Is there a way to predetermine your baby's biological sex and conceive a girl or a boy? Here's what science has to say about things like genetics, timing, diet, and even adrenaline.
Jun 2022
The History of Transplant Surgery
Witty, entertaining, and illuminating, Spare Parts shows us that the history - and future - of transplant surgery is tied up with questions about not only who we are, but also what we are, and what we might become.Enjoy an excerpt of this surprising history audiobook from Paul Cr ... Show More
10m 53s
Apr 2022
Could we have domesticated a T-Rex?
Hello, Ask Science listeners! This week, we're sharing the first episode of Curious State, a brand new podcast from Quick and Dirty Tips.Could we have domesticated a T-Rex? Is the mafia really that violent? Haven't all the possible songs been written by now? Unexpected gems of kn ... Show More
16m 17s
Aug 2025
Nature’s Sexual Spectrum Breaks the Binary
Biologist Nathan Lents joins Science Quickly to explore the vast sexual diversity found across the animal kingdom. His new book, The Sexual Evolution: How 500 Million Years of Sex, Gender, and Mating Shape Modern Relationships, challenges the binary framework that has long shaped ... Show More
12m 27s
Jul 2025
Male vs. Female Brain Differences & How They Arise From Genes & Hormones | Dr. Nirao Shah
My guest is Dr. Nirao Shah, MD, PhD, a professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences and neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. We discuss how the brains of males and females differ and how those differences arise from different genes and hormones during fetal dev ... Show More
2h 26m
Oct 2023
The Iceman, Y Chromosome Puzzle, Planets
Today, you’ll hear the truth about the chromosome that determines the male sex, new secrets from an old iceman, and an exoplanet denser than steel. Y Chromosome Puzzle “The Y Chromosome’s genetic puzzle is finally complete.” by Tina Hesman Saey. 2023. “Chromosomal Sex Determinati ... Show More
13m 20s
Jun 2025
Agustín Fuentes, "Sex Is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary" (Princeton UP, 2025)
Being human entails an astonishingly complex interplay of biology and culture, and while there are important differences between women and men, there is a lot more variation and overlap than we may realize. Sex Is a Spectrum offers a bold new paradigm for understanding the biolog ... Show More
45m 11s