Distillations | Science History Institute

Latest Episodes:

Old Brains, New Brains: The Human Mind, Past and Present Apr 29, 2015

Show notes

The early days of neuroscience relied on tragedy to strike—a rabies infection, a botched lobotomy—before doctors could peek inside the brains of humans. Today advanced technology, such as the functional MRI, helps scientists study brains (and healthy ones at that) far more easily. The revelations they’re making call into question conventional ideas of maturity and our capacity for free will.

The story begins at a unique laboratory at Michigan Technological University, called the Mind Music Machine, where reporter Allison Mills talks to a cognitive scientist who’s trying to develop technology that can interpret our emotions.

Then we talk about the history of neuroscience with Sam Kean, a regular contributor to Distillations magazine and author of the recent book The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons.Frances Jensen, a neuroscientist and author of The Teenage Brain, brings us into the present and explains the science behind why teenagers drive their parents crazy.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

02:01 The Mind Music Machine

12:38 Sam Kean on the history of neuroscience

28:22 Frances Jensen on the teenage brain

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Sam Kean and Frances Jensen

Reporter: Allison Mills

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

Music courtesy of the Audio Network.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Fads and Faith: Belief vs. Fact in the Struggle for Health Mar 31, 2015

Show notes

In 2014 the United States had 650 reported cases of measles, a disease made preventable by a vaccine introduced 30 years ago. The majority of these measles victims were children whose parents chose not to vaccinate them. Meanwhile at least 85,000 dietary supplements line the shelves of GNC and other “big box” chains, as well as smaller health food stores. Even though the FDA cannot assure the safety or effectiveness of any of these products before they're sold, they enjoy widespread popularity in the United States. This episode of Distillations explores what connects these two issues.

Our journey starts in Shanghai, where reporter Rebecca Kanthor investigates a strange fashion trend among pregnant women—a special apron meant to protect its wearers from the harms of electromagnetic radiation.

Then we talk with Paul Offit, an infectious disease pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine, and Catherine Price, author of Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection,about what drives these fads. Our guests suggest that faith, a desire for easy answers, and a lack of trust in medical science all come into play.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

01:40 Pregnancy Aprons in Shanghai

11:33 Interview with Catherine Price and Paul Offit

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Catherine Price and Paul Offit

Reporter: Rebecca Kanthor

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

Music courtesy of the Audio Network.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Innovation and Obsolescence: The Life, Death, and Occasional Rebirth of Technologies Feb 13, 2015

Show notes

Some technologies flash in the pan so quickly they hardly leave a trace (Google Glass anyone?); while others seem to stick around long past their use by date. And still other creations appear to be gone for good, only to make a comeback within a niche—and likely nostalgic—community. We set out to explore the rhymes and reasons behind these ebbs and flows of technological innovation and obsolescence.

First we go to a place where digital nostalgia is alive and well: a vintage video arcade outside of Chicago. Reporter Colleen Pellissier tells the story of one man who dedicates his life to keeping these old and cranky machines running.

Then we talk to Ben Gross, a historian of technology and a fellow at CHF. He shares his love of the long-forgotten video disc and explains why nothing is obvious when it comes to the successes and failures of technologies.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction01:28 The Galloping Ghost Arcade08:50 Interview with Ben Gross

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob KenworthyGuest: Ben GrossReporter: Colleen PellissierProducer and Editor: Mariel CarrMusic courtesy of the Audio Network and the Free Music Archive.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Trash Talk: The Persistence of Waste Jan 20, 2015

Show notes

In case you hadn’t noticed, during our short time on Earth we humans have created a lot of stuff. Some of it is life-altering, like the device you’re looking at right now, and some of it is pretty silly, like those plastic, banana-shaped containers made for holding bananas. Regardless of their value, these objects all have one thing in common: one day they will become trash. For all the time we spend creating these wonders, we don’t devote much energy to thinking about what happens when their intended life-cycles run out. This episode of Distillations traces the history of trash, consumerism, and municipal garbage collection in the United States, and explores what the future holds.

