Science History Institute Launches New Season of ‘Distillations’ Podcast
American Vice takes listeners from cigarettes and alcohol, to fireworks and LSD with weekly episodes starting September 15.
The Science History Institute is pleased to announce the launch of American Vice, a new season of Distillations, our critically acclaimed flagship podcast. New episodes will drop weekly on Tuesdays starting September 15, 2026. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
From cigarettes and alcohol, to fireworks and LSD, this eight-episode season will dive deep into our appetite for risk, how science plays a role in it, and how it has shaped the American experience. American Vice also features three video episodes—new for this season!—with author Susannah Cahalan, medical anthropologist Emily Mendenhall, and environmental writer and historian Jayson Porter.
We’re also applying a history of science lens to the financial story behind silver—from Nevada’s legendary silver bonanza to the hidden allegory inside The Wizard of Oz—and sharing the history behind the decision to add chlorine to drinking water in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1908.
To celebrate the launch of our new podcast season, we’re partnering with our friends at Crossroads Comedy Theater to bring you a special edition of Study Hall: Comedy Inspired by Lectures, one of the organization’s most popular comedy shows. Join us on Thursday, October 29 for Study Hall x Distillations: American Vice featuring the Crossroads’ cast of amazing improvisers, who will take what they learned (or didn’t learn) from short talks on topics from our episodes to create hilarious scenes right before your eyes. This event is free, but registration is required. Light refreshments will be served.
About Distillations Podcast
Distillations is the Science History Institute’s critically acclaimed flagship podcast. We take deep dives into stories that range from the serious to the eccentric, all to help listeners better understand the surprising science that is all around us. Hear about everything from the crisis in Alzheimer’s research to New England’s 19th-century vampire panic in compelling, sometimes-funny, documentary-style audio stories.
Featured image: Detail of Beckman pH Control Ends “Red Water Days” in Macon ad, 1950s.
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