Best Consortium For History Of Science Podcasts (2025)

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Conversation with Elena Conis – Author of How to Sell a Poison, 2024 Welch Award Recipient 51:13

5M ago51:13

51:13

Historians of medicine often express the desire for their work to reach broader audiences; however, popular platforms—be they television, radio, podcasts, corporate or social media—can reach many but touch few. History of Medicine Week is dedicated to exploring the risks, benefits, experiences, and best practices for historians of medicine to make …

1
50+2 years of Scholarship: UPenn Hist and Soc of Sci - History of Medicine 1:15:47

6M ago1:15:47

1:15:47

In October 2022, the University of Pennsylvania HSS Department commemorated it's 50th anniversary, delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two days, alumni, faculty, and current students gathered to discuss the department's history, its contributions to the field and new directions scholarship might take.In this episode:Chair: Leah…

1
50+2 years of Scholarship: UPenn Dept of the Hist and Soc of Sci - History of Technology 1:34:04

6M ago1:34:04

1:34:04

In October 2022, the University of Pennsylvania HSS Department commemorated it's 50th anniversary, delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two days, alumni, faculty, and current students gathered to discuss the department's history, its contributions to the field and new directions scholarship might take.In this episode:Chair: Zach…

1
50+2 years of Scholarship: UPenn Dept of the Hist and Soc of Sci - History of Science 1:29:19

6M ago1:29:19

1:29:19

In October 2022, the University of Pennsylvania HSS Department commemorated it's 50th anniversary, delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two days, alumni, faculty, and current students gathered to discuss the department's history, its contributions to the field and new directions scholarship might take.In this episode:Chair: Came…

1
50+2 years of Scholarship: UPenn Dept of the Hist and Soc of Sci - Dept Founder Arnold Thackray 1:01:00

6M ago1:01:00

1:01:00

In October 2022, the University of Pennsylvania HSS Department commemorated it's 50th anniversary, delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two days, alumni, faculty, and current students gathered to discuss the department's history, its contributions to the field and new directions scholarship might take.In this episode:Introductio…

1
50+2 years of Scholarship: UPenn Dept of the Hist and Soc of Sci - Plenary Presentations 44:04

6M ago44:04

44:04

In October 2022, the University of Pennsylvania HSS Department commemorated it's 50th anniversary, delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two days, alumni, faculty, and current students gathered to discuss the department's history, its contributions to the field and new directions scholarship might take.In this episode:Chair: M. S…

1
Beyond the Annual Meeting & History in Therapeutic Spaces 48:17

6M ago48:17

48:17

Historians of medicine often express the desire for their work to reach broader audiences; however, popular platforms—be they television, radio, podcasts, corporate or social media—can reach many but touch few. History of Medicine Week is dedicated to exploring the risks, benefits, experiences, and best practices for historians of medicine to make …

1
The Joys and Perils of Relevant History 50:37

6M ago50:37

50:37

Historians of medicine often express the desire for their work to reach broader audiences; however, popular platforms—be they television, radio, podcasts, corporate or social media—can reach many but touch few. History of Medicine Week is dedicated to exploring the risks, benefits, experiences, and best practices for historians of medicine to make …

1
Connecting through Literature, Corporate Media, and the Museum 52:35

6M ago52:35

52:35

Historians of medicine often express the desire for their work to reach broader audiences; however, popular platforms—be they television, radio, podcasts, corporate or social media—can reach many but touch few. History of Medicine Week is dedicated to exploring the risks, benefits, experiences, and best practices for historians of medicine to make …

1
History of Science Society at 100: Mining in the history and social studies of science 52:44

8M ago52:44

52:44

Join us for a discussion on the history of mining and the intersections of history of science with several other fields. How are mines sites of knowing the world, and how is that knowledge contested? How has our understanding of what a mine is changed over time, and what does that mean for how mines are studied? What can the methods and sources use…

