Welcome to the first of our special episodes brought to you in conjunction with Pint of Science! If you don’t know what Pint of Science is, you can find out more via their website: https://pintofscience.com.au . Have you ever wondered how the cells in your brain and nervous system talk to each other? Neurons connect and communicate with each other via tiny structures called “synapses”. Elysa Carr - a graduate researcher from the Presynaptic Physiology laboratory at The Florey Institute of Neuros...
May 16, 2020•32 min
What do a facebook group, a superhero movie, and a science podcast have in common?ANTSThat’s right, this episode we dive deep into the world of ants! What is really going on inside an ant’s nest, deep below ground? How do ants carry out epic heists when they can’t really plan or communicate? How accurate WAS Marvel’s Ant Man? Both in ant science… but also in physics?Episode Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGJ2jMZ-gaI https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-scien...
May 02, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Kate and Matt are joined this episode by the chemical cowboy Declan Burke, who tells us all about the wonders of Hydrogen. Why is Hydrogen such a good fuel? How do we make Hydrogen fuel? Why hasn’t the world fully embraced it yet? We also tackle a listener question that builds on our previous episode as we plunge briefly back into the world of soap… can germs grow on a bar of soap? If so… can soap actually make us sick?Studies mentioned in episode: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8264434 htt...
Apr 18, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Amidst the madness of the COVID-19 pandemic, we keep hearing the constant message of “wash your hands”… but why is this so important?! How does something as simple and ancient as soap manage to become our most effective weapon against this virus? To understand this, Kate and Matt delve into the chemistry behind soap and what is actually going on when you wash something with soap. Our listener question then takes a slight detour from our current pandemic-driven reality, and we chat about alcohol…...
Apr 04, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In the final instalment of our epic 3-part coronavirus special, once again joined by public health expert Ellie Duckworth, Ellie and Kate tackle all your questions! We plough through most of the questions we got, which range from molecular-based to philosophical to basic advice. We then go over some of the best conspiracy theories we’ve heard - is there any truth there? We then wrap up with the positives to have come out of this situation, to leave you maybe a sense of hope going forward!If you ...
Mar 21, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This is part 2 of a 3-part series on the coronavirus pandemic currently sweeping the globe. Joining us again we have Ellie Duckworth – our epidemiologist – weighing in with educated opinions on the matter. This episode the Duck teaches the Hucks about the specifics of this novel coronavirus, SAR-CoV-2, and the resulting COVID-19 illness. We give a brief outline of how this thing has unfolded, and how it differs from the SARS and MERS situations discussed in the previous episode. We talk about th...
Mar 21, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 7
This is it. Our biggest and most ambitious episode so far. In this massive multi-part special episode, we talk all things coronavirus. Matt and Kate are joined by Ellie Duckworth: A Master of Public Health graduate, specialising in epidemiology and biostatistics. In our opening episode, we try to give a bit of background and context to the current situation. We give a brief history of other coronavirus outbreaks, like SARS and MERS, which have given scientists a head-start when it comes to under...
Mar 21, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Almost everyone has experienced being tickled at some point in their lives, but what exactly IS tickling? Is it pleasure, or is it pain? Is it possible to tickle yourself? This episode, Kate and Matt talk about tickling, and some of the research exploring what it actually is. They also talk about fish… do they sleep? Episode Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23313827 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051959 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC...
Mar 07, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 6
In an episode where Kate and Matt are joined by astronomer Benji Metha, the big hitting questions are asked. Are we living in a simulation? Is the matrix real? Can people really get super-human strength and lift cars off the ground in emergencies?Handy Links: https://www.tng-project.org/media/ - Pretty pictures/videos from the IllustrisTNG simulation. https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/72918.php?from=267097 - Our real universe (left) vs what Hubble would see if it were looking at the simu...
Feb 22, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Hypnosis: Pseudoscience or real thing!? This episode, Kate and Matt deep dive into the world of hypnosis. Is hypnosis just a stage trick? Are people just playing along? Or can you be made to do/ think/ feel things just by being lulled into a trance? And if so, how the hell does it work?! They also chat coffee and caffeine – what is it doing in your brain and why can it give you the jitters? Episode Sources: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325348289_Improving_hypnotizability_in_adults_wi...
Feb 08, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In a slightly longer and more serious episode than usual, Kate and Matt are joined by the lovely Dr Linden Ashcroft to talk about the tragic Australian Bushfires. Is this just business as usual for an Australian summer, or is something more serious going on here? Is Climate Change to blame? Or is there more to the story? They also dive into how climate and weather can affect our mood, and why a lack of sunlight can sometimes make you gloomy!As mentioned in the episode, here are our collection of...
Jan 25, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 3
This episode Kate and Matt discuss the appendix! Is it truly just an outdated and useless organ that can be removed with zero consequence? Or does it still actually have a function in humans? Learn all about the latest scientific thoughts about what this little dangly bit of tissue might do! There is also some nifty intel about paper cuts – why do they hurt so dang much!? Laugh as you learn, and remember you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter ( https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat ), Ins...
Jan 11, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome to our first episode! In this episode, sibling duo Kate and Matt delve into the fascinating science behind Pins and Needles. Learn all about what might be causing this strange feeling, as well as how you can fix it! They also chat about the moon, and what it might mean for Earth if our moon was supersized. All of this, with a good smattering of banter and laughs along the way! You can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter ( https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat ), Insta ( https://www.ins...
Jan 08, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 1
