TEDxMidAtlantic
Anna Rothschild: Why you should love gross science
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What can we learn from the slimy, smelly side of life? In this playful talk, science journalist Anna Rothschild shows us the hidden wisdom of "gross stuff" and explains why avoiding the creepy underbelly of nature, medicine and technology closes us off to important sources of knowledge about our health and the world. "When we explore the gross side of life, we find insights that we never would have thought we'd find, and we even often reveal beauty that we didn't think was there," Rothschild says.
Anna Rothschild - Science journalist
Anna Rothschild makes videos about science for the young and the young at heart. Full bio
Anna Rothschild makes videos about science for the young and the young at heart. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Did you know that one
of the first fertility drugs
of the first fertility drugs
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was made from the pee of Catholic nuns,
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and that even the Pope got involved?
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So, this is totally true.
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Back in the 1950s, scientists knew
that when women enter menopause,
that when women enter menopause,
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they start releasing high levels
of fertility hormones in their urine.
of fertility hormones in their urine.
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But there was this doctor
named Bruno Lunenfeld,
named Bruno Lunenfeld,
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who wondered if he could actually
isolate those hormones from the urine
isolate those hormones from the urine
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and use it to help women
who are having trouble getting pregnant.
who are having trouble getting pregnant.
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Obviously, the problem with this
was that in order to test this idea,
was that in order to test this idea,
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he needed a lot of pee from older women.
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And that is not an easy thing to find.
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So he and his colleagues
got special permission from the Pope
got special permission from the Pope
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to collect gallons and gallons of urine
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from hundreds of older Catholic nuns.
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And in doing so,
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he actually isolated hormones
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that are still used to help women
get pregnant today,
get pregnant today,
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though now, they can be
synthesized in a lab,
synthesized in a lab,
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and gallons of pee aren't necessary.
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So why am I standing up here,
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telling this wonderfully
intellectual audience about nun pee?
intellectual audience about nun pee?
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Well, I'm a science journalist
and multimedia producer,
and multimedia producer,
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who has always been
fascinated by gross stuff.
fascinated by gross stuff.
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So fascinated, in fact,
that I started a weekly YouTube series
that I started a weekly YouTube series
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called "Gross Science,"
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all about the slimy, smelly,
creepy underbelly
creepy underbelly
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of nature, medicine and technology.
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Now, I think most of us would agree
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that there's something
a little gross about pee.
a little gross about pee.
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You know, it's something
that we don't really like to talk about,
that we don't really like to talk about,
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and we keep the act
of doing it very private.
of doing it very private.
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But when Lunenfeld
peered into the world of pee,
peered into the world of pee,
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he discovered something
deeply helpful to humanity.
deeply helpful to humanity.
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02:12
And after a year and a half
of making my show,
of making my show,
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I can tell you that very often
when we explore the gross side of life,
when we explore the gross side of life,
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we find insights that we never
would have thought we'd find,
would have thought we'd find,
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and we even often reveal beauty
that we didn't think was there.
that we didn't think was there.
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I think it's important for us to talk
about gross things for a few reasons.
about gross things for a few reasons.
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So, first of all,
talking about gross stuff
talking about gross stuff
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is a great tool for education,
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and it's an excellent way
to preserve curiosity.
to preserve curiosity.
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To explain what I mean,
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why don't I tell you a little bit
about what I was like as a child?
about what I was like as a child?
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So, I was what you might call a gross kid.
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In fact, my love of science itself
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began when my parents bought me
a slime chemistry set
a slime chemistry set
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and was then only enhanced
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by doing gross experiments
in my sixth-grade biology class.
in my sixth-grade biology class.
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We did things like, we swabbed
surfaces around our classroom
surfaces around our classroom
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and cultured the bacteria we'd collected,
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and we dissected owl pellets,
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which are these balls of material
that are undigested that owls barf up,
that are undigested that owls barf up,
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and it's really kind of gross
and awesome and cool.
and awesome and cool.
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Now, the fact that I was obsessed
with gross stuff as a kid
with gross stuff as a kid
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is not so revolutionary.
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You know, lots of kids
are really into gross things,
are really into gross things,
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like playing in dirt or collecting beetles
or eating their boogers.
or eating their boogers.
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And why is that?
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I think really little kids
are like little explorers.
are like little explorers.
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They just want to experience
as much as they can
as much as they can
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and don't have any idea
about the relative acceptability
about the relative acceptability
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of touching a ladybug versus a stinkbug.
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They just want to understand
how everything works
how everything works
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and experience as much
of life as they can.
of life as they can.
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And that is pure curiosity.
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But then adults step in,
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and we tell kids not to pick their noses
and not to touch the slugs or toads
and not to touch the slugs or toads
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or whatever else they find
in the backyard,
in the backyard,
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because those things are gross.
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And we do that in part
to keep kids safe, right?
to keep kids safe, right?
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Like, maybe picking
your nose spreads germs
your nose spreads germs
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and maybe touching that toad
will give you warts,
will give you warts,
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even though I don't
actually think that's true.
actually think that's true.
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You should feel free to touch
as many toads as you want.
as many toads as you want.
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So at a certain point,
when kids get a little bit older,
when kids get a little bit older,
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there's this way
that engaging with gross stuff
that engaging with gross stuff
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isn't just about curiosity,
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it's also about, sort of,
finding out where the limits are,
finding out where the limits are,
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pushing the boundaries of what's OK.
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So, lots of kids of a certain age
will have burping competitions
will have burping competitions
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or competitions to see
who can make the grossest face.
who can make the grossest face.
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And they do that in part because
it's a little bit transgressive, right?
it's a little bit transgressive, right?
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But there's another layer
to why we define stuff as gross.
to why we define stuff as gross.
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As humans, we've sort of extended
the concept of disgust to morality.
the concept of disgust to morality.
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So, the psychologist Paul Rozin would say
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that many of the things
we categorize as gross
we categorize as gross
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are things that reminds us
that we're just animals.
that we're just animals.
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These are things like
bodily fluids and sex
bodily fluids and sex
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and physical abnormalities and death.
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And the idea that we're just animals
can be really unsettling,
can be really unsettling,
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because it can be this reminder
of our own mortality.
of our own mortality.
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And that can leave many of us
with this deep existential angst.
with this deep existential angst.
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Rozin would say that there's this way
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in which disgust
and the avoidance of gross things
and the avoidance of gross things
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becomes not just a way
to protect our bodies,
to protect our bodies,
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it becomes a way to protect our souls.
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I think at a certain point,
kids really begin to internalize
kids really begin to internalize
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this link between
disgusting things and immorality.
disgusting things and immorality.
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And while I don't have any concrete data
to back up this next idea,
to back up this next idea,
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I think that for a lot of us,
it happens around the time we hit puberty.
it happens around the time we hit puberty.
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And you know -- yeah, I know.
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So during puberty,
our bodies are changing,
our bodies are changing,
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and we're sweating more,
and girls get their periods,
and girls get their periods,
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and we're thinking about sex
in this way that we never did before.
in this way that we never did before.
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And through the human capacity
for abstraction,
for abstraction,
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this shame can settle in.
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So we don't necessarily just think,
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"Oh, my goodness, something
really gross is happening to my body!"
really gross is happening to my body!"
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We think, "Oh my God, maybe I'm gross.
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And maybe that means that there's
something bad or wrong about me."
something bad or wrong about me."
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The thing is, that if you de facto
associate gross stuff with immorality,
associate gross stuff with immorality,
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you lose a huge part of your curiosity,
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because there is so much
out there in the world
out there in the world
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that is a little bit gross.
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Like, think about going
for a walk in the woods.
for a walk in the woods.
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You could just pay attention
to the birds and the trees and the flowers
to the birds and the trees and the flowers
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and that would be fine,
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but in my view, you'd be missing
a bigger and more awesome picture
a bigger and more awesome picture
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of life on this planet.
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There are cycles of decay
that are driving forest growth,
that are driving forest growth,
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and there are networks of fungus
beneath your feet
beneath your feet
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that are connecting literally
all of the plants around you.
all of the plants around you.
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That's really amazing.
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So I feel like we should be talking
about gross stuff early and often
about gross stuff early and often
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with young people,
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so they feel like they're actually
allowed to claim this bigger picture
allowed to claim this bigger picture
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of life on our planet.
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The good news is that for many of us,
the fascination with gross stuff
the fascination with gross stuff
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doesn't exactly go away,
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we just kind of pretend
like it's not there.
like it's not there.
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But truthfully, we all spend
sort of a big part of our lives
sort of a big part of our lives
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just trying not to be gross.
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When you really think about it,
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we're sort of just like bags of fluids
and some weird tissues
and some weird tissues
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surrounded by a thin layer of skin.
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And to a certain extent,
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multiple times a day, whether
consciously or subconsciously,
consciously or subconsciously,
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I need to remind myself
not to fart publicly.
not to fart publicly.
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(Laughter)
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You know, we're desperately trying
to avoid being gross all the time,
to avoid being gross all the time,
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so I think many of us take
this kind of voyeuristic delight
this kind of voyeuristic delight
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in learning about gross things.
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This is certainly true of kids;
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the number of middle school teachers
who show my videos
who show my videos
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in their science classes
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is a testament to that.
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But I think it's totally true
of adults, too.
of adults, too.
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You know, I think we all love
hearing about gross stories,
hearing about gross stories,
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because it's a socially acceptable way
to explore the gross side of ourselves.
to explore the gross side of ourselves.
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But there's this other reason
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that I think talking about
gross stuff is so important.
gross stuff is so important.
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A while back, I made a video
on tonsil stones -- sorry, everyone --
on tonsil stones -- sorry, everyone --
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which are these balls of mucus
and bacteria and food
and bacteria and food
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that get lodged in your tonsils
and they smell really terrible,
and they smell really terrible,
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sometimes you cough them up
and it's like -- it's awful.
and it's like -- it's awful.
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And many, many people
have experienced this.
have experienced this.
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But many of the people
who have experienced this
who have experienced this
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haven't really had a forum
to talk about it.
to talk about it.
