Unhealthy Curiosity

Your oesophagus was never designed to handle acid splashes — and yet, sometimes it has to. This episode looks at heartburn — why it happens, the neat trick emergency doctors use to distinguish it from a heart attack, and what spaceflight reveals abou... more

Over the centuries, doctors have tried everything to cure hiccups — from sugar to shock to what modern medicine would classify as controlled drugs and poisons. This episode looks at what hiccups actually are, why they happen, and which cures have at ... more

Many animals use chemical signals — pheromones — to find mates, mark territory, and warn of danger. Humans, despite popular belief, can’t detect them. This episode examines these signals — including the anatomical relic of our pheromone-sniffing past... more

A strange accident in 1822 left a man with a window through his chest into his stomach. What followed was one of the most unusual series of experiments in medical history — revealing how digestion really works, and why your stomach doesn’t digest its... more

Can stress really make someone sweat blood? In rare cases, yes. This episode explores the strange condition known as hematidrosis — and why hippos seem to have it too.

People have long warned that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. But does it? And what actually makes the sound? This episode explores the surprisingly contentious science behind one of the body’s most divisive noises.

When you eat meat, you’re eating muscle — the same tissue that moves your own body. This episode explores the anatomical overlap between butcher’s cuts and human muscles, and what cannibals and curious journalists have reported about the smell and ta... more

Within each of your ears is a fluid-filled shell left over from our aquatic past. This episode examines how hearing depends on that miniature ocean, and why excessive noise — from jet engines to blank rounds on the Die Hard set — can permanently dama... more