Beste Science History podcasts (2025)

1
Tessellations & Tenacity: Marjorie Rice’s Story 21:36

2d ago21:36

21:36

🔎 Episode Overview In this episode of Math, Science, History, we explore the incredible journey of Marjorie Rice—a homemaker who defied expectations and made a lasting impact on the world of mathematics. With nothing more than curiosity, determination, and a pencil, she discovered new classes of pentagonal tilings that had eluded professional mathe…

1
Christos Lynteris, "Visual Plague: The Emergence of Epidemic Photography" (MIT Press, 2022) 1:17:33

4d ago1:17:33

1:17:33

How epidemic photography during a global pandemic of bubonic plague contributed to the development of modern epidemiology and our concept of the “pandemic.” In Visual Plague: The Emergence of Epidemic Photography (MIT Press, 2022), Christos Lynteris examines the emergence of epidemic photography during the third plague pandemic (1894–1959), a globa…

1
Science, Interrupted: Part 2 44:24

16d ago44:24

44:24

Genetic engineering breakthroughs in the late 1960s and early 1970s came with a lot of promise—and peril too. Fears about what could happen with recombinant DNA experiments put scientists in the middle of a moral dilemma. Did they have a responsibility to consider how others might use their work? Or was their place simply to be on the lab bench? In…

1
Episode 87. Meitner's Atom: Marissa Moss 1:12:56

24d ago1:12:56

1:12:56

Lise Meitner was the most important female physicist of the 20th century. She made fundamental discoveries on the atom, including, most famously, being the first to discover the idea of fission. This she did as she puzzled over experimental results generated by her colleague Otto Hahn. Hahn, but not Meitner, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry fo…

1
FLASHCARDS: The Rule of 72 Explained: How Fast Will Your Money Grow? 5:44

6d ago5:44

5:44

🔎 Episode Overview In this Flashcard Friday episode of Math! Science! History!, we’re diving into a simple yet powerful math trick: The Rule of 72. Have you ever wondered how long it takes for your investment to double? Or how quickly inflation can cut your purchasing power in half? The Rule of 72 offers a quick mental shortcut to estimate these ch…

1
Math, Civil Rights, and the Legacy of Bob Moses 18:23

9d ago18:23

18:23

In this episode of Math! Science! History! we explore the life and legacy of Bob Moses, a pioneering activist and math educator. Discover how Moses used mathematics as a tool for social justice, empowering underserved communities with the freedom to learn and create change. We will delve into his work with the algebra project, his impact on civil r…

1
FLASHCARDS: So...Mistakes Happen 5:25

13d ago5:25

5:25

It's Flashcard Friday! Have you ever made a mistake, and then realized it was the best mistake you've ever made?! Today's Flashcard is about a vacation, a petri dish and a mistake. For the transcripts, come visit us at www.MathScienceHistory.com ! And while you're there, please feel free to buy us a cup of coffee! Thank you for listening! Until nex…

1
REPOST: Dr. Roger Arliner Young 16:17

16d ago16:17

16:17

It's Black History Month! This week is a repost from season one about Dr. Roger Arliner Young. She was America's first black, female zoologist to get her doctorate. This month I'll be honoring the black, noble goddesses in STEM who inspire, motivate, and forge paths for those who have been marginalized. She is, no doubt, one of my favorite sheroes …

1
Science, Interrupted: Part 1 41:55

17d ago41:55

41:55

Genetic engineering breakthroughs in the late 1960s and early 1970s came with a lot of promise—and peril too. Fears about what could happen with recombinant DNA experiments put scientists in the middle of a moral dilemma. Did they have a responsibility to consider how others might use their work? Or was their place simply to be on the lab bench? In…

1
FLASHCARDS: Chunk It! 5:25

20d ago5:25

5:25

It's Flashcard Friday! Have you ever been stuck trying to memorize a phone number, and address, or something even longer like your credit card? Try chunking it out. The tips are all in the podcast! Visit us at www.MathScienceHistory.com ! And while you're there, please feel free to buy us a cup of coffee! Thank you for listening! Until next week, c…

1
Happy Black History Month Canada! 27:19

23d ago27:19

27:19

It's February and in Canada, Germany and the United States it's Black History Month! Today's episode celebrates three prominent Black Canadian scientists whose contributions to science made significant impacts not only in Canada, but around the world; they are William Allen Jones, Anderson Ruffin Abbott, and Sophia Bethena Jones. To read the podcas…

1
Peter J. Bowler, "Evolution for the People: Shaping Popular Ideas from Darwin to the Present" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 50:47

