Distillations | Science History Institute

Cheers! On today's episode of Distillations we belly up to the bar to learn about distilled spirits. Then we look ahead to the next morning to determine if our tried-and-true hangover cures have any scientific merit. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:30 Introduction 01:06 Tour of St. George Spirits 09:06 Hangover Science 12:47 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Catherine Girardeau and Jen...

On today's episode of Distillations we investigate if there's science behind the sweet sounds of a Stradivari violin and learn how chemistry influences the work of sound artist Susan Alexjander. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:33 Introduction 01:18 Strad Secrets? 08:13 Interview with Susan Alexjander 16:41 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Anne Fredrickson and Mia Lobel for researching...

Step away from the sale rack! On today's episode of Distillations we examine your brain under the influence of shopping, as well as a potential health hazard found in receipts. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:17 Your Brain on Shopping 07:32 BPA in Receipts 11:02 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Sheri Quinn and Lindsay Patterson for researching this show. Additional...

How did we get here and who else is out there? These questions have nagged at humans for centuries. On today's episode of Distillations we explore early debate over the Big Bang Theory and find out what tools researchers are using to greet aliens. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:33 Introduction 01:19 Debating the Big Bang Theory 03:48 The Interstellar Rosetta Stone 11:35 Closing Credits CREDIT...

Trick or treat! On today's episode of Distillations we give you a taste of both. First, try to choke back our explanation of a Dutch candy that features ammonium chloride and carbon black. Then follow producer Mia Lobel on a tour of the Culinary Institute of America's candy kitchen. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:34 Introduction 01:39 Salt Licorice 05:29 Making Candy Corn at the CIA 12:46 Clo...

Today's show explores two very different ways people hope to protect future harvests. First, follow us to the Doomsday Vault, which protects 700,000 seed families. Next, join farmer Miguel Santistevan as he revives his ancestors' agricultural practices. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:18 Doomsday Vault 05:12 Desert Harvest 11:37 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Sabi...

Today's show goes back in time to try to pinpoint what exactly the dinosaurs were like. First, we reveal evidence that the oldest known bird might actually be a dinosaur. Then we follow a researcher attempting to reclassify many familiar dinosaurs. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:33 Introduction 01:36 Dinosaur Feathers 04:26 Dinosaur Sinking 11:04 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Lind...

Today we wrap up the four-part series: Our Chemical Landscape. These shows look at how science has shaped the city, the suburb, the farm, and the wild. This episode is about the wild, and how its species-in-residence use chemistry to communicate.. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:32 History of the Wild: Lightening Bugs 04:26 Future of the Wild: Desert Communication 11:04 Clos...

Today's show explores one of our favorite senses: taste. First, revist the tongue map you may have studied as a kid. Next, learn how a natural sweetener might benefit waistlines—and even the world. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:11 The Tongue Map Myth 05:02 Stevia: Sweeter than Sugar 12:17 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Audrey Quinn and Andrew Stelzer for researc...

Today we continue the four-part series: Our Chemical Landscape. These shows look at how science has shaped the city, the suburb, the farm, and the wild. This episode is about the farm, and how crop production has evolved in response to exploding global population growth. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:49 History of the Farm: Guano 06:11 Future of the Farm: Genetically Modif...

We bring you some of our favorite segments from past Distillations episodes this week: mesmerism, the impacts of climate change, and why its chic to be a geek.. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:44 Mesmerism 04:30 Extreme Effects: Chad and Bangladesh 08:42 Upping STEM's Cool Factor 14:21 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Michal Meyer, Jennifer Dionisio, and Esther D'Am...

We bring you some of our favorite segments from past Distillations episodes this week: Palmer the Poisoner, medicinal maggots, and the placebo effect. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:49 Palmer the Poisoner 04:15 Maggots 07:09 Modern Placebos: A Necessary Hoax? 12:31 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jim Voelkel, Margaret E. Wood, and Josh Kurz for researching this sh...

Today the Distillations team delves into the weird and wonderful world of its favorite barnyard animal: the cow. First find out why so few populations are lactose tolerant. Then take a literal peek inside the body of one of these creatures. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:41 Introduction 01:31 Lactose Intolerance 05:40 Porthole Cows 12:50 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Zoe Sullivan...

Today we continue the four-part series: Our Chemical Landscape. These shows look at how science has shaped the city, the suburb, the farm, and the wild. This episode is about the suburb, and how its residents' transportation needs have evolved in the past century. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 01:00 Introduction 02:10 History of the Suburb: Electric Cars 05:54 Future of the Suburb: Mass Transit...

Today Distillations welcomes guest producer Ari Daniel Shapiro, host of the podcast Ocean Gazing, who takes us on a tour of the ocean, revealing how optics can evaluate long-term changes in the oceanic environment and the effects of carbon dioxide on coral reefs. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:40 Introduction 01:22 CO2 vs. Coral Reefs 07:16 Using Optics on Oceans 11:50 Closing Credits CREDITS...

In honor of the International Year of Chemistry, today we begin the four-part series Our Chemical Landscape. These shows look at how science has shaped the city, the suburbs, the farm, and the wild. Today's episode is about the city, and the role of energy in shaping its past and future. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:40 History of the City: Gas Lighting 06:04 Future of the...

Today's show wonders if it's becoming chic to be a geek. First, we see how pop culture portrayals of scientists have boosted their reputations with teenagers. Next, we look at the state of science education in the U.S. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:57 Upping STEM's Cool Factor 06:58 Science Education in the U.S. 10:51 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Esther D'Amic...

In the midst of Japan's nuclear crisis, it's easy to forget that radioactive isotopes are often employed to save human lives. This week we look at diagnostic and therapeutic applications of nuclear medicine. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:10 Radioiodine 03:59 Interview with Abass Alavi and Andrew Newberg 10:51 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush, Michal...

One of this century's great challenges will be mitigating the effects of our steadily warming planet. In today's episode we explore the consequences of our changing climate. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:11 Extreme Effects: Chad and Bangladesh 05:13 Interview with Susan Solomon 12:24 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio for researching this show. Add...

This week, we celebrate April Fools' Day with a little medical trickery. First, we learn about Franz Mesmer's questionable 18th-century cures. Next we hear how fooling the brain is sometimes the only way to get accurate scientific results. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:08 Mesmerism 05:06 Modern Placebos: A Necessary Hoax? 10:27 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Mic...

TIn this episode we learn about lesser-known women in the sciences. We start with Dorothy Hodgkin, the third woman to win a Nobel Prize in chemistry, and end with a tour spotlighting important females whose stories are told in CHF's museum. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:54 Dorothy Hodgkin 03:49 CHF Museum Tour 11:23 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionis...

From primetime to print, forensic scientists are usually depicted as courtroom heroes, but their real-life work makes for more than a thrilling story. On today's episode we look at how one such scientist sealed the fate of Palmer the Poisoner in the 19th century. Then we speak with forensic scientist Mike Eyring, whose team helped solve the biggest serial murder case in U.S. history. SHOW CLOCK 00...

In honor of Black History Month, we reveal the lesser known accomplishments of George Washington Carver, and also pull from our oral history collection the stories of two African-American women fighting to make their way in the chemistry field. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:57 George Washington Carver 04:01 Oral History: Reatha Clark King and Linda Meade-Tollin 13:59 Closi...

In this episode we learn about how the mass production of oil paints spawned a new artistic movement and get a tour of artist Dove Bradshaw's studio. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:43 The Evolution of Oil Paints 04:21 Interview with Dove Bradshaw 11:27Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio and Ashley Milne-Tyne for researching this show. Additional cred...

Rubber has played a shockingly dramatic role in our political and military history. In today's episode we revisit the consequences of the natural rubber shortage during WWII, and how a similar shortage might affect us today. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:00 Natural vs. Synthetic Rubber 04:12 Interview with Mark Finlay 12:03 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennife...