I Came For Science

About I Came For Science

Welcome to I Came For Science: a show that explores all things sex, reproduction, and inclusion in STEM! Your host is Laura Sirot, a professor of Biology who has been studying animal sex for over 30 years. Join us as we normalize talking about the intersections of sex and science, as well as hearing about the lived experiences of the scientists that study it. To get in touch, email us at icameforscience@gmail.com or message us on X or Instagram @icameforscience. Visit our website at: https://www.icameforscience.org/

Publisher

Laura Sirot

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Feb 2024

Latest episode

29 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

30 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Episode 30: Finicky Fathers

   Parents, have you ever felt like you face a tradeoff between parenting and self-care? You are not alone! In this episode, we talk about parenting-- specifically, male parental care in red-winged blackbirds. It turns out, in this species, some males help care for the offspring and others do not. But, why?? Facundo Fernandez-Duque and I discuss his research trying to unravel the variation in male parenting behavior.

2. 

   9 Jun 2026

   Episode 29: Sneaky Spider Sex

   Most of us have received a disappointing gift at some point, maybe an ugly sweater from a relative, or a beautifully wrapped package that turns out to be completely useless. Humans know this feeling well. But surprisingly, so do spiders. In this episode, our guest, Dr. Maria Albo, takes us into the world of nuptial gift-giving spiders, where males present females with carefully wrapped packages during courtship and many of those gifts are completely worthless.

3. 

   8 May 2026

   Episode 28: Something Fishy: The Science of Sperm Parasitism

   Imagine a species where females rely on males from another species to reproduce… but never use their genes. That’s not science fiction, that’s real biology, and we are here to tell you the story of the Amazon Molly. In this episode, Laura is joined by Sanaa Khan, a PhD Candidate at University of California, Davis who studies this incredible system. We will be talking about how the species reproduces, what it means for evolution, and what her research is uncovering.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

550

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

63

Social presence

0

YouTube

64

Engagement

60

Contact I Came For Science

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.