Smart Tea

Boo! When you feel frightened, angry, or other strong emotions, your brain signals your body to prepare for drastic action. Aarati tells the story of the physiologist who coined the term "fight or flight" and defined "homeostasis".  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Finding a drug that works is only half of the challenge. Understanding WHY it works can open up paths to entire families of drugs that treat a myriad of diseases. Aarati tells the story of the Nobel Prize winning scientist who defied all expectations and created treatments for cancer, organ transplants, viral infections and more. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode,...

The man behind E. coli, one of the most well-known bacteria in the world was actually a renowned pediatrician in his time. Aarati tells the story of how this celebrated physician became fascinated with microbes in the gut and how they affected the health of infants.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Can a splash of ink really reveal secrets about your inner soul? Aarati tells the story of the psychiatrist behind the inkblot test and how art, emotion, and psychology came together in one of history’s most iconic tools. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Anyone can be a scientist as long as they are curious and persistant! Aarati tells the story of a farmer turned astronomer, who discovered Pluto when he was just 24 years old.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

It's never too late to become a scientist! Aarati tells the story of Ynes Mexia, the shy yet adventurous woman who became a botanical collector at the age of 51 and  discovered over 500 new plant species by going places no one had ever been before.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

The Silicon Valley boom in the early 2000s was only possible when computers could execute orders more efficiently and computer chip design became more accessible. Special guest, Maria Sisneroz tells the story of Lynn Conway, a pioneer in computer engineering and trans-activism. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Earning the reputation of "Crazy Count Zeppelin", Ferdinand was always up for an adventure. Aarati tells the story of the military man turned balloonist and his never ending thirst for excitement.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

A bioluminescent jellyfish brought a rainbow of possibilities to biology. Aarati tells the story of a brilliant chemist who won the Nobel Prize for transforming nature's fluorescent proteins into powerful tools for modern science.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Happy Pride Month! This episode, we are covering the story of a trailblazing doctor who was the first trans man in America to have a gender affirming surgery. His contributions to the early detection of tuberculosis through chest x-rays saved countless lives before the antibiotic cure was developed.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodc...

Your mind can be a powerful drug, but when (if ever) is it ethical to choose mind over matter? Aarati tells the story of an army doctor who observed the placebo effect in soldiers and then went on to transform how we conduct clinical trials.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Yellow fever killed thousands of people in the 1800s but no one understood how it spread. Aarati tells the story of the Cuban doctor who discovered that mosquitos can act as a vector for disease.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

From laptops to cell phones to electric cars, our modern world runs on lithium-ion batteries. Aarati tells the story of one of the scientists who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating lightweight, rechargeable, batteries.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

On June 24, 1975, Eastern Airlines 66 mysteriously crashed when attempting to land at JFK airport. Authorities called in Mr. Tornado to investigate. Aarati tells the story of Dr. Ted Fujita, who analyzed the destruction from severe storms and gave us a scale to quantify tornados. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

After retirement, Dr. Alice Stewart continued to raise awareness of how radiation could cause cancer, immunodeficiencies, and other possible health defects. She stood up against government entities on behalf of workers who were dying of radiation poisoning and continued to fight against nuclear weapons manufacturing for the rest of her life.  Support the show For more information and sources for t...

In this two part series, Aarati tells the story of the epidemiologist who realized there was a link between prenatal x-rays and childhood cancer. She  undertook a lifelong crusade to warn people against the dangers of radiation. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Stress affects men and women differently. We sit down with Kiara Rodríguez-Acevedo, a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania to ask her how she is blending neuroscience and epigenetics to uncover how estrogen levels in the brain influence stress vulnerability and resilience. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Happy Black History month! In this episode, Aarati tells the unlikely story of a carpenter turned lab technician. Vivien Thomas created a blood shunt for the hearts of blue babies without ever having gone to medical school or earning a degree... and without getting credit for decades. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Ants may not be very big, but we have a lot to learn from these tiny creatures! We sit down with Andrew Robertson, a PhD candidate at Georgia Tech and winner of Galactic Polymath Education Studio's 2025 #MySciJourney competition, and talk about his work on ants and other social insects. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

It's episode 50! Aarati tells the story of the temperamental Russian chemist who figured out a way to organize all the known (and unknown) elements into a table that ordered them by increasing atomic weight and grouped them into categories.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Why do certain things never happen in reverse? A shattered glass does not spontaneously reform, a spray of perfume doesn't concentrate back into it's bottle... but why not? In the Part III of our December Thermodynamics series (the final part!) Aarati tells us the story of the physicist who understood the true nature of entropy. Support the show For more information and sources for this...

Part II of our December Thermodynamics Extravaganza! Aarati tells the story of the German scientist who formally stated that 1) energy is conserved and 2) entropy is always increasing. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Born to one of the most influential families during the French Revolution, Sadi Carnot kickstarted another revolution in physics. His perfect (although theoretical) steam engine transformed the way we think about heat and work. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

After birth, a quick check to make sure the newborn is beathing and acting normally can be the difference between life and death.  Aarati tells the life story of Dr. Virginia Apgar, an obstetric anesthesiologist who pioneered the field of neonatal care. Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com. 

Vulcanized rubber was a revolutionary material for clothing, medical devices, life preservers and eventually, the tire industry. But life was tougher than you can imagine for this ingenious inventor.  Support the show For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com.