Science History Podcast

Why is an understanding of the history of alchemy key to an appreciation of the history of chemistry? With us to answer this question is Kit Chapman. Kit is a science journalist and academic at Falmouth University. He was an editor for Chemistry World and is widely published in journals and news outlets such as Nature and The New Scientist. Kit is the author of the 2019 book Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table and the 2022 book Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World. Today we discuss his latest book, The Age of Alchemy: The Secret History of Chemistry from Ancient Magic to Modern Science, published by Greystone Books, and the recipient of the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize.

How did the psychiatrist Douglas Kelley end up evaluating high-ranking Nazis at the 1945-1946 International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg? Who were Kelley's patients on trial for war crimes? How did Kelley interpret the responses that he got from the Nazis with the use of the Rorschach test? What did Kelley learn about the psychology of evil? Kelley killed himself, and he did so using cyanide, just as Hermann Göring did - was his suicide somehow a mirror of Göring's suicide? With us to answer these and other questions is Jack El-Hai. Jack writes nonfiction books and articles on the topics of medicine, history, science, and crime. Among his books are The Lobotomist, The Lost Brothers, Face in the Mirror, and his new book The Case of the Autographed Corpse: A Medicine Man and a Mystery Writer in Pursuit of Justice. Today we discuss his book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, which was recently adapted into the movie Nuremberg.

Those of us who grew up during the Cold War were keenly aware of the space race between the US and USSR. With us to relive the victories and tragedies of the space race is Leroy Chiao. Leroy is a former NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander. A veteran of four space missions, Leroy most recently served as Commander and NASA Science Officer of Expedition 10 aboard the International Space Station. He logged 229 days in space - over 36 hours of which were spent in spacewalks. Leroy flew missions with Russian, Japanese, and European astronauts and their affiliated space agencies. In addition to being a Space Station Commander and Space Shuttle Mission Specialist, Leroy was also a certified co-pilot of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Today we discuss his book Dinner with an Astronaut, published in 2026 by Hanover Square Press.

Marie Curie was one of the most remarkable scientists in history. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win two, and the only person ever to earn Nobel awards in separate fields of science. Today we explore the life and legacy of Marie Curie with the science writer Dava Sobel. Dava is the author of prominent and best-selling science history books, including Longitude, Galileo's Daughter, The Planets, A More Perfect Heaven, and The Glass Universe. Today's conversation is based on Dava's latest book, entitled, The Elements of Marie Curie, How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science.

On July 9, 1955, mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell announced the Russell-Einstein manifesto, which warned the world of the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. The 11 signatories included Albert Einstein, who signed it just before his death. Physicist Joseph Rotblat stated that the manifesto was "the last message from the man who was the symbol of the great heights the human intellect can reach, imploring us not to let all this be destroyed by human folly." Russell and Rotblat then initiated the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, with the first one occurring in 1957 in Pugwash, Nova Scotia. Rotblat led the Pugwash Conferences until 1973, and he and the Pugwash Conferences jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 "for their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms". With us to discuss the history of Pugwash, nuclear disarmament, and public policy related to science is John Holdren. John served as science advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, making him the longest serving presidential science advisor since World War II. He served in many other scientific leadership roles, including as chair of the executive committee of the Pugwash Conferences from 1987-1997. When the group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995, John delivered the acceptance lecture, so he is the perfect person to reflect on the history of Pugwash and nuclear disarmament.