25d ago50:47

50:47

From Darwin's The Origin of Species to the twenty-first century, Peter Bowler reinterprets the long Darwinian Revolution by refocussing our attention on the British and American public. By applying recent historical interest in popular science to evolutionary ideas, he investigates how writers and broadcasters have presented both Darwinism and its …

1
FLASHCARDS: Claude Mydorge 8:43

27d ago8:43

8:43

You may have never heard of Claude Mydorge, but in the seventeenth century he made a difference in the world of science. Sometimes even the smallest contributions to knowledge can have a lasting impact! Visit us at www.MathScienceHistory.com ! And while you're there, please feel free to buy us a cup of coffee! Thank you for listening! Until next we…

1
REPOST: Dr. Charles Drew's Blood Mobiles 11:57

1M ago11:57

11:57

This is a repost about Dr. Charles Drew from spring of 2020, and it is still timely, especially today. Even after Dr. Drew’s passing, his name lived on. His home was designated as a National Historic Landmark. The United States Postal Service honored him, schools have been named after him, and a United States Navy ship has been named after him. Als…

1
Fibonacci and His Lovin' Lagomorphs 21:53

1M ago21:53

21:53

Rabbits are known for their breeding expertise. And the mathematician Fibonacci utilized that knowledge to create a thought experiment that led to a sequence of numbers that we refer to as the Fibonacci Sequence. This sequence can also be drawn into a curve that we see in nature and within our DNA. Yes, we are all mathematically connected! To read …

1
Karenleigh A. Overmann, "The Material Origin of Numbers: Insights from the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East" (Gorgias Press, 2024) 10:50

1M ago10:50

10:50

What are numbers, and where do they come from? Based on her groundbreaking study of material devices used for counting in the Ancient Near East, Karenleigh Overmann proposes a novel answer to these timeless questions. Tune in as we talk with Karenleigh Overmann about her book, The Material Origin of Numbers: Insights from the Archaeology of the Anc…

1
Vera Keller, "Curating the Enlightenment: Johann Daniel Major and the Experimental Century" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 51:37

1M ago51:37

51:37

How did the research universities of the Enlightenment come into being? And what debt do they owe to scholars of the previous era? Focusing on the career of German polymath Johann Daniel Major (1634–93), Curating the Enlightenment: Johann Daniel Major and the Experimental Century (Cambridge University Press, 2024) by Dr. Vera Keller uncovers how la…

1
The Story of DNA: The Genetic Revolution - Recombinant DNA Technology and the Biotech Boom 24:21

1M ago24:21

24:21

Explore the revolutionary DNA technologies of the 1970s, the biotech boom of the 1980s, and the discovery of DNA function, one of the most important biological discoveries of the 20th century. Tune in for insights on recombinant DNA, double helix history, and the biotech boom! Scientific Tales is a science podcast and an educational podcast that ai…

1
Pierre Sokolsky, "The Clock in the Sun: How We Came to Understand Our Nearest Star" (Columbia UP, 2024) 54:01

1M ago54:01

54:01

On the surface of the Sun, spots appear and fade in a predictable cycle, like a great clock in the sky. In medieval Russia, China, and Korea, monks and court astronomers recorded the appearance of these dark shapes, interpreting them as omens of things to come. In Western Europe, by contrast, where a cosmology originating with Aristotle prevailed, …

1
Bruce Lieberman and Niles Eldredge, "Macroevolutionaries: Reflections on Natural History, Paleontology, and Stephen Jay Gould" (Columbia UP, 2024) 40:54

2M ago40:54

40:54

One of the twentieth century's great paleontologists and science writers, Stephen Jay Gould was, for Bruce S. Lieberman and Niles Eldredge, also a close colleague and friend. In Macroevolutionaries: Reflections on Natural History, Paleontology, and Stephen Jay Gould (Columbia UP, 2024), they take up the tradition of Gould's acclaimed essays on natu…

1
Patchen Barss, "The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius" (Basic Books, 2024) 35:16

2M ago35:16

35:16

When he was six years old, Roger Penrose discovered a sundial in a clearing near his house. Through that machine made of light, shadow, and time, Roger glimpsed a “world behind the world” of transcendently beautiful geometry. It spurred him on a journey to become one of the world’s most influential mathematicians, philosophers, and physicists. Penr…

1
Disability and the History of Science (Osiris, Vol 36) 1:28:29

2M ago1:28:29

1:28:29

This volume of Osiris places disability history and the history of science in conversation to foreground disability epistemologies, disabled scientists, and disability sciencing (engagement with scientific tools and processes). Looking beyond paradigms of medicalization and industrialization, the volume authors also examine knowledge production abo…

