The Disappearing Spoon podcast

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings during WWII, we look at the surprisingly important role science played.

One doctor’s controversial crusade to keep people out of prison through nose jobs, eye lifts, and other plastic surgery.

In 1959, nine Russian hikers mysteriously died on a snowy trek known as the Dyatlov Pass incident. Has science finally cracked the case?

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.

One man’s brain damage transformed him into a selfless giver. What does his case say about the biological roots of generosity?

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.

He was behind the rise of the British Empire, a public-health epidemic, and the lost colony of Roanoke Island. Thomas Harriot has a lot to answer for.

How “Moldy Mary” helped produce the lifesaving drug and turned an insult into a triumph.

As recent tragedies reveal, it’s harder to reach extreme ocean depths than the Moon. Meet the people who got there first—and barely lived to tell to the tale.

How balloon geek Auguste Piccard inspired Hollywood and became a worthy namesake for Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame.