Taboo Science

By Ashley Hamer Pritchard

Taboo Science is a podcast that answers the questions you're not allowed to ask. It's hosted by Ashley Hamer Pritchard, a science writer and podcaster. Every episode dives into a different societal ta... more

4.9

5757 ratings

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Taboo Science:

How many episodes does Taboo Science have?

The podcast currently has 66 episodes available.

Taboo Science episodes:

November 27, 2025RERUN - Asexuality: The Sexual Orientation Missing From Your Sex Ed
It's Thanksgiving here in the US, so we're re-running one of the most popular Taboo Science episodes of all time. We'll be back in two weeks with an episode about trans healthcare access!

In this episode, we challenge the common perceptions of attraction and explore the complexities of asexuality. Sociology PhD candidate Canton Weiner shares invaluable insights from his research while Sarah Costello, co-host of the podcast "Sounds Fake, But Okay," opens up about her personal experience being aro-ace, or aromantic asexual. We examine the split attraction model and shed light on various types of attraction, delve into the history of asexuality with pioneers like Magnus Hirschfeld and Alfred Kinsey, and discover how the rise of the internet has shaped the asexual community. This episode challenges misconceptions, explores the intersection of asexuality and other identities like race and gender, and highlights the need for increased understanding and acceptance within the LGBTQIA community.

Check out Canton Winer's University of Irvine bio and his research.
Listen to Sarah Costello's podcast Sounds Fake But Okay and pick up her new book, Sounds Fake but Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything Else.

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/s3-e2-asexuality/

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
34min
November 13, 2025Nonbinary 101: Beyond the Binary
What if the government declared you don't exist? In 2025, that's exactly what happened to nonbinary people—but they're not going anywhere. This episode breaks down what nonbinary actually means (hint: it's not "between man and woman"), why they/them pronouns are harder for our brains to process, and how some nonbinary people use hormones to craft their perfect gender recipe. With help from psychologist Dr. Em Matsuno and our sensitivity reader Newt Schottelkotte, we're exploring everything from microdosing testosterone to why misgendering is the default for nonbinary folks—along with the benefits to the journey of gender discovery. Whether you're nonbinary yourself, know someone who is, or are just trying to figure out how to not mess up someone's pronouns, this episode will help you understand what it means to make your own gender from scratch.
More from Em Matsuno:
Empowerment Lab website: https://empowermentlab.wordpress.com/
Empowerment Lab on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerment_lab_asu
More from Newt Schottelkotte:
Website: https://newtschottelkotte.com/
See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/nonbinary-101-beyond-the-binary/

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
36min
October 30, 2025Trans 101: Trans Kids & the Reality of Youth Transition
The right says doctors are mutilating children. The left says nothing permanent is happening. They're both oversimplifying, but they're not equally wrong.

Meet Maya, who started transitioning at 13 with puberty blockers, then hormones, then surgery at 16. Now 25 and thriving, she walks us through what actually happened—and why she says it saved her life. We also talk to pediatrician Dr. Michelle Forcier, who breaks down the real medical process. We're busting the "most trans kids change their minds" myth with actual research, covering what puberty blockers really do, why some trans kids hate being on them, and the question nobody wants to ask: what happens to kids who don't get care? Turns out inaction is also a decision, and it comes with permanent consequences too. This episode won't give you easy answers, but it will show you what the science actually says and why everyone who knows trans youth best says the same thing: listen to them.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of self-harm and suicidality.

More from Michelle Forcier:
Brown University
LinkedIn
See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-trans-kids-the-reality-of-youth-transition/

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
37min
October 23, 2025FEED DROP: Sing for Science
Another podcast Taboo Science listeners may enjoy: Sing For Science!

Sing for Science is a science-and-music podcast where musicians sit down with scientists to explore the scientific ideas hidden in their most iconic songs. Listen to JD from Korn talk about “Dead Bodies Everywhere” with a mortuary-science expert, Sia explore one of her breakup ballads with an attachment-theory psychologist, and many, many more. Created and hosted by New York musician Matt Whyte, the show seeks to uncover connections wherever they may exist and build bridges between seemingly disparate voices, styles, and walks of life. Sing For Science is made possible in part by a grant from the Simons Foundation. New episodes release every two weeks—subscribe now. Want to catch a live Sing For Science taping in your city? Sign up for our newsletter at SingForScience.org to be the first to know.

WARNING: This episode contains content related to mortuary science that some listeners may find disturbing.

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis delves into his past as a mortician with popular science bestselling author, Mary Roach. Mary wrote the hit book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and the two have no shortage of gory details to discuss. We talk about the biology of human corpse decomposition and preservation, embalming techniques (including but not limited to anal suturing), Elvis’s autopsy, and more!

