Chemist Justus von Liebig was perhaps the most famous scientist in the world in the mid-1800s—but quickly became infamous for... more

Patient after patient died under the care of a single nurse in Holland. So why did so many statisticians think... more

Rama IV of Siam (from the “King and I” musical) used an eclipse to save his kingdom from greedy colonial... more

One Brazilian man’s brain damage transformed him into a selfless giver. So why did he infuriate so many people—and what... more

Jack Parsons was a devil-worshipping FBI rat who led a sex cult and was bosom buddies with L. Ron Hubbard.... more

Jack Parsons was a devil-worshiping FBI rat who led a sex cult and was bosom buddies with L. Ron Hubbard.... more

Who put the cheese in your stuffed-crust pizza? Or cows on a Caribbean island? And when more than half the... more

In 1878, two Paris dandies murdered an old woman—and blamed Charles Darwin for their crime. But the wild scandal that... more

Americans happily ate monosodium glutamate for decades. Then one (possibly fake) letter sparked mass hysteria over “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, and... more

Scientists have confirmed five basic human tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. But is that all? Debate now rages about... more

James Mellaart discovered one of the most important archaeological sites ever, Çatalhöyük in Turkey. But his lust for treasure—and a... more

He helped launch the British Empire and spawned a public-health epidemic that killed hundreds of millions of people. Blame him... more

She helped discover arguably the most important drug in history. And she got zero credit. They called her Moldy Mary—but... more

As recent submersible tragedies reveal, it’s harder to reach extreme ocean depths than the Moon. Meet the people who got... more

You wouldn’t think a lanky, awkward balloon geek would inspire Hollywood. But the death-defying Auguste Piccard was a worthy namesake... more

Albert Einstein’s relativity was just another theory at first, speculative and unproven—until Arthur Eddington and a special eclipse. Meet the... more

It was the most powerful emotional moment of Albert Einstein’s life—the instant he knew he was a genius. But in... more

Despite what you’ve heard, neuroscience’s most famous patient did not turn into a lying, drunken psychopath. He’s actually an amazing... more

Is it serious historical work? Respectable gossip? Blatantly prying into people’s lives? Retro-diagnosing historical celebrities like Darwin and Lincoln and... more

During the Nazi invasion of Russia during World War II, nine Soviet scientists starved to death surrounded by millions of... more

William Halford thought he had a surefire vaccine to stop herpes. And he wasn’t going to let anything—laws, ethics, his... more

Paul Stoutenburgh knew more atomic secrets than anyone on Earth. So was that why he killed himself? And if not,... more

Can you really collapse and wake up speaking a totally new language? Not quite. But “foreign accent syndrome” is a... more

What a bizarre site in Africa—a 1.7-billion-year-old, completely natural nuclear reactor—says about the future of energy production on planet Earth...Advertising... more

Genetic genealogy can catch brutal killers. It can also unmask affairs, secret adoptions, and other dark secrets. As well as... more

He coulda would shoulda been the next Einstein. Instead, Robert Oppenheimer fritted away his talents on trendy science and political... more

Leonardo da Vinci was brilliant, groundbreaking—and especially with regard to his science—wildly overrated. All because he lacked one all-important quality:... more

An update on the spring season of Disappearing Spoon (early episodes for Patreon subscribers!), plus a trailer for the new... more

The “mouse utopia” experiment showed just how quickly animal heaven can turn into animal hell—and revealed how eager human beings... more

Polar explorer Douglas Mawson made several mistakes on his harrowing journey across Antarctica. But the biggest blunder involved eating animal... more