The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

It’s the 80th anniversary of the Dutch Hongerwinter during World War II, which led to wide... more

After 40 years of studying snakes, Karl Schmidt finally suffered his first bite. And when ... more

Parasites can force animals to do nefarious things by manipulating their minds—including, ... more

In refusing to approve the drug thalidomide, FDA scientist Frances Oldham Kelsey spared th... more

Japanese physicist Fusa Miyake has sparked a revolution in archaeology by studying radioac... more

A woman who drowned in Paris became one of the most famous faces in the world as the model... more

In the early 1800s, the first Egyptian mummies in Europe served as a crucial test for evol... more

In the 1800s, mummies found their way into everything from fertilizer to food, and were es... more

How did a man who developed a Nobel Prize–worthy idea (green-fluorescing protein, GFP) end... more

Physicist Gyorgy Hevesy had a talent for tricks and stunts—including one that prevented Na... more

A summer bonus episode: Russ Schnell's professors mocked him for believing that plants... more

Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a look at the surprisingly important ... more

One doctor’s controversial crusade to keep men and women out of prison through nose jobs, ... more

In 1959, nine Russian hikers mysteriously died on a trek through the snowy wilderness—fuel... more

After a tenure dispute, mechanical engineer Valery Fabrikant murdered four colleagues in c... more

Chemist Justus von Liebig was perhaps the most famous scientist in the world in the mid-18... more

Patient after patient died under the care of a single nurse in Holland. So why did so many... more

Rama IV of Siam (from the “King and I” musical) used an eclipse to save his kingdom from g... more

One Brazilian man’s brain damage transformed him into a selfless giver. So why did he infu... more

Jack Parsons was a devil-worshipping FBI rat who led a sex cult and was bosom buddies with... more

Jack Parsons was a devil-worshiping FBI rat who led a sex cult and was bosom buddies with ... more

Who put the cheese in your stuffed-crust pizza? Or cows on a Caribbean island? And when mo... more

In 1878, two Paris dandies murdered an old woman—and blamed Charles Darwin for their crime... more

Americans happily ate monosodium glutamate for decades. Then one (possibly fake) letter sp... more

Scientists have confirmed five basic human tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. B... more

He helped launch the British Empire and spawned a public-health epidemic that killed hundr... more