Learn more at https://www.singforscience.org/

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
49min
October 16, 2025Trans 101: How Transgender Hormone Therapy Changes Body and Brain
For decades, doctors tried to psychoanalyze trans people out of being trans. Spoiler: it didn't work. This episode dives into the medical reality of gender transition—from how hormones actually work at the cellular level to the emotional rollercoaster of a second puberty. You'll learn what estrogen and testosterone really do to the body, what bottom growth actually means, and how modern surgery can create everything from boobs to fully functional penises with hydraulic erections. We cover the psychological shifts, the physical changes, the hilarious terminology trans people have coined, and why medical transition isn't about "fixing" anyone—it's about letting people finally be themselves.

More from Michelle Forcier:
Brown University
LinkedIn
More from Riley Black:
Website
Order her latest book, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs
Bluesky
More from Hibby Thach:
Website
Twitch
Bluesky
More from Charlie James:
Website
Order his book, I’m Just a Little Guy: How to Escape the Horrors and Get Back to Dillydallying
TikTok

Citations and transcript: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-how-transgender-hormone-therapy-changes-body-and-brain/

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
36min
October 02, 2025Trans 101: Everything You Think You Know (But Probably Don't)
Got a rainbow sticker? Follow trans creators? Have trans friends? Cool. But if you're like most people—even the well-meaning ones—you probably know just enough about trans people to be dangerous. In this episode, we're dismantling the "born in the wrong body" narrative and exploring what being trans actually means. With help from University of Victoria transgender studies chair Dr. Aaron Devor, paleontologist Riley Black, PhD student Hibby Thach, and comedian Charlie James, we're breaking down sex vs. gender vs. gender expression, debunking the "social contagion" myth, and explaining why asking "but have you had The Surgery?" is never okay. Trans people are rarer than redheads, but somehow they're at the center of a political firestorm—so let's actually understand what we're talking about.

More from Aaron Devor:
Website
Podcast for Inquiry appearance
More from Riley Black:
Website
Order her latest book, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs
Bluesky
More from Hibby Thach:
Website
Twitch
Bluesky
More from Charlie James:
Website
Order his book, I’m Just a Little Guy: How to Escape the Horrors and Get Back to Dillydallying
TikTok

See citations and a transcript here: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-everything-you-think-you-know-but-probably-dont/

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
32min
September 04, 2025Coming Soon — Season 5: Trans 101
When it comes to transgender issues, most of us are working with incomplete information—and that's a problem when real people's rights hang in the balance. This season, we're exploring what it actually means to be trans in America today, from the science of gender identity to the daily realities of healthcare, relationships, and family. With the help of researchers crunching the numbers and trans people sharing their stories, we'll tackle the questions you might be curious about but wouldn't know how to ask, without the political noise—just honest conversations about human experience.

The first episode of Trans 101 drops October 2nd. Subscribe/follow so you don't miss it.

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
4min
July 07, 2025Housekeeping: Audience Survey Results + Taboo Science Patreon!
Still working on Season 5 (Trans Science!). In the meantime, go to https://patreon.com/tabooscience to support the show—and get updates and behind-the-scenes tidbits as I work.

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
4min
May 19, 2025 Announcement — Action Requested
To find out next season's theme and be entered to win a $50 Amazon(?) gift card, fill out the Taboo Science listener survey here: https://bit.ly/43gcMAh
Connect with the show:
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Newsletter: https://www.tabooscience.show/newsletter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
2min
March 25, 2025Introducing: CRAMPED
CRAMPED is an investigative podcast that answers the question "Why are so many people with uteruses in unexplained & untreated pain?"Listen to the entire season here: https://pod.link/1778101696

Need music for a project? Use my Epidemic Sound referral link: https://share.epidemicsound.com/kbva2h

Connect with the show:
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience
Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscience
Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/
Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473
...more
43min

FAQs about Taboo Science:

How many episodes does Taboo Science have?

The podcast currently has 66 episodes available.

More shows like Taboo Science

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,233 Listeners

Skeptoid by Brian Dunning

Skeptoid

2,669 Listeners

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine by Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

14,820 Listeners

Dear Hank & John by Complexly

Dear Hank & John

7,744 Listeners

Imaginary Worlds by Eric Molinsky | QCODE

Imaginary Worlds

1,995 Listeners

Twenty Thousand Hertz by Dallas Taylor

Twenty Thousand Hertz

4,180 Listeners

Escape This Podcast by Escape This Podcast

Escape This Podcast

336 Listeners

Endless Thread by WBUR

Endless Thread

2,666 Listeners

Articles of Interest by Avery Trufelman

Articles of Interest

3,500 Listeners

Factually! with Adam Conover by Headgum

Factually! with Adam Conover

2,211 Listeners

Live Like the World is Dying by Margaret Killjoy

Live Like the World is Dying

439 Listeners

Maintenance Phase by Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes

Maintenance Phase

16,794 Listeners

Let's Learn Everything! by Maximum Fun

Let's Learn Everything!

423 Listeners

Lateral with Tom Scott by Tom Scott and David Bodycombe

Lateral with Tom Scott

468 Listeners

The Urbanist Agenda by Not Just Bikes

The Urbanist Agenda

174 Listeners