Shows
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsHPV Vaccine: How close are we to wiping out cervical cancer?Could a preteen vaccine wipe out a global cancer? In this episode, we examine the bold claim that cervical cancer could be eradicated in much of the world by the end of the century—thanks to the highly effective HPV vaccine. We unpack statistical modeling, microsimulations, and how Markov chains make good date-night conversation. We also explore why vaccine uptake has been uneven, how a splash of vinegar is helping screen for cancer in low-resource countries, and why HPV isn’t just a women’s issue—it now causes more cancer in men than in women. Plus: dangerously tight corsets...2025-06-161h 15
Thyroid Answers PodcastEpisode 198: The Vitamin D Deficiency Myth - What the Statistics Really Tell UsIn episode 198 of the Thyroid Answers Podcast, I discuss the Vitamin D Deficiency Myth with the co-hosts of the Normal Curves Podcast. In this episode we cover: Is vitamin D deficiency really as widespread as people think? How did the idea of a vitamin D deficiency epidemic get started? Who was behind raising the thresholds, and why did it gain such widespread support? Why are so many studies on vitamin D and health flawed or misleading? Where do things stand now? What do the latest guidelines say...2025-06-101h 18
Continuing Studies: for Higher Ed PodcastersThe Magic School Bus Effect: Making Stats & Science AccessibleHow two science-savvy professors turned stats and storytelling into a compelling educational podcast.Kristin Sainani and Regina Nuzzo—co-hosts of Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious Statistics—join Neil McPhedran and Jennifer-Lee to celebrate the 50th episode of Continuing Studies. Kristin and Regina share the story behind launching their podcast, which blends scientific rigor with lighthearted storytelling to make complex topics like epidemiology and statistics approachable and fun. They reflect on how their long friendship, backgrounds in journalism, and love of teaching shaped the show’s voice and format. From managing remote production across time zones to naviga...2025-06-0234 min
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsEquipment Size: What is average?Today’s deep dive: the surprisingly serious science of penis size. Using self-report surveys, objective measurements, and a healthy dose of old-school statistics, we ask: How do you get clean data on gentlemen’s goods?Along the way, we explore social desirability bias, survey design tricks, and what happens when science meets insecurity. You’ll never look at a Starbucks cup the same way again.Statistical topicsSocial desirability biasSelection biasVolunteer BiasDescriptive StatisticsRight-Skewed DistributionsStrategies to improve accuracy in self-report dataMethodological morals“When answers aim to please, truth takes its leave.”“Without descriptive statistics, you'll never...2025-06-0254 min
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsSugar Sag: Is Your Diet Aging You?Wrinkles and sagging skin—just normal aging, or can you blame your sweet tooth? We dive into “sugar sag,” exploring how sugar, processed foods, and even your crispy breakfast toast might be making you look older than if you’d said no to chocolate cake and yes to broccoli. Along the way, we encounter statistical adjustment, training and test data sets, what we call “references to nowhere,” plus some cadavers and collagen. Ever heard of an AGE reader? Find out how this tool might offer a sneak peek at your date’s age—and maybe even a clue about his… um… “perfor...2025-05-191h 08
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsHookworms: Can parasites improve your health?What if you could treat your prediabetes with . . . worms? Regina and Kristin dive into a surprising early-phase clinical trial on hookworm therapy—that’s right, intentionally infecting yourself with parasitic worms—to treat metabolic conditions. They dig into the biological rationale (inflammation, abdominal fat, and gut immunology), the clever study design (hello, Tabasco sauce!), and the statistical chops behind this phase 1B trial (block randomization, missing data, and nonparametric hypothesis tests). Along the way, expect self-experimenting scientists, worm sex, poop analysis, and the world’s nerdiest aphrodisiac: a well-documented protocol. Statistical topicsRandomized controlled trial (RCT)Primary a...2025-05-051h 08
Under the Influence with Jo PiazzaSunday Nice Things: Normal CurvesDropping a great new podcast in your feed today. Normal Curves is a podcast about sexy science & serious statistics. Ever try to make sense of a scientific study and the numbers behind it? Listen in to a lively conversation between two stats-savvy friends who break it all down with humor and clarity.
