
31 episodes

Surprisingly Brilliant iHeartPodcasts
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- Science
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4.9 • 41 Ratings
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A science history podcast uncovering the little-known stories and less-talked-about people behind well-known science & tech. Written & Hosted by Maren Hunsberger & Greg Foot for Seeker
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The Impossible Picture
Time travel? Aliens? Seeing the invisible? This special episode’s tale from science history has them all as Maren takes Greg down the long and winding road science took to understand what is perhaps the most perplexing object in the universe: the black hole.
Special thanks to the John Templeton Foundation for their support in making this episode possible. Learn more at Templeton.org.
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The Helplessly Human Doctor
The man who changed our understanding of disorders of the brain was a man who couldn't recognize faces himself. He was a man who saw music as a therapeutic tool, who broke all the existing rules for how to talk to and about patients, and who made us all feel a little more human. Maren tells Greg the amazing true story of Oliver Sacks.
This episode is made possible thanks to HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. ‘Oliver Sacks: His Own Life’ is available to stream on PBS for a limited time: https://to.pbs.org/3xngwPJ
Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant
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The Lifesaving Bean
One bean has changed the world in unexpected ways, and the man behind it was even more extraordinary. This is the story of a man whose genius shone against all odds, how his discoveries shaped much of our modern world, and the science that he could have done...if society had let him. Maren introduces Greg to Percy Julian.
Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant
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The Half-Walnut of Pus
Vaccines. They're a big topic of conversation right now. But who discovered them? Who gave the first one? And what was the rather effective method around for hundreds of years before them?? Greg tells Maren a (rather gross) story of pus, pox parties, and… cuckoos? It's a tale that travels from China, through Turkey, to a small town in Gloucestershire, and asks if the ‘father of immunology’ - Edward Jenner - really earned that title.
Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant
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The Language of the Universe
The universe speaks in a common language...the mathematics of change. Maren wasn't so sure about math, but after this episode she's a truly changed person. Isaac Newton DID stand on the shoulders of giants to translate the universe...but he also had his rivals, like Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Maren tells Greg a story that starts with the beginning of civilization and goes (literally) on to infinity.
Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant
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The Donald Trump Of Science
A story in three parts: The discovery of a revolutionary biotechnology that’s used every day by countless scientists. How that works. And the dangerous ideas (& behaviour) of the man who won a Nobel Prize for its invention. Greg tells Maren about Kary Mullis and PCR.
Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant
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Customer Reviews
Brilliantly interesting
Consistently interesting podcast where I never fail to learn loads. Even where I have some knowledge about the topic and people I gently absorb new information that is expertly relayed by Greg and Maren. Well done both of you!
Interesting and insightful
A great podcast that looks at some amazing lesser known stories from science history! Well done
The electronic ear episode
Hiya guys, love the podcast but I really loved the way you discussed and brought forward all avenues of the Deaf community. I respect them as it it but even more now. Can I just make the point that the implant is like a super hero device. Like when Spider-Man or Dr X all had to learn to process the things they could hear and sense it sounds like those who have taken the implant choice are just like that too!! Super Heroes!