Science History Institute Launches Second Podcast Series

The Science History Institute has teamed up with New York Times best-selling author Sam Kean to bring a new history of science podcast to our listeners. The Disappearing Spoon tells little-known stories from our scientific past—from the shocking way the smallpox vaccine was transported around the world to why we don’t have a birth control pill for men. These topsy-turvy science tales, some of which have never made it into history books, are surprisingly powerful and insightful.

The first season of The Disappearing Spoon launched March 30, 2021, with an episode about the vaccine supply chain and orphan children.

And don’t worry, the Distillations podcast isn’t going anywhere! We’re still producing the in-depth, narrative-style episodes you know and love. Look for the next season of Distillations this summer. In the meantime, you can listen now to a recent interview with Kean.

About Sam Kean

Sam Kean is The New York Times best-selling author of six books, including The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements; The Bastard Brigade: The True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb; and The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science (release date: July 13, 2021). NPR’s “Science Friday,” the Royal Society, and The Guardian have each named different titles of Kean’s among their top books of the year. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Slate, and his work has been featured on NPR’s “Radiolab,” “All Things Considered,” and “Fresh Air.” His podcast, The Disappearing Spoon, debuted at No. 1 on the science podcasts chart on iTunes.