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Latest episode via Spotify
Episode list and show notes
Episode 18 – Firestarter: not just a song by The Prodigy
How amazing is it to sit around a campfire? Watching those beautiful, flickering flames; listening to the gorgeous crackle of firewood. It’s mesmerising. Humans are innately fascinated by fire, but our relationship with fire is complex. Sometimes, fire fascination turns into something more dangerous. Sometimes, humans intentionally set fires. And guess what? It seems that…
Keep readingEpisode 17 – Go with your gut? What does the science say?
Have you ever had a really strong gut feeling about something? You don’t know why. You don’t know where it’s coming from, but it’s telling you something very clearly. Should you trust it? In this episode, Aleena and Janine delve into the science behind gut instincts. Aleena then hijacks the inner square segment to update…
Keep readingEpisode 16 – The truth about Tourette Syndrome with Seamus Evans
Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week is running from 2 – 8 May 2022! So, Janine and Aleena are raising understanding and busting some myths around Tourette Syndrome, especially as Janine’s little boy has this condition. The sisters are joined by their first ever guest – Seamus Evans! Seamus is an awesome TV and radio broadcaster and…
Keep readingEpisode 15 – Fight, flight, or… “freeze”?
WARNING: This episode contains discussion related to traumatic experiences that may be distressing for some listeners. Janine excitedly shares details of her new pet dog Calli (#RescueGreyhound), who massively inspired this episode, since Calli displays a very strong “freeze response” in times of stress. Aleena and Janine take a look at some research into the…
Keep readingEpisode 14 – New Year’s Resolutions: can we use science to make them stick?
Welcome to 2022! You might have mixed feelings about what is to come in the year ahead… a new year often brings a lot of hope, excitement and promise, but with so much uncertainty in the world at the moment, many are feeling quite despondent, and justifiably so. It follows that many of us have…
Keep readingEpisode 13 – Muck up day 2021!
In the spirit of the traditional ‘muck up day’ on the last day of school in Australia, Aleena and Janine mix things up a bit in this episode… They reflect on Sister Doctor Squared turning 1, the many random and interesting things they’ve learned during the first year, and conduct the first ever Sister Doctor…
Keep readingEpisode 12 – Scared of needles? Science has some answers.
With vaccination rates currently a topic of daily conversation, Aleena and Janine have been looking into what factors might be behind poor vaccination rates in some settings. They are surprised to find that fear or phobia of needles could be an important contributor to vaccine hesitancy. They also got their square on when voluntary primary-school…
Keep readingEpisode 11 – Distorted sense of time: how is this possible?
Aleena and Janine investigate how the passage of time can often feel slower or faster even when, objectively, we know that time is always passing at a constant rate. Why do some days drag on while others disappear in a flash? How is it possible that things can feel like they are happening in slow…
Keep readingEpisode 10 – Why is cancer so rare in whales?
Janine was helping some students with high school genetics when she came across some fascinating research suggesting that whales and other cetacean mammals hardly ever get cancer. She and Aleena were super intrigued and just had to know why, especially as there is such a strong history of cancer in their family. Meanwhile, Aleena tells…
Keep readingEpisode 9 – Antibiotic resistance: what’s the deal?
Aleena was recently offered antibiotics by a doctor, for a situation where antibiotics were completely inappropriate. She immediately called Janine and it was settled; they just had to do an episode on this massive issue. Meanwhile, Aleena has been partnering with her cat and doing some citizen science experiments, while Janine is stuck in another…
Keep readingEpisode 8 – The ‘nocebo’ effect: just as important as the placebo effect?
Janine and Aleena kick off by summarising the well-established ‘placebo’ effect, before focusing in on the lesser-known ‘nocebo’ effect. What’s the difference? How might these affects play a big role in treatment effectiveness? Can these effects be minimised? Janine also confesses to sub-par performance on a university assignment and Aleena shares some long-overdue pool noodle…
Keep readingEpisode 7 – Why do bowerbirds hoard and steal blue stuff?
Aleena and Janine respond to a listener request for an episode about their own scientific research. They’re happy to oblige! They kick off with Janine’s past research into satin bowerbirds and explain just why males collect, hoard, and steal so much random blue stuff! Meanwhile, Aleena discusses her own peculiar past habit of collecting local…
Keep readingEpisode 6 – Why do we cry?
In this episode, Aleena and Janine get stuck into the research around human crying. Why do we do it? How did this bizarre behaviour even evolve? Why are humans the only animals shedding tears due to emotion? Should we hold in the tears or let them flow? Meanwhile Aleena then shares her newfound appreciation for…
Keep readingEpisode 5 – What is La Niña? Can it really lead to diarrhoea?
In this episode, Aleena and Janine respond to a listener question (#exciting!): Deepak got in touch to ask them to explain the La Niña weather cycle that he keeps hearing about in the news in Australia this Summer. They start by breaking down the science that causes La Niña (and El Niño) weather patterns across…
Keep readingEpisode 4 – Clutter in your home? What does the science say?
Aleena and Janine open this episode by chatting about how physics may partly explain your messy house. They go deeper into the scientific literature about clutter in your home – how bad is it really? And what can you do about it? Do Marie Kondo’s methods really work? What does ‘sparking joy’ even mean?! They…
Keep readingEpisode 3 – Why are we so obsessed with true crime?
WARNING: This episode contains discussion related to violent crime that may be distressing for some listeners. In episode 3, Aleena and Janine admit to spending countless hours engaging in true crime media. They really want to get to the bottom of why they, and so many of us, are so obsessed with this stuff! The…
Keep readingEpisode 2 – Multitasking: myth or not?
In this episode, Aleena and Janine delve in to the evidence behind multitasking – is it a myth or not? Janine’s consistent inability to multitask has always been a source of much amusement within the family. Aleena, on the other hand, has always appeared to be an effective multitasker. Their research delivers some clear evidence…
Keep readingEpisode 1 – The Novel Coronavirus
Aleena and Janine kick off the Sister Doctor Squared podcast by discussing the most pressing issue in our world right now: coronavirus. In this episode they delve into some aspects of the underlying biology of the virus, and also people’s psychological responses to the pandemic. Somehow they also end up discussing toileting and cat poo.…
Keep readingIntroducing Sister Doctor Squared!
Well hello there! This is a podcast where sisters Aleena and Janine get super chatty about research into biology, health, psychology and much more. In this short intro episode, they explain who the hell they are and that they already have a ridiculously long list of topics that they’ll probably never get through, and rattle…
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