mR(NA) Big Shot: Who Do You Think You Are? - Understanding mRNA Technology

Unbiased Science

@unbiasedscipod

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 644 Ratings

🗓️ 17 September 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

mR(NA) Big Shot: Who Do You Think You Are? - Understanding mRNA Technology Video available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9LWOy_VnHpc In this episode, Dr. Jessica Steier and Dr. Sarah Scheinman welcome Dr. Nancy Haigwood to explore the groundbreaking significance of mRNA technology in modern medicine. The scientists examine the rapid development of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing common misconceptions and skepticism surrounding this innovative approach. They delve into the fundamental science behind mRNA vaccines and their effectiveness, while Dr. Haigwood provides expert insights into the broader potential applications of this technology, including promising developments in cancer research. Throughout the conversation, the experts emphasize the critical importance of clear scientific communication in helping the public understand these revolutionary advances in medical technology and their implications for future healthcare innovations. ⁠https://theunbiasedscipod.substack.com/p/from-smallpox-scabs-to-mrna-shots⁠ (00:00) Intro to mRNA and Public Health Updates (06:28) Current News People Should Care About (08:50) Understanding mRNA Technology (10:45) The Development of mRNA Vaccines (14:39) Skepticism and Misconceptions about mRNA (21:28) Does mRNA Alter our DNA? (26:30) Hope and Progress in Health and Science ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interested in advertising with us? Please reach out to advertising@airwavemedia.com, with “Unbiased Science” in the subject line. PLEASE NOTE: The discussion and information provided in this podcast are for general educational, scientific, and informational purposes only and are not intended as, and should not be treated as, medical or other professional advice for any particular individual or individuals. Every person and medical issue is different, and diagnosis and treatment requires consideration of specific facts often unique to the individual. As such, the information contained in this podcast should not be used as a substitute for consultation with and/or treatment by a doctor or other medical professional. If you are experiencing any medical issue or have any medical concern, you should consult with a doctor or other medical professional. Further, due to the inherent limitations of a podcast such as this as well as ongoing scientific developments, we do not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information or analysis provided in this podcast, although, of course we always endeavor to provide comprehensive information and analysis. In no event may Unbiased Science or any of the participants in this podcast be held liable to the listener or anyone else for any decision allegedly made or action allegedly taken or not taken allegedly in reliance on the discussion or information in this podcast or for any damages allegedly resulting from such reliance. The information provided herein do not represent the views of our employers.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
0:28.5	Welcome to Unbiased Science, where we bring scientific method of the madness.
0:34.2	Where your host is Dr. Jess Steyer and Dr. Sarah Scheinman.
0:43.1	And this week we are going to talk about MRNA, because those four letters are at the tip of everyone's tongues these days.
0:45.2	And we're joined by a very special guest, Dr. Nancy Haguewood.
0:48.7	I'm going to introduce her to you in just a moment and her incredible background expertise and experience that is
0:56.4	super relevant to this topic. But before we do, if you recall, we are now kicking off every
1:02.7	week with just a really brief recap of what's going on in public health science news.
1:08.6	So I wanted to talk about two things. The first is that last week,
1:13.5	the Wall Street Journal broke the news that HHS is expected to release a report, that big autism
1:22.3	report that we're all waiting for with bated breath, and that they might point to Tylenol exposure in utero as a potential, you know, cause of autism.
1:36.3	And I'm choosing my words really carefully here because as we've discussed, of course, autism is multifactorial.
1:42.3	It is already very well established that it's primarily driven by genetic factors. However, we're all now expecting this big report to point to Tylenol given or Tylenol exposure during pregnancy. Now, I just want to call attention to the fact that there is a lot of research done on this
2:03.4	topic.
2:04.0	There's this great study out of Sweden that did an incredible job controlling for the genetics
2:09.5	by including siblings in their research study that found no association between
2:15.3	Tylenol exposure and pregnancy and autism or ADHD and a number of
2:19.9	other outcomes. And so the body of evidence that we've evaluated thus far and unbiased science
2:26.6	does not point to this. But it's tricky and potentially harmful because we know that things like
2:33.1	fever during pregnancy carry their own risks, right?
2:36.7	So if you have a high fever while pregnant, that can cause neural tube defects, spina bifida, and other things.
2:42.9	So we really have to be careful when messaging around this.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from @unbiasedscipod, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of @unbiasedscipod and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.