Distillations: Science + Culture + History

Love, Hate, and Sex from the History of Science

Feb 12 • 38 min

Happy Valentine’s Day from Distillations.

Sex(ism), Drugs, and Migraines

Jan 15 • 42 min

One woman’s quest to end her pain

Preview: Happy Holidays from Distillations!

Dec 18, 2018 • 2 min

Happy holidays from all of us here at Distillations. This holiday season our gift to you is a sneak peak at some of the stories we have in the works for 2019.

The Mouse That Changed Science: A Tiny Animal With a Big Story

Nov 19, 2018 • 41 min

In April 1988 Harvard University was awarded a patent that was the first of its kind. U.S. Patent Number 4,736,866 was small, white, and furry, with red beady eyes. His name was OncoMouse. The mouse, genetically engineered to have a predisposition for…

Preview: The Mouse that Changed Science

Nov 13, 2018 • 1 min

Tune in to the next episode of Distillations on November 20th!

Treating America’s Opioid Addiction Part 3: Searching for Meaning in Kensington

Oct 16, 2018 • 55 min

“We should never, ever forget that addiction treatment is a search for meaning in a place other than using drugs.” —Nancy Campbell, historian of drug addiction (This is the third and final chapter of a three-part series. See Part 1 and …

Treating America’s Opioid Addiction Part 2: Synanon and the Tunnel Back to the Human Race.

Sep 18, 2018 • 44 min

Our current devastating opioid crisis is unprecedented in its reach and deadliness, but it’s not the first such epidemic the United States has experienced or tried to treat. In fact, it’s the third. Treating America’s Opioid…

Preview: Treating America’s Opioid Addiction, Part 2

Aug 31, 2018 • 1 min

Synanon and the Tunnel Back to the Human Race

Treating America’s Opioid Addiction Part 1: The Narcotic Farm and the Promise of Salvation

Aug 21, 2018 • 32 min

Our current devastating opioid crisis is unprecedented in its reach and deadliness, but it’s not the first such epidemic the United States has experienced or tried to treat. In fact, it’s the third. Treating America’s Opioid Addiction is a…

Preview: We’re hard at work on our next season!

Jul 17, 2018 • 1 min

Tune in on August 21

Fighting Smog in Los Angeles

Jun 26, 2018 • 39 min

In the final installment of our three-part series on environmental success stories, we tell you about Los Angeles’s caveat-filled triumph over smog. The battle started in the 1940s and continues today, but along the way crucial pieces of technology and…

Preview: Smog in Los Angeles used to be way worse

Jun 19, 2018 • 1 min

Tune in to the next episode of Distillations on June 26!

Whatever Happened to Acid Rain?

May 22, 2018 • 32 min

It’s complicated.

Preview: Whatever Happened to Acid Rain?

May 15, 2018 • 1 min

Tune in to the next episode of Distillations on May 22!

Whatever Happened to the Ozone Hole?

Apr 17, 2018 • 24 min

An environmental success story

The Man, the Myth, the Laser

Mar 13, 2018 • 30 min

The disputed origin story of one of the 20th century’s most important inventions

The Yoga Pant Problem

Feb 13, 2018 • 27 min

The Rise of Synthetic Fibers and the War on Cotton

The Almost Forgotten Story of Katherine Jones, Lady Ranelagh

Jan 9, 2018 • 25 min

The Woman Beside the Father of Chemistry

Sci-Fi Radio Drama: A Cautionary Tale of Technology Run Riot

Dec 12, 2017 • 27 min

As you ponder which shiny new gadgets to put in your children’s stockings this holiday season, beware of the story of the Abbott family, whose lives were forever changed after a little too much screen time. Distillations brings you a live…

Butter vs. Margarine: one of America’s most bizarre food battles

Nov 14, 2017 • 20 min

It’s one of the most bizarre episodes in American food history: when butter and margarine were at war. What you choose to spread on your toast might seem like a boring subject, but it turns out to be fascinating and sometimes hilarious….

Grandmothers Matter: Some surprisingly controversial theories of human longevity

Oct 17, 2017 • 18 min

Baby horses and giraffes walk soon after they’re born, and they can feed and take care of themselves pretty quickly, too. A one-year-old person, on the other hand, is basically helpless. But humans go on to live much longer than most other mammals,…

Refugee Doctors: Escape is only the first challenge

Sep 12, 2017 • 30 min

Though they lived decades apart, Adolphe Dessauer and Abdelwahhab Azzawi share similar stories. They were both esteemed physicians who faced violence and persecution in their home countries. They both sought refuge abroad and found safety, only to…

High-Tech and Amish: Using 21st-century medicine to maintain a 300-year-old way of life.

