The Secret Life of Numbers

By: Levannia Lildhar and Lindsay Booth
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  • Summary

  • Have you ever wondered what SPF 30 means? Or asked yourself if you really need to get 10,000 steps a day? So have we! The Secret Life of Numbers is a science communication podcast that uncovers the stories behind everyday numbers and statistics. Join the hosts, Levannia Lildhar and Lindsay Booth, as they share where everyday numbers come from, what they mean for you, and whether they are fact or fiction. We hope you'll join us at The Secret Life of Numbers: where the numbers can run, but they can't hide. Tune in for new episodes every Monday!
    Levannia Lildhar and Lindsay Booth
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Science
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Episodes
  • Silent Data and Spotify: How Music is Recommended to You

    Silent Data and Spotify: How Music is Recommended to You
    Sep 19 2022
    How does Spotify recommend music to you? What can your music tastes tell us about your personality traits? What is the Napoleon Dynamite Effect? All of this and more on the season 3 finale of The Secret Life of Numbers. Join Levannia and Lindsay as they pull back the curtain on algorithms through the example of music recommendations. If you've ever wondered how Spotify seems to just know what you want to listen to, this episode is for you. Even more, come learn about the Napoleon Dynamite effect and how Netflix set out to improve its recommendation algorithm.  Follow us on Instagram/Facebook @thesecretlifeofnumbers Find the references we used in this episode in our Show Notes Check out our Anchor Profile Sound Editing/Original Music by Julian Bertino Sound info@julianbertinosound.com Send us an email! secretlifeofnumbers@gmail.com Tags: algorithms, machine learning, artificial intelligence, music recommendations, Napoleon dynamite, Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music, women in STEM, women in engineering
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    29 mins
  • Herd Immunity

    Herd Immunity
    Sep 12 2022

    What is herd immunity? How do individual choices affect population health? Can we eradicate infectious disease? Join Levannia and Lindsay as they wrap up our vaccine mini-series with a deep dive into herd immunity. Come learn how herd immunity is calculated and how it relates to the R naught of a virus. For a real world example of the magic of herd immunity, come learn about how the the world rid itself of smallpox.

    Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It really helps our podcast reach new listeners!

    Follow us on Instagram/Facebook @thesecretlifeofnumbers

    Find the references we used in this episode in our Show Notes

    Check out our Anchor Profile

    Sound Editing/Original Music by Julian Bertino Sound info@julianbertinosound.com

    Send us an email! secretlifeofnumbers@gmail.com

    Tags: vaccines, Rnaught, COVID-19, virus, public health, global health, disease dynamics, pandemic, statistics, STEM, women in science, women in STEM, medicine
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    27 mins
  • Vaccine Efficacy Versus Effectiveness

    Vaccine Efficacy Versus Effectiveness
    Sep 5 2022

    How well do vaccines work? How do we measure vaccine efficacy and effectiveness? What are some common vaccine myths? Join Levannia and Lindsay as they offer an evidence based overview of how vaccines work and how we gauge how well they work. If you've ever wondered why the percent effectiveness of a vaccine is lower in practice than it was in clinical trials this episode is for you. Even more, come learn about the real answers to some common vaccine myths including mercury content in vaccines, vaccines and autism, and whether the infant vaccine schedule is appropriate. 

    Follow us on Instagram/Facebook @thesecretlifeofnumbers

    Find the references we used in this episode in our Show Notes

    Check out our Anchor Profile

    Sound Editing/Original Music by Julian Bertino Sound info@julianbertinosound.com

    Send us an email! secretlifeofnumbers@gmail.com

    Tags: research methods, clinical trials, vaccines, vaccines cause adults, vaccines and autism, evidence-based medicine, thimerosal and vaccines, mercury and vaccines, women in STEM, science communication, sci comm
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    37 mins

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