That's Science

In the spirit of A Christmas Carol, we've created a sort of That's Science ghost of Past, present, and Future! In this bonus Christmas episode, Amelia and Susan wrap up the past year of That's Science by looking back over the past sixteen episodes. As well as behind-the-scenes stories and recording disasters, we also get into what we've been up to since June and what to expect in the new year from us! Thank you to everyone who listened this year, we're immensely proud of what we've created and couldn't have done it without all you lovely listeners!Happy Christmas! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of What’s Science, Amelia discusses scientific discoveries with science historian and lecturer in zoology, Matthew Cobb. The pair chat maggot noses, fictitious ah-ha moments and less than accurate depictions of scientists while trying to work out what exactly a scientific discovery is. Make sure to listen to our outro to get a That’s Science update from Episode 1.For more on:Matthew and Nathaniel’s Nature article: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01313-5Matthew and Nathaniel’s Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/matthewcobb/status/1650877644529975296Twitter thread showing the Royal Society programme: https://twitter.com/ThatsSciencePod/status/1667178396093231104?s=20Progress in Science (a historical overview of different theories by Feller and Stern: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26378/The nature of discovery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4213439/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: Discussions of consent and sex This week's episode of 'Is that Science?' Phoebe joins me and Amelia to talk about her work as a sex educator and illustrator. Our conversation ranges from all things gender and sexuality to science communication and the arts. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we loved having it :))Phoebe's Instagrams: Art page: https://instagram.com/everybodys_invited?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Personal: https://instagram.com/phoebeebies?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==For more on:The Vagina Museum: https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/the-vagina-museum-london-camden-twitter-public-support-new-venue-b948844.htmlhttps://twitter.com/vagina_museum?lang=enFrances Glesner Lee's Crime Scenes: https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/nutshells Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode of What's Science is all about statistics - much to the disappointment of our guest, Alex. Amelia and Alex navigate pandemic communication, not-so-scientific chemistry experiments and the scientific institution through caffeine- and stress-induced giggles - it's a fun one!For more information on:The definitions of Uncertainty and Error: https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/Uncertainty-Error-and-Confidence/157Uncertainty in Science Communication: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2015/10/08/the-certainty-of-uncertainty-scientists-know-exactly-how-well-we-dont-know-things/Communicating statistics during the Pandemic: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666389921001537 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of "Is That Science", Dr. Vladmir Jankovic comes on to talk about the development of the climate crisis as a political issue. Despite its obvious presence in the modern day, the complexity of climate change can be incredibly hard for a non-scientific individual to talk about or understand. At times, this can feel overwhelming. So, in today's episode, Vlad will talk through the history of the crisis as a political issue, a framing goes some way to unpick some of the confusion around the issue. This was such a fascinating conversation and I'm so grateful Vlad took the time out to talk to me!For more on:Pint of Science Events: https://pintofscience.co.uk/events/manchester The language of climate change: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d719 and https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gk5hIndividualization of responsibility: https://medium.com/@mitpress/individualization-plant-a-tree-buy-a-bike-save-the-world-ecb916df95e4 Vlad's paper on climate change as market transition:  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03085147.2013.791511?tab=permissions&scroll=top Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of what’s science, Amelia literally has to be told to “be cool” because she’s too excited to have Heidi Gardner, health equality researcher at the University of Aberdeen, on the podcast. The pair discuss Heidi’s PhD, why it’s important to include diverse and representative populations in clinical trials, and how that can be achieved – all while Amelia gushes about how much she loved Heidi’s past business Science On A Postcard/Little Science Co.Heidi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/heidirgardner?s=20Heidi’s Blog: https://heidirgardner.wordpress.com/ Other people Heidi mentioned:Heather Morgan (@hm_morgan on twitter)Addy Adelaine (@AddyAdelaine on twitter)Lynn Laidlaw (@lynn_laidlaw on twitter) For more onThe Disabled Experience: Disability Visibility, edited by Alice Wong (2020)Photovoice: https://participedia.net/method/5016 or https://feelingathome.org.uk/blog/what-is-photovoice/ or https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2012.717881Inclusivity frameworks in Clinical Trials: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/improving-inclusion-of-under-served-groups-in-clinical-research-guidance-from-include-project/25435 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TW: Discussion of suicideIn this episode, Paul Knowles joins Susan to have a chat about ecocriticism. With a lot of discussion about the climate crisis characterized by catastrophe, it is very easy to be overwhelmed by the discourse. However, in the field of ecocriticism, one has a different way to articulate the human relationship to the natural and more human world in a way that can build empathy and promote discussion in a way that hard statistics sometimes can't. Of course, it's a massive area of research and literature, but I had a great discussion with Paul and he's so knowledgeable about this work, and our discussion prompted a lot of post-interview followup web-searching on my part!For more information on:The Southern council in trouble for tree felling in Plymouth: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-65074972A great discussion from BBC Radio 4 about preserving ancient woodlands: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001l940 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning: This episode discusses illness including HIV/AIDS and death. In this episode of What’s Science, Amelia discusses chronic pain, clinical trials and super placebo effects with Marcia Schofield, a pain specialist doctor and mum to your favorite podcast co-host, Susan. Marcia has been principal investigator on clinical trials, and especially in co-production of clinical trials with patients.  For more information on: Clinical Trial Phases: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/find-a-clinical-trial/what-clinical-trials-are/phases-of-clinical-trials Co-production of clinical trials: https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n434 Sativex: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/about-ms/treatments-and-therapies/cannabis/sativex  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucinda comes back to 'What's Science" to discuss with Susan the development and impact of the Sci-Fi genre. The inherently creative nature of the genre, reimagining a world outside our own, suits it well to playing out complex cultural feelings around science. But, of course, the genre itself is very interesting and fun! Lucinda's passion for it made her such a joy to chat to and we hope you enjoy the episode!For more information on:The different scientist tropes in media: https://filmschoolrejects.com/a-scientist-walks-into-a-movie-48b98b9e1af2/Afrofuturism: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/dec/07/afrofuturism-black-identity-future-science-technologyhttps://afritechnews.com/afrofuturism/Lovecraftian Horror in film: https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-lovecraftian-horror-films Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: Animal cruelty, death and disease.Back after spring break, in this episode of What's Science, Amelia discusses Animal Testing with Meg and Amy. Covering why animals are used in experiments, the regulations in place and the alternatives on their way, the trio try to balance the emotive issues of animal cruelty with the scientific and medical reasons animals are used. It's a more serious episode than previous ones, but hopefully gives a good overview of this complex issue.Before the recording we read:Speaking of Research: Animal Research Regulations in the UK (https://speakingofresearch.com/facts/animal-research-regulations-in-the-uk/)National Association of Biomedical Research: The importance of Animal Research (https://www.nabr.org/biomedical-research/importance-biomedical-research)PETA: Answers to Common Arguments for Animal Testing (https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animal-testing-bad-science/)Live Science: Alternatives to Animal Testing (https://www.livescience.com/65401-animal-testing-alternatives.html)For more information on:Pre-clinical and clinical trials: https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/feature/drug-development-the-journey-of-a-medicine-from-lab-to-shelfThalidomide: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/thalidomide or http://isciencemag.co.uk/features/how-optical-isomers-uncovered-the-horrors-of-thalidomide/Twisted Doodles and her Grapefruit Cartoon: https://twitter.com/twisteddoodles/status/1620742934135201792?s=20Chagas Disease: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chagas-disease-(american-trypanosomiasis)T. cruzi study: Costa FC, Francisco AF, Jayawardhana S, Calderano SG, Lewis MD, Olmo F, Beneke T, Gluenz E, Sunter J, Dean S, Kelly JM, Taylor MC. Expanding the toolbox for Trypanosoma cruzi: A parasite line incorporating a bioluminescence-fluorescence dual reporter and streamlined CRISPR/Cas9 functionality for rapid in vivo localisation and phenotyping. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018 Apr 2;12(4):e0006388. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006388. PMID: 29608569; PMCID: PMC5897030. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Amelia gets to discuss her proudest academic moment and reveal her terrible grasp on spherical algebra with the wonderful Lucinda Sheriffs. The pair offer their thoughts on how science and religion interact, and how that could be managed by science communicators. As they discuss the Golden Age of Islam, Amelia also briefly discusses how the Islamic faith interacts with science by interviewing Hafsa Mohammed about her views of the two. Before the recording, we read:Religion and Science (Whitehead, 1925): https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1925/08/religion-and-science/304220/Framing Science (Nisbet and Mooney, 2007): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1142030 For more on:Islamic Scholars, and non-western history of science in general: Horizons by James Poskett (2022)Ibn al-Haytham: https://www.elsevier.com/connect/how-an-ancient-muslim-scientist-cast-his-light-into-the-21st-centuryAl-Biruni’s globe experiment: https://owlcation.com/stem/How-to-Determin-the-Radius-of-the-Earth-Al-Birunis-Classic-Experiment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: AbuseIn this episode of 'Is That Science?' Susan and her guest Dr. Richard O'Flynn (her dad!) talk about the Father of psychoanalysis himself- Sigmund Freud. A pioneer in the field of psychiatry, Freud has transcended the history of medicine and permeates popular discourse. However, the popular imagination of Freud has tended to reduce his prolific career to a few fringe concepts. In this episode, they look behind the mammoth myth of Freud and talk about the development of psychoanalysis as a scientific practice and in the modern cultural imagination.Also, advanced apologies for the audio quality on my end!Works mentioned:Freud's Work:Analysis: Terminable and Interminable (1937) https://ia902907.us.archive.org/17/items/SigmundFreud/Sigmund%20Freud%20%5B1937%5D%20Analysis%20Terminable%20and%20Interminable%20%28James%20Strachey%20translation%2C%201961%29.pdfCase of Anna O, the birth of the talking cure https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Freud_and_Breuer_SE_Anna_O_complete.pdfOn 'The Wolf Man' https://www.freud.org.uk/education/resources/the-wolf-mans-dream/Introductory lectures in psychoanalysis: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Introductory_Lectures_on_Psychoanalysis.html?id=Sfz0l6WSqFgC&redir_esc=y Totem and Taboo https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41214On FreudFreud Autobiography, Ernest Jones- https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Life_and_Work_of_Sigmund_Freud.html?id=9UKoDwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=yWH Auden poem: https://poets.org/poem/memory-sigmund-freud Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of 'What's Science', Amelia discusses why scientific methods were key to forming the field of Chemistry, and science more generally, that we see today. Through thinking about their experiences with science in their undergraduate research projects, Amelia and guest Freya Anderson discuss how the scientific method came to be accepted, and some of the key scholars behind it. Before this episode, we read these articles to prepare:https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/scientific-method.htmhttps://explorable.com/history-of-the-scientific-method)https://aggietranscript.ucdavis.edu/the-roots-of-chemistry-how-the-ancient-tradition-of-alchemy-influenced-modern-scientific-thought/For more information on:How being able to 'break the rules' can make better scientists: The Republic of Science by Michael Polanyi (1962) https://www-jstor-org.manchester.idm.oclc.org/stable/41821550 (Freya warns this article is very useful, but also is quite obviously dated and includes some problematic analogies...)On whether we should publish when things go wrong: (https://www.openpharma.blog/blog/guest-posts/the-changing-open-research-landscape-a-publishers-perspective/)Alchemy and the elements: The Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey Williams (2011) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: discussion of Death and DiseaseIn this episode of 'Is That Science', Susan talks with Richelle Munkhoff, co-founder of The Plain Sight Archive a non-profit organization developing an online tool and resources dedicated to a more inclusive understanding of the history of arts and culture. In this interview, Richelle discusses one area of her research conducted during her academic career, a specific role for women in the early modern period.Women have always participated in science and held important roles in medicine. However, the inherently male-dominated tradition of these practices has a tendency to both forget and erase the pivotal part they have played in scientific development. Richelle’s work is so important because it reminds us of both the forgotten legacy of women in the foundations of science and their importance as leaders within the community. Of course, this interview will be slightly on the more history and humanities side, but I couldn't resist discussing this fascinating piece of work! We talked about the purpose of this role, how it evolved, how Richelle conducted her research and what we can learn from the Searchers.To follow Richelle's current work follow @plain_sight_archiveReadings referenced in our discussion:For Richelle's article: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24423855For the article I referenced in the show: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpcu.13070Books referenced:Boccaccio, Decameron (1353)Thomas Dekker's "plague pamphlets" can be found in:The Plague Pamphlets of Thomas Dekker, ed. F. P. Wilson (1925) especially of interest are: "The Wonderfull Yeare: 1603" (1603) and "A Rod for Run-awayes, God's Tokens" (1625)Daniel Defoe, Journal of the Plague Year (1722)Elizabeth Griffith, "The Story of Miss Williams" -- appears in:Novellettes (1780) [pages 203-220]Further reading:For more on Richelle's research: https://heatherquinlan.medium.com/ever-heard-of-the-searchers-they-killed-romeo-and-juliet-confused-read-on-dc399a46ab42 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of ‘What’s Science’, Amelia and guests Maxine Lin and Nell Bevan discuss what objectivity means in the context of science: can we separate science from the society it operates in, and how do we know when things are true? We can’t promise actual answers, but the discussion is hopefully interesting enough to make up for it!Before the episode we read these four articles to prepare:https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/doing-good-science/the-ideal-of-objectivity/https://kinesismagazine.com/2020/06/18/science-isnt-objective-but-thats-okay/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8051197/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00669-2For more information on:Meckel’s theory that humans have a fish stage during embryogenesis and Sommerfeld’s atomic structure theories: https://www.dur.ac.uk/news/allnews/thoughtleadership/?itemno=35051#:~:text=As%20it%20happens%2C%20early%20human,our%20development%20towards%20biological%20perfection.The Flat Earth experiment is documented in the Netflix documentary ‘Behind the Curve’The debunking of head sizes as a sign of intelligence: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/alice-lee-statistician-debunked-sexist-myths-skull-size-intelligence-180971241/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode, Susan talks about her personal interest in The History of Science- medicine- and why she thinks the subject is important in the modern day. As well as this, she also exposes herself on broadcast through her deeply strange fascination with Victorian anatomical books. Special thanks to Harriet for directing me to specific books and Amelia for the 3 hours she devoted to helping me edit!Further reading:For Adam Rodman's Podcast 'Bedside Rounds': http://bedside-rounds.org/For a link to Dr Pickstone's book 'Ways of Knowing': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ways-Knowing-History-Technology-Medicine/dp/0719059941For a link to the Dr N.D Jewson article: 10.1093/ije/dyp180For more on the History of Medicine in general: https://wellcome.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of What's Science, Amelia talks with Harriet Palfreyman, a lecturer from the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at The University of Manchester, and co-director of the Science and Health Communication Masters. Covering the history of the scientific journal article, how it is evolving and what we should be looking out for when reading them, Amelia does her best to blacklist Harriet from all further academic positions - so let's keep our fingers crossed for her career!Further Reading:For more on the fake inventor of the toaster: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/the-reporters-63622746For more about the history of journal articles, try exploring: https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/philosophicaltransactions/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing 'That's Science', and your hosts Amelia and Susan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.