Math! Science! History!

Gabrielle Birchak
  • 0.0 (0)
  • MATHEMATICS

Why do some scientific breakthroughs look different up close than they do in our textbooks? How did math quietly shape the modern world? Math! Science! History! explores the human side of discovery, including the rivalries, the failed attempts, the bold ideas, and the marginalized voices behind the equations and experiments that changed science, technology, and everyday life. Hosted by Gabrielle Birchak, who holds degrees in mathematics and journalism, the show connects codebreaking, astronomy, probability, physics, and innovation to the world we live in today. If you enjoy science stories, historical investigations, and clear math grounded in context, clarity, and research, this show is for you. New episodes twice weekly. Visit www.MathScienceHistory.com for more information.

  1. Benjamin Banneker: The African-American Astronomer who shaped D.C.

    1D AGO

    Benjamin Banneker: The African-American Astronomer who shaped D.C.

    Benjamin Banneker used math, astronomy, and publication to claim space in a country that tried to deny him authority. This episode follows his path from a Maryland farm to almanacs that carried his name across the young republic, and to the 1791 boundary survey work that helped set the lines of the new federal district. What You'll Learn 1.      How Banneker became an astronomer without a formal scientific education and why an ephemeris inside an almanac mattered so much in the late 1700s. 2.      What Banneker actually did in 1791 during Andrew Ellicott's boundary work, and why later stories about his role in Washington's design grew beyond the record. 3.      How publishing changed his life by carrying his calculations, voice, and reputation into a wider public, starting with the 1792 almanac (issued in 1791) and continuing through 1797. Resources and further reading ·         National Park Service: Benjamin Banneker and the boundary survey (Jones Point) https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/nama-notebook-benjamin-banneker.htm ·         Library of Congress: Banneker's 1792 almanac record (issued 1791) https://www.loc.gov/item/98650590/ ·         Encyclopedia Virginia: Banneker's letter to Jefferson (Aug. 19, 1791) https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/letter-from-benjamin-banneker-to-thomas-jefferson-august-19-1791/ ·         Library of Congress: Jefferson's reply to Banneker (Aug. 30, 1791) https://www.loc.gov/item/mcc.028/ ·         Smithsonian Libraries & Archives: context on Banneker and later myths https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2017/02/15/americas-first-known-african-american-scientist-mathematician/ ·         American Philosophical Society: Ellicott, Banneker, and boundary-survey context https://www.amphilsoc.org/news/surveyors-andrew-ellicott-benjamin-banneker-and-boundaries-nation-and-knowledge ·         PBS: Banneker overview (includes Ellicott lending books/tools context) https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p84.html ·         Smithsonian Magazine: discussion of Banneker's almanacs and cultural impact https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-books/2024/01/04/benjamin-bannekers-almanac-of-strange-dreams/ 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h 🌍 Let's Connect! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/  Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory  🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Ambient Documentary by Vira Miller at Pixabay Hopeful by Maarten Schellekens at Pixabay Nature Documentary by James Carter at Pixabay Smooth Piano by Universefield at Pixabay   Until next time, carpe diem!

    25 min
  2. You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    1D AGO · BONUS

    You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing Michael Pollan: The Hidden Cost Of Constant Distraction (Use THIS Practice To Reclaim Your Attention, Clarity, And Inner Freedom) from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty The real hardship of our time isn’t only the challenges we face, it’s that we rarely slow down enough to fully experience and process them. Jay is joined by bestselling author and journalist Michael Pollan for a deeply thoughtful exploration of consciousness, attention, and what it truly means to be present. Known for reshaping how we think about food, nature, and the human mind, Michael shares why his work always begins with curiosity rather than certainty. Together, they unpack how perception shapes reality and why the most important questions in life aren’t meant to be solved quickly, but held with patience. Jay and Michael dive into how modern life pulls us away from awareness, leaving many of us distracted, overstimulated, and disconnected from ourselves. Drawing from research on meditation, neuroscience, and psychedelic therapy, Michael explains how rigid thought patterns, rumination, and ego-driven narratives can keep us stuck. They discuss how practices that quiet the mind don’t erase our identity, but soften it, creating space for clarity, creativity, and deeper connection with the world around us. In this invterview, you'll learn: How to Stop Living on Autopilot How to Train Your Attention in a Distracted World How to Use Curiosity Instead of Certainty How to Break Free from Mental Rumination How to Quiet the Ego Without Losing Yourself How to Interrupt Stuck Thought Patterns Awareness isn’t something you have to earn or master, it’s something you already possess. Small moments of attention, pausing before reacting, listening more deeply, and learning to sit with your thoughts, can quietly reshape how you experience life. Michael Pollan’s A World Appears is a sweeping exploration of consciousness, what it is, who has it, and what it reveals about the essence of being human. Get your copy here: https://michaelpollan.com/books/a-world-appears/ With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here.  Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast  What We Discuss: 00:32 Why Great Thinkers Start With Questions 02:32 Is There Such a Thing as a Bad Question? 05:53 What is Consciousness? 07:55 Why Consciousness Matters in Daily Life 12:54 What Happens When You Put Your Phone Down 14:05 Building a Daily Meditation Practice 16:05 When Consciousness Transcends the Self 19:47 Is Everything Conscious? 25:46 What’s the Difference between the Mind and Consciousness? 31:16 Meditation and Psychedelics: The Overlap 33:36 Using Psychedelics With Intention 35:30 Is the Brain Creating Reality? 41:09 Breaking OCD Thought Loops 44:24 The Real Risks of Psychedelics 49:04 Why Psychedelics Can Help Break Addiction 51:23 How Altered States Change Our Fear of Death 53:54 Do Near-Death Experiences Change Science? 57:21 Redefining Consciousness in the AI Age 01:02:41 What Our Need for Constant Validation Says About Society  01:05:06 What Makes Humans Different From Machines 01:10:38 Why Asking Better Questions Matters 01:12:17 Michael on Final Five Episode Resources: Website | https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/   Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/jefferson_fisher/  YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjnpu6lK0HoUyOMh2ZBwhQ  TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@justaskjefferson   Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/justaskjefferson/   X | https://x.com/jefferson_fishr  LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffersonfisher/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. FLASHCARDS! Think Clearly Under Pressure

    5D AGO

    FLASHCARDS! Think Clearly Under Pressure

    Ever lose a great idea right when you need it, then wish your brain had a "save" button? This episode gives you one. In this Flashcards Friday toolkit, I share three quick prompts you can use to think more clearly, learn faster, and troubleshoot problems without spiraling. You will leave with a simple loop you can apply to school, work, and real-life conversations. What You'll Learn The System Card: How to name the system, the key variables, and the constraints, so your thinking has structure. The Cold Recall Card: How to practice producing your message without notes, especially for presentations, interviews, and asking for a raise. The Fuzzy Spot Card: How to troubleshoot like an engineer by locating the exact point things break, then making the smallest repair that changes the outcome. Resources https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16507066/ https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/04/EBjork_RBjork_2011.pdf https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1529100612453266 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4713033/ https://www.wsj.com/science/biology/want-to-remember-more-make-more-mistakes-2d195a6f https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.20-12-0289 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers 🌍 Let's Connect! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/  Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory  Until next time, carpe diem!

    12 min
  4. Victorian Thought Photography

    FEB 10

    Victorian Thought Photography

    A camera was not always needed to "capture" a thought. In the late Victorian era, a few experimenters pressed photographic plates to foreheads and claimed the developed marks were images of the mind. In this episode of Math! Science! History!, we trace the strange rise of "thought photography," why it sounded plausible in an age of new invisible forces, and what these experiments reveal about technology, interpretation, and scientific method. What Develops in the Dark What you'll learn in this episode: 1.      Who tried to photograph thoughts - How Hippolyte Baraduc and Louis Darget used photographic plates as instruments, then read the resulting traces as evidence of emotion, soul, or mental imagery. 2.      Why the idea felt scientific at the time - How late-19th-century discoveries made invisible phenomena feel newly recordable, especially after X-rays reshaped what "photography" could mean. 3.      What can go wrong (and right!) when images look like proof - Why noisy signals, chemical artifacts, and human pattern-finding can produce results that feel conclusive long before they are. Sources "Psychicones: Visual Traces of the Soul in Late Nineteenth-Century Fluidic Photography" (Nicolas Pethes, Medical History, 2016) "Imaging Inscape: The Human Soul (1913)" (The Public Domain Review on Baraduc's methods and plates) "Discovery of the X-ray: A New Kind of Invisible Light" (National Museum of Health and Medicine) 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers 🌍 Let's Connect! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/  Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory  Until next time, carpe diem!

    18 min
  5. FLASHCARDS! Talking to Science Skeptics

    FEB 6

    FLASHCARDS! Talking to Science Skeptics

    What do you say when someone doesn't trust science? In this Flashcards Friday episode, I share practical, evidence-based ways to talk about science with skeptics, without attacking, shaming, or arguing past each other. This episode focuses on how evidence actually works, why people reject scientific claims, and how scientists and science communicators can lower defensiveness by explaining methods, uncertainty, and values clearly. If you care about public trust in science, this episode offers tools you can use immediately. Resources & Further Reading National Academies of Sciences — Communicating Science Effectively Pew Research Center — https://www.pewresearch.org Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science https://aldacenter.org Science History Institute — Evidence, experiments, and scientific methods https://www.sciencehistory.org Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h  Enjoying the Podcast? 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com upport the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Until next time, carpe diem!

    5 min
  6. Hobbes vs. Boyle: Who Decides Scientific Facts?

    FEB 3

    Hobbes vs. Boyle: Who Decides Scientific Facts?

    Episode Overview In the 1660s, two towering thinkers, Thomas Hobbes and Robert Boyle, clashed over a strange new machine: the air pump. What looked like a technical disagreement about air and vacuum quickly became something much larger. This episode examines how Boyle's experimental approach and Hobbes's philosophical skepticism shaped the foundations of modern science, and why their dispute still echoes today in debates over expertise, public trust, and the role of scientists in public policy. From the invention of "virtual witnessing" to modern struggles with misinformation, this is a story about how facts become believable, and what happens when trust breaks down. What You'll Learn Why experiments alone do not create trust - You'll learn how Boyle's air-pump experiments required not just data, but carefully crafted descriptions and shared norms to make results credible beyond the room where they occurred. What Hobbes was really worried about - This episode explains why Hobbes objected to experimental science, not because he rejected evidence, but because he feared the political and social consequences of letting small groups "certify reality." How this 17th-century dispute explains modern science debates - From climate models to medical guidelines, you'll see how today's arguments over evidence, institutions, and public policy replay the same structural tensions Hobbes and Boyle exposed centuries ago. 📚 Resources & Further Reading Leviathan and the Air‑Pump - Steven Shapin & Simon Schaffer New Experiments Physico‑Mechanicall, Touching the Spring of the Air - Robert Boyle Royal Society - History & motto Nullius in verba Pew Research Center - Public trust in scientists and policy debates (Nov. 2024 report) Shapin, Steven. "Pump and Circumstance: Robert Boyle's Literary Technology." Social Studies of Science (1984) 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h   🌍 Let's Connect! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/  Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory  🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Smooth Piano for Documentaries by Universefield from Pixabay Background Royalty Free Music - Emotional Piano by NotAIGenerated from Pixabay Ambiant Clean Piano by Alfarran Basalim from Pixabay Autumn Vibes by Clavier-Music from Pixabay Now You Are Here by Sergey Cheremisinov from Pixabay   Until next time, carpe diem!

    27 min
  7. FLASHCARDS! The Patience of the Sun Dagger

    JAN 30

    FLASHCARDS! The Patience of the Sun Dagger

    The Sun Dagger on Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon is a powerful reminder that understanding is built slowly. Long before textbooks and lab reports, careful observers tracked repeating patterns in light and season, and a community carried that knowledge forward. In today's Flashcards episode, we use the Sun Dagger as a practical thinking tool for modern life: watch first, listen second, explain last. It is a simple sequence that improves scientific judgment, reduces snap conclusions, and makes our relationships more accurate and humane. Three Flashcards from a Stone Calendar Watch first: patterns beat snapshots. - You will learn how to train yourself to notice what repeats over time, instead of overreacting to one data point, one headline, or one tense moment. Listen second: knowledge is a group project. - You will learn why strong conclusions often require other perspectives, conflicting results, and context you cannot access alone. Explain last: meaning should emerge, not be forced. - You will learn how delaying your explanation can reduce error, lower arrogance, and prevent real harm in science and everyday decisions. Links to Resources National Park Service overview of Fajada Butte and the Sun Dagger NPS article on archeoastronomy and the Sun Dagger concept 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h  🌍 Let's Connect! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/  Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory  🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com  ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Until next time, carpe diem!

    10 min
  8. The Sun Dagger: How Ancient Puebloans Made Calendars from Sunlight

    JAN 27

    The Sun Dagger: How Ancient Puebloans Made Calendars from Sunlight

    More than a thousand years ago, the Ancestral Puebloans built a working solar calendar without clocks, written mathematics, or mechanical instruments. Etched into stone at Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, the Sun Dagger used light and shadow to track solstices and equinoxes with remarkable precision. In this episode, we explore how the Sun Dagger worked, why its spiral design mattered, and what it reveals about community, long-term observation, and scientific thinking before modern technology. This is a story about astronomy, patience, and the shared human effort to understand time by watching the natural world carefully and collectively. Three Take-aways Watching the Sky: How the Sun Dagger Actually Worked – Learn how shifting sunlight, stone slabs, and spiral petroglyphs combined to create a precise solar calendar that could show not only when a solstice arrived, but how close the community was to it. Science Before Equations: Observation as Knowledge – Discover why the Sun Dagger is an example of observational science, built through repeated watching, long-term pattern recognition, and intergenerational knowledge rather than written formulas or instruments. Time as Community: Why Calendars Were Shared, Not Personal – Understand how tracking time was not an individual activity but a communal one, guiding ceremonies, gatherings, and social coordination while reinforcing shared responsibility and connection to the land. Resources & Further Reading National Park Service – Chaco Culture National Historical Park https://www.nps.gov/chcu High Altitude Observatory (NCAR) – The Sun Dagger of Fajada Butte https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/education/prehistoric-southwest/sun-dagger Sofaer, Anna, David H. Sinclair, and Ray A. Doggett. "A Unique Solar Marking Construct." Science 206, no. 4416 (1979): 283–291. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1749388 Aveni, Anthony F. Skywatchers. University of Texas Press. Krupp, E. C. Echoes of the Ancient Skies. Oxford University Press. Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h 🌍 Let's Connect! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/  Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory  🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Old Tolchaco by Arizona Guide from Pixabay A Tribute to Native Americans by Andrea Good from Pixabay Until next time, carpe diem!

    19 min
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Why do some scientific breakthroughs look different up close than they do in our textbooks? How did math quietly shape the modern world? Math! Science! History! explores the human side of discovery, including the rivalries, the failed attempts, the bold ideas, and the marginalized voices behind the equations and experiments that changed science, technology, and everyday life. Hosted by Gabrielle Birchak, who holds degrees in mathematics and journalism, the show connects codebreaking, astronomy, probability, physics, and innovation to the world we live in today. If you enjoy science stories, historical investigations, and clear math grounded in context, clarity, and research, this show is for you. New episodes twice weekly. Visit www.MathScienceHistory.com for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Gabrielle Birchak
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    193
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Math! Science! History!