Professors Regina Nuzzo of Gallaudet University and Kristin Sainani of Stanford University discuss academic papers journal club-style — except with more fun, less jargon, and some irreverent, PG-13 content sprinkled in. Join Kristin and Regina as they dissect the data, challenge the claims, and arm you wit...2025-04-271h 06
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsAlcohol: Are happy hours good for your heart?Does a daily glass of wine really keep the cardiologist away? It’s a claim we’ve all heard: light to moderate drinking is good for your heart. But is it science or just a convenient excuse for happy hour? In this episode, we dive into the history behind this claim, discuss the challenges of observational studies and statistical adjustment, and explore attempts at randomized trials and natural experiments to get to the bottom of this boozy debate. Grab your drink—or maybe don’t—and join us! Statistical topicsStatistical AdjustmentRegressionResidual and Unmeasured ConfoundingRandomized TrialsMult...2025-04-211h 05
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsThe Red Dress Effect: Are women in red sexier?Wear red and drive men wild with lust – or so says scientific research on color’s role in human mating. But can a simple color swap really boost a woman’s hotness score? In this episode, we delve into the evidence behind the Red Dress Effect, from a controversial first study in college men to what the latest research says about who this trick might work for (and who it might not). Along the way we encounter red monkey butts, old-Internet websites, the Winner’s Curse in scientific research, adversarial collaborations, and why size (ahem, sample size) really does matter. ...2025-04-071h 08
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsVitamin D Part 2: Good for more than just your bones?Can you really sit on your couch, pop vitamin D pills, and shave seconds off your 5k? Touted as a miracle cure-all, vitamin D is claimed to slash cancer and infection risks while boosting mood, cognition, and athletic performance. But does upping your vitamin D really make you healthier and happier? In this episode, we’ll follow the epidemiologic evidence—from clues in petri dishes through randomized trials. Along our journey, we’ll encounter chocolate-fueled Nobel Prizes, rock stars, pasty Brits, and a tangled mess of promiscuous variables.Statistical topicsecological studiesecological fallacycorrelation is not causat...2025-03-241h 09Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsVitamin D Part 1: Is the Deficiency Epidemic Real?Is America really facing an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency? While this claim is widely believed, the story behind it is packed with twists, turns, and some pesky statistical cockroaches. In this episode, we’ll dive into a study on Hawaiian surfers, expose how shifting goalposts can create an epidemic, tackle dueling medical guidelines, and flex our statistical sleuthing skills. By the end, you might wonder if the real deficiency lies in the data.Statistical topicsdichotomizationnormal distribution standard deviationresearcher biasesconflicts of intereststatistical sleuthingMethodologic morals“Arbitrary thresholds make for arbit...2025-03-101h 23Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsPheromones: Is sexy sweat the key to genetic diversity?Sweaty t-shirt dating parties, sex pheromone dating sites, choosing your dating partner by sniffing them up — wacko fringe fads or evidence-based mating strategies? And what does your armpit stain have to do with your kids’ immune systems, or hormonal contraceptive pills, or divorce rates? In this episode of Normal Curves, Kristin and Regina reach back into the 1990s and revisit the scientific paper that started it all: The Sweaty T-Shirt Study. They bring a sharp eye and open mind, critically examining the study and following the line of research to today. Along the way, they...2025-02-2457 min
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsNormal Curves: Who are we and what is this podcast about?Welcome to a lively conversation about science that's like a journal club, but with less jargon, more fun, and a touch of PG-13 flair. In this introduction, Professors Regina Nuzzo and Kristin Sainani share how they met in graduate school, what they’ve been doing since then, how they’ll choose edgy topics and journal articles to dissect, and a bit about what makes them tick. Join them for their fresh, engaging take on scientific studies, data analysis, and statistical sleuthing. Kristin and Regina’s online courses: Demystifying Data: A Modern Approach to Statistical Understanding Cli...2025-02-1713 min
Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious StatisticsNormal Curves TrailerNormal Curves is a podcast about sexy science & serious statistics. Ever try to make sense of a scientific study and the numbers behind it? Listen in to a lively conversation between two stats-savvy friends who break it all down with humor and clarity. Professors Regina Nuzzo of Gallaudet University and Kristin Sainani of Stanford University discuss academic papers journal club-style — except with more fun, less jargon, and some irreverent, PG-13 content sprinkled in. Join Kristin and Regina as they dissect the data, challenge the claims, and arm you with tools to assess scientific studies on your own.2025-02-1302 min
Stats + StoriesSigning Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 239What is a median? How about an interquartile range? Don’t even get me started on how to define a p-value. These statistical concepts are hard to grasp for your average statistics student, but imagining how these types of definitions translate into American Sign Language is a whole other ballgame. That is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with special guest Dr. Regina Nuzzo.
Dr. Regina Nuzzo is a freelance science writer and professor in Washington, DC. After studying engineering as an undergraduate she earned her PhD in Statistics from Stanford University. Currently, she’s teaching statistics in Amer...2022-07-2127 minStats + StoriesIntroducing Our New Guest Host | A Special Stats + Stories EpisodeIn this special episode of Stats+Stories we announce our new guest host Regina Nuzzo, a professor at Gallaudet University and freelance Science writer, who will be joining us for the next couple of months. We will also be looking back at some of our favorite interviews from the past 12 months from the likes of...
Michelle Cardel - What is Nutrition Science - https://statsandstories.net/health1/what-is-nutrition-science
Timandra Harkness - The Data Economy - https://statsandstories.net/society1/the-data-economy
Sander van der Linden - Conspiracy Dissemination Dilemma - https://statsandstories.net/society1/conspiracy-dissemination-dilemma
Mike Orkin - The Stats of...2022-06-1618 min
Dr RR Baliga's "Got Knowledge Doc" PodkastMultiple Choice Question-66 (Statistics) | Dr RR Baliga's 'Got Knowledge Doc' for Podkastsfrom the chapter 'Statistics in Medicine' in Baliga's Textbook of Internal Medicine www.MasterMedFacts.com authored by Donna Windish, MD, MPH Associate Professor of Medicine (General Medicine); Director, ACES Faculty Development Program, Internal Medicine; Director, Resident Research, Yale Primary Care Residency Program, Internal Medicine; Program Director, General Internal Medicine Medical Education Fellowship, Internal Medicine Yale University School of Medicine & Statistical Errors by Regina Nuzzo Nature Vol 506, page 150-152, 13 Feb 20142020-09-0111 min
The Clinical ConsultThe Meaning of a p-valueDr. Regina Nuzzo—Professor of Mathematics at Gallaudet University—breaks down the meaning of a p-value. She addresses the historical and sometimes current misinterpretation of p-values and the importance of understanding the correct meaning of the p-value in order to use sound evidence in research and clinical interventions.
2020-07-2016 min
Stats + StoriesMoving Beyond The 'Just So' When Reporting Science | Stats + Stories Episode 19Regina Nuzzo (@ReginaNuzzo) is a science writer and professor of statistics at Gallaudet University. Her writings on science, medicine, health, statistics, and the scientific research process have been published in a variety of outlets, including Scientific American, Nature, ESPN, Science News, Reader's Digest, New Scientist, and the Los Angeles Times. Her p-values feature for Nature won the 2014 ASA Award for Excellence in Statistical Reporting.2018-07-3131 min
Clinical Chemistry PodcastTo P or not to P: that is the questionThere are few scientific papers that do not include the use of the P value to evaluate the statistical significance of results. However, use of this statistic may be misleading, as noted by a recent paper by Regina Nuzzo in the journal Nature. That paper served as a basis for commentary with additional examples by Drs. Jim Boyd and Tom Annesley in the July 2014 issue of Clinical Chemistry.2014-08-1110 min
CiTR -- Give 'em the BootGive 'em the boot! Broadcast on 20-Feb-2007Filippo Gambetta, Pria Goaea, La lumaca equilibristaFabrizio De Andre, Anime Salve, Anime SalveLuca De Nuzzo, s/t, Vole l'altalene all'autunneFederico Sirianni, , Alle 7 di seraFabrizio De Andre, Anime Salve, Ho visto Nina volareLuca De Nuzzo, s/t, 'A mostre ballerineSergio Cammariere, Dalla pace del mare lontano, Sorella miaPaolo Conte, Paolo Conte Live, AguaplanoSergio Cammariere, Dalla pace del mare lontano, Via da questo mareVinicio Capossela, Canzoni a manovella, I pagliacci Vinicio Capossela, Modi', La regina del FloridaFIlippo Gambetta, Stria, Prologue2007-02-2058 min