Wasn't always common knowledge that something as simple as hand washing could help prevent the spread of disease.

Just think about it.

When Ignat Semmelais, the Hungarian physician, discovered that handwashing could stop the deadly childbed fever, the medical community pushed back hard.

I mean, can you imagine hand washing?

To be fair, they were still figuring out germ theory

back then, but still. Even with this groundbreaking insight, Semmelweis didn't get a ton of support.

To understand why this happens, Matt Kaplan is joining us. Kaplan is a writer who explores this story

and more in his new book called, I Told You So, Scientists who Are Ridiculed, Exiled,

and Imprisoned for Being Right. We'll also explore why women are more likely to suffer from

IBS. Recent research in mice points to a connection with estrogen signaling that could give us

some answers. And finally, with Valentine's Day on the horizon, we'll discuss kissing.

I'm Dr. Samantha Amin, and this is Curiosity Weekly.

It may not be trending anymore on social media, but hot girls still have IBS.

Hundreds of millions around the globe suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, but interestingly,

about two-thirds of those

affected are women. A team of researchers may have found a reason for this gender gap. They

discovered that some gut cells become more active when estrogen is present, because it increases

the pain signals sent to the brain. IBS can cause bloating, diarrhea, and constipation, and it's sometimes

linked to what we eat or how stressed we feel. While most of us have experienced these symptoms

occasionally, IBS makes them happen a lot, which you can imagine is incredibly disruptive and debilitating.

Now, when we think of our gut, we think digestion, which is totally correct.

But what's fascinating is that our gut has its own nervous system.

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