Medicine podcasts

Medical physicist Nick Zacharopoulos, chief executive of Aktina Medical, talks with Tami Freeman about developing radiation-oncology technologies and combining industry with academic research. He traces a career that began building radiotherapy components with his father, discusses product development at Aktina, and explains how persistence and a conversation with a colleague led him to a doctorate at McGill University.

Hosted by Tami Freeman

Carnegie Mellon researcher and Abridge co-founder Zachary Lipton discusses where machine learning can help healthcare and why clinical work is harder to automate than software development. The conversation examines medical documentation, decision support, drug discovery, open models and model routing, then turns to academic research, doctoral training and the effects of automation on scientific careers. Hosted by Ravid Shwartz Ziv and Allen Roush. Watch the full conversation on the publisher’s YouTube channel.

Hosted by Ravid Shwartz Ziv, Allen Roush

Vincent Racaniello speaks with Roberto Cattaneo and Kalpana Yadav at the 2026 American Society for Virology meeting about measles persistence in the brain. They discuss selection for highly fusogenic viral variants when usual measles receptors are absent, neuron-to-neuron spread, and the development of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a rare, fatal delayed complication of measles infection.

Hosted by Vincent Racaniello

Paul Bieniasz joins Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove and Kathy Spindler to discuss his laboratory’s research on coronavirus genetic variation. The conversation examines how the NSP15 nuclease cuts viral RNA into short pieces that can be reinserted elsewhere, producing insertion mutations and new furin-cleavage sites at the spike S1/S2 boundary. The episode links the underlying preprint and includes listener correspondence and weekly selections.

Hosted by Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove

Vincent Racaniello, Kathy Spindler and Brianne Barker discuss research using generative AI to design complete bacteriophage genomes, including reported viable phages active against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They also examine a study linking recombinant shingles vaccination with lower cardiovascular-event risk. The discussion connects genome modelling, experimental virology and vaccine research, alongside listener letters and weekly selections.

Hosted by Vincent Racaniello, Brianne Barker

Nature reporters discuss Dolly Parton's advocacy for vaccines and public health alongside promising phase III results for a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma.

Scientific American's Science Quickly examines new recommendations highlighting sperm DNA damage as an underrecognized contributor to recurrent miscarriage. Rachel Feltman and Sarah Elizabeth Richards discuss why conventional sperm tests can miss pregnancy-relevant problems and how broader assessment could change fertility care.

Andrew Huberman and immunologist Max Krummel discuss immune function, sleep, emotions, memory, the thymus, autoimmunity, cancer and immunization.

Nature examines the booming market for unregulated peptides and asks whether scientific evidence supports the health and wellness claims driving their popularity.

Charlene Lancaster speaks with Cesar de la Fuente about using artificial intelligence to discover novel antibiotics from organisms and genetic sources spanning spiders, archaea, woolly mammoths, and humans.

Nicole Rust examines the relationship between basic neuroscience discoveries and progress toward treatments for brain disorders.

Ida Gravensteen discusses forensic examinations and how specialists investigate causes and circumstances of death. Conversation in Norwegian.

Johan Bondi discusses modern surgery, how it developed and the work of a practising surgeon. Conversation in Norwegian.

Ishita Barua discusses applications of AI in healthcare, including diagnostic tasks and the challenges of using computational tools in medicine. Conversation in Norwegian.

Gunnveig Grødeland discusses progress and concerns during the initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout. This Norwegian archive episode reflects evidence available at publication.

Anne Spurkland returns to discuss evolving knowledge about COVID-19 and efforts to develop treatments and vaccines. This Norwegian episode records a 2020 perspective.