Podcasts
Our Distillations podcast takes a deep dive into a moment of science-related history that sheds light on the present, while The Disappearing Spoon series tells topsy-turvy tales from our scientific past.
The World’s Only Natural Nuclear Reactor
Environment

When French authorities learned about some missing uranium, they thought someone had stolen it to make rogue atomic bombs. It turned out to be more incredible than that. 
How New DNA Sleuthing Can Expose Dangerous Killers—and You
Tools & Technology

The downside of using genetic genealogy to fight crime.
The Real Tragedy of Robert Oppenheimer
People

In this episode of The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean examines the dark, restless side of the father of the atomic bomb.
The Brilliant, Groundbreaking, and Wildly Overrated Leonardo da Vinci
People

In this episode of The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean revisits the reputation of the renowned Renaissance man.

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Distillations

Our new season, Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race, is here!

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The Disappearing Spoon

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Keepers of the Flame
People

Episode 3 from the ‘Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race’ series.
Calamity in Philadelphia
Health

Episode 2 from the ‘Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race’ series.
Origin Stories
Culture

Episode 1 from the ‘Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race’ series.
Death Squared
People

This episode of The Disappearing Spoon explores scientist John Calhoun’s mouse utopia and what it can tell us about the ways we impose lessons for society onto lab experiments.
Death by Nutrition
Health

This episode of The Disappearing Spoon explores how an antarctic scientific expedition turned deadly thanks to an unlikely source: dog liver. 
The Roadside Apocalypse
Environment

We all know how much the automobile changed the world for people. This episode of The Disappearing Spoon explores how drastically it changed—and harmed—wildlife.
The Blind Visionary
Culture

The Disappearing Spoon tells the story of Thomas Schall, a U.S. Congressman who dedicated himself to one idea above all—reforming our messy, lopsided, archaic, and maddingly inconsistent monthly calendar.
The Scariest Paradise on Earth
Environment

The Disappearing Spoon explores the contradictions of Korea’s biggest natural wildlife refuge—the war-ravaged border between the North and South known as the DMZ.