Half-Truths

Half-Truths

By Half-Truths PodcastScienceSocial SciencesEducationCourses
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Half-Truths episodes

  • EP10 - The Lemming's Lie: Disney's Plunge Into Deception
    We've all heard the story: lemmings, in a fit of collective madness, blindly march off cliffs to their doom. It's a powerful metaphor for conformity, but it's built on a complete fabrication. This episode uncovers the shocking cinematic lie behind one of biology's most persistent myths.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
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    20 min
  • EP9 - Dropping the Apple: Newton's Unpeeled Truth
    We all know the story: an apple bonks Isaac Newton on the head, and in a flash of genius, the theory of gravity is born. But what if the most famous "eureka" moment in science history never actually happened? This episode peels back the layers of a legend to uncover a truth far more complex, and far more brilliant, than a simple falling fruit.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    23 min
  • EP8 - The Emperor's New Inches: Why Napoleon Wasn't Short
    Everyone knows Napoleon Bonaparte was a tiny tyrant, a man so short he had a psychological complex named after him. But what if the story of the "Little Corporal" is one of history's greatest PR jobs? This episode uncovers how a mix-up in measurement and a masterful propaganda campaign shrunk an emperor and created a myth that has stood tall for two hundred years.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    24 min
  • EP7 - The Wizard of Menlo Park and the Light Bulb Lie
    We all learned that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in a singular "eureka!" moment. But what if the story of the lone genius who banished the darkness is just a convenient fable? This episode unscrews the familiar bulb to reveal a surprising, decades-long story of forgotten pioneers, brilliant marketing, and the real genius that actually powered our modern world.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    23 min
  • EP6 - The Ghost in Your Fingertips
    We learn it in kindergarten: humans have five senses. Sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch are the five pillars of our reality. But what if that foundational piece of biology is wrong, leaving out the hidden senses that allow you to walk, feel pain, and even know which way is up?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    16 min
  • EP5 - The Great Wall You Can't See From Space
    We were all taught that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from space, a testament to human ingenuity visible even from the moon. But what if the people who have actually been to space—the astronauts themselves—tell a completely different story?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    18 min
  • EP4 - Vincent's Final Cut: The Truth About Van Gogh's Ear
    We all know the story: in a fit of madness, Vincent van Gogh sliced off his entire ear and gave it to a prostitute. It's the ultimate symbol of the tortured artist. But what if that bloody, iconic story—the one that defined his legacy—is based on a fundamental misreading of the evidence, and the truth is both less dramatic and infinitely more tragic?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    20 min
  • EP3 - The Great American Pyramid Scheme
    We all remember the iconic USDA Food Pyramid from our school cafeterias—a simple, colorful guide telling us to build our diets on a foundation of bread, cereal, and pasta. It was presented as the gospel of good health, a scientific roadmap to nutrition. But what if that roadmap was drawn by lobbyists, and the destination it led us to wasn't health, but a national health crisis?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    22 min
  • EP2 - The 90 Percent Lie: How Your Brain Was Sold Short
    We've all heard it: we only use 10% of our brains, with the other 90% holding untapped psychic powers and genius potential. But what if this popular "fact" isn't a scientific marvel, but one of the most successful and persistent pieces of pseudoscience ever created?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    20 min

About Half-Truths

From the publisher's feed

Remember that neat, tidy version of history and science you learned in school? The one with brave explorers discovering continents, brilliant inventors having a single "eureka!" moment, and a food pyramid that was definitely going to make you healthy?