Light Your Bunsen Burner

Salvador Luria and Max Delbrück travelled a long road to finally meet each other. Little did they know, their collaboration would change how bacterial genetics was conducted. From attending summer camp for geniuses to gaining "enemy alien" status together, Salvador and Max formed an unlikely yet productive friendship. Join us as we fluctuate with this pair and find out if we're worthy of joining Max's "tiny island" phage cult. 

Special guest vocals by Mariela's cat, Masapan. 

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Salvador Luria was a young doctor trying to find his calling in fascist Italy. A little help from his friends and the discovery of another physicist's paper put Salvador on the path to greatness. Little did he know that the path to greatness involved a long bicycle ride and dodging a Nazi invasion. Join us as we paddle furiously along with Salvador on his journey from indifferent medical student to genetics pioneer. Along the way we'll take romantic strolls through Turin, run into famous poets and finally meet out one true love, Max Delbruck. 

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In the first episode of our three part arc on phage genetics pioneers, we discuss the early life and career of physicist Max Delbruck. From failing his PhD exams to failing out of Nazi indoctrination camps, Max worked under the mantra of "Go big or go home." Well, mostly he went home. Until he stumbled into the field of phage genetics. Join us as we examine Max's life in the shadow of his famous father and his realization that he wasn't that great at physics.

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Monarch butterflies embark on a yearly 3000 mile migration to spend the winter in the mountains of central Mexico, but that is not the only amazing part of their story. Join us as we fire up the Winnebago to go in search of the Monarch's history. We'll pick up Canadian bug PhDs, intrepid Mexican women and anti-logging activists on our journey. Just make sure to pack plenty of sperm pouches. 

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A strange new illness began to spread from the wet markets in China during the winter of 2002. By early 2003, the world was in a panic due to a virus with pandemic potential. Surprise! 17 years later its all happening again! Join us as we trace the epidemic that hurled the global public health system into dismay way before it was bogged down by fake news and internet grifters. From government inaction to parrot chlamydia and superspreaders, the 2003 SARS