The Secret Life of Numbers

Silent Data and Spotify: How Music is Recommended to You

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

Herd Immunity

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 [https://instagram.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]/Facebook [https://facebook.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]@thesecretlifeofnumbers Find the references we used in this episode in our Show Notes [https://thesecretlifeofnumberspodcast.wordpress.com/show-notes/] Check out our Anchor Profile [https://anchor.fm/thesecretlifeofnumbers] Sound Editing/Original Music by Julian Bertino Sound [https://www.julianbertinosound.com/] 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

Vaccine Efficacy Versus Effectiveness

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 [https://instagram.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]/Facebook [https://facebook.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]@thesecretlifeofnumbers Find the references we used in this episode in our Show Notes [https://thesecretlifeofnumberspodcast.wordpress.com/show-notes/] Check out our Anchor Profile [https://anchor.fm/thesecretlifeofnumbers] Sound Editing/Original Music by Julian Bertino Sound [https://www.julianbertinosound.com/] 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

Rnaught: The Reproductive Number of a Virus

Since the COVID 19 pandemic, epidemiology and virology terms have entered our everyday language, but what do they really mean? What’s the reproductive number of a virus and what can it tells us about disease dynamics? And why have we been following an arms race between rabbits in Australia and a virus for over 70 years now? Join Levannia and Lindsay as they dive into disease dynamics. Come learn the math behind the numbers we’ve heard all too often during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll explain how Rnaught is calculated and how we factor in transmissibility, contact rate, and more. For a real world example NOT related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we share the century long story of the arms race between rabbits in Australia and bio contral with the myxoma virus. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It really helps our podcast reach new listeners! Follow us on Instagram [https://instagram.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]/Facebook [https://facebook.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]@thesecretlifeofnumbers Find the references we used in this episode in our Show Notes [https://thesecretlifeofnumberspodcast.wordpress.com/show-notes/] Check out our Anchor Profile [https://anchor.fm/thesecretlifeofnumbers] Sound Editing/Original Music by Julian Bertino Sound [https://www.julianbertinosound.com/] info@julianbertinosound.com Send us an email! secretlifeofnumbers@gmail.com Tags: Rnaught, COVID-19, virus, public health, global health, disease dynamics, pandemic, statistics, STEM, women in science, women in STEM, medicine

Fast Fashion

How many times do you wear an item of clothing before letting it go? Can old clothing be recycled into new? Is renting clothing the secret to solving our craving for new style without destroying the environment? Join Levannia and Lindsay as they dive into fast fashion, textile recycling, and the true cost of fast fashion. Listen along to a lifecycle analysis of the different ways of buying and using clothing, including a comparison of the environmental impact of buying new versus thrifting versus renting clothes. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It really helps our podcast reach new listeners! Follow us on Instagram [https://instagram.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]/Facebook [https://facebook.com/thesecretlifeofnumbers]@thesecretlifeofnumbers Find the references we used in this episode in our Show Notes [https://thesecretlifeofnumberspodcast.wordpress.com/show-notes/] Check out our Anchor Profile [https://anchor.fm/thesecretlifeofnumbers] Sound Editing/Original Music by Julian Bertino Sound [https://www.julianbertinosound.com/] info@julianbertinosound.com Send us an email! secretlifeofnumbers@gmail.com Tags: fast fashion, fashionphile, thrifting, second-hand clothing, overconsumption, climate change, global warming, climate crisis, zero waste, eco anxiety, climate science, women in STEM