Podcast

The Murderer Who Made Movies Possible
Culture

When horses gallop, do all four hooves ever leave the ground at once? This episode of The Disappearing Spoon recounts the saga that led to the answer. 
Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and the Irish Giant
Environment

This episode of The Disappearing Spoon explores how the daring heist of an anatomical wonder forever sullied the reputation of a great scientist.
The Screwiest—and Perhaps Most Original—Idea of the 20th Century
Environment

An entomologist from Texas supposedly came up with ‘the single most original idea’ to eradicate screwworms. The Disappearing Spoon has the story.
The Bird with Four Sexes
Environment

Find out what a strange little sparrow can teach us about love, sex, and human biology in this episode of The Disappearing Spoon. 

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The Murderous Origins of the American Medical Association
Health

How a bloody gun duel between two doctors in Transylvania sparked a frenzy of outrage—and helped create the American Medical Association.
The Big ‘What If’ of Cancer
Tools & Technology

How a feisty, suicidal Nobel laureate infuriated both Hitler and Stalin, and stalled cancer research for 50 years along the way.
The Harvard Medical School Janitor Who Solved a Murder
Health

In a building full of dead bodies, how can you tell a murder victim from an unlucky stiff?
Burn After Watching
Tools & Technology

The world’s first plastic made Hollywood possible—and killed thousands of people along the way.
History’s First Car Crash Victim
Environment

How a steam-powered automobile in 1869 snuffed out the life of the brilliant naturalist and astronomer Mary Ward.
Real-Life Zombies
Health

What a bizarre psychological disorder can teach us about memory, human nature, and our sense of who we are.
How Climate Change Will Remake the Human Body
Environment

Scientists know how other animals’ bodies will change in warmer climates, but how will human beings respond?
The ‘Mary Poppins’ Cancer
Health

The life of chimney sweeps was nasty, poor, brutish, filthy dirty, and usually short, thanks to a rare cancer of the genitals.