Understanding the Science of ‘Squirting’

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.3 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The human body is capable of some truly incredible things. One of the most mysterious and debated phenomena is a release of fluid during sex that is often referred to as “squirting.” What’s actually happening, and why does it stir so much speculation? Wendy Zukerman, host of the hit podcast Science Vs, breaks down the science behind this fascinating topic, exploring what we know, what we don’t and what the controversy surrounding it is. Recommended reading: What a Survey On Anal Sex and Masturbation Reveals About Prostates and Pleasure E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Clara Moskowitz, senior editor for space and physics at Scientific American.
0:05.0	Like many kids, I once dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
0:08.0	While I never made it to space, my work at Scientific American has given me the next best thing,
0:13.0	exploring the cosmos through stories and sharing its wonders with science lovers like you.
0:19.0	When I research a story, I immerse myself in the reporting
0:21.9	to bring you an exciting and accurate account. Over the years, I've covered breathtaking rocket
0:26.9	launches, visited one of the world's highest altitude telescopes in Chile, and even trained for
0:32.2	suborbital spaceflight. I love interviewing scientists who are exploring the mysteries of space.
0:38.3	If you'd like to learn about the secrets of dark matter directly from an expert,
0:42.3	join me on April 9th for a live conversation with theoretical physicist Catherine Zurich.
0:48.2	Subscribe to Scientific American today at siam.com slash getsyam to attend this event and explore our vast, beautiful cosmos.
1:00.2	For Scientific American Science quickly, I'm Rachel Feltman. Just a heads up before we dive in,
1:09.9	today's episode is about human sexuality.
1:12.7	We talk about sex, sometimes using slang terms, but without any profanity.
1:20.9	I'd probably give this episode like a PG-13 rating.
1:24.4	So if you usually listen with kids, maybe give this one a solo trial run just to make sure
1:29.6	you're comfortable with the questions it might raise.
1:32.2	And if you just really don't like hearing people talk about sex, then this episode probably
1:36.9	isn't for you.
1:38.3	No hard feelings.
1:39.2	We'll see you on Friday.
1:41.0	Now that that's out of the way, the human body is capable of doing some pretty incredible things, including things we don't yet understand.
	...

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