Southern Science

Everyone knows that some snakes are venomous, but what does that mean?  How does venom work, and what other strange animals also use venom?  Listen along to find out! 

Everyone has some dangers they have to watch out for in the workplace, but these occupational hazards would kill you from the inside out.  Katie has deemed this episode: Depressing.

Whether you like babies, pets, or adorable bobtail squids, this episode discusses how different species work together in the teamwork that is symbiosis.  

We're back, baby!  After a long absence, Season 2 of Southern Science is upon us.  Here we give a brief life update to attempt to justify our long absence, as well as a preview of what's to come in Season 2!

Explore the wide range of animal camouflage techniques, from background matching to conscious color changing, and  how humans have tried to take this sneaky science to the next level.

Part two of our discussion on DNA testing, focusing on how much you can really learn from ancestry and medical testing.

DNA testing is becoming increasingly present in our media, from crime dramas to daytime TV, to commercial products that claim to tell us more about ourselves.  In this episode, we cover what exactly DNA is, and how it can be used to help solve crimes.  

The girls are back and more legitimate than ever, now that Erika has graduated with her PhD!  But Katie wants to know, just what was all that schoolin' about anyway?  Listen along to hear about the terribly fascinating journey of a doctoral research project.

The girls report on one of the most popular pieces of recent science news -- the landing of the Perseverance Mars rover!

In honor of last week's unusually cold weather across the South, the girls discuss the ways that animals keep warm during such chilly times.  

CW: Discussion of sex   In honor of Valentine's Day, the girls discuss historical natural aphrodisiacs, including the rare few that may actually have an effect.

Your eyes are really just bits of brain that stick out the front of your face so they can reach the light.  Learn about how our eyes register light, and how our color vision compares to that of different animals.  

Inspired by Erika's family tradition of baking bread to celebrate the New Year, the girls discuss the role of yeast in the history of bread making and beer brewing.

It's a bright, shiny episode as Erika and Katie explore Nature's Christmas lights -- animals that glow!

In this listener-requested episode, Erika and Katie breathe deeply of the science behind smells, including how perfumes and odor-eliminators work.

The girls dip into the wild world of mushrooms, exploring fun fungus facts, the scientifically best way to cook mushrooms, what colors you can get from using mushrooms as dyes, and how magic mushrooms affect your brain.  

In their Thanksgiving episode, the girls discuss whether turkey can really make you sleepy, what the real difference is between dark and white meat, and how to make some thick side dishes.

Recording their first in-person episode, Erika and Katie review one of the oldest practiced forms of chemistry -- the science behind natural dyeing of plant and animal fibers.

Are humans secretly being turned into zombies by unseen biological agents?  Tune in to find out!

The girls discuss how wasps make zombies out of spiders and ladybugs, and how roaches have learned to fight back!

CW: alcohol use Worms make zombies out of snails and insects, barnacles turn male crabs into doting mothers, and Katie is horrified.

Erika and Katie kick off Spooky Season with the first in a series about real-life (or real-undeath?) zombies found in nature.

Erika and Katie wrap up their discussion of genes affecting cat coat color by discussing white, tabby, and colorpoint cats.

Erika and Katie begin their discussion of the genetics behind different coat colors in domestic cats.