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And today, this video that I made
is my most popular video.
is my most popular video.
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It has millions of views.
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(Laughter)
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And the comment section for that video
became sort of like a self-help section,
became sort of like a self-help section,
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where people could talk about
their tonsil stone experiences
their tonsil stone experiences
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and, like, tips and tricks
for getting rid of them.
for getting rid of them.
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And I think it became this great way
for people to talk about something
for people to talk about something
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that they'd never felt comfortable
taking about publicly.
taking about publicly.
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And that is wonderful when it's about
something as goofy as tonsil stones,
something as goofy as tonsil stones,
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but it's a little sad when a video
can have an effect like that
can have an effect like that
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when it's about something
as common as periods.
as common as periods.
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Last February, I released
a video on menstruation,
a video on menstruation,
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and to this day,
I am still getting messages
I am still getting messages
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from people around the globe
who are asking me about their periods.
who are asking me about their periods.
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There are a lot of young people --
and some not-so-young people -- out there,
and some not-so-young people -- out there,
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who are worried that
what's happening to their bodies
what's happening to their bodies
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is somehow not normal.
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And, of course, I always tell them
that I am not a medical professional,
that I am not a medical professional,
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and that, if possible,
they should talk to a doctor.
they should talk to a doctor.
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But the truth of the matter is
that everyone should feel comfortable
that everyone should feel comfortable
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talking to a doctor
about their own bodies.
about their own bodies.
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And that's why I think
it's really important for us
it's really important for us
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to start this dialogue about gross stuff
from a pretty early age,
from a pretty early age,
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so we can let our kids know
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that it's alright to have agency
over your own body
over your own body
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and over your own health.
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There's another reason
that talking to your doctor
that talking to your doctor
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about your health and gross stuff
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is really, really important.
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Doctors and the scientific community
can only address issues
can only address issues
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when they know
there's something to address.
there's something to address.
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So one of the really
interesting things I learned
interesting things I learned
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while making the video on periods,
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is that I was talking to this
one scientist who told me
one scientist who told me
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there's actually still a lot
we don't know about periods.
we don't know about periods.
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There's a lot of basic research
that still hasn't been done.
that still hasn't been done.
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In part, that's just because there weren't
a lot of scientists in the field
a lot of scientists in the field
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who were women, to ask questions about it.
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And it's also not a topic
that women talk about publicly.
that women talk about publicly.
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So there's this gap in what we know,
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just because no one was there
to ask a question.
to ask a question.
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There's one final reason that I think
talking about gross stuff is so important,
talking about gross stuff is so important,
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and that's because you just never know
what you're going to find
what you're going to find
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when you peel back all those layers
of disgustingness.
of disgustingness.
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So, take the California brown sea hare.
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This is a sea slug that squirts
this lovely, bright purple ink
this lovely, bright purple ink
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at any creature that tries to eat it.
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But it also happens to be
one of the kinkiest creatures
one of the kinkiest creatures
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in the animal kingdom.
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So these guys are hermaphrodites,
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which means they have both
male and female genitalia.
male and female genitalia.
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And when it's time to mate,
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up to 20 individuals will all get together
in this kind of, like, conga line
in this kind of, like, conga line
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and they'll all mate together.
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(Laughter)
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A single sea hare will inseminate
the partner in front of it
the partner in front of it
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and receive sperm from the one behind,
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which is sort of like
an awesome time-saver,
an awesome time-saver,
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when you think about it.
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(Laughter)
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But if scientists had only seen this
and they were like,
and they were like,
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"OK, we're just not going to
touch that with a stick,"
touch that with a stick,"
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they would have missed
the bigger thing about sea hares
the bigger thing about sea hares
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that makes them really remarkable.
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It turns out that these sea hares
have a small number of very large neurons,
have a small number of very large neurons,
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which makes them excellent
to use in neuroscience research.
to use in neuroscience research.
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And, in fact, the scientist Eric Kandel
used them in his research
used them in his research
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to understand how memories are stored.
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And you know what?
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He won a Nobel Prize for his work.
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So go out there and pick up beetles
and play in dirt and ask questions.
and play in dirt and ask questions.
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And own your fascination with gross stuff
and don't be ashamed of it,
and don't be ashamed of it,
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because you never know
what you're going to find.
what you're going to find.
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And as I say at the end of all my videos,
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"Ew."
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anna Rothschild - Science journalistAnna Rothschild makes videos about science for the young and the young at heart.
Why you should listen
Anna Rothschild combines whimsical writing with painting, collage and digital animation to bring her stories to life. She is currently at the Washington Post, where she directs and hosts the series Anna's Science Magic Show Hooray! The show explores science questions like "Why do we have butts?" or "Why is blood red?" and Rothschild regularly answers questions submitted by the audience. She is also the creator of the YouTube series Gross Science for NOVA and PBS Digital Studios. Rothschild has won multiple awards for her work, including the 2016 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for Children's Science News. She has an MA in science journalism from New York University and a BA in biology from Brown University.
Anna Rothschild | Speaker | TED.com