Unhealthy Curiosity

Dr Sarah Holper
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  • Life Sciences
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Neurologist, author and science communicator Dr Sarah Holper explores the fascinating science behind the human body's strangest features, flaws and quirks. Using medicine, history and curious case studies, she explains why we work the way we do, one wonderfully weird question at a time. From sweating blood to voice transplants, each episode explores a curious corner of medicine and biology. Learn more at drsarahholper.com.

  1. 6d ago

    Why Modern Marathons Are So Easy

    The marathon wasn't designed by sports scientists. It was shaped by an ancient legend, a royal whim, and one spectacularly bad Olympic experiment involving purposeful dehydration, brandy, and rat poison.

  2. Jul 3

    How to Map Your Taste Buds

    A famous biology textbook diagram. A Harvard psychologist called Edwin Boring. And somehow... netball. This episode explores the mad history of the tongue map, and why taste exists in the first place.

  3. Jun 24

    So You Think You Want a Six-Pack?

    If you thought doing sit-ups would give you a six-pack, think again. This episode explores the gruelling reality of competitive bodybuilding, and how a 19th century circus strongman used a tape measure, Greek statues, and a little mathematics to define the ‘perfect’ physique. (Do you measure up?)

  4. Jun 14

    How Long Can You Go Without Sleep?

    In one experiment, a man who didn't sleep for a week ended up sobbing about an imaginary gorilla. This episode explores what science has uncovered about the effects of sleep deprivation, from hallucinations to frank psychosis – and whether the brain recovers afterwards.

  5. Jun 8

    The Doctor Who Invented Corn Flakes

    The inventor of Corn Flakes believed cinnamon was morally suspicious and flavour was a threat to virtue. This episode explores the strange story of John Harvey Kellogg, his wellness empire, his obsession with chewing, vibrating chairs for constipation, and why evolution made flavour far too appealing for his crusade to succeed.

  6. May 31

    When Flight Attendants Started Sweating Blood

    In 1980, flight attendants began apparently sweating blood on flights between New York and Florida. The CDC investigated. The explanation was not what anyone expected. Also featuring blue sweat, pink sweat, and the only diagnostic dilemma ever solved by a dermatologist ringing a snack-food manufacturer.

  7. May 24

    Why Do We Itch? The Itchy and Scratchy Show

    This episode explores the biology of itching. Including NASA’s emergency Velcro patches, exploding lice in World War I trenches, contagious scratching, "amphetamites", mosquito mouth-javelins, and the imaginary insects produced by the human brain itself.

  8. May 17

    What Does Your Urine Say About You?

    This episode explores what urine can reveal about you — from pregnancy and diabetes to drugs, disease, and genetic disorders. Including ancient Egyptian pregnancy tests, beetroot-induced panic, blue urine pranks, and why IKEA once asked women to wee on their catalogue.

See All (27)

About

Neurologist, author and science communicator Dr Sarah Holper explores the fascinating science behind the human body's strangest features, flaws and quirks. Using medicine, history and curious case studies, she explains why we work the way we do, one wonderfully weird question at a time. From sweating blood to voice transplants, each episode explores a curious corner of medicine and biology. Learn more at drsarahholper.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Sarah Holper
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr Sarah Holper
  • Show Website
    Unhealthy Curiosity