Aug 15, 2017 • 27 min

There are no parents in the world who want to see their child sick. Often the illness is no big deal—you follow doctor’s orders and your kid gets better soon. But what do you do when your child is really sick, and it’s because of decisions the…

Political Science: Out of the Lab and into the Streets

Jun 13, 2017 • 21 min

On April 22, 2017, more than one million people in 600 cities around the world took to the streets in the name of science. Many were scientists themselves, and quite a few donned lab coats. Some were protesting for the first time. It was an unusual…

Rethinking Ink: Lasers, Tattoo Removal, and Second Chances

May 2, 2017 • 20 min

There was a time when tattoos were taboo, and you thought long and hard before getting one. Today 20 percent of American adults are inked. Tattoos just don’t carry the stigma they once did—unless it’s a particular kind of tattoo, in a particular…

Making Senses: How Biohackers Are Using Artificial Perceptions to Enhance Reality

Apr 4, 2017 • 25 min

How Biohackers Are Using Artificial Perceptions to Enhance Reality

The Smell of Shame: How Deodorant Became Omnipresent in America

Mar 15, 2017 • 15 min

For as long as humans have been around they’ve worried about their smell. “That’s why we’ve had perfumes for as long as we’ve had people,” says Cari Casteel, a CHF research fellow studying the history of deodorant. But, Casteel says,…

Fizzy Water: The Unnatural History of a Carbonated Drink

Feb 16, 2017 • 13 min

We all know hydration is important to health, but many people find water boring to drink. Juice and Coke aren’t boring, but they aren’t very healthy either. One way to transform water into a more exciting drink is to add bubbles. For centuries…

Second Skin: The Unexpected Origin of the Sports Bra

Nov 8, 2016 • 17 min

The sports bra is omnipresent in today’s sports landscape. But the current iteration of this nifty item is less than 40 years old, and it arrived with a serendipitous origin story. For this episode of Distillations we talked to Lisa Lindahl, an…

(Natural) Childbirth

Oct 4, 2016 • 30 min

Our producer is pregnant. For the past nine months people have asked what her birth plan is, which to her seems like asking what kind of weather she had planned for her wedding day. “All of a sudden my life was full of these terms: natural,…

Best of 2016: Insiders vs. Outsiders in Medicine

Sep 6, 2016 • 13 min

Over the past year we’ve brought you stories about tacos, taxidermy, and DDT. But at the same time we’ve been thinking about and researching medicine—specifically, how outsiders to the field have helped change the ways…

Human-Centered Therapy . . . with Robots

Aug 9, 2016 • 28 min

Are we overestimating artificial intelligence?

This Is Not Your Great-Grandfather’s Taxidermy

Jul 5, 2016 • 26 min

Have you noticed any antlered rabbits mounted on the wall of your local coffee shop? Or maybe some geese with butterfly wings? That’s because taxidermy has made a comeback. Our producer, Mariel Carr, wanted to know why, so she spent a few months…

Babes of Science, a Guest Episode

Jun 7, 2016 • 26 min

We’re guessing you know who Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are, and maybe you’re even familiar with Linus Pauling or Roald Hoffmann. But it turns out that a lot of people can’t name a single female scientist besides Marie Curie. Exasperated by…

The Ancient Chemistry Inside Your Taco

May 4, 2016 • 15 min

When you bite into a taco, quesadilla, or anything else involving a traditionally made corn tortilla, your taste buds get to experience the results of an ancient chemical process called nixtamalization. The technique dates to around 1500 BCE and…

Power in the Blood: When Religion and Medicine Meet in Your Veins

Apr 5, 2016 • 25 min

Everyone knows blood is powerful. The ancient Greeks realized it, Jesus understood it, Dracula certainly recognized it, and your doctor still knows it today. And everybody knows, says hematologist and historian of medicine Jacalyn Duffin, that if we…

Do You Need That Kidney? Rethinking the Ethics of Organ Transplants

Mar 1, 2016 • 21 min

Scientists experimented with skin and organ transplants for a long time before they finally met with success in the mid-20th century. Now surgeons are expert at performing transplants. The only problem? There aren’t enough organs to go around,…

DDT: The Britney Spears of Chemicals

Feb 2, 2016 • 15 min

Americans have had a long, complicated relationship with the pesticide DDT, or dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, if you want to get fancy. First we loved it, then we hated it, then we realized it might not be as bad as we thought. But we’ll…

Is Space the Place? Trying to Save Humanity by Mining Asteroids

Jan 5, 2016 • 22 min

2015 was a good year for outer space. Star Wars: Episode VII came out, NASA started hiring astronauts again, SpaceX successfully launched and returned a rocket, and the U.S. Congress passed the SPACE Act of 2015—a bill that gives any American…

Sex and Gender: What We Know and Don’t Know

Dec 1, 2015 • 24 min

Several years ago historian of medicine Alice Dreger found herself in a room full of intersexed people, individuals with reproductive or sexual anatomy that is neither typically female nor male. Dreger noticed something strange: many of them had teeth…

Stealing Industry Secrets: Not as Easy as You Think

Dec 1, 2015 • 26 min

Hackers. Spies. Secrets. This is the menacing language of industrial espionage. But how easy is it to plunder a company for its ideas? Not very, says our guest, Douglas O’Reagan, a historian of science and technology. Throughout history,…

Genetic Engineering and Organic Farming: An Unexpected Marriage

Oct 6, 2015 • 34 min

Celebrities, politicians, and scientists have fiercely debated the safety of using genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in food. It remains to be seen whether GMO labeling becomes mandatory in the United States, but there’s no doubt that the…

Where Have All the FEMA Trailers Gone?

