Science Vs host Wendy Zukerman talks making a science show in a pandemic, and de-compressing with podcasts

Since we recorded our interview with Wendy, a lot has happened at Spotify, which owns Science Vs and has exclusive distribution rights to the show. The company has been facing mounting criticism for their support of Joe Rogan's podcast, which spreads misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. Last week, Wendy released an open letter to Spotify's CEO. The letter was also signed by Science Vs editor Blythe Terrell. You can read it here. The next day, Wendy sent a follow up tweet saying that Spotify had acknowledged the letter and was willing to work with them. 

Even if you haven't studied it since high school, science is part of your daily life. It holds the answers to some of your everyday burning questions. Is working from home making me feel more burnt out, or is that just in my head? Could we actually clone dinosaurs like in Jurassic Park? When will the pandemic end? And of course, are Geminis really the worst? 

This week's guest curator, Wendy Zukerman, searches for answers to all these and more on her podcast Science Vs. She's a master at making science easy to understand and a blast to listen to. Wendy joins Leah this episode to talk about how Science Vs was born, and why humour is an important part of what she does. Also, what's it like to make a science show at a time like this when science is shaping our lives? 

And of course, she brought along her favourite podcasts! Press play for 90s hip hop, spoken word poetry, a look at life inside an Australian women's prison, and even a soothing bonus podcast we couldn't include in our radio broadcast…

Podcasts featured this week:

Science Vs: From Armageddon to Don't Look Up, Hollywood loves a good asteroid-hurtling-towards-Earth thriller. But how prepared are we if — or when — the real thing actually happens? 

The 11th: "In the summer of 1996, music writer and poet Hanif Abdurraqib was 12 years old and living in Columbus, Ohio. His soundtrack for that summer: the seminal hip-hop album, The Score by Fugees. In Time Machine: The Score, Hanif transports us back in time, to a pivotal moment in both his life and in hip-hop."

Resistance: Poet Dominique Christina recites a powerful poem about her grandfather, who grew up in the Jim Crow south, and what he taught her about the meaning of resistance. 

Podcast exclusive: Nature Track: "Nature Track is a podcast that opens a window on the beautiful sounds of the Australian wilderness. These long, uninterrupted soundscapes are the perfect relaxing soundtrack for your work, exercise, meditation or sleep. Each unique track is carefully recorded on location in a different part of Australia by the ABC's nature specialist Ann Jones."

Birds Eye View: Birds Eye View is about life in prison, as told by the women incarcerated at Australia's Darwin Correctional Centre. In this episode, inmates share some of their survival techniques.

What podcasts answer all your burning questions? We'd love to hear them. Email, tweet us @PodcastPlaylist, or find us on Facebook.

For more great podcasts, check out CBC's podcast portal, subscribe in Apple Podcasts.