The Disappearing Spoon podcast

After a tenure dispute, engineer Valery Fabrikant murdered four colleagues. So why is he still allowed to publish scientific papers?

World famous 19th-century chemist Justus von Liebig quickly became infamous for his role in the killing of four starving infants.

Patient after patient died under the care of a single nurse. Why did so many statisticians think she was innocent?

Rama IV of Siam used an eclipse to save his kingdom from greedy colonial powers. But it cost him his life.

Sam Kean continues the wild story of rocket scientist/devil worshipper Jack Parsons in the second episode of this two-part series.

Jack Parsons practiced the occult and led a sex cult. He was also one of history’s most important rocket scientists.

Two men committed murder—and blamed the English naturalist. The aftermath solidified Darwin as the greatest scientist of his age.

Americans happily ate monosodium glutamate for decades, but one (fake?) letter sparked mass hysteria and the bogus MSG scare was born.

Scientists have confirmed five basic human tastes. But is that all? Debate rages about adding other tastes to the Big Five.

James Mellaart discovered one of the most important archaeological sites ever. But his lust for treasure led him to lose it all.

How paranoia doomed a nuclear patent lawyer.

Sam Kean examines the dark, restless side of the father of the atomic bomb.

Explore scientist John Calhoun’s mouse utopia and what it can tell us about the ways we impose lessons for society onto lab experiments.

Sam Kean explores how the legendary gardener’s reputation as the patron saint of the American wilderness ignores his boozy origins.

Trace how such a sweet treat has caused so much harm—from slavery to the Nazi death machine.

The story behind notorious surgeon Walter Freeman’s contempt for his father, failures with his sons, and obsession with lobotomies.

The third episode in a three-part series on legendary physicists and their dumbest mistakes.

Learn about the physicist’s biggest-blunder-turned-greatest success.