Sep 2, 2015 • 27 min

Tracing Toxicity from Bust to Boom

Science and the Supernatural in the 17th Century

Jul 29, 2015 • 26 min

Most of us are familiar with the achievements of Galileo and Newton, but who were their peers? And what was it like to practice science in the 16th and 17th centuries? Come geek out with us as we travel back in time and explore what the world was like…

Distillations Turns 200

Jun 30, 2015 • 18 min

This is Distillations’s 200th episode, and we’re celebrating! We pored through hundreds of shows and pieced together some of the funniest, grossest, and most surprising moments in Distillations history. Still chuckling from episode 166,…

Acts of God, Acts of Men: When We Turn Nature into a Weapon

May 26, 2015 • 36 min

Mother Nature can do a lot of damage. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and droughts destroy landscapes and ruin lives. But what happens when humans are the ones creating these disasters? This episode of Distillations explores the many ways humans have…

Old Brains, New Brains: The Human Mind, Past and Present

Apr 29, 2015 • 43 min

The early days of neuroscience relied on tragedy to strike—a rabies infection, a botched lobotomy—before doctors could peek inside the brains of humans. Today advanced technology, such as the functional MRI, helps scientists study brains…

Fads and Faith: Belief vs. Fact in the Struggle for Health

Mar 31, 2015 • 43 min

In 2014 the United States had 650 reported cases of measles, a disease made preventable by a vaccine introduced 30 years ago. The majority of these measles victims were children whose parents chose not to vaccinate them. Meanwhile at least…

Innovation and Obsolescence: The Life, Death, and Occasional Rebirth of Technologies

Feb 13, 2015 • 38 min

Some technologies flash in the pan so quickly they hardly leave a trace (Google Glass anyone?); while others seem to stick around long past their use by date. And still other creations appear to be gone for good, only to make a comeback within a…

Trash Talk: The Persistence of Waste

Jan 20, 2015 • 39 min

In case you hadn’t noticed, during our short time on Earth we humans have created a lot of stuff. Some of it is life-altering, like the device you’re looking at right now, and some of it is pretty silly, like those plastic, banana-shaped…

Life with HIV: Success without a Cure?

Dec 16, 2014 • 38 min

Thirty years ago an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence. Today, sophisticated drug cocktails known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, have dramatically changed the fates of people with the disease. They can now live with a chronic…

Babies on Demand: Reproduction in a Technological Age

Nov 18, 2014 • 40 min

At the beginning of the 19th century women in the United States had an average of seven or eight children. By 1900 they had only three or four, and today 35% of Americans have exactly two children. How did this happen? This episode of Distillations…

Fogs of War: The Many Lives of Chemical Weapons

Oct 21, 2014 • 44 min

Chemical weapons have played a chilling role in human history, ever since they were first used in World War I. As reports of more recent use continue to cycle through the news, we decided to take a deeper look. We wanted to understand why…

Wake up and Smell the Story: Sniffing out Health and Sickness

Sep 23, 2014 • 43 min

If you asked people which of their senses they most feared losing, they’d probably say sight or hearing. But what about the ability to smell? This episode of Distillations examines what is perhaps our most underrated sense, and ponders what life would…

The Teeth Beneath Your Feet: Oddities in Urban Archaeology

Aug 12, 2014 • 36 min

Where can you find a teacup, the molar of a goat, and an arrowhead all in one place? At an urban archaeology site, that’s where. This episode of Distillations goes underground, and reveals the fascinating worlds beneath our city shoes. First,…

Intoxication and Civilization: Beer’s Ancient Past

Jun 30, 2014 • 30 min

This show takes on the frothy subject of beer, and explores the science, culture, and history behind the suds. First, Bob and Michal go back to school—beer school—and they learn a few things about what makes beer so tasy. Then we talk to…

Alchemy’s Rainbow: Pigment Science and the Art of Conservation

May 5, 2014 • 30 min

This episode explores the colorful (and sometimes risk-filled) history of pigments and painters, and the conservators who save paintings from the ravages of time and accidental chemistry. First we take an art field trip around Philadelphia…

Meet Joe Palca: A Radio Story About Making Radio Stories

Mar 18, 2014 • 9 min

Joe Palca is one of the best science storytellers out there. In his 20 years as an NPR science correspondent he’s covered all sorts of obscure topics, from soccer-playing robots and oyster glue to turtle paleontology. He finds the humor in the…

Drawing History: Telling the Stories of Science through Comics and Graphic Novels

Feb 4, 2014 • 21 min

How do you show what the inside of an atom looks like? Or how a scientist feels in the moment of discovery? We decided to approach the human stories of science in a new way: by visualizing them. First we visit author and illustrator Jonathan…

Why the Chicken Became a Nugget and Other Tales of Processed Food

Dec 20, 2013 • 27 min

Have you ever wondered how chicken nuggets are made? Or what propylene glycol monostearate, monocalcium phosphate, or other listed ingredients are doing in your favorite packaged snacks? Distillations hosts Michal Meyer and Robert Kenworthy certainly…

Digging Up the Bodies: Debunking CSI and Other Forensics Myths

Dec 3, 2013 • 18 min

Thanks to modern technology most crimes these days can be neatly solved in under an hour. At least that’s what fictional TV shows like CSI seem to suggest. We wanted to address the so-called “CSI Effect,” caused by the simplification…

Zombies! How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Zombie Apocalypse

Oct 22, 2013 • 35 min

What can zombies teach us about our fears of survival? CHF’s Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy talk to Deanna Day, a CHF fellow, and Robert Hicks, director of the College of Physicians’ Mütter Museum about what zombies can tell us…

Atomic Power and Promise: What’s Become of Our Nuclear Golden Age?

Oct 21, 2013 • 33 min

Some say we are on the verge of a bright future in which nuclear power will play a major role in responding to climate change. Others say that we should expect more Fukushimas. Whichever way our nuclear future goes, there will be tradeoffs between…

Episode 181: Chemotherapy

Sep 3, 2013 • 17 min

Ancient Greek doctors knew about it, but could do nothing about the scourge we know as cancer. Producer Ed Prosser interviews historian Viviane Quirke about the development of chemotherapy drugs in the 20th century, drugs that for the first time…

Episode 180: Best of Distillations #12

Aug 19, 2013 • 18 min

It’s that time of year again where we dive into our archives and bring back some of our favorite segments from the past year. First, meet Ian MacLeod from our show Shipwrecks, a man who spends much of his time with sunken ships and who knows…

Episode 179: Best of Distillations #11

Aug 5, 2013 • 16 min

It’s that time of year again where we dive into our archives and bring back some of our favorite segments from the past year. First we travel to Austin’s South by Southwest Festival from the show Hard to Stomach. Producer Lindsay…

Episode 178: In the Air

Jul 22, 2013 • 15 min

It’s hard to make decisions without information, that’s why some researchers in the San Francisco area are collecting carbon dioxide data at the neighborhood level. As producer Andrew Stelzer discovers, the BEACON project does more than…

Episode 177:The Old Show

Jul 8, 2013 • 18 min

Join us for the third installment of The Stages of Life, spotlighting the chemistry found in childhood, adulthood, and old age. We start by looking at what happens to the brain as we move into old age, and then we investigate how some tiny technology…

Episode 176: The Adult Show

Jun 24, 2013 • 15 min

Today’s episode centers on adulthood. First, Pennsylvania State University’s Suzy Scherf tells us what’s going on in the brains of adolescents. Then, Katrina Roi takes a look at a common consumer product, the condom, and those who…

Episode 175: The Kid Show

Jun 11, 2013 • 17 min

Today we begin a three-part series, The Stages of Life, spotlighting the chemistry found in childhood, adulthood, and old age. First, a look at the brains of children, followed by the colorful world of the crayon. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening…

Episode 174: Water Webs

May 27, 2013 • 15 min

On today’s show we look at how delicate desert ecosystems are affected by climate change. Then the impact of toxic metals on Rocky Mountain streams. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:33 Introduction 01:10 Feature: Water Webs 09:10 Interview:…

Episode 173: Power Up

May 13, 2013 • 17 min

On today’s show we look at the modern power grid, on the brink of a new era. First, why the smart grid matters. Then, the critical mission of Caltech’s Solar Army. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:34 Introduction 01:09 A Smarter Grid 10:11 The…

Episode 172: On Beauty

Apr 29, 2013 • 15 min

On today’s show we look at questionable appearance enhancers. First The Beauty Historian shares some shocking beauty rituals of yore. Then a look at how Brazilian Blowouts are making salon workers sick. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:38…

Episode 171: Underground Worlds

Apr 15, 2013 • 16 min

On today’s show we investigate the science beneath our streets. First how a team of amateur speleologists is keeping Howe Caverns safe for future generations. Then a look at Philadelphia’s historic sewer system. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:39…

Episode 170: Urban Agriculture

Apr 1, 2013 • 18 min

On today’s show we learn how advances in urban agriculture are providing new access to fresh food. First how hundreds of tons of fishbones are cleaning up Oakland soil. Then tips on how to create your own backyard garden. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening…

Episode 169: Neighborhood Preservation

Mar 18, 2013 • 17 min

On today’s show we see old bones made new again. First the ongoing restoration of Philadelphia’s 19th Street Baptist Church. Then a discussion about what makes some old buildings greener than new ones. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:28…

Episode 168: So Argon Walks Into a Bar…

Mar 4, 2013 • 21 min

On today’s show chemistry takes center stage. First, why science and comedy make gut-busting bedfellows. Then the history of science as popular entertainment. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:36 Introduction 01:20 Science Comedy 08:51 Interview:…

Episode 167: Cold War Chemistry

Feb 18, 2013 • 15 min

During decades of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union over the course of the Cold War, both sides wielded science as a weapon. Find out how on today’s show. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:31 Interview (Part…

Episode 166: Alchemy After Dark

Feb 4, 2013 • 14 min

Just in time for Valentine’s Day we explore the sexier side of alchemy. Historian Joel Klein explains how alchemists used passionate prose to disguise the details of their secret experiments. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:44 Introduction 02:07…

Episode 165: In Good Taste

Jan 22, 2013 • 16 min

Today your taste buds take center stage. First,how super-tasters’ genetic gift might afford them better health. Then the art of imitation flavors. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:41 ‘A World of Pure Imagination’ 01:23 Super-Tasters 08:04 The Art…

Episode 164: Bones

Jan 7, 2013 • 16 min

On today’s show we peel back our skin. First, an innovative technology that could provide early detection of osteoporosis. Then, a look at stone man syndrome–a rare disease that causes the body’s connective tissue to turn into bone when…

Episode 163: A Day in the Life - Night

Dec 23, 2012 • 15 min

We wrap up the three-part series A Day in the Life, spotlighting the common chemistry of morning, noon, and night. Today, how popular insomnia treatments work and the science behind our body’s unique sleep cycles. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening…

Episode 162: A Day in the Life - Noon

Dec 10, 2012 • 15 min

We continue the three-part series A Day in the Life, spotlighting the common chemistry of morning, noon, and night. Today, a look at the mysterious ingredients in many kitchen staples and the reason why even so-called healthy sweeteners can be…

Episode 161: A Day in the Life - Morning

Nov 26, 2012 • 14 min

Today we begin the three-part series A Day in the Life, spotlighting the common chemistry of morning, noon, and night. First, a look at what’s lurking in our bathroom products and what experts say about the controversy over fluoridated water. SHOW…

Episode 160: Teflon

Nov 12, 2012 • 15 min

Treasure or toxin? Today we follow Teflon’s rise from happy accident to indispensable tool at work, home, and even war. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:42 Introduction 01:24 The Origins of Teflon 08:46 Interview: Post-War Teflon 14:36 Closing…

Episode 159: Kean on Genes

Oct 29, 2012 • 12 min

Today we welcome back author Sam Kean to discuss the secrets and surprises contained in our DNA. He talks to Distillations’ executive producer Jennifer Dionisio. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:33 Interview: The…

Episode 158: The Alchemical Quest

Oct 15, 2012 • 13 min

On today’s show a special conversation between two alchemy experts: James Voelkel, who curated CHF’s exhibit The Alchemical Quest, and Lawrence Principe, author of The Secrets of Alchemy. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:36 Introduction 01:40…

Episode 157: Smoke and Mirrors

Oct 1, 2012

On today’s show we track the evolution of smog from symbol of industrial progress to public health catastrophe. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:39 Introduction 01:23 Interview: A Sign of Progress 05:08 Donora 14:16 Closing…

Episode 156: Hard to Stomach

Sep 17, 2012

On today’s show we test your gag reflex. First an exploration of rank, funky cheeses made from your own body’s bacteria. Then the history of how distaste evolved into disgust. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:50 Introduction 01:41 South By South…

Episode 155: Shipwrecks

Sep 4, 2012 • 15 min

Ahoy, mateys. Join us on the ocean floor. On today’s show we look at sunken ships: how they are preserved, and what they can tell us about civilizations from the past. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:50 Introduction 01:35 Wrecked! 10:10 Undersea…

Episode 154: Fast and Slow

Aug 20, 2012

Good science takes time… or not? On today’s show we explore the extremes. First the longest-running experiment in the world; then the near-instant chemical reaction that helps airbags protect you in a crash. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:50…

Episode 153: Best Of Distillations #10

Aug 3, 2012

We bring you some of our favorite segments from past Distillations episodes this week: attempts to contact aliens in space and the secret behind the sweet sound of Stradivari violins. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:01 The…

Episode 152: Best of Distillations #9

Jul 23, 2012

We bring you some of our favorite segments from past Distillations episodes this week: animal communication in the Sonoran Desert and the toll of asbestos waste on a small Pennsylvanian town. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:15…

Episode 151: Tears

Jul 9, 2012

Today we wrap up the three-part series Blood, Sweat, and Tears. First how it feels to lose your ability to cry; then why onions bring on the waterworks. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:42 Introduction 01:33 Emotional Tears 09:35 Onion Tears 13:24…

Episode 150: Sweat

Jun 22, 2012

Today we continue the three-part series Blood, Sweat, and Tears. First the history of deodorants; then experiments on how perspiration might diagnose diseases like schizophrenia. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:43 Introduction 01:54…

Episode 149: Blood

Jun 8, 2012

Today we begin the three-part series Blood, Sweat, and Tears. First how one man solved the mystery of blood function; then how researchers will bust blood-doping athletes at the Olympic games. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:48 Introduction 02:10…

Episode 148: Across the Pond

May 25, 2012 • 15 min

On today’s episode we cross the Atlantic to learn what makes a perfect cuppa. Then we learn about the surprising health benefits of Marmite, a spreadable food item people love to hate. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:20 The…

Episode 147: Babies

May 11, 2012

Big eyes, soft skin, squeezable cheeks. No doubt, babies are adorable. But on today’s show we take a break from our cooing to examine some more serious aspects of parenthood. First how formula has waxed and waned in popularity. Then how embryos wreak…

Episode 146: Something in the Air

Apr 27, 2012

Episode 146: Something in the Air

Episode 145: Asbestos

Apr 13, 2012 • 14 min

Episode 145: Asbestos

Episode 144: Mystery of Mass (Spec)

Mar 30, 2012

Episode 144: Mystery of Mass (Spec)

Episode 143: Fairyland of Chemistry

Mar 16, 2012

Episode 143: Fairyland of Chemistry

Episode 142: Midcentury Mutants

Mar 2, 2012

Episode 142: Midcentury Mutants

Episode 141: Disaster Recovery

Feb 17, 2012

Episode 141: Disaster Recovery

Episode 140: Swapping Spit

Feb 3, 2012

Episode 140: Swapping Spit

Episode 139: The Brain on Sports

Jan 20, 2012

Episode 139: The Brain on Sports

Episode 138: Your Genome

Jan 6, 2012

Episode 138: Your Genome

Episode 137: Cocktails

Dec 23, 2011

Episode 137: Cocktails

Episode 136: Good Vibrations

Dec 9, 2011

Episode 136: Good Vibrations

Episode 135: Black Friday

Nov 25, 2011

Episode 135: Black Friday

Episode 134: Is Anybody Out There?

Nov 11, 2011

Episode 134: Is Anybody Out There?

Episode 133: Halloween Candy

Oct 28, 2011 • 13 min

Episode 133: Halloween Candy

Episode 132: Harvest

Oct 14, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 132: Harvest

Episode 131: Dinosaurs

Sep 30, 2011 • 11 min

Episode 131: Dinosaurs

Episode 130: Our Chemical Landscape – The Wild

Sep 16, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 130: Our Chemical Landscape – The Wild

Episode 129: Taste

Sep 2, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 129: Taste

Episode 128: Our Chemical Landscape – The Farm

Aug 19, 2011 • 15 min

Episode 128: Our Chemical Landscape – The Farm

Episode 127: Best of Distillations #8

Aug 5, 2011 • 14 min

Episode 127: Best of Distillations #8

Episode 126: Best of Distillations #7

Jul 22, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 126: Best of Distillations #7

Episode 125: Chem-moo-stry

Jul 8, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 125: Chem-moo-stry

Episode 124: Our Chemical Landscape – The Suburb

Jun 24, 2011 • 14 min

Episode 124: Our Chemical Landscape – The Suburb

Episode 123: Under the Sea

Jun 10, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 123: Under the Sea

Episode 122: Our Chemical Landscape – The City

May 27, 2011 • 14 min

Episode 122: Our Chemical Landscape – The City

Episode 121: Geek Chic

May 13, 2011 • 11 min

Episode 121: Geek Chic

Episode 120: Nuclear Medicine

Apr 29, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 120: Nuclear Medicine

Episode 119: Climate Change

Apr 15, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 119: Climate Change

Episode 118: Placebos

Apr 1, 2011 • 11 min

Episode 118: Placebos

Episode 117: Women’s History Month

Mar 18, 2011 • 11 min

Episode 117: Women’s History Month

Episode 116: Crime Fighters

Mar 3, 2011 • 14 min

Episode 116: Crime Fighters

Episode 115: Black History Month

Feb 18, 2011 • 11 min

Episode 115: Black History Month

Episode 114: Elements of Expression

Feb 4, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 114: Elements of Expression

