Ashley Hamer

Ashley Hamer is the creator/host of Taboo Science and former co-creator/co-host of Curiosity Daily. Follow Ashley on Twitter here. Follow Taboo Science on Twitter here.

Describe Taboo Science in ten words or less.
The podcast that answers questions you’re not allowed to ask.

What made you come up with the show?
I used to write for a now-defunct science website called Curiosity.com, which we eventually spun out into a daily podcast called Curiosity Daily. The site and podcast were super family friendly and stayed away from controversial, dark, or sexy topics, but I noticed that whenever we made an exception, those stories were always the most popular (Curing the hiccups with your butt was an all-timer). On top of that, I was kind of tired of keeping everything lighthearted all the time and wanted to get into some more taboo stuff. Plus, I was in charge of content and scriptwriting for our podcast and wanted to get some experience in audio editing and sound design, so the idea of creating a narrative podcast all on my own really interested me. 

How is it different from other science shows?
Other science shows tend to either cover science as a whole or specialize by field — astronomy, psychology, etc. The approach of only covering the science you shouldn’t talk about in polite company is a unique one.

If people haven’t listened to Taboo Science, where should they start?
There’s no right answer – start with the topic that most intrigues you! That said, the cannibalism episode is one of my favorites.

What can we look forward to in the new season?
I’ve got episodes about nudity, poop, makeup, heterosexuality…I recently had a baby so I’m particularly excited about the breastfeeding episode; turns out that the science of lactation is incredibly fascinating. Did you know lactation is older than the dinosaurs? Who knew?

Can you give us a fun fact of something you’ve learned?
The fact from the show I most often share at parties is that the people who most frequently practice cannibalism in the modern day are wealthy married white women. Because many eat their placentas.

What has making this show taught you about the world?
We think the things we sweep under the rug are the things we understand and have judged to be inappropriate. But in reality, they’re the things we understand the least. When you don’t talk about something, you don’t get a chance to understand it.

Fill in the blank: You will like Taboo Science if you like ______.
Searching Wikipedia in incognito mode.

Are there too many podcasts?
Ugh, NO. There are more new books published every year than there are new podcasts, and the average book from a publisher can expect to sell just 3,000 copies in its lifetime. If you’re getting more than 250 downloads a month, you’ll do better than that in a year. And yet there’s no hand-wringing over how many books there are. We’re in an era of hyper-individualized content and there’s enough audience to go around.

Are there any rules you think all podcasts should adhere to?
Search your show’s name in a podcast app before you make your first episode. So obvious, so often overlooked!

What’s a podcast you love that everyone already loves?
Everything Is Alive used to be my “not enough people know about” podcast, but at this point I think the secret’s out. I’m SUCH a fan of Ian Chillag; his shows are responsible for the majority of my awkward “laugh out loud in front of strangers” podcast listening moments. We used to live in the same neighborhood in Chicago and would wave at each other on runs, no big deal, I’m tired of talking about it, PLEASE stop asking me.

What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
Science, Quickly from Scientific American is a perfect bite-sized science lesson in audio form – less than 10 minutes on one topic, three times a week. Its previous incarnation, 60-Second Science, was one of the inspirations for Curiosity Daily, and I’m still a fan to this day.

Thanks, Ashley!