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Distillations

Using stories from science’s past to understand our world

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Mouse Heaven or Mouse Hell?
Culture

Biologist John Calhoun’s rodent experiments gripped a society consumed by fears of overpopulation.

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. 

Greenbacks, Chits, and Scrip
Culture

 Alternative currencies flourish in desperate times and situations.

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 Dark Stars of Marietta Blau
People
A scientist pitted hard work and ingenuity against the constraints she faced as a Jewish woman.
Searching for Isabel Morgan
People
Reconsidering the fate of an overlooked polio fighter.
Crowdfunding Radium
People
When American women bought Marie Curie a vital gram of the element.
The Sun Queen and the Skeptic: Building the World’s First Solar Houses
Environment
In the mid-20th century, colleagues-turned-rivals Maria Telkes and Hoyt Hottel engineered new ways of heating American homes.
The Nurse Who Introduced Gloves to the Operating Room
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 Caroline Hampton and the forgotten origins of the first personal protective equipment.
Dr. Butler and the Quest for the Philosophers’ Stone
Early Science & Alchemy
How searching for alchemy’s secrets helped create modern science.
Lou Henry Hoover, Lost in Translation
People
Though often celebrated, the adventurous First Lady never received full credit for her scientific accomplishments.
Ruth Patrick’s Lovely Creatures
Water
The groundbreaking ecologist showed that the biological diversity within a stream can be used to diagnose its health.
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