
Advertise on podcast: The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean
Rating
4from
This podcast has
143 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Sam Kean, BleavExplicit
No
Date created
2020/04/08
Latest episode
2026/11/10
Average duration
19 min.
Release period
16 days
Description
A topsy-turvy science-y history podcast by Sam Kean. I examine overlooked stories from our past: the dental superiority of hunter-gatherers, the crooked Nazis who saved thousands of American lives, the American immigrants who developed the most successful cancer screening tool in history, the sex lives of dinosaurs, and much, much more. These are charming little tales that never made the history books, but these small moments can be surprisingly powerful. These are the cases where history gets inverted, where the footnote becomes the real story.
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Check latest episodes from The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean podcast
A Murder at Stanford
2026/11/10
Why was Stanford University’s first president so eager to prove that no one had murdered one of its founders—despite iron-clad evidence to the contrary?
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Eerily Calm Deaths Aboard a Submarine
2026/11/03
When scientists recovered one of the first submarines in history, from the U.S. Civil War, they were stunned at the state of the bodies inside. There were no signs of panic or distress. So how did the sailors on the Hunley really die?
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Herd Reich
2026/10/27
In the 1930s, German scientists tried reviving extinct beasts for the Nazis—using sophisticated science that has uncomfortable echoes in certain conservation efforts today.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
Lassoing Giraffes and Wrasslin’ Rhinos
2026/10/20
Lassoing giraffes? 🦒 Wrasslin’ Rhinos?! 🦏 When new animals were needed for the Berlin Zoo, its keeper went Wild West on them. His exploits were as wild as the Serengeti itself. (Part 1 of 2.)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Birds and the Bees and the Astronauts
2026/10/13
Birds do it. 🦉 Bees do it. 🐝 But do astronauts a thousand miles above the trees do it? 🚀👩🚀 Maybe! Everything you need to know about sex in space.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Museum of Lost Things
2026/09/11
An audio excerpt from my new book, The Museum of Long Things. Available now!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
NASA’s Unmentionable(s) Adventure
2026/06/09
In the 1960s, NASA needed a better spacesuit. So they turned to the one firm on earth capable of meeting their strict standards—the Playtex underwear company. Episode below!
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Pioneers and Vestiges of Evolution
2026/06/02
His book on evolution rocked 1800s England. Not Charles Darwin. Robert Chambers, whose infamous tome both horrified Darwin, yet paved the way for him.
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Angel of the Concentration Camp
2026/05/26
Nurse Laura Cobb saved more lives than Clara Barton or Florence Nightingale, and under far worse conditions—in a brutal World War II concentration camp. So why did the world forget her?
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Battery Dope
2026/05/19
In the 1950s, scientists hated politics. Then one Allen Astin got fired. After that, scientists knew they had to play politics—or face professional annihilation.
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Making of the “Flat Earth” Myth
2026/05/12
No one in Columbus’s time believed the world was flat. So why did so many children learn this bogus “fact” in school? It all goes back to Rip van Winkle...
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
Forensic Pseudoscience
2026/05/05
When the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, the two most scientific detectives in the world took on the case. But they overlooked the real enemy—their own petty prejudice.
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
Manhattan Project Propaganda
2026/04/28
The Smyth Report is the strangest book ever written on atomic bombs—as well as highly effective science propaganda, warping our view of everything from the Manhattan Project to Robert Oppenheimer.
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
Back-Breaking Science
2026/04/21
When a British sub sank with all hands, JBS Haldane volunteered to investigate by experimenting on himself—even if it meant losing his own life in the process. (Part 2 of 2.)
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
The Canaries in the Submarine
2026/04/14
There’s only one thing Dr. John Haldane loved more than running dangerous experiments on himself—running them on his son Jack. But the duo would revolutionize our understanding of the human body.
Our Sponsors:
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-disappearing-spoon-a-science-history-podcast-with-sam-kean--7430574/support.
Check out my new book from National Geographic - 'The Museum of Lost Things', about the greatest lost treasures in history!
https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862
Podcast reviews
Read The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean podcast reviews
uvagrad 2026/10/31
Excellent podcast combing science, history, and even some soap opera
Sam Kean is a brilliant author who looks at not just science and history, but the very real and very flawed people who have advanced science through t...
Doc n Willow 2026/10/24
Simply Excellent!
Thoroughly enjoy this series and eagerly look forward to the next episode!
So far, I have not really found anything similar and the narrator is superb...
GA8989 2026/07/15
Disgusting Ads
I love the content of this podcast but I can barely listen to it. ICE and CIA ads? How can someone so devoted to science and science history promote t...
This Ken 2026/05/27
Just another sufferer of TDS
The host like most leftist allows Trump Derangement Syndrome to warp his brain
sfmn15 2025/12/10
Good content
Bad narrator has an anxious delivery that sounds like he’s counting down to an explosion.
R.A.M.P. 2025/09/07
Not very accurate
I am very well-read on one of the covered topics. The episode was riddled with inaccuracies.
Hbauttttttttttt 2025/08/19
Always interesting
I’ve listened for years and am always entertained. I just listened to the audiobook of Sam’s new book Dinner With King Tut. It was unlike anything I’v...
I like games 837 2025/05/19
The sound effects are horrible!
The concept of this show is great, but it’s too short and has too many commercials. But the worst part is the sound effects.
EricLouis5 2025/01/14
Great show
Welcome aboard!
sigma the 12374 2024/11/26
It’s ok
Good podcast but too many adds
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