In this episode, Greg Dickens and I are joined by biomedical scientist and international touch rugby player Anna Wilson. We discuss recent papers on early induction of labour, on artificial sweeteners and early puberty, on learning and hearing loss in rats, on dog ownership and teen microbiomes, and on repurposing drugs for previously fatal conditions. We then talk about the effects of early movement on child musculoskeletal development, and how simple tweaks to your home can set up both you and your children to move more. Finally, we answer a listener question on giving sugar to children when they are ill.
To see photos of our home, try this article:
https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/come-look-around-our-high-movement
Topics covered
* Does induction of labour at term reduce the number of Caesarean sections in the real world?
* Might some artificial sweeteners affect early puberty?
* How does deafening rats at different ages affect their learning ability?
* Is living with a dog good for teens?
* Can we repurpose existing drugs for a fatal skin disease?
* How do we create a home that makes us move?
* Should we give foods containing sugar to sick children?
These other podcast episodes cover related topics:
Notes
Induction of Labor at 40 Weeks of Gestation after Dissemination of the ARRIVE Trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41106401/
Deafening rats at different ages: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-26704-8
Early puberty and artificial sweeteners: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40618-025-02677-3
Effects of dog ownership on teen microbiomes: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)02209-6
Can we repurpose existing drugs for a fatal skin disease?https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08061-0
JNK pathway signalling and fructose : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3523093/
Hello! My name’s Guen. I’m a veterinarian by background and I’ve worked in health innovation for a decade. I spent eighteen months living in traditional villages across Africa and South America, learning from communities that raise children in very different ways. My passion is helping parents, doctors, and teachers identify small things they can do to set children up for better long-term physical health.
If you’re interested in this area, drop your email below and I’ll send you bi-weekly articles and podcast episodes with stories from other cultures and deep scientific dives on different aspects of child development and health. It’s free, easy, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