Episode 113: Burning Rubber

Jan 21, 2011 • 12 min

Episode 113: Burning Rubber

Episode 112: Nuclear Power

Jan 7, 2011 • 11 min

Episode 112: Nuclear Power

Episode 111: A Distillations Carol

Dec 24, 2010 • 13 min

Episode 111: A Distillations Carol

Episode 110: Essential Elements - Air

Dec 10, 2010 • 13 min

Episode 110: Essential Elements - Air

Episode 109: East Meets West

Nov 26, 2010 • 9 min

Episode 109: East Meets West

Episode 108: Essential Elements - Fire

Nov 12, 2010 • 13 min

Episode 108: Essential Elements - Fire

Episode 107: Medical Gross Out

Oct 29, 2010 • 15 min

Episode 107: Medical Gross Out

Episode 106: Essential Elements – Water

Oct 22, 2010 • 14 min

Episode 106: Essential Elements – Water

Episode 105: Periodic Table Contents

Oct 8, 2010 • 14 min

Episode 105: Periodic Table Contents

Episode 104: Essential Elements – Earth

Sep 24, 2010 • 16 min

Episode 104: Essential Elements – Earth

Episode 103: Herbal Remedy

Sep 10, 2010 • 13 min

Episode 103: Herbal Remedy

Episode 102: Best of Distillations #6

Aug 27, 2010 • 14 min

Episode 102: Best of Distillations #6

Episode 101: Best of Distillations #5

Aug 13, 2010 • 12 min

Episode 101: Best of Distillations #5

Episode 100: Birthday Episode

Jul 30, 2010 • 13 min

Episode 100: Birthday Episode

Episode 99: Summer BBQ

Jul 16, 2010 • 11 min

Episode 99: Summer BBQ

Episode 98: Climate Engineering

Jul 2, 2010 • 11 min

Episode 98: Climate Engineering

Episode 97: Immortality

Jun 18, 2010 • 10 min

Episode 97: Immortality

Episode 96: Infamous Science

Jun 4, 2010 • 11 min

Episode 96: Infamous Science

Episode 95: Cleaning Up — Retro Edition

May 21, 2010 • 10 min

Episode 95: Cleaning Up — Retro Edition

Episode 94: Scientific Visions

May 7, 2010 • 12 min

Episode 94: Scientific Visions

Episode 93: Kids’ Science

Apr 23, 2010 • 13 min

Episode 93: Kids’ Science

Episode 92: Scientific Collaborations

Apr 9, 2010 • 11 min

Episode 92: Scientific Collaborations

Episode 91: Marvels and Ciphers

Mar 26, 2010 • 10 min

Episode 91: Marvels and Ciphers

Episode 90: Useful Waste

Mar 12, 2010 • 11 min

Episode 90: Useful Waste

Episode 89: Plastic World

Feb 26, 2010 • 12 min

Episode 89: Plastic World

Episode 88: A Sense of Scent

Feb 12, 2010 • 12 min

Episode 88: A Sense of Scent

Episode 87: Scientific Journeys

Jan 29, 2010 • 12 min

Episode 87: Scientific Journeys

Episode 86: In Sickness and in Health

Jan 15, 2010 • 12 min

Episode 86: In Sickness and in Health

Episode 85: International Year in Review

Jan 1, 2010 • 11 min

Episode 85: International Year in Review

Episode 84: Crystals

Dec 18, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 84: Crystals

Episode 83: Fellows in Action

Dec 4, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 83: Fellows in Action

Episode 82: Food Myths

Nov 20, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 82: Food Myths

Episode 81: Light

Nov 6, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 81: Light

Episode 80: Autumn

Oct 23, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 80: Autumn

Episode 79: Changing Phases

Oct 9, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 79: Changing Phases

Episode 78: Public Science

Sep 25, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 78: Public Science

Episode 77: Innovations and Inventions

Sep 11, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 77: Innovations and Inventions

Episode 76: Working Class Chemistry

Aug 28, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 76: Working Class Chemistry

Episode 75: Best of Distillations #4

Aug 14, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 75: Best of Distillations #4

Episode 74: Best of Distillations #3

Jul 31, 2009 • 10 min

Episode 74: Best of Distillations #3

Episode 73: Brave New Worlds

Jul 17, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 73: Brave New Worlds

Episode 72: Space and Place

Jul 3, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 72: Space and Place

Episode 71: Breakfast

Jun 19, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 71: Breakfast

Episode 70: The Chemistry of Dentistry

Jun 5, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 70: The Chemistry of Dentistry

Episode 69: Lab Safety

May 22, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 69: Lab Safety

Episode 68: Integrated Circuits

May 8, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 68: Integrated Circuits

Episode 67: Baseball

Apr 24, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 67: Baseball

Episode 66: Cleaning Green

Apr 10, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 66: Cleaning Green

Episode 65: Going to the Dogs

Mar 27, 2009 • 10 min

Episode 65: Going to the Dogs

Episode 64: sLowlife

Mar 13, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 64: sLowlife

Episode 63: Biofuel

Feb 27, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 63: Biofuel

Episode 62: Chemical Romance

Feb 13, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 62: Chemical Romance

Episode 61: Space Science

Feb 6, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 61: Space Science

Episode 60: Professional Networks

Jan 30, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 60: Professional Networks

Episode 59: Winter Sports

Jan 23, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 59: Winter Sports

Episode 58: Presidents & Policy

Jan 16, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 58: Presidents & Policy

Episode 57: Library & Information Services

Jan 9, 2009 • 11 min

Episode 57: Library & Information Services

Episode 56: New Year’s Resolutions

Jan 2, 2009 • 12 min

Episode 56: New Year’s Resolutions

Episode 55: Anniversary

Dec 26, 2008 • 10 min

Episode 55: Anniversary

Episode 54: Holiday Greetings 2008

Dec 19, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 54: Holiday Greetings 2008

Episode 53: Faking It

Dec 12, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 53: Faking It

Episode 52: Wine

Dec 5, 2008 • 10 min

Episode 52: Wine

Episode 51: Global Health

Nov 28, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 51: Global Health

Episode 50: Children’s Health

Nov 21, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 50: Children’s Health

Episode 49: Eating

Nov 14, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 49: Eating

Episode 48: Alchemy

Nov 7, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 48: Alchemy

Episode 47: Making Up

Oct 31, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 47: Making Up

Episode 46: Charging Up

Oct 24, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 46: Charging Up

Episode 45: Making Modernity

Oct 17, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 45: Making Modernity

Episode 44: Sweet Dreams

Oct 10, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 44: Sweet Dreams

Episode 43: Cause and Effect

Oct 3, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 43: Cause and Effect

Episode 42: Women in Chemistry

Sep 26, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 42: Women in Chemistry

Episode 41: Self-Experimentation

Sep 19, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 41: Self-Experimentation

Episode 40: Agriculture

Sep 12, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 40: Agriculture

Episode 39: Photography

Sep 5, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 39: Photography

Episode 37: Best of Distillations #1

Aug 22, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 37: Best of Distillations #1

Episode 38: Best of Distillations #2

Aug 22, 2008 • 9 min

Episode 38: Best of Distillations #2

Episode 36: Olympics

Aug 15, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 36: Olympics

Episode 35: Things We Wear

Aug 8, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 35: Things We Wear

Episode 34: Criminal Chemistry

Aug 1, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 34: Criminal Chemistry

Episode 33: Molecular Gastronomy

Jul 25, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 33: Molecular Gastronomy

Episode 32: Religious Experience

Jul 18, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 32: Religious Experience

Episode 31: Motherhood

Jul 11, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 31: Motherhood

Episode 30: American Chemistry

Jul 4, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 30: American Chemistry

Episode 29: Left Behind

Jun 27, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 29: Left Behind

Episode 28: Summer

Jun 20, 2008 • 8 min

Episode 28: Summer

Episode 27: Illumination

Jun 13, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 27: Illumination

Episode 26: Performance

Jun 6, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 26: Performance

Episode 25: The Chemistry of Time

May 30, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 25: The Chemistry of Time

Episode 24: Beer and Brewing

May 23, 2008 • 10 min

Episode 24: Beer and Brewing

Episode 23: Preservation

May 16, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 23: Preservation

Episode 22: Virtual Classrooms

May 9, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 22: Virtual Classrooms

Episode 21: Sound

May 2, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 21: Sound

Episode 20: Spring Cleaning

Apr 25, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 20: Spring Cleaning

Episode 19: Jamestown

Apr 11, 2008 • 10 min

Episode 19: Jamestown

Episode 18: Beyond the Chip

Apr 11, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 18: Beyond the Chip

Episode 17: Dual Use

Mar 28, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 17: Dual Use

Episode 16: Vitamania!

Mar 28, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 16: Vitamania!

Episode 15: The Art of Science

Mar 21, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 15: The Art of Science

Episode 14: Blockbuster Science

Mar 14, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 14: Blockbuster Science

Episode 13: The Nanoscale

Mar 7, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 13: The Nanoscale

Episode 12: Chemistry as Technology

Feb 29, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 12: Chemistry as Technology

Episode 11: Wonder Drugs

Feb 22, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 11: Wonder Drugs

Episode 10: Color

Feb 15, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 10: Color

Episode 9: The Love Show

Feb 8, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 9: The Love Show

Episode 8: Chemistry in the Classroom

Feb 1, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 8: Chemistry in the Classroom

Episode 7: Electronics

Jan 25, 2008 • 10 min

Episode 7: Electronics

Episode 6: The Chemistry of Texts

Jan 18, 2008 • 11 min

Episode 6: The Chemistry of Texts

Episode 5: The Body Chemical

Jan 11, 2008 • 9 min

Episode 5: The Body Chemical

Episode 4: Measurement

Jan 4, 2008 • 12 min

Episode 4: Measurement

Episode 3: Happy Holidays from CHF!

Dec 28, 2007 • 6 min

Episode 3: Happy Holidays from CHF!

Episode 2: Cleaning Up

Dec 21, 2007 • 10 min

Episode 2: Cleaning Up

Episode 1: Communicating Chemistry

Dec 14, 2007 • 10 min

Episode 1: Communicating Chemistry