First, reporter Daniel Gross tells us the origin story of kitty litter, an ingenious consumer product that transformed a natural resource straight into trash.

Then we talk with Carl Zimring, an American environmental historian and Associate Professor of Sustainability Studies at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He describes the early days of garbage collection and tells us why we need to start designing for sustainability.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

01:30 Kitty Littering: Carbon Paw Prints

10:57 Interview with Carl Zimring

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guest: Carl Zimring

Reporter: Daniel Gross

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

MUSIC:

Cantina Rag, Jackson F. Smith - Free Music Archive

Moondots and Polka Beams, Podington Bear - Free Music Archive

La Giraffa di Yael, A Smile for Timbuctu - Free Music Archive

Additional songs courtesy of the Audio Network.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Life with HIV: Success without a Cure? Dec 16, 2014

Show notes

Thirty years ago an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence. Today, sophisticated drug cocktails known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, have dramatically changed the fates of people with the disease. They can now live with a chronic manageable disease instead of dying from a fatal one. Yet in many ways we’re treading water: each year the U.S. sees around 50,000 new HIV cases, and estimates show that 20-25% of these people don’t know they’re infected. And, while the drugs are effective, many people throughout the world can’t afford them.

So should we consider our response to HIV a complete success story? This episode of Distillations tries to find the answer.

Our journey begins in San Francisco’s Castro District, the epicenter of the city’s HIV epidemic in the 1980s. Reporter Andrew Bowen talks to AIDS activist Tez Anderson, who started an organization to combat AIDS Survivor Syndrome.

Then we talk to Dr. Mark W. Kline and Andrew P. Rice, a physician and a virologist who have been working on HIV since the 1980s, and ask them if we can claim victory.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

01:49 Surviving Survival: Tez Anderson's Story

12:06 Interview with Mark W. Kline and Andrew P. Rice

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Dr. Mark W. Kline and Andrew P. Rice

Reporter: Andrew Bowen

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

We recorded our conversation with Mark W. Kline and Andrew P. Rice during CHF’s 2014 Chao Symposium, “Can We Meet the Challenge of HIV/AIDS?” Special thanks to Houston Public Media for hosting us in their studio.

Music courtesy of Audio Network.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Babies on Demand: Reproduction in a Technological Age Nov 18, 2014

Show notes

At the beginning of the 19th century women in the United States had an average of seven or eight children. By 1900 they had only three or four, and today 35% of Americans have exactly two children. How did this happen? This episode of Distillations explores the role technology has played in reproduction, and how it has affected the ethical and moral landscape that surrounds it.

First, reporter Allison Quantz talks to her sister to find out what she plans to do with her extra frozen embryos. Along the way Quantz learns that there are more than one million frozen embryos in the United States with similar uncertain futures.

Then we talk with Deanna Day, a historian of medicine and technology and a post-doctoral fellow at CHF, and Lara Freidenfelds, a historian who writes about women’s health, sex, and reproduction in America.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

01:46 A tale of unused embryos

11:35 Interview with Deanna Day and Lara Freidenfelds

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Deanna Day and Lara Freidenfelds

Reporter: Allison Quantz

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

Music courtesy of Audio Network and the Free Music Archive.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Fogs of War: The Many Lives of Chemical Weapons Oct 21, 2014

Show notes

Chemical weapons have played a chilling role in human history, ever since they were first used in World War I. As reports of more recent use continue to cycle through the news, we decided to take a deeper look. We wanted to understand why chemical weapons were created in the first place, the ethical dilemmas inherent in their use, and the complicated process of getting rid of them.

The story begins in Belgium, where reporter Helena de Groot visits a farm in Flanders Fields—the frontline during World War I—and discovers that for some people the war isn’t yet over.

