The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean Podcast By Sam Kean cover art

The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

By: Sam Kean
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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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Episodes
  • The Canaries in the Submarine

    The Canaries in the Submarine
    Apr 14 2026

    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.



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    17 mins
  • Charles Lindbergh, Lab Rat

    Charles Lindbergh, Lab Rat
    Apr 7 2026

    When Charles Lindbergh's sister-in-law developed heart trouble, he teamed up with a Nobel-Prize-winning doctor to save her. He had no idea the dark paths his work would lead him down, including Nazi politics and eugenics...



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    19 mins
  • The Publicity Stunt that Sparked the Scopes Monkey Trial

    The Publicity Stunt that Sparked the Scopes Monkey Trial
    Dec 16 2025

    Exactly a century ago, teacher John Scopes was charged with the “crime” of teaching evolution. But Scopes was hardly a defiant Galileo, nobly standing up for truth. In fact, he never even taught evolution. (Really.) But despite the unseemly origins of the Monkey Trial, Scopes proved himself a genuine hero...



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    19 mins
All stars
Most relevant
The content is interesting, entertaining, and makes you eager to learn more. It is a great podcast!

The content is amazing

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Stories are interesting to listen to. short and well read.

Each short episode has an ad in the middle, ad for his other books and his patreon, and an ad at the end for the science and history institute, all of which are said to be necessary in making the podcast happen. I'd rather pay.
There are few weak episodes such as the cancer episode with wild speculation that is outright not how cancer research works.

it's interesting. so many ads

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love the stories.. commercials are extremely annoying. the podcast itself is very well done and much entertaining

great stories.. commercials are annoying

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Interesting topics along with excellent narration/presentation. I am enjoying these stories very much. Definitely recommend.

Things that make you go hmmm 🤔

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