Distillations podcast

For centuries people have been fascinated by the potential healing powers of color, but is there any truth to it?

From Homer’s Odyssey to the internet’s great dress debate, our perception of the color blue has both fascinated and frustrated us.

The surprising scientific and religious origins of the myth of race.

‘Distillations’ talks to four science fantasy experts about the Deborah Harkness book series.

This bonus episode explores how a grade school history teacher from Cincinnati uses video games in the classroom.

Are historical video games an important tool for learning or do they corrupt our collective understanding of the past?

The ‘Lady Science’ magazine editors talk about their new book ‘Forces of Nature: The Women Who Changed Science.’

The ‘Ghostland’ author talks about the relationship between technology and the paranormal and how the ghost stories we tell reveal a lot about society.

Though science and investigations of the paranormal might seem incompatible, they were intertwined for a long time.

The surprising origins of developmental embryology.

Historian of science and media Ingrid Ockert discusses the exact moment Carl Sagan began wearing turtlenecks, how NOVA changed television, and the key to any successful show: respect the audience.

A cautionary tale of technology run riot.

Some surprisingly controversial theories of human longevity.

Lasers, tattoo removal, and second chances.

How deodorant became omnipresent in America.

Dive into the world of nixtamalization, a chemical process that allowed the Mesoamerican empires to thrive and tacos to taste good.

This episode takes on the frothy subject of beer, and explores the science, culture, and history behind the suds.

On today’s show, we investigate Olympic mysteries, from the flame of the torch to the composition of those so-called gold medals.