1
DNA Papers 15: A Conversation with Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl 57:58

8M ago57:58

57:58

Tune in one last time to a bonus episode of The DNA Papers with the authors of "the most beautiful experiment in biology" as they reminisce about "the best years of their lives" and field questions from the commentators of episode 14. Series moderator Neeraja Sankaran was joined by historian of science Kersten Hall to co-host this special treat. Ma…

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History of Science Society at 100: History of Science in Song 58:49

10M ago58:49

58:49

Four historians share their interests in music, and their perspectives in using songs as source material for better understanding the history of science.Antony Adler, Carleton CollegeAndrew Fiss, Michigan Technological UniversityAsif Siddiqi, Fordham UniversityBetty Smocovitis, University of FloridaSong Notes:(https://soundcloud.com/antony-adler/th…

1
IsisCB on Pandemics - On Past, Present, and Possible Future, Pandemic Diseases 1:09:09

11M ago1:09:09

1:09:09

Episode three of the podcast companion to the Isis CB special issue on pandemics, focuses on the very substance of pandemics, namely the diseases themselves. Join Mark Honigsbaum, Matheus Alves Duarte da Silva, and Michael Bresalier in a conversation about the impact of disease on history and on the condition of our planet vis-a-vis current disease…

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DNA Papers 14: Matthew Meselson, Franklin Stahl, and semiconservative replication of DNA 1:01:37

12M ago1:01:37

1:01:37

The penultimate episode of the DNA Papers podcast series revisits a paper that demonstrated the semiconservative mode of DNA replication, which had been predicted by complementary base-paired double helix model of the molecule discussed in episode 13 of this series:Meselson, Matthew, and Franklin W. Stahl. “The replication of DNA in Escherichia col…

1
DNA Papers #13 - James Watson, Francis Crick, and the DNA Double Helix × Status message 1:02:20

1y ago1:02:20

1:02:20

Rounding out the story begun in the previous installment, episode 13 of the DNA Papers centers on the publications in which the double helical structure for DNA was proposed, detailed, and its various implications speculated upon. It features four papers, all by Watson and Crick from Cambridge,. Together these papers not only proposed that DNA’s th…

1
Donald L. Opitz - Daughters of Ceres 18:21

1y ago18:21

18:21

Don's book project, "Daughters of Ceres: The Scientific Advancement of Women in Horticulture, 1870–1920" examines the confluence of two 19th century movements—one dedicated to the promotion of scientific agriculture, another to the advancement of women's education in science. These movements fueled international efforts to elevate women's position …

1
Rena Selya — Salvador Luria: An Immigrant Biologist in Cold War America 24:29

1y ago24:29

24:29

In this episode, we speak with Rena Selya, the archivist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and author of Salvador Luria: An Immigrant Biologist in Cold War America.Blacklisted from federal funding review panels but awarded a Nobel Prize for his research on bacteriophage, biologist Salvador Luria (1912–1991) was as much an activist as a scientist. In t…

1
DNA Papers #12: Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and the double helix model for DNA structure 1:19:18

1y ago1:19:18

1:19:18

Episode 12 of the DNA Papers, is the first of a two-parter, which centers on papers published about the now iconic double helix structure of the DNA molecule. This episode features three publications, all published in the journal Nature, which represent the work of scientists working at King’s College London, whose X-ray crystallographic work provi…

1
Vandersommers - Entangled Encounters at the National Zoo: Stories from the Animal Archive 25:03

1+ y ago25:03

25:03

In this episode of Perspectives, we speak with Daniel Vandersommers, author of Entangled Encounters at the National Zoo: Stories from the Animal Archive. In this book, Vandersommers shows how zoo animals always ran away from the zoo. This is meant literally—animals escaped frequently—but even more so, figuratively. Living, breathing, historical zoo…

1
Christopher Willoughby — Masters of Health: Racial Science and Slavery in U.S. Medical Schools 45:32

1+ y ago45:32

45:32

In this episode of Perspectives we speak with Christopher Willoughby, author of Masters of Health: Racial Science and Slavery in U.S. Medical Schools. Masters of Health examines how the founders of U.S. medical schools promoted an understanding of race influenced by the theory of polygenesis—that each race was created separately and as different sp…

1
DNA Papers #11: Hershey, Chase, and DNA as the material of heredity 1:07:30

1+ y ago1:07:30

1:07:30

In episode 11 of The DNA Papers we revisit a paper describing a famous experiment performed by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase which combined the atomic-age tools of radioisotopes with an ordinary kitchen blender to show that DNA alone, and not protein, was the carrier of hereditary information: Hershey, Alfred D., and Martha Chase. “Independent Fu…

1
IsisCB on Pandemics - The Social and Political Dimensions of Pandemic Diseases 1:05:12

1+ y ago1:05:12

1:05:12

Following in the wake of the Isis CB special issue on pandemics, this episode of the companion podcast takes a deeper look at the social and political contexts of pandemics, and also considers the impact of doing such a history during times of disease crises. Contributors Kavita Sivaramakrishnan, Keith Wailoo and Emily Hamilton share their insights…

1
DNA Papers #10: Harriet Ephrussi-Taylor and Rollin Hotchkiss 56:41

1+ y ago56:41

56:41

The tenth episode of the DNA papers podcast brings to light some of the lesser discussed papers in the history of DNA that were instrumental in confirming its role in effecting genetic transformation. Both papers discussed in this episode were first presented at the 1951 Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology; the first by a geneticis…

1
Empires of the Dead: Inca Mummies and the Peruvian Ancestors of American Anthropology 43:46

1+ y ago43:46

43:46

In this episode of Perspectives, we speak with Christopher Heaney, author of Empires of the Dead: Inca Mummies and the Peruvian Ancestors of American Anthropology. Bringing together the history of science, race, and museums' possession of Indigenous remains, from the sixteenth century to the twentieth, Empires of the Dead illuminates how South Amer…

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DNA Papers #2: Albrecht Kossel 49:19

1+ y ago49:19

49:19

DNA Papers #2: Albrecht Kossel by Consortium for History of Science, Technology and MedicineBy Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine

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Who Does the Work of Science? A Century of Science as Passion, Punishment, and Paycheck 36:30

1+ y ago36:30

36:30

Laura Stark is a historical sociologist and Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University. Her second book project, The Normals: A People’s History, explores how a global market for healthy civilian “human subjects” emerged in law, science, and everyday imagination over the past century. The Normals shows how logics of racialized citizenship were bu…

1
History of Science Society at 100: Publications 44:07

1+ y ago44:07

44:07

The current and incoming editors of the journal Isis reflect on their expectations, experiences, and hopes for the journal and for the field of the history of science.Sigrid Schmalzer, University of Massachusetts, AmherstElise Burton, University TorontoProjit Mukharji, Ashoka UniversityMatt Lavine, Mississippi State University Alexandra Hui, Missis…

1
DNA Papers #9: Erwin Chargaff 1:03:24

1+ y ago1:03:24

1:03:24

Episode 9 of the DNA Papers discusses a set of papers by the first scientist who made a sustained effort into uncovering the secret behind specificity of nucleic acids. The principle author, Erwin Chargaff, a European-American biochemist from Columbia University in New York, determined that the relative rations of the four nucleotide bases—A, T, G …

1
History of Science Society at 100: Global Perspectives 59:22

1+ y ago59:22

59:22

Join us for a discussion of history of science from the perspectives of Latin American, African, and Ottoman history — and global history more broadly. How have these perspectives been represented in the past? What has changed more recently? What are the pressing questions and challenges for the future of the field from a global perspective? Sharin…

1
DNA Papers #8: Maclyn McCarty and Oswald Avery 53:05

1+ y ago53:05

53:05

In Episode 8 of the DNA papers, we discuss the papers that directly followed up the discovery of the 1944 paper from episode 7. These papers, which have received little attention in histories of DNA, describe the purification and experimental use of an enzyme, desoxyribonuclease, or DNase, which specifically destroys DNA. By showing how the transfo…

1
History of Science Society at 100: HSS at the Movies 1:04:00

1+ y ago1:04:00

1:04:00

Moviegoers who might never pick up a book on the history of science may nonetheless find themselves confronted with the stories, themes, and questions to which historians of science devote their careers when they go to the movies. Films and other forms of popular culture both reflect and shape public discourse about the significance of scientific d…

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DNA Papers # 7: Avery, McLeod and McCarty 1:17:09

2y ago1:17:09

1:17:09

The seventh episode of the DNA Papers is the central one in this podcast series, not only because it marks the halfway point of the podcast, but also, more so, because the paper discussed is at the center of the history of all twentieth century biology. Written by a trio of microbiologists at the Rockefeller University in New York City, this paper …

1
History of Science Society at 100: Women Historians of Science 46:25

2y ago46:25

46:25

The discovery of a never-released report from 1973 on women in the History of Science Society provides an opportunity to reflect on how much things have changed, what has not changed, and challenges that remain for improving inclusion in the Society. Discussants in this episode are:Tara Nummedal, Brown UniversitySamantha Muka, Stevens Institute of …

1
Adam Fulton Johnson — Information Control and Indigenous Politics of Documentation 17:16

2y ago17:16

17:16

In this episode of Perspectives, we speak with Adam Johnson, Consortium NEH Fellow. Adam introduces us to his book project, which examines the shifting relationships between white ethnographic fieldworkers and Pueblo and Navajo communities in the American Southwest around the documentation of sensitive information. By contrasting Anglo universalist…

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DNA Papers #6: William Astbury and Florence Bell 1:03:15

2y ago1:03:15

1:03:15

The sixth installment of this podcast series introduces a brand new player into the story of DNA: a technique from physics called X-ray crystallography. This technique would eventually play a key role in unlocking the secrets of DNA structure, but this 1938 paper by Leeds-based scientists William Astbury and Florence Bell marks the first instance o…

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History of Science Society at 100: Society Presidents 41:46

2y ago41:46

41:46

As the History of Science Society approaches its centennial celebration in 2024, its members reflect on the past 100 years of the profession, its fascinations and preoccupations, and its possible future in an increasingly globalized world. HSS@100 is produced in partnership with the History of Science Society.Where has the Society been and where wi…

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DNA Papers #5: Phoebus Levene 55:47

2y ago55:47

55:47

Episode 5 of the DNA papers examines the contributions of the organic chemist Phoebus Levene, who published a corpus of some 200 papers on the subject over a period of four decades, during which he made discoveries about the constituents of, and developed his ideas about the structure of, DNA. Among other things, he was the first person to correctl…

1
IsisCB on Pandemics: Fundamental Concepts in Understanding Pandemic Diseases 49:55

2y ago49:55

49:55

This episode of the IsisCB Pandemics series features contributors who wrote and reviewed bibliographic essays surveying the literature about concepts fundamental to our understanding of pandemic and epidemic diseases, such as the broad disciplinary category of epidemiology, as well as the specific concepts of vaccinations and syndemics. Offering th…

1
The National Academy of Sciences in the American Democracy: A History 1:34:07

2y ago1:34:07

1:34:07

An Albert M. Greenfield Forum in the History of ScienceIn 2014, Ruth Schwartz Cowan, Daniel J. Kevles and Peter Westwick were invited to write the 150th anniversary history of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and were given unprecedented access to its extensive archival collection, much of which had never attracted scholarly attention. Their m…

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DNA Papers #4: Fred Griffith 45:00

2y ago45:00

45:00

Episode 4 of the DNA Papers features another chapter in the deep history of DNA in which the molecule itself doesn’t come up. As in the previous episode, the paper makes no explicit reference to either the molecule or its function. But the paper occupies an indisputable role in the history of DNA, because the discovery it reports opened the door to…

1
DNA Papers #3: Walter Sutton 1:04:39

2y ago1:04:39

1:04:39

The papers discussed in episode 3 of the DNA Papers do not mention DNA in any way at all! And yet they are vitally important in any history of DNA because they provided the first step in bringing together a visible cellular component—the chromosome—both with ideas about heredity and about the chemical workings of living cells (DNA). The two papers,…

1
DNA Papers Episode 2: Albrecht Kossel 49:19

2y ago49:19

49:19

In episode 2 of the DNA Papers we discuss a cluster of papers from the late nineteenth century by the German physiological chemist Albrecht Kossel, who studied the chemical make-up of nuclein, and found and named its nitrogen-containing building blocks, probably best recognized today by their labels A, T, G, and C. Although work was deemed sufficie…

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IsisCB on Pandemics: Introduction 35:52

2y ago35:52

35:52

This series offers discussions with the editors and authors of a special issue of the Isis Current Bibliography. It provides perspectives into the state of current scholarhip on the history of pandemics, and where the field might be heading in the future.Neeraja Sankaran and Stephen P. Weldon introduce the series.Get an inside view of the editorial…

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Judith Kaplan — Linguistics: Reconstructing the Discipline through Universals Research 6:13

2y ago6:13

6:13

Judith Kaplan is a historian of the human sciences focused on nineteenth- and twentieth-century linguistics. She holds degrees in disability studies and the history of science, and is a National Science Foundation Research Scholar at the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Dr. Kaplan's is working on a comprehensive history o…

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DNA Papers: Introduction 5:43

2+ y ago5:43

5:43

This podcast series illuminates the history of seminal discoveries and research through which we learned about the molecule that has been dubbed as the “secret of life” itself: DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid.Neeraja Sankaran introduces the series. She is a historian of science and medicine at the National Centre for Biological Sciences-TIFR, Bangalo…

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DNA Papers #1: Friedrich Miescher 1:06:40

2+ y ago1:06:40

1:06:40

The first episode of the DNA papers goes back to the nineteenth century when a young Swiss doctoral student, searching for the secrets of life by delving into the chemistry of cells, stumbled on to a hitherto unknown new chemical substance localized in the nucleus of pus cells. He named the substance nuclein; we now recognize it by the commonly use…

1
Joseph Malherek — Free-Market Socialists: European Émigrés Who Made Capitalist Culture in America 35:48

2+ y ago35:48

35:48

In this episode of Perspectives, we speak with Joseph Malherek, author of Free-Market Socialists: European Émigrés Who Made Capitalist Culture in America, 1918–1968. What is the surprising connection between socialism and the corporate focus group? How did socialists come to develop, of all things, the suburban American shopping mall? Listen in as …

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Susan Brandt on Women Healers: Gender, Authority and Medicine in Early Philadelphia 38:36

2+ y ago38:36

38:36

In this episode of Perspectives, we speak with Susan Brandt, author of Women Healers: Gender, Authority, and Medicine in Early Philadelphia.Drawing on extensive archival research in Consortium collections, Susan Brandt demonstrates that women of various classes and ethnicities in early Philadelphia found new sources of healing authority, engaged in…

1
Rana Hogarth — Eugenics and the Legacies of Slavery 10:32

2+ y ago10:32

10:32

Rana Hogarth is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Illinois and an NEH Fellow at the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Her research focuses on the medical and scientific constructions of race during the era of slavery and beyond. Professor Hogarth's first book, Medicalizing Blackness: Mak…

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Ofer Gal — The Origins of Modern Science: From Antiquity to the Scientific Revolution 38:23

2+ y ago38:23

38:23

In this episode of Perspectives, we speak with Ofer Gal, author of The Origins of Modern Science: From Antiquity to the Scientific Revolution.What is the role of history in telling stories about science? How and why do we know about how the planets orbit? Why are there cathedrals in South America, and what does that have to do with science?Listen i…

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Consortium For History Of Science Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen