Taboo Science

AMBIE NOMINATED FOR BEST INDIE PODCAST 2026 | Taboo Science is a podcast that answers the questions you're not allowed to ask. It's hosted by Ashley Hamer Pritchard, a science writer and podcaster. Every episode dives into a different societal taboo to understand the science that makes it tick, the reasons we don't talk about it, and the impact that has on society at large. Why don't we eat people? Why are my swear words different than my parents'? And what makes porn, porn? It's science class if science class had one of those anonymous question boxes. It's Taboo Science.

Taboo Science is a science podcast hosted by Ashley Hamer Pritchard, with 72 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Ashley Hamer Pritchard hosts Taboo Science, a science show with 72 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #10

  Trans 101: How to Be an Ally Without Making It Weird

  Mar 5, 202637 minS5

  Good intentions, it turns out, are not the same thing as good allyship — and sometimes they can actually make things worse. In this season finale, diversity consultant Davey Shlasko breaks down the unconscious assumptions that make pronouns harder than they should be, why trying harder often backfires, and what being a genuine ally actually looks like in practice. Woven through his advice, you'll hear from the community voices you've met all season talking about what it feels like to be on the receiving end. We cover the science of why you "miscategorize" trans people, how to recover from misgendering without ma...

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  Episode #10

  Trans 101: How to Be an Ally Without Making It Weird

  Mar 5, 202637 minS5

  Good intentions, it turns out, are not the same thing as good allyship — and sometimes they can actually make things worse. In this season finale, diversity consultant Davey Shlasko breaks down the unconscious assumptions that make pronouns harder than they should be, why trying harder often backfires, and what being a genuine ally actually looks like in practice. Woven through his advice, you'll hear from the community voices you've met all season talking about what it feels like to be on the receiving end. We cover the science of why you "miscategorize" trans people, how to recover from misgendering without making it about yourself, and how to show up for trans people even when there are no trans people in the room. Plus: a pronoun exercise that is genuinely kind of fun. If you've listened to this whole season, this episode is where it all lands. Resources from Davey Shlasko: Trans Allyship Workbook: https://bookshop.org/p/books/trans-allyship-workbook-building-skills-to-support-trans-people-in-our-lives-davey-shlasko/3f4e67304056522a Think Again Training: https://www.thinkagaintraining.com/ Citations & transcript: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-how-to-be-an-ally-without-making-it-weird/ Connect with the show: Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscienc e Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473

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  Episode #9

  Trans 101: What Detransitioners Want You to Know

  Feb 19, 202637 minS5

  (00:00:00) Trans 101: What Detransitioners Want You to Know<br /> (00:03:44) What Is Detransition?<br /> (00:08:52) Maddie's Story<br /> (00:13:40) Eri's Story<br /> (00:21:00) The Healthcare Dilemma<br /> (00:27:14) Who Detransitions?<br /> (00:32:27) Moving Forward<br /> <br /> If you support trans people, you probably believe that detransition almost never happens and when it does, it's only due to discrimination. But new research shows that's not the full picture—and avoiding the conversation isn't protecting anyone. This episode explores the largest study ever designed to understand detransition, featuring two people with completely opposite experiences. One transitioned in her twenties and later regretted it, losing her entire friend group not wh...

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  Episode #9

  Trans 101: What Detransitioners Want You to Know

  Feb 19, 202637 minS5

  (00:00:00) Trans 101: What Detransitioners Want You to Know (00:03:44) What Is Detransition? (00:08:52) Maddie's Story (00:13:40) Eri's Story (00:21:00) The Healthcare Dilemma (00:27:14) Who Detransitions? (00:32:27) Moving Forward If you support trans people, you probably believe that detransition almost never happens and when it does, it's only due to discrimination. But new research shows that's not the full picture—and avoiding the conversation isn't protecting anyone. This episode explores the largest study ever designed to understand detransition, featuring two people with completely opposite experiences. One transitioned in her twenties and later regretted it, losing her entire friend group not when she detransitioned but when she admitted the regret. The other was blocked from hormones by a gatekeeping therapist and spent 13 years forced to live as the wrong gender before finally retransitioning. One needed more scrutiny before accessing care, the other needed fewer barriers—yet both were failed by the system. Researcher Kinnon MacKinnon breaks down what the data actually shows and why preventing detransition might be the wrong goal entirely. This isn't ammunition for either side of the political battle. It's about what happens when we're too afraid to acknowledge complexity. More from Kinnon MacKinnon: The One Percent on Substack: https://theonepercentdetrans.substack.com/ Website: https://www.kinnonmackinnon.com/ Citations and transcript: https://www.tabooscience.show/trans-101-what-detransitioners-want-you-to-know/ Connect with the show: Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/tabooscience Leave me a voice memo: https://podline.fm/tabooscience Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabooscience YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tabooscienc e Website: https://www.tabooscience.show/ Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taboo-science/id1533606473

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  Episode #8

  Trans 101: Trans Athletes & What the Science Actually Says

  Feb 5, 202632 minS5

  How many studies does it take for something to be "settled science"? For trans athletes—who face state bans across the country, which recently reached the Supreme Court—there's hardly any research at all. In this episode, we're digging into what that research actually found, and it's way more complicated than the “fairness” advocates would have you believe. Dr. Blair Hamilton walks us through findings showing that trans people gain some advantages and lose others after transitioning. Champion triathlete Chris Mosier talks about what trans kids actually lose when they're banned from sports—and why the real threats to women's athletics...

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