In one final episode for 2023 / season 4 of Curiosity Killed the Rat, Kade and Matt bring you an extended special reflecting on one of the biggest Australian milestones of 2023: the re-classification and approval of MDMA and Psilocybin to assist therapy. Kade leads us through the science accompanying the historical journey of these drugs; from their discovery and synthesis, through their recreational use (both legal and illegal), to their status today as promising therapeutic compounds. Stick around for a listener question of great seriousness and importance: If a tree in the forest falls and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on X, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected] We also have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. References: Kade’s Article The Therapeutic Odyssey of Psilocybin and MDMA: A Return to Roots https://rsv.org.au/psilocybin-and-mdma/ Seeking the magic mushroom — Originally published in 1957 Life Magazine https://www.trippingly.net/lsd/2018/5/14/seeking-the-magic-mushroom Hofmann, A. (1959). Psychotomimetic drugs. Acta physiologica et pharmacologica Neerlandica, 8, 240-258. Shulgin, A. T. (1964). 3-Methoxy-4 5-methylenedioxy Amphetamine, a New Psychotomimetic Agent. Nature, 201(4924), 1120-1121. Stolaroff, M. J. (1997). The secret chief revealed: Conversations with a pioneer of the underground psychedelic therapy movement. Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Sessa, B., Higbed, L., & Nutt, D. (2019). A review of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 138. Nutt, D. J., King, L. A., & Nichols, D. E. (2013). Effects of Schedule I drug laws on neuroscience research and treatment innovation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14(8), 577-585. Grob, C. S., Danforth, A. L., Chopra, G. S., Hagerty, M., McKay, C. R., Halberstadt, A. L., & Greer, G. R. (2011). Pilot study of psilocybin treatment for anxiety in patients with advanced-stage cancer. Archives of general psychiatry, 68(1), 71-78. Mithoefer, M. C., Wagner, M. T., Mithoefer, A. T., Jerome, L., & Doblin, R. (2011). The safety and efficacy of±3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of psychopharmacology, 25(4), 439-452. Li, N. X., Hu, Y. R., Chen, W. N., & Zhang, B. (2022). Dose effect of psilocybin on primary and secondary depression: a preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 296, 26-34. Carhart-Harris, R., Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., Baker-Jones, M., Murphy-Beiner, A., Murphy, R., ... & Nutt, D. J. (2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1402-1411. Bogenschutz, M. P., Ross, S., Bhatt, S., Baron, T., Forcehimes, A. A., Laska, E., ... & Worth, L. (2022). Percentage of heavy drinking days following psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy vs placebo in the treatment of adult patients with alcohol use disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 79(10), 953-962. Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., & Griffiths, R. R. (2017). Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 43(1), 55-60. Peck, S. K., Shao, S., Gruen, T., Yang, K., Babakanian, A., Trim, J., ... & Kaye, W. H. (2023). Psilocybin therapy for females with anorexia nervosa: a phase 1, open-label feasibility study. Nature Medicine, 29(8), 1947-1953. Danforth, A. L., Grob, C. S., Struble,

This episode, join Kade and Matt as they spin their way into the world of spider webs – just in time for Halloween! Learn about the absolute wonder that is spider silk: its incredible properties, how it is made, why humans can’t yet mass-produce it, and some of the interesting efforts scientists are trying to change that! Stick around for a listener question all about glow sticks. As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected] We also now have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. References: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/silk-the-spiders-success-story/ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-are-spider-webs-made-of.html https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/spiderwebs-explained https://youtu.be/dMN_wQ6Zyy0?si=n7u43x7NBXnOTL5P https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5000687/ https://www.proquest.com/openview/2606e70bffecfe3e2df4260c10508f78/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750 https://ami-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1751-7915.12081 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00018-006-6090-y https://www.cell.com/trends/biotechnology/fulltext/S0167-7799(08)00079-6?large_figure=true&code=cell-site https://youtu.be/xossR6eHv3I?si=4tm4f_wpvw3mBrvw https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/marc.201800516 https://edu.rsc.org/exhibition-chemistry/the-glow-stick-reaction/3010386.article

