Slice of Science

by Michelle Sims

Season 1

Could Improv Improve Stuttering?

The above the neck physios – yes speech pathologists! What do they do and what could they do for you? What are some misconceptions about stuttering, and how could those who stutter (or clutter) use drama therapy to improve their symptoms? Shelly sat down with Michelle and Eleanor to find out! Eleanor Brahsted is a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist Dr Michelle Swift is a Senior Speech Pathologist & Clinical Director at Swift Speech, Stuttering & Voice and also a Senior Lecturer in the Speech Pathology Program at UniSA. Swift Speech: Stuttering & Voice - Glen Osmond: https://www.instagram.com/swiftspeechstutteringvoice/ https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services/healthcare-service/glen-osmond-5064-sa/swift-speech-stuttering-voice/speech-pathology/81e63420-9aa1-45fd-a2e4-8c6fed46f4ee Sources: Byrd, et. al,, (2022) Targeting Communication Effectiveness in Adults Who Stutter: A Preliminary Study. Topics in Language Disorders 42(1):p 76-93, | DOI: 10.1097/TLD.0000000000000270 Reid-Wisdom et. al., (2022). Perceived effects of improv on psychological wellbeing: A qualitative study. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 17(2), 246-263. Schwenke, et. al., (2021). Improv to improve: The impact of improvisational theater on creativity, acceptance, and psychological well-being. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 16(1), 31-48. This episode was pre-recorded at Radio Adelaide and first aired on the 15th of February 2024

S1 · E11

Sep 10, 2025

29:14

PFAS Part 2: Understanding How You May Be Exposed & Potential Health Effects

In this episode, we find out about Polymer Fume Fever, and how the hell scientists study the toxicity of a chemical when almost all of the human population is contaminated with it! Shelly dives into how PFAS end up in our bodies—from yoga pants and tampons to tap water and food—and what this might mean for our health. Sources: Correia, M.S., & Horowitz, B.Z. (2025) Polymer Fume Fever. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594276/ Occupations most at risk of PFAS toxicity: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pfas/about/index.html Australian Story: Fire Fight - Mick Tisbury: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/australian-story/series/2022/video/NC2202Q021S00 https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/enhealth-guidance-statement-per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas Exposure to PFAS Can Make it Harder to Keep Weight Off With Diet: https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/srp/news/view.cfm?newsitem_ID=3961 Hormone-disruption and Reproductive Issues: Rickard et. al., (2022). Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and female reproductive outcomes: PFAS elimination, endocrine-mediated effects, and disease. Toxicology, 465, 153031. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2021.153031 PFAS and Cancers: Steenland, K., & Winquist, A. (2021). PFAS and cancer, a scoping review of the epidemiologic evidence. Environmental Research, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110690 PFAS and High Cholesterol: Andersen et. al, (2021). Why is elevation of serum cholesterol associated with exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in humans? A workshop report on potential mechanisms. Toxicology, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2021.152845 PFAS Immunological Impacts: von Holst et. al., (2021). Perfluoroalkyl substances exposure and immunity, allergic response, infection, and asthma in children: review of epidemiologic studies. Heliyon, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08160 Picture Illustration by Bennet Geis: https://themainemonitor.org/testing-the-waters-tracing-the-movement-of-pfas-into-waterways-and-wildlife This episode was recorded live at Radio Adelaide on the 8th of February 2024

S1 · E10

Sep 9, 2025

22:24

PFAS Part 1: Definition of PFAS, where do they come from and why won't they breakdown?

In this episode, Shelly dives into the chemistry of PFAS. They are manufactured with beautiful fluorspar and not so beautiful fossil fuels, but what about their unique chemical structure make these compounds so resistant to biodegradation? What products are PFAS in and where in the world (it's everywhere) have they ended up!? Sources: Commonwealth settles $132.7 million class action over PFAS contamination across Australia: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-15/pfas-class-action-commonsettlement-reached-with-30-000-claimants/102346274 Samal, K., et al. (2022). Pharmaceutical wastewater as Emerging Contaminants (EC): Treatment technologies, impact on environment and human health. Energy Nexus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nexus.2022.100076. Glüge, J.S et al. (2020). An overview of the uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) [10.1039/D0EM00291G]. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 22(12), 2345-2373. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EM00291G Cousins, I. T., Goldenman, G., Herzke, D., Lohmann, R., Miller, M., Ng, C. A., Patton, S., Scheringer, M., Trier, X., Vierke, L., Wang, Z., & DeWitt, J. C. (2019). The concept of essential use for determining when uses of PFASs can be phased out. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EM00163H Wackett, L. P., & McMahon, K. (2021). Why Is the Biodegradation of Polyfluorinated Compounds So Rare? mSphere. https://doi.org/doi:10.1128/mSphere.00721-21 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/lawsuit-claims-gore-tex-poisoned-drinking-water-near-maryland-facilities Luo, Y., et al. (2022). Raman imaging for the identification of Teflon microplastics and nanoplastics released from non-stick cookware. Science of The Total Environment. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158293 This episode was recorded live at Radio Adelaide on the 1st of February 2024

