{"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":"Diagnostic Testing: Do the stats tell you what you need to know?","slug":"diagnostic-testing-do-the-stats-tell-you-what-you-need-to-know","published_at":"2026-04-06T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156/diagnostic-testing-do-the-stats-tell-you-what-you-need-to-know","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156","url":"https://www.normalcurves.com/diagnostic-testing-do-the-stats-tell-you-what-you-need-to-know","audio_url":"https://op3.dev/e/media.transistor.fm/0ba270ae/6648a1ed.mp3","summary":"Diagnostic testing: what do those statistics actually tell you? Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value . . . you’ve probably seen these terms before. Maybe you memorized them for a test. But do you actually know what they mean? In this episode, we take a closer look at how diagnostic tests are evaluated—and how they’re often misinterpreted. From a genetic test for cellulite to a blood test for autism, we explore how “statistically significant” findings can turn into tests that don’t actually help anyone. Along the way we meet the freckle gene, the wanderlust gene, and infidelity gene. Statistical topics Base Rate Bayes Rule Case-Control Study Matching Conditional Probability Sensitivity Specificity Positive Predictive Value Prevalence Negative Predictive Value False Positives and Negatives True Positives and Negatives Methodological morals “A biomarker paper is not the same thing as a biomarker test.” “If your sample doesn't match the real world, then for all of your positive predictive value needs, call on Bayes' theorem.” Detailed Show Notes with calculations References Emanuele E, Bertona M, Geroldi D. A multilocus candidate approach identifies ACE and HIF1A as susceptibility genes for cellulite. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ; 2010. 24: 930-35. https://genomelink.io/traits/cellulite https://www.genexdiagnostics.com/ Ebstein RP, Novick O, Umansky R, et al. Dopamine D4 receptor (D4DR) exon III polymorphism associated with the human personality trait of Novelty Seeking . Nat Genet . 1996;12:78-80. Kluger AN, Siegfried Z, Ebstein RP. A meta-analysis of the association between DRD4 polymorphism and novelty seeking . Mol Psychiatry . 2002;7:712-7. He Y, Martin N, Zhu G, Liu Y. Candidate genes for novelty-seeking: a meta-analy…","meta_description":"Diagnostic testing: what do those statistics actually tell you? Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value . . . you’ve probably seen these terms…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4011,"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/diagnostic-testing-do-the-stats-tell-you-what-you-need-to-know/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/diagnostic-testing-do-the-stats-tell-you-what-you-need-to-know.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}