The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean
Sam Kean
Sam Kean recounts strange science stories behind famous misconceptions.
Why we picked this
We picked The Disappearing Spoon for the way it dismantles durable myths. Host Sam Kean treats science history as a forensic exercise: he traces false beliefs to their origin, names the specific charlatans and sloppy logicians responsible, and shows how ideology distorts the historical record. The show favors narrative momentum over hagiography. If you want your history of science served without hero worship and with the receipts attached, subscribe here.
Recent episodes
NASA’s Unmentionable(s) Adventure
Jun 9, 202618 min
The Pioneers and Vestiges of Evolution
Jun 2, 202618 min
The Angel of the Concentration Camp
May 26, 202617 min
The Battery Dope
May 19, 202618 min
The Making of the “Flat Earth” Myth
May 12, 202617 min
Forensic Pseudoscience
May 5, 202618 min
Manhattan Project Propaganda
Apr 28, 202617 min
Back-Breaking Science
Apr 21, 202618 min
The Canaries in the Submarine
Apr 14, 202617 min
Charles Lindbergh, Lab Rat
Apr 7, 202619 min
The Publicity Stunt that Sparked the Scopes Monkey Trial
Dec 16, 202518 min
The Great Balloon Escape
Dec 9, 202518 min
Related shows
You Are Not So Smart
Social psychologist David McRaney's interviews with experts on cognitive biases and heuristics.
Smith and Marx Walk into a Bar: A History of Economics Podcast
Three historians of economic thought trace how methodological shifts in the discipline shape current affairs.
Villains and Virgins History Podcast
A college instructor's narrative history of power struggles, religious conflict, and extreme violence.
The Theatre History Podcast
Scholars and artists reconstruct lost performances to map how theatrical traditions shape current stage practice.