The Birds and the Bees and the Astronauts

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

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

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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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

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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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

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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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

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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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

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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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

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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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

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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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 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.ioAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyBecome 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