S1 · E9

Aug 5, 2025

21:56

Vapes — your health, the environment, and Big Tobacco with Dr Joshua Trigg

What's the harm in vapes? What are the alternatives for those looking to quit? And how does Big Tobacco influence policy in Australia? I sat down with Flinders University public health researcher Dr Joshua Trigg ahead of the big Australian vape crackdown for the facts. Dr Joshua Trigg: https://au.linkedin.com/in/joshuatrigg Australian Vaping Legal Reforms: https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/vaping-hub/reforms-regulation-vapes Whats in a vape: https://www.uow.edu.au/the-stand/2022/whats-in-a-vape-.php Types of vapes: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/pdfs/ecigarette-or-vaping-products-visual-dictionary-508.pdf Environmental impacts: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2023/02/e-cigarettes-pose-a-triple-threat-to-the-environment-says-clean-up-australia-waste-report/ Health harms: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.51890 Smoking cessation: https://www.cochrane.org/news/e-cigarettes-varenicline-and-cytisine-are-most-effective-stop-smoking-aids-analysis-over-150000 Tips on talking to kids about vapes:https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/a-z-health-reference/vaping https://theconversation.com/my-teens-vaping-what-should-i-say-3-expert-tips-on-how-to-approach-the-talk-196205 This episode was pre-recorded at Radio Adelaide and first aired on the 25th of January 2024

S1 · E8

Jul 22, 2025

25:21

The Dose Makes the Poison...or the Remedy?

Can a little bit of stress be good for us? How can you die from drinking water? Can our parents' habits before we were born shape our genes—and even impact our health? Who was Paracelsus and was that really his real name??? Tune in to find out! Sources https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-and-safety/the-dose-makes-the-poison/ Farrell, D J, & Bower, L., 2003, Fatal water intoxication. Journal of clinical pathology, https://jcp.bmj.com/content/56/10/803.2 Calabrese, E. J. et al., 2007, Biological stress response terminology: Integrating the concepts of adaptive response and preconditioning stress within a hormetic dose–response framework, Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0041008X07001032?via%3Dihub Mattson, M. P., 2008, Hormesis defined., Ageing Research Reviews, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568163707000712?via%3Dihub Costantini, D., 2019, Hormesis Promotes Evolutionary Change., Dose-response: a publication of International Hormesis Society, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6484245/ Dias, B., and Ressler, K., 2014, Parental olfactory experience influences behavior and neural structure in subsequent generations., Nat Neurosci, https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.3594 Coussons-Read, M.E., 2013, ‘Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways.’ Obstetric medicine, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5052760/ Song, D.K., and Yong-Woon K., 2023, Beneficial effects of intermittent fasting: a narrative review., J. Yeungnam Med. Sci., https://www.e-jyms.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.12701/jyms.2022.00010 Picture: https://thethinkersgarden.com/odd-truths-paracelsus-rebel/ Recorded live at Radio Adelaide 18th Jan 2024

S1 · E7

Jul 22, 2025

14:02

Isis Pinner: Almond Self-Fertilisation, Foraging for Fungi, and The Challenges of a PhD

How can looking at tiny proteins through an xray can help us understand self-fertilisation in almond trees? And have you ever wanted to go foraging for fungi? Don't be put off by the news headlines! Shelly sits down with PhD student Isis Pinner to get down in the dirt and up trees with fungi and almonds! (***audio quality was reduced beyond repair in the second half, apologies!) Sources https://set.adelaide.edu.au/news/list/2020/02/19/self-fertile-almond-varieties-create-buzz-ahead-of-harvest https://theurbannanna.com/2022/04/01/wild-mushroom-foraging-in-australia/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/isis-pinner-0b6129151/?originalSubdomain=au

S1 · E6

Oct 3, 2024

29:28

1 of 2

Slice of Science

Could Improv Improve Stuttering?

PFAS Part 2: Understanding How You May Be Exposed & Potential Health Effects

PFAS Part 1: Definition of PFAS, where do they come from and why won't they breakdown?

Vapes — your health, the environment, and Big Tobacco with Dr Joshua Trigg

The Dose Makes the Poison...or the Remedy?

Isis Pinner: Almond Self-Fertilisation, Foraging for Fungi, and The Challenges of a PhD

The Science Behind Lightning: What Makes the Sky Spark?

Harmonising Minds: Dr. Emily Dollman on Music, Wellbeing, and Flow State

The Bittersweet Effects of St John's Wort

Jacob Maher: Weeds, The Dark Web, and The Not-So-Sexy Side of Mistletoe