{"podcast":{"title":"Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious Statistics","slug":"normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156","podcast_index_feed_id":7212156,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/normal-curves","website_url":"https://www.normalcurves.com/","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/3nh-QbnGiyC0kG4tQRWb4fTYyDh5wonK_KZjqlkFNSY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hYmEw/YmE3N2JmMDhmNjli/YTg2MjhlOTQ0OGU4/Yzg2OC5wbmc.jpg","author":"Regina Nuzzo","episode_count":38,"summary":"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 with tools to assess scientific studies on your own.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-30T00:19:09.554623+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156"},"episode":{"title":"Daylight Saving Time: Does springing forward cause heart attacks?","slug":"daylight-saving-time-does-springing-forward-cause-heart-attacks","published_at":"2026-03-09T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156/daylight-saving-time-does-springing-forward-cause-heart-attacks","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156","url":"https://www.normalcurves.com/daylight-saving-time-does-springing-forward-cause-heart-attacks","audio_url":"https://op3.dev/e/media.transistor.fm/fd3df67c/887c7e47.mp3","summary":"Every year we spring forward and lose an hour of sleep. But do we also lose a few heart cells? Some headlines claim that heart attacks spike by 24% after daylight saving time begins. In this episode we trace that number back to the research behind it—and what we find is more complicated than the headlines suggest. We examine a famous New England Journal of Medicine letter, a large international meta-analysis, and a massive modern U.S. registry study. Along the way we talk about incidence ratios, relative versus absolute risk, negative controls, and a haunting concept called harvesting. Plus: why bar charts are not for numerical data, why journalists love dramatic numbers, and how a bug collector helped invent daylight saving time. Statistical topics Incidence ratios / incidence rates Meta-analysis Negative controls Relative risk vs absolute risk Statistical vs practical significance Statistical Sleuthing Methodological morals “A bump in time isn’t always a bump in total.” “If you already know the story you want to tell, you can always find a number to tell it.” References Bourke, India. “An obsessed insect hunter: The creepy-crawly origins of daylight saving.” BBC Future , March 31, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240308-how-first-suggestions-of-daylight-savings-time-was-inspired-by-insects Fox-Skelly, Jasmin. “How Daylight Saving Time Affects Your Health.” BBC Future , October 25, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251024-how-daylight-saving-time-affects-our-health Hurst A, Morfeld P, Lewis P, Erren TC. Daylight Saving Time Transitions and Risk of Heart Attack . Dtsch Arztebl Int . 2024;121(15):490-496. doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0078 Janszky I, Ljung R. Shifts to and from daylight saving time and incidence of myocardial infarction . N Engl J Med . 2…","meta_description":"Every year we spring forward and lose an hour of sleep. But do we also lose a few heart cells? Some headlines claim that heart attacks spike by 24% after…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3885,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156/episodes/daylight-saving-time-does-springing-forward-cause-heart-attacks/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156/daylight-saving-time-does-springing-forward-cause-heart-attacks.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}