The Great Mysteries of Sex with Mary Roach

Science Vs

Today, best-selling author and nerd Mary Roach joins us to talk all about sex. We’ll uncover the secrets of the female orgasm (does “upsuck” exist?), detail the bizarre methods of pioneering sex researchers like Masters and Johnson (including a famous penis camera), and get into the nitty-gritty of how to sexually stimulate a pig in Denmark. Plus, Mary tells us what it's like to have sex while getting an ultrasound — all in the name of science.

Mary’s new book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, is out now.

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsMaryRoach

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Meet Mary Roach, one of our favorite nerds

(22:31) The masturbating fetus

(27:53) Mary bonks in the lab 

(47:31) Oddball questions

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Michelle Dang, and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Video editing and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger, So Wylie, Peter Leonard, Bumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. Thanks to Skyline Studios and Humdinger Studios.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.


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2026-03-26 54 min

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