This week on Distillations we’re looking at some of the 20th century’s most infamous scientific missteps.

Some surprisingly controversial theories of human longevity. 

How conservators at the 9/11 Memorial Museum care for the artifacts of trauma.

The pirate-turned-naturalist-turned-pirate-again inspired generations of British writers and scientists.

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

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.