1
Circulation! [William Harvey Part 3] 23:51

2M ago23:51

23:51

Contact: [email protected] Twitter: @complete_sci Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 LicenseDoor Gethin Richards

1
Melissa B. Reynolds, "Reading Practice: The Pursuit of Natural Knowledge from Manuscript to Print" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:09:53

2M ago1:09:53

1:09:53

What do you do when you feel an itchy throat coming on? You probably head online, first to search for your symptoms and then to evaluate the information you found — just as ordinary 15th and 16th century English people would have sifted through information in their almanacs, medical recipe collections, and astrological tracts. As Reading Practice: …

1
REPOST: Happy Earth Day 14:07

2M ago14:07

14:07

Due to the L.A. fires, I am reposting an older podcast about the history of Earth Day. It is sad to note that in my intro, you will hear alarming sirens in the background, which juxtaposes the beautiful sound of the birds chirping in the reposted podcast I recorded five years ago. If you want to donate to help those affected by the L.A. fires, I ha…

1
Mariam Motamedi Fraser, "Dog Politics: Species Stories and the Animal Sciences" (Manchester UP, 2024) 1:05:34

2M ago1:05:34

1:05:34

Do dogs belong with humans? Scientific accounts of dogs' 'species story,' in which contemporary dog-human relations are naturalised with reference to dogs' evolutionary becoming, suggest that they do. Dog Politics: Species Stories and the Animal Sciences (Manchester UP, 2024) by Dr. Mariam Motamedi Fraser dissects this story. This book offers a ric…

1
Nancy Reddy, "The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom" (St. Martin's Press, 2025) 51:55

2M ago51:55

51:55

Timely and thought-provoking, Nancy Reddy's The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom unpacks and debunks the bad ideas that have for too long defined what it means to be a "good" mom. When Nancy Reddy had her first child, she found herself suddenly confronted with the ideal of a perfect mother—a woman who was consta…

1
Episode 86. Quantum Mechanics: Jim Baggott 2:15:56

2M ago2:15:56

2:15:56

Humanity's understanding of the universe radically altered with the advent of quantum mechanics in the early 20th century. The theory of quantum mechanics describes how nature behaves at or below the scale of atoms, and the road to that theory was littered with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. With us to discuss the development of quantum mechan…

1
Be Still My Beating Heart [William Harvey Part 2] 20:57

2M ago20:57

20:57

In 1602, William Harvey joined the College of Physicians to secure his medical career, but behind the scenes, he was conducting bold anatomical research. Through dissections, vivisections, and innovative experiments on blood flow and the heart, Harvey began challenging Galen’s teachings. His relentless curiosity would soon lead to the groundbreakin…

1
Rebecca Charbonneau, "Mixed Signals: Alien Communication Across the Iron Curtain" (Polity, 2024) 55:17

2M ago55:17

55:17

In the shadow of the Cold War, whispers from the cosmos fueled an unlikely alliance between the US and USSR. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (or SETI) emerged as a foundational field of radio astronomy characterized by an unusual level of international collaboration—but SETI’s use of signals intelligence technology also served military…

1
Joel Whitebook, "Freud: An Intellectual Biography" (Cambridge UP, 2017) 57:26

2M ago57:26

57:26

We interview Dr. Joel Whitebook, philosopher and psychoanalyst about his book Freud: An Intellectual Biography (Cambridge UP, 2017). Dr. Whitebook works in Critical Theory in the tradition of the Frankfurt School, developing that tradition with his clinical and philosophical knowledge of recent advances in psychoanalytic theory. The life and work o…

1
Rachel Louise Moran, "Blue: A History of Postpartum Depression in America" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 57:12

2M ago57:12

57:12

New motherhood is often seen as a joyful moment in a woman’s life; for some women, it is also their lowest moment. For much of the twentieth century, popular and medical voices blamed women who had emotional and mental distress after childbirth for their own suffering. By the end of the century, though, women with postpartum mental illnesses sought…

1
Camille Robcis, "Disalienation: Politics, Philosophy, and Radical Psychiatry in Postwar France" (U Chicago Press, 2021) 1:04:45

2M ago1:04:45

1:04:45

On this episode, J.J. Mull interviews scholar and historian Camille Robcis. In her most recent book, Disalienation: Politics, Philosophy, and Radical Psychiatry in Postwar France (University of Chicago Press, 2021), Robcis grapples with the historical, intellectual, psychiatric and psychoanalytic meaning of institutional psychotherapy as articulate…

1
Frederick Crews, "Freud: The Making of an Illusion" (Picador, 2018) 1:02:08

2M ago1:02:08

1:02:08

The figure of Sigmund Freud has captivated the Western imagination like few others. One hundred and twenty-five years after the publication of Studies on Hysteria, the good doctor from Vienna continues to stir controversy in institutions, academic circles, and nuclear households across the world. Perhaps Freud’s sharpest and most adamant critic, Fr…

1
Michael Bresalier, "Modern Flu: British Medical Science and the Viralisation of Influenza, 1890-1950" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2023) 1:07:43

2M ago1:07:43

1:07:43

Ninety years after the discovery of human influenza virus, Modern Flu: British Medical Science and the Viralisation of Influenza, 1890—1950 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) by Dr. Michael Bresalier traces the history of this breakthrough and its implications for understanding and controlling influenza ever since. Examining how influenza came to be define…

1
Aristotle My General, Fabricius My Guide [William Harvey Part 1] 18:47

2M ago18:47

18:47

In late 1599, William Harvey, having completed his B.A. at Cambridge, sought further education abroad. His father, a successful businessman, funded his journey to Padua, a renowned center of medical learning. At Padua, Harvey encountered the teachings of Aristotle, particularly the idea of understanding the "final cause" of things, which influenced…

1
AI: How We Got Here in Three Powerful Tales 1:07:03

2M ago1:07:03

1:07:03

This episode is based upon three readings: Alan Turing’s Computing Machinery and Intelligence aka The Turing Test paper. Turing starts his paper by asking “can machines think?” before deciding that’s a meaningless question. Instead, he invents something he calls “the imitation game” - a text conversation where the player has to guess whether they a…

1
The Story of DNA: The Genetic Revolution - The Beginning of Double Helix 23:17

3M ago23:17

23:17

Explore the story of DNA, from ancient ideas about heredity to discovering the double helix structure of DNA. Learn how scientists unlocked the blueprint of life and the ups and downs of genetic research in the 20th century. Tune in for a journey through the science that reshaped our world. Scientific Tales is a science podcast and an educational p…

1
The Rise of Cryptocurrency: How Did Digital Money Emerge? 21:29

3M ago21:29

21:29

Explore the origins of cryptocurrencies and the invention of Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Discover how digital money emerged and re-shaped into cryptocurrency. Whether you're a beginner or crypto-curious, this is your guide to understanding the digital evolution of money. Scientific Tales is a science podcast and an educational podcast that a…

1
The Evolution of Money: The Story of How We Got Here 21:53

3M ago21:53

21:53

Explore the evolution of money, from ancient trade systems and gold coins to paper currencies. Discover how money has shaped the world. Scientific Tales is a science podcast and an educational podcast that aims to cultivate critical thinking through storytelling. The episode draws heavily from Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Jacob Golds…

1
Donald R. Prothero, "The Story of Earth's Climate in 25 Discoveries: How Scientists Found the Connections Between Climate and Life" (Columbia UP, 2024) 41:15

3M ago41:15

41:15

Over 4.5 billion years, Earth's climate has transformed tremendously. Before our more temperate recent past, the planet swung from one extreme to another--from a greenhouse world of sweltering temperatures and high sea levels to a "snowball earth" in which glaciers reached the equator. During this history, we now know, living things and the climate…

1
Renée Bergland, "Natural Magic: Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and the Dawn of Modern Science" (Princeton UP, 2024) 1:06:40

3M ago1:06:40

1:06:40

Emily Dickinson and Charles Darwin were born at a time when the science of studying the natural world was known as natural philosophy, a pastime for poets, priests, and schoolgirls. The world began to change in the 1830s, while Darwin was exploring the Pacific aboard the Beagle and Dickinson was a student in Amherst, Massachusetts. Poetry and scien…

1
David J. Collins, SJ, "Disenchanting Albert the Great: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Magician" (Penn State UP, 2024) 1:07:26

3M ago1:07:26

1:07:26

David J Collins, SJ joins Jana Byars to talk about Disenchanting Albert the Great: the Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Magician (Penn State Press, 2024). Albert the Great (1200–1280) was a prominent Dominican friar, a leading philosopher, and the teacher of Thomas Aquinas. He also endorsed the use of magic. Controversial though that stance would h…

1
Episode 85. SWOPSI: Joel Primack & Robert Jaffe 1:43:49

3M ago1:43:49

1:43:49

Societal problems big and small typically have a scientific element, often in a central way, yet most scientists are not directly involved in policy. My guests sought to change that in 1969 when they created the Stanford Workshops on Social and Political Issues, or SWOPSI. SWOPSI was founded by three students, two of whom are with us today: Joel Pr…

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