The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

How did a man who developed a Nobel Prize–worthy idea (green-fluorescing protein, GFP) end up driving a shuttle van for a living, and missing the Prize completely? Therein lies a sad story...Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Physicist Gyorgy Hevesy had a talent for tricks and stunts—including one that prevented Nazi stormtroopers from stealing a gold Nobel Prize.Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a look at the surprisingly important role science played in shaping—and remaking—an invasion that could have easily been a disaster...Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

One doctor’s controversial crusade to keep men and women out of prison through nose jobs, eye lifts, and other plastic surgery.Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In 1959, nine Russian hikers mysteriously died on a trek through the snowy wilderness—fueling a half-century of hysterical conspiracies. Has science finally cracked the case?Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After a tenure dispute, mechanical engineer Valery Fabrikant murdered four colleagues in cold blood at his university in Montreal. So why is he still allowed to publish scientific papers?Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Chemist Justus von Liebig was perhaps the most famous scientist in the world in the mid-1800s—but quickly became infamous for his role in the killing of four starving infants.Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Patient after patient died under the care of a single nurse in Holland. So why did so many statisticians think Lucia de Berk was innocent?Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Rama IV of Siam (from the “King and I” musical) used an eclipse to save his kingdom from greedy colonial powers. But it cost him his own life in the end.Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

One Brazilian man’s brain damage transformed him into a selfless giver. So why did he infuriate so many people—and what does his case say about the biological roots of generosity?Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jack Parsons was a devil-worshipping FBI rat who led a sex cult and was bosom buddies with L. Ron Hubbard. He was also one of the most important rocket scientists in history. (Episode 2 of 2)Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jack Parsons was a devil-worshiping FBI rat who led a sex cult and was bosom buddies with L. Ron Hubbard. He was also one of the most important rocket scientists in history. (Episode 1 of 2)Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In 1878, two Paris dandies murdered an old woman—and blamed Charles Darwin for their crime. But the wild scandal that followed only solidified Darwin as the greatest scientist of his age...Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Americans happily ate monosodium glutamate for decades. Then one (possibly fake) letter sparked mass hysteria over “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, and the bogus MSG scare was born...Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Scientists have confirmed five basic human tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. But is that all? Debate now rages about adding a sixth or seventh or even eighth(!) to the Big Five...Our Sponsors:* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOON* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/SPOONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy