Hey everyone!

I've officially been making Gross Science for one whole year.

So to commemorate the anniversary I wanted to answer two of my most frequently asked questions Why did I start Gross Science and what's my background?

The nice thing is that those two questions really go together but, to answer them, we'll have to go all the way back to my childhood.

So I first fell in love with science while doing kind of gross experiments as a kid.

I remember loving a school activity where we dissected owl pellets which are basically like coughed-up balls of undigested food to see what an owl had eaten.

And I was crazy about this slime chemistry set that my parents got me.

I loved making and playing with slime and as we all know [It's so cool.]

not a lot has changed.

In fact, that slime chemistry set was so important to me that I made this timeline of my life at around the same age in which over the course of eight years I'd get my Ph.D. in chemistry from MIT cure AIDS, and win a Nobel Prize.

I'm a little behind schedule.

Anyway, that love of science and also the grotesque stayed with me through adulthood.

I got a summer fellowship in college, working in a lab at the American Museum of Natural History studying of all things, malaria and lizards.

And it was amazing.

In the end, I made that work my college thesis and graduated with a degree in biology.

After graduation, I got a full-time job as a research assistant at the Museum of Natural History in New York doing, um, conservation genetics work and that basically means that you look at organisms' genes to help protect them and maintain their diversity.

And I totally loved that job but after a couple years I realized that what I loved most about it was talking about all the amazing work being done in the lab rather than actually doing it myself.

So I switched gears, and went to graduate school for science journalism.

I learned about crafting stories, interviewing scientists, fact checking, and also a bit about video production which I especially adored.

When I graduated I got a job at NOVA which is the long running science show on PBS and my role was to make their web videos and when the opportunity arose to pitch my own original series I knew exactly what I wanted it to be.

You guessed it: Gross Science So why Gross Science?

Well, here are the reasons I think about most often though there are definitely others too.

First of all, gross stuff is what set me down the path of science in the first place and I know I'm not the only one with a love for the grotesque even if for many people it's more of a secret love.

There's something inherently gross about just being alive.

When you really think about it we're essentially just bones, and tissues, and lots, and lots of weird fluids.

Part of being a socially acceptable human is trying to hide that side of ourselves For example, we learn from an early age to try not to fart or drool in public so studying the gross side of nature, or medicine, or technology is almost this voyeuristic relief.

It allows us to experience a side of life we don't typically allow ourselves to engage with Secondly, I wanted to make the show to discuss gross or taboo issues that we don't usually talk about publicly.

Things like periods, or gastrointestinal health, or sex are all parts of the human condition.

Now I'm not saying we should scream about them at the top of our lungs though if you wanna do so, that's totally your right but in order to be healthy we should at least feel comfortable asking questions about the more awkward parts of being alive even if that conversation is one you only have with a doctor.

And talking about gross stuff is important for another reason too.

Scientists can't tackle a painful condition if they don't even know it exists.

Finally, slime.

Did I mention how much I love slime?

That's probably the biggest reason I wanted to make Gross Science.

All that said, this show grows and changes all the time largely in response to your feedback so thank you all so much for the most wonderful year.

I'm deeply grateful for the fabulous episode ideas and smart insightful comments that you write every week.

And I'm so excited to begin year two with you.

It's gonna be weird.

Ew.

Hey, everyone.

One more quick thing PBS Digital Studios is conducting a survey to figure out what you like to watch and do online so they can provide more great content for you.

So if you have a few minutes, please check it out.

The link is in the description.

And as a bonus, you may get one of these cool t-shirts.

And if you don't already, please subscribe to Gross Science.

Alright, I'll see you next week.

(crunch) (laughter)