• The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

  • By: Sam Kean
  • Podcast
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)
The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean By cover art

The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

By: Sam Kean
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  • Summary

  • A topsy-turvy science-y history podcast by Sam Kean. I examine overlooked stories from our past: the dental superiority of hunter-gatherers, the crooked Nazis who saved thousands of American lives, the American immigrants who developed the most successful cancer screening tool in history, the sex lives of dinosaurs, and much, much more. These are charming little tales that never made the history books, but these small moments can be surprisingly powerful. These are the cases where history gets inverted, where the footnote becomes the real story.
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Episodes
  • Was Darwin a Murderer?

    Was Darwin a Murderer?
    Nov 14 2023

    In 1878, two Paris dandies murdered an old woman—and blamed Charles Darwin for their crime. But the wild scandal that followed only solidified Darwin as the greatest scientist of his age...



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    20 mins
  • Mass Psychosis in Food Science

    Mass Psychosis in Food Science
    Nov 7 2023

    Americans happily ate monosodium glutamate for decades. Then one (possibly fake) letter sparked mass hysteria over “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, and the bogus MSG scare was born...



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    20 mins
  • Accounting for Taste

    Accounting for Taste
    Oct 31 2023

    Scientists have confirmed five basic human tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. But is that all? Debate now rages about adding a sixth or seventh or even eighth(!) to the Big Five...



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    18 mins
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What listeners say about The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

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Profile Image for Federico

great stories.. commercials are annoying

love the stories.. commercials are extremely annoying. the podcast itself is very well done and much entertaining

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3 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for wildfirebeads

Things that make you go hmmm 🤔

Interesting topics along with excellent narration/presentation. I am enjoying these stories very much. Definitely recommend.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Anonymous User

it's interesting. so many ads

Stories are interesting to listen to. short and well read.

Each short episode has an ad in the middle, ad for his other books and his patreon, and an ad at the end for the science and history institute, all of which are said to be necessary in making the podcast happen. I'd rather pay.
There are few weak episodes such as the cancer episode with wild speculation that is outright not how cancer research works.

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