Surprisingly Brilliant

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 Templeton Foundation for their support in making this episode possible. Learn more at Templeton.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing a new podcast from our friends at Atlassian, the makers of teamwork software like Jira, Confluence, and Trello: ‘Work Check' brings you fun and fiery debates over today's trendiest workplace practices, from dogfooding to agile at scale, asynchronous collaboration to ERGs. In this episode, host Christine Dela Rosa asks Is there a shortcut to innovative ideas?  Joined by debaters Shannon Winter and Kelvin Yap, they argue whether hackathons really are good for business. Are they a pressure cooker for out-of-the-box thinking, or just a recipe for half-baked ideas? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

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' really earned that title.  Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

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. Newton DID stand on the shoulders of giants to translate the universe...but he also had his rivals. 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 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

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. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

This doctor was a public health pioneer, a visionary in the medical treatments of his day, and a relatively radical voice against the entrenched establishment...but do we only remember him because of this one secret? Maren tells Greg a story that traverses the globe and challenges all our assumptions. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Greg tells Maren the story of a chemist who develops hit product after hit product, from revolutionising whisky production to developing ‘the first wonder drug'… a man who was once the most famous Japanese person in America but was soon forgotten. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

A forgotten figure, shrouded in mystery, is the true voice behind our modern understanding of perhaps the most important issue facing humanity today: climate change. Maren tells Greg a story filled with intrigue and lost voices, and they come to understand why all these voices are so important to listen to in the first place. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

This week Greg tells Maren about shovel-faced reptiles, giant ferns, land bridges, and classified war-time research. This is the story of how we worked out what shaped - and shapes - our planet. The story of an idea that's said to be as big a deal to Earth Sciences as Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is to the Life Sciences. Yet the idea was ignored for 50 years...  Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

One pill changed the world forever. It replaced crocodile dung inserted into the vagina. It involved rabbit embryos fertilized in a test tube. And it may be available for men in the future. Maren tells Greg a story filled with the wild characters and moral quandaries that have defined our modern sex lives. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Chess... Poker... Rock Paper Scissors... Your daily commute..? Nuclear war..? AND your Social Media?? Turns out you can form a winning strategy for all of these using 'Game Theory' - and in this episode Greg not only tells Maren how, but also untangles the story of its development, including separating fact from fiction in the film 'A Beautiful Mind'. [*Winning not guaranteed. Sorry] Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

 The first human coronavirus, yoga, and the recorder all have something in common: they were all mastered by the same woman. In this episode, Maren tells Greg the story of an extraordinary woman who completely changed the way we literally SEE viruses. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

This is the story of not just one set of brothers, but three. A story that does pre-flight checks in Italy, takes off in France, and soars to the US, with a quick layover in Brazil. Along the way Greg tells Maren about the contenders who some claim really flew first, and their journey ends at a surprise destination: the Moon. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

A story that spans from the tiniest cells in your inner ear to a technology that changed the world and will shape our future. It takes us through all of recorded history, uncovering not only how we hear the world, but how biased that world is too. Maren tells Greg a tale of biophysics, Alexander Graham Bell, the future of brain implants, and how we can reframe our perceptions of language and sensory experience. Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

We kick off Season 2 with the story of your most requested person… but it’s not the story you may be expecting… and, it turns out, it’s not the story we should be remembering her for either. Greg tells Maren the tale of how the structure of DNA was unravelled, but the twist leads us somewhere else entirely. Transcript of the episode can be found here Experts and Sources found here Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

New amazing stories from science history are coming Thursday, November 19th! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Meet the ‘Rope Mother’ - the lady whose code, weaved into copper wire and magnetic rings, saved the Apollo 11 mission to the moon… Greg tells Maren the story of an incredible person who has not only been called The Fourth Astronaut, but who also pioneered, and coined the term for, ‘Software Engineering’. Experts: Rod Pyle- https://www.planetary.org/connect/our-experts/profiles/rod-pyle.html Zoe Corbyn-https://www.theguardian.com/profile/zoe-corbyn Sources Found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lHFJJS5dn-2E1IsAVGoiNkVl-PPNzaWKi8aSoTGs35Q/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

The course of World War II, the development of successful cancer treatment, and just being able to go outside without fear all come down to one thing: the humble Penicillium fungus. Maren tells Greg a tale of accidental discoveries, fungal espionage, and the daunting potential future of medicine without this life-saving substance.  Experts: Mariya Lobanovska- https://tang.path.ox.ac.uk/content/dr-mariya-lobanovska Kevin Brown-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539899/ Sources found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pCUn0QYkTp17cZ1Ybp0JMY18DGl_ZiB3hpX1PJ7aLSM/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

What do a children’s birthday party, an accidental discovery, a shoe shop gadget, and Marie Curie have in common?? Have a listen to find out, as Greg tells Maren the amazing origin story of one of the most important pieces of medical tech ever developed. Expert: Dr Ehsan Samei - Professor of radiology at Duke University, North Carolina Sources can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lY3UIVCIOoSPYXxvI0Sk6zeB9dlASEMU_9tsF-O2Tlo/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Maren tells Greg the story of a gruesome disease and the woman who came up with a solution...but disappeared from history until now. Oh and also—there are armadillos. Experts: Paul Wermager Carisa Brewster Dagmawi Abebe Sources Found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-29XrkwQJnPk3awY6BoxkYhDVehxTl-fPbxBTHq3Aeg/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Greg tells Maren a true crime science history story about a famous chef who served her entrees with a special side... of death! Expert: Dr. Claas Kirchhelle Sources found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GK5NDp6m_bEerPNSbOQTCci5zJJiUmLAXWmHBtK-yOc/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Maren tells Greg the story of a historic plague...or is it? It's a tale of a gruesome disease and how a few courageous, self-experimenting scientists finally figured out what role mosquitos play in public health. Expert: Molly Crosby Sources Found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SqW52GO3Ufk3f-3B11321RKLkR6B7xyFHBCgfR68mWs/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Greg tells Maren about the discovery of one of medicine’s biggest breakthroughs - a drug that has saved millions of lives. It’s a story about drug development & testing, a dog called Marjorie… and a missing person?  Expert: Nicola Luigi Bragazzi Sources found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z2BrUO7nonvr9w_VXnFgFSqkx5FL6KP1UEk-Z9BodwM/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

The discovery of one of our most important elements is hugely disputed. Maren tells Greg a story full of twists and turns about a self-effacing Pomeranian, a revolutionary, a teenage girl, and the guillotine.  Experts: Jim Marshall and John West Sources Found Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qSktpsqECXC84qS7dimRAES0URH0r8RBHyr1jeBggJY/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

… who very few people outside of physics know of. In fact, very few people INSIDE of physics know of her too! Greg tells Maren a trans-Pacific story of passion, dedication, and the work of a gifted scientist who fundamentally changed physics forever, yet (some say) was overlooked for the Nobel Prize.  Expert: Haiyan Gao Professor of Physics at Duke University, North Carolina Sources Found Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NAUTBpW8BASHz_clIa2_YEAY7Ax2hp29jfDKmcULkgA/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Maren tells Greg the story of a woman you've likely never heard of, who just happens to be responsible for the foundations of modern computing. Her innovations have made possible many of the things we take for granted today—like personal computing, stock market analysis, and commercial industrialization.  Expert: Kurt Beyer: https://executive.berkeley.edu/kurt-beyer Sources Found Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DXkEJSzbE0OHGfCHRAyM92887gtVf7KnfLIgSTuSYik/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

A man you know. A story you don’t. His electric revolution lit up America but he also worked on what’s been called early radar, robotics, and... a death ray? Greg tells Maren the full story of this genius inventor, and also uncovers a link between him and Donald Trump!  Expert: Marc Seifer Sources found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y6l83CV5GFQhNaE1C9E9DL67ikMOiervNFqruoee1VQ/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Grab a gin and tonic and enjoy this episode as Maren tells the story of a miraculous discovery, espionage and economic cartels all surrounding...a tree? A very special tree that cures malaria, and shaped the development of the modern world as we know it. (Fun fact, this ingredient is also found in tonic water!)  Expert: Jane Achan Sources found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z11tejHh63I_k6YDjnd4VZHJS5CufOHOjC36KImNDbQ/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Perhaps the biggest accidental discovery story in the history of the universe. Well, definitely *about* the history of the universe. Greg tells Maren about a weird sound, and how two guys, Wilson & Penzias, figured out what it was, rocking the world of cosmology along the way. Expert: Professor Avi Loeb - Professor of Science at Harvard University, Chair of Harvard's Department of Astronomy, Founding Director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative and Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics  Sources found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a7l7jGQrtJ-n2RyxEGoza8vvWI8RVGGQj-JPpjjA0m0/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Meet the ‘Princess of Paleontology’ you’ve probably never heard of. Maren tells Greg all about the lady who’s life work was finding the fossils that would eventually change the way scientists thought about the entirety of Earth’s natural history despite getting very little official credit… Our expert: Andy Knoll Sources found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZUYWN6PH6k83CAmYWS8wDhtM347ByJZj-rL7VntqLms/edit Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

For centuries, science has given us breakthroughs that have changed how we view our planet, or universe and even our own bodies. But, achieving these breakthroughs didn’t come easy. This podcast will tell you the stories of the bizarre journeys, wild experiments and strange ideas that led to the discovery of important medicine, the invention of life-saving technology and evidence about the beginnings of life as we know it. We arrived at our current understanding of science through anything but normal means, and we think we should talk about it.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers