating complex health challenges.

Watch the conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kSFesWsw-NU

(00:00) Intro & Public Health Update

(05:33) What's A Health/Science News Item That Caught Your Attention?

(07:25) What Is Inflammation Actually?

(10:26) Is Inflammation Something We Can Measure?

(14:16) Are Microbiome Tests Accurate?

(16:56) Are There Dietary Approaches To Support Gut Health?

(21:30) Inflammation And Autoimmune Diseases

(24:18) Is Leaky Gut Real?

(29:12) The Rise In Colorectal Cancer

(33:14) What's Giving You Hope In Public Health And Science Right Now?

https://www.instagram.com/sciencewhizliz/

https://www.instagram.com/thosenerdygirls

https://www.instagram.com/dririnih/

https://fromthescienceclass.substack.com/

https://thosenerdygirls.substack.com/

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