Then we talk to Jeffrey Johnson, a historian of science and technology at Villanova University with a special interest in the origins of chemical warfare, and Amy E. Smithson, a senior fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, who specializes in modern-day chemical and biological weapons and their proliferation. Our guests discuss the past and present of chemical weapons, and share their thoughts about the future of warfare.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

01:10 Cleaning up Flanders Fields

08:56 Interview with Amy E. Smithson and Jeffrey Johnson

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Amy E. Smithson and Jeffrey Johnson

Reporter: Helena de Groot

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

Music courtesy of the Audio Network, the Free Music Archive and Mobygratis.com.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Wake up and Smell the Story: Sniffing out Health and Sickness Sep 23, 2014

Show notes

If you asked people which of their senses they most feared losing, they'd probably say sight or hearing. But what about the ability to smell? This episode of Distillations examines what is perhaps our most underrated sense, and ponders what life would be like without it.

We hit the streets of South Philadelphia to understand how a pervasive odor troubled neighborhood residents in the summer of 2014. Then we hear the story of Mario Rivas, a man who has lived his whole life without a sense of smell, and the great lengths he went to gain one.

Then, we'll talk to two smell experts, Pamela Dalton, a psychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and David Barnes, a professor of the history of medicine and public health at the University of Pennsylvania. Our guests discuss the connection between smelling, odors, and emotions, as well as the history of odors, germs, and public health crises.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:01 Introduction

01:10 South Philadelphia's Great Stink of 2014

05:31 The Man Who Couldn't Smell

15:45 Interview with Pamela Dalton and David Barnes

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Pamela Dalton and David Barnes

Reporters: Mariel Carr and Jocelyn Frank

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

Music courtesy of the Audio Network.

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

The Teeth Beneath Your Feet: Oddities in Urban Archaeology Aug 12, 2014

Show notes

Where can you find a teacup, the molar of a goat, and an arrowhead all in one place? At an urban archaeology site, that’s where. This episode of Distillations goes underground, and reveals the fascinating worlds beneath our city shoes.

First, we visit an artifact processing lab where volunteers are dusting off thousands of objects from a historic street in Philadelphia. Then we stop in on an excavation site alongside Interstate 95.

Then, we'll talk to Doug Mooney, a senior archaeologist at URS corporation and the president of the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum, and Deirdre Kelleher, an archaeologist finishing her doctorate at Temple University. They describe their experiences with public archaeology, debunk a few of the field’s myths (no dinosaurs here, folks) and describe the unique process of digging in cities.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

01:05 After the dig: Artifact processing at Temple University

05:40 During the dig: Uncovering history along I-95

09:41 Interview with Deirdre Kelleher and Doug Mooney

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Deirdre Kelleher and Doug Mooney

Reporter, Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

MUSIC:

“Quirky Sleuth” Philip Guyler, Audio Network

“Actual Reality” Lucky Dragons

“Nature Kid” Podington Bear

“Hallon” Christian Bjoerklund

“What Is Its Vessel?” Dave Merson Hess

“Fisherman” Dave Merson Hess

“I Like Dogs” Dave Merson Hess

“Dream” (instrumental) Chan Wai Fat

“The Bear’s Just for Show” Krackatoa

“Healing Sleep” Infinite Third

“Orange Juice” Podington Bear

“Starling” Podington Bear

All songs courtesy of the Free Music Archive, freemusicarchive.org

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Intoxication and Civilization: Beer's Ancient Past Jun 30, 2014

Show notes

This show takes on the frothy subject of beer, and explores the science, culture, and history behind the suds.

First, Bob and Michal go back to school--beer school--and they learn a few things about what makes beer so tasy.

Then we talk to Patrick E. McGovern, a beer and wine archaeologist, and Roger Barth, a chemist, professor, and home brewer. They discuss the science behind beer, how modern craft breweries can help us understand ancient beers, and how technology has allowed us to drink like an ancient king. They also discuss the spiritual side of beer and the role beer has played in human evolution.

SHOW CLOCK

00:07 Introduction

00:57 Bob and Michal go to beer school

07:12 Interview with Patrick E. McGovern and Roger Barth

CREDITS

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Guests: Patrick E. McGovern and Roger Barth

Reporter, Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

MUSIC:

"Take Me Higher," Jahzzar

"Green Lights," Jahzzar

"Bill Pickett," Robodub