Podcast

In this episode, Adjoa Acquaah (Bryn Mawr ’24) tackles the question: Do humans have sex pheromones? To answer this question, Adjoa tells us about research on estratetraenol, or EST, a hormone that is a putative candidate for a human sex pheromone. But what does a human sex pheromone even do? To unpack this question, Adjoa … Continue reading Episode 11: Debate Club

In this episode, Alex Abramenko (Haverford ’24) puts his science communication skills to test by inviting his friend, Rishi, onto the podcast and teaching him about how olfactory communication influences sexual behavior in goldfish. As part of this, Alex tells Rishi about a complicated series of experiments involving sex pheromones, goldfish mating behavior, and brain … Continue reading Episode 12: This has been a test

In this episode, Joshwai Nevarez Sharp (Haverford ’25) asks: Do women and men process pain differently? First, Josh walks us through the factors that might influence the answer to this question in humans. Then, Josh interviews Fifi, a laboratory rat who is participating in a pre-clinical study on pain processing that might have implications for … Continue reading Episode 13: And how do you feel about that?

In this episode, Noa Schisterman (’22) talks to us about sexual cannabilism: a phenomenon where an animal eats its mate prior to, during, or after copulation. Noa asks… WHY??? Join them as they walk us through several scientific studies to probe potential explanations for why sexual cannibalism exists, and what can we learn from it. … Continue reading Episode 1: We eat what we love

In most species, including humans, there is a balance between sex and survival. Some species, however, use a mating strategy called semelparity, in which they engage in a single, often excessive, mating episode before death. Join Brandon Alonso (’22) as he tells us about semelparity in several species, including pacific salmon and octopuses. Are the … Continue reading Episode 2: Fatal Attraction

As they reach their late 40s or early 50s, most menstruating people stop having a monthly period, a transition we refer to as Menopause. Despite the fact that this hormonal change happens to half of the population, it is understudied and poorly understood. In this episode, Isabella Ravaglia (’22) tells us about cognitive changes during … Continue reading Episode 3: The Menopod

In this episode, Sarah Blossom (’22) takes us on a journey through space as she tries to answer the question “are men from Mars and women from Venus?” Sarah teaches us about the concept of sexual dimorphisms in the brain: the idea that there are small but measurable sex differences in the average size of … Continue reading Episode 4: Intergalactic

Are some people destined to be unhappy in relationships? Should you be taking a genetic testing kit on your next first date? Tune in as Zoe Frazer-Klotz (’22) tells you about a recent study in which researchers correlated women’s oxytocin receptor genotype with measures of their relationship quality. You won’t want to miss Zoe’s thorough … Continue reading Episode 5: Twenty-three & me & you

Listen in as Annette Lee (’22) tells you about Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, or BDNF, a protein that is involved in well… maybe everything?! How do we study the function of a molecule that is expressed all over the brain and body and seems to play a role in so many processes? Annette digs in … Continue reading Episode 6: Now I know my BDNFs

There are known sex differences in many neurological diseases. For example, more women than men develop Alzheimer’s Disease and women tend to decline faster than men. What can explain this difference? One potential piece of the puzzle may be an extra-cellular structure in the brain called perineuronal nets, which envelop neurons and are important for … Continue reading Episode 7: A “net” to catch neurological diseases