Link for Kade's video: https://youtu.be/rdOc2HB5sx0?si=-4B_koSDMxPxyNMi This month on Curiosity Killed the Rat, we are taking a break from our usual content to present the audio from the YouTube video made by host Kade Huckstep this month in response to Channel 7’s blatant spread of disinformation and misrepresentation of science. It breaks down the “documentary” aired about detransitioning, and goes through the scientific evidence that does actually exist. As a show, we value the spread of correct information, and so this is our part in the fight against mis/disinformation. As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected]. We also have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. References: (if people want access to any actual papers stuck behind paywalls please do hit us up) Abreu, Roberto L., et al. "Supporting transgender students: School counselors’ preparedness, training efforts, and necessary support." Journal of LGBT Youth 17.1 (2020): 107-122. Bailey, Louis, Sonja J. Ellis, and Jay McNeil. "Suicide risk in the UK trans population and the role of gender transition in decreasing suicidal ideation and suicide attempt." Mental Health Review Journal 19.4 (2014): 209-220. Borges, Maria de Fátima, et al. "Evaluation of central precocious puberty treatment with GnRH analogue at the Triangulo Mineiro Federal University (UFTM)." Archives of Endocrinology and Metabolism 59 (2015): 515-522. Bruce, Lauren, et al. "Long-term regret and satisfaction with decision following gender-affirming mastectomy." JAMA surgery (2023). Butler, Gary, et al. "Discharge outcome analysis of 1089 transgender young people referred to paediatric endocrine clinics in England 2008–2021." Archives of Disease in Childhood 107.11 (2022): 1018-1022. Choi, Seungtaek, and Andrew K. Lee. "Efficacy and safety of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists used in the treatment of prostate cancer." Drug, Healthcare and Patient Safety (2011): 107-119. Cheung, Ada S., et al. "Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of transgender adults in Australia." Transgender health 3.1 (2018): 229-238. Giacomelli, Giulia, and Maria Cristina Meriggiola. "Bone health in transgender people: a narrative review." Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism 13 (2022): 20420188221099346. Golan, A. "GnRH analogues in the treatment of uterine fibroids." Human reproduction 11.suppl_3 (1996): 33-41. Hannema, Sabine Elisabeth, et al. "Continuation of gender-affirming hormones in transgender people starting puberty suppression in adolescence: a cohort study in the Netherlands." The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 6.12 (2022): 869-875. Jedrzejewski, Breanna Y., et al. "Regret after gender-affirming surgery: a multidisciplinary approach to a Multifaceted patient experience." Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 152.1 (2023): 206-214. Jeffery, Eiddwen. “Anti-Trans Group Raises False Alarm on Victorian Policy for Gender Diverse Students.” RMIT University, 4 Nov. 2022, www.rmit.edu.au/news/factlab-meta/anti-trans-group-raises-false-alarm-on-victorian-policy-for-gend. Jones, Hannah Elizabeth, et al. "Decision Regret in Plastic Surgery: A Summary." Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open 11.6 (2023). Katz-Wise, Sabra L. “Gender Fluidity: What It Means and Why Support Matters.” Harvard Health, 3 Dec. 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gender-fluidity-what-it-means-and-why-support-matters-2020120321544. Levine, Laurence A., and Stephen P. Guss. "Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues in the treatment of sickle cell anemia-associated priapism." The Journal of urology 150.2 (1993): 475-477. Mahdi, A

This month on Curiosity Killed the Rat, Kade and Matt tackle a more serious issue: the science of antidepressants. What is depression? How is it caused? How do antidepressants work, and are they actually effective? Stick around to the end of the episode to hear sound guy Matt answer a listener question about the science of noise cancelling headphones! As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected]. We also have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. References: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0 https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/a-response-to-the-serotonin-theory-of-depression-a-systematic-umbrella-review-of-the-evidence https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-a-review-paper-on-the-serotonin-theory-of-depression/ https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression science.org/content/blog-post/understanding-antidepressants---or-not https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK361016/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4309382/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2739676/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2896866/ https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201080 https://helda.helsinki.fi/items/5f15e844-28d8-41b9-a61c-38b2b3351a95 Listener Question References: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/what-noise-cancelling-headphones-do/ https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/why-are-noise-canceling-headphones-less-effective-at-blocking-high-pitched-sounds.html https://www.soundguys.com/noise-canceling-anc-explained-28344/ https://hearingclinic.co.za/why-can-you-hear-when-your-ears-are-blocked/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK531483/

Join Kade and Matt on a wondrous wintery episode where we talk all about snowflakes! How are they formed? What makes them so unique and special? Is everything we think we know about them true? Stick around to end to hear Matt tell some fun facts about native Australian trees! As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected]. We also have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. References: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/snowflake-science-2023 https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/storms/snowflakes https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/0-387-30720-6_130 https://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/faceting/faceting.htm https://chemstuff.co.uk/2012/12/09/snow-chemistry/2j46o7t/ https://www.everydaychemistries.com/blog/snowflakes https://www.britannica.com/video/187062/snowflakes https://oxsci.org/the-science-of-snowflakes/ https://www.buffalo.edu/news/tipsheets/2018/001.html https://sustainable-nano.com/2016/03/04/science-of-snow/ https://youtu.be/FwGH4gulLX4 https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-snowflake-man-of-vermont/ http://www.snowcrystals.com/science/science.html https://www.science.org/content/article/scienceshot-true-shape-snowflakes  https://youtu.be/ao2Jfm35XeE

This month on Curiosity Killed the Rat, Kade and Matt are joined by Oliver Anagnostou and Benji Metha to talk about rockets! What is a rocket? How does a rocket actually work? Listen to find out how rocket science really is out of this world! Stick around to the end of the episode for a listener question that answers: what is it that gives us butterflies in our belly? As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected]. We also have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. Find more of Oliver on Instagram: @oliver.anagnostou Listener Question Sources: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/butterflies-have-an-extra-stomach-attached-to-their-vaginas https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-do-we-get-butterflies-in-our-stomachs-72232 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4939-0897-4_3 https://journals-biologists-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/jeb/article/218/10/1548/760/Dynamic-digestive-physiology-of-a-female https://www.cambridgebutterfly.com/all-about-butterflies/ https://www.discovery.com/science/Butterflies-in-Your-Stomach No Combustion?: https://imgflip.com/i/7r2vu5 Eminem/Hamilton Mashup: https://soundcloud.com/user-865675098/lose-your-shot?in=user-865675098/sets/mashups&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

This episode on Curiosity Killed the Rat, Kade and Matt talk about bones! Bones may in fact be one of the most under-appreciated parts of the body. Not a bunch of dry pieces of scaffolding holding our bodies together, bones do all sorts of weird and wacky things you may not expect! As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected] We also have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show  Sources: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2016.1736 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21566758/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0213-0 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4006341/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2387081/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41413-018-0019-6.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S155041311400268X?via=ihub https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-bones-communicate-with-the-rest-of-the-body-180979643/

Welcome back to season 4 of Curiosity Killed the Rat! This episode, Kade and Matt are chatting all about Testosterone: a hormone that makes you sweaty and hungry and hairy and horny. We often learn about testosterone and its effects on the body in the context of a cisgender male puberty. But testosterone can be important for other individuals, too! This episode, our resident scientist Kade – who has been on testosterone as part of a gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy for several months – will discuss the biology behind testosterone and its effects on the body, specifically through a trans-masculine lens. Kade dives into the different changes that testosterone can cause in the body, like hair growth (and loss!), voice deepening, and muscle changes. Why are some of these changes reversible, while others are permanent? We also tackle a listener question about barking dogs – why don’t males sound deeper? As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected] We also now have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. Episode references: https://www.transhub.org.au/hormones-masculinising https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/masculinizing-hormone-therapy/about/pac-20385099 https://transcare.ucsf.edu/article/information-testosterone-hormone-therapy https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/andr.12278 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000334720400123X https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2013.0926 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7432488/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8770664/#:~:text=Based%20on%20presented%20data%20we,synthase%20within%20the%20corpora%20cavernosa

During the holiday season in Australia, it's hot and summery, and we're all told to slip slop slap. But what is sunscreen, and how does it actually work? What does SPF mean? Does sunscreen cause cancer? Kade and Matt are joined once again by friend of the show, Dr Catriona Nguyen-Robertson, to talk all things sunscreen. If you loved what Cat had to say and want to find more from her, you can follow her on twitter @CatrionaNR, Instagram @nyuroscientist, and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NtXSj9jH06SHNmsKhyfuQ). And, as always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected]. We also now have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. How your skin looks to UV light: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9BqrSAHbTc Is Benzene in Sunscreen Giving You Cancer? Lab Muffin Beauty Science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykdJ7yj6snA

Just in time for halloween, Kade and Matt are joined by Arin Oliver to talk about weird, gross, and curious aspects of working in a pathology laboratory. From dismembered toes, to human soup, and a deep dive into working in science & sci-com in between, tune in for a spooktacular conversation. Stick around till the end of the episode to find out some of the scientific explanations for why vampires were once thought to be real! If you want to hear more of Arin, check out their sound cloud at https://soundcloud.com/user-880237105 As always, you can find us @curiosityrat on twitter, instagram, and facebook, and send your listener questions in to [email protected] We also have a Patreon! If you love our content and want to support us you can jump on to https://www.patreon.com/curiosityrat and become a patron. There is absolutely ZERO pressure but if you have as little as $1/month you can chuck it our way to help us out and show you appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making this show. Images and Websites referenced in the show: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/born-to-the-purple-the-st/ https://www.livescience.com/24374-vampires-real-history.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1296679/pdf/jrsocmed00034-0052.pdf https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/primate-diaries/a-natural-history-of-vampires/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/porphyria/symptoms-causes/syc-20356066 http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/hemoglobin/hemoglobv.htm https://www.jstor.org/stable/3814375?saml_data=eyJzYW1sVG9rZW4iOiJjNDRlNzZjZi1lYjZkLTRjYmEtOWQzNS04MmE0ZTAyNmRiYjkiLCJpbnN0aXR1dGlvbklkcyI6WyIxMTQyMzMzMy00NmI0LTQ4MWItYTIyNy0yYzA4OGVhZmUxMTkiXX0#metadata_info_tab_contents https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-new-england-vampire-panic-36482878/