Surprisingly Brilliant

The Impossible Picture Dec 09, 2021

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 Apr 30, 2021

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 Feb 18, 2021

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 Feb 11, 2021

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 Feb 04, 2021

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 Jan 28, 2021

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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The Secret Doctor Jan 21, 2021

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 about James Barry and a story that travers the globe and challenges all our assumptions.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Forgotten Whiskey Chemist Jan 14, 2021

Greg tells Maren about 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. This is the story of Takamine Jōkichi.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The World in a Jar Jan 07, 2021

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 about Eunice Foote, and 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

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The Puzzle Beneath Your Feet Dec 31, 2020

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

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The Reinvention of Sex Dec 24, 2020

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

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The Way To Win At Everything Dec 17, 2020

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. It’s the story of two Johns - von Neumann & Nash - and separates 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

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The Virus Queen Dec 10, 2020

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 June Almeida, 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

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The Question Of Who Flew First Dec 03, 2020

This is the story of not just one set of brothers, but three: the Wrights, the Montgolfiers & the Lilienthals. It’s 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

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The Electronic Ear Nov 26, 2020

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

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The Twist In The Tale Nov 19, 2020

We kick off Season 2 with the story of your most requested person: Rosalind Franklin. But 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.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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Season 2 Is Here! Nov 16, 2020

New amazing stories from science history are coming Thursday, November 19th!

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The Fourth Astronaut Jun 25, 2020

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’; Margaret Hamilton.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Fungus that Shaped the World Jun 18, 2020

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.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Mystery & Might of Ectoplasm Jun 11, 2020

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: X-rays.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Chemist Who Saved the Lepers Jun 04, 2020

Maren tells Greg the story of a gruesome disease and the woman who came up with a solution...but who disappeared from history until now: Alice Ball. Oh and also - there are armadillos.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Case Of Death By Peach Melba May 28, 2020

Greg tells Maren a true crime science history story about a famous chef who served her entrees with a special side... of death! This is the story of Mary Mallon, aka “Typhoid Mary”.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Deadly Buzz May 21, 2020

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.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Thick Brown Muck May 14, 2020

Greg tells Maren about the discovery of one of medicine’s biggest breakthroughs -a drug that has saved millions of lives: Insulin. It’s a story about drug development & testing, a dog called Marjorie… and a missing person?

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Great Air Debate May 07, 2020

The discovery of one of our most important elements is hugely disputed. Maren tells Greg the twists and turns of the story of oxygen, the battle between Lavoisier & Priestley, a self-effacing… Pomeranian, a revolutionary, a teenage girl, and the guillotine.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Queen of Nuclear Research Apr 30, 2020

The Queen of Nuclear Research very few people - including those working in Physics - know of! Greg tells Maren a trans-Pacific tale of passion, dedication, and the work of a gifted scientist who fundamentally changed physics forever, yet (some say) was overlooked for the Nobel Prize. This is the story of Chien-Shiung Wu.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Admiral and the Moth Apr 23, 2020

Maren tells Greg about the person responsible for the foundations of modern computing, yet her name is rarely mentioned in the history books. Her innovations have made possible many of the things we take for granted today—like personal computing, stock market analysis, and commercial industrialization. This is the story of Grace Hopper.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Inventor From The Future Apr 16, 2020

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 Nikola Tesla, and also uncovers a link between him and Donald Trump.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Case of Botanical Espionage Apr 09, 2020

Grab a gin and tonic as you listen to Maren tell the story of a miraculous discovery, espionage and economic cartels all surrounding...a tree? A very special tree that cures malaria, shaped the development of the modern world as we know it… and is in tonic water (hence the drink).

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Annoying Noise Apr 02, 2020

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.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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The Discovery of Dragons Mar 26, 2020

Meet the ‘Princess of Paleontology’ you may not have 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… This is the story of Mary Anning.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

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