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| Andrea Love, PhD is an immunologist and microbiologist. Jess Steier, DrPH, PMP is a public health scientist. Together, they're the co-hosts of The Unbiased Science Podcast, which is a show dedicated to debunking myths through evidence-based information. The duo also has a partnership with Welly, a healthcare brand devoted to using clear labels for optimal at-home treatment. |
| To help fight fake news and highlight two people doing really important work, we jumped on the opportunity to interview Andrea and Jess. Below, they discuss their journey as medical professionals and podcasters and share some surprising fun facts about our well-being, too. |
| Q: | What inspired you to join forces and create the Unbiased Science Podcast and The Unbiased Science Institute? | |
| A&J: Throughout her academic career, Andrea immersed herself in the world of anti-vaccine and immunology-related pseudoscience. She always had a passion for calling out marketing ploys that prey on people's emotions and weren't based in fact or science. |
| When Jess became a mom, she witnessed the dangers of the spread of pseudoscience in a new way: through parenting Facebook groups, where people promoted myths around vaccines, food, baby products, and more. As a public health scientist, she recognized the urgent need for a trusted source of credible scientific information for the general public. |
| We often discussed partnering in some way, but the timing was never right … then came COVID-19, and we both found ourselves dispelling online myths and misconceptions at a rapid-fire pace. Separately, we immersed ourselves in COVID-related research to translate complex concepts and help folks make sense of headlines. Finally, we decided it was time to join forces and tackle things collectively. Thus, Unbiased Science was born. |
| In the summer of 2020, we released our first podcast episode and launched our social media pages to disseminate related infographics. Since, we've tackled an array of topics related to health and science, all with the goal of improving science and health literacy, enabling people to discern fact from fiction, and empowering people to be able to make better-informed (and not fear-based) decisions. |
| Q: | CBD, vaginal steaming, relationship science, leaky guts — you cover a bunch of different topics on your show. This question is for both of you: Which topic was your favorite to discuss so far? | |
| Andrea: That's a tough question! I've honestly loved all of the topics we've covered, but I think I'd have to say my favorite would be our food sensitivity episode. It gives me an opportunity to address a specific area of my expertise (immunology) and tackle rampant pseudoscience that has permeated popular culture. At the same time, we're able to provide some science education and hopefully help people by saving them money and peace of mind. |
| Jess: It's difficult to pick one. Three topics that stand out are organic foods, non-GMOs, and clean beauty. I'm frustrated by this societal shift toward "clean" everything, implying that there's some "dirty" alternative. In reality, organic foods are not superior, GMOs are not harmful, and clean beauty has absolutely no standardized definition. Terms like "chemical-free" have no meaning — everything is a chemical! |
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| Q: | In the age of rapidly spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, can you tell us about the importance of fact-checking and critical thinking? | |
| A&J: Mis- and disinformation can literally kill. In the context of the pandemic, misinformation about vaccines has impacted the number of people who get vaccinated, leaving folks vulnerable to severe outcomes that are entirely preventable. |
| Social media gives people a sense of authority and confidence and a global platform to push out information. It's often difficult for users to distinguish between credible information and misinformation. We always say not all information is created equal! |
| What complicates matters even more is that some people who appear credible on paper (i.e., have education, training, and/or credentials) are guilty of pushing misinformation for profit or self-interest. Vetting sources is complicated and not always easy. That's why we feel it's important to use our training as scientists to critically evaluate the quality of evidence and share the best available information. |
| Q: | What are some of your favorite fun facts related to health and wellness? | |
Andrea: - About half of you isn't human! Microorganism cells are estimated to be at least a 1:1 ratio (this is decreased from an estimate in the 1970s that stated a 10:1 ratio), but current estimates put 39 trillion microbe cells to 30 trillion human cells in an average person.
- Your poop is mostly bacteria. About 50%–80% of the mass of your feces (excluding water) is bacterial cells from your GI tract.
- Your skin is the largest organ in the body and helps to regulate body temperature through sweat glands. It's also part of your external immune system, serving as a physical barrier against disease and infection.
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Jess: - Our bodies naturally produce about 1.5 ounces (>42,000 milligrams) of formaldehyde a day as a normal part of our metabolism. (FYI: The amount of formaldehyde present in any vaccine is less than 0.1 milligrams. No need to fear it!)
- We're exposed to thousands upon thousands of germs and other antigens in the environment from the moment we're born. The amount of antigens we're exposed to from vaccines is a fraction of what we're exposed to just by eating and breathing. Vaccines can't overwhelm our immune system, even if given all at once!
- In as little as 1 day after quitting smoking, a person's blood pressure begins to drop (which decreases risk of heart disease), and oxygen levels improve, making it easier to exercise and be active. It's never too late to quit!
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| Q: | What are some of your reputable go-to resources for finding facts and fighting fake news that we can use, too? | |
A&J: - Large national and global public health entities, such as CDC, NIH, and WHO.
- Large academic medical institutes, like Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical, University of Pennsylvania, etc.
- Peer-reviewed journals with high impact factor (but be aware that some of these also publish op-eds and opinion pieces which are NOT peer reviewed).
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| Some poorly designed and interpreted studies also find their way into high impact and typically reputable journals, so it takes a keen eye to discern what's legitimate and what's not. A rule of thumb: Typically check multiple historically reputable sources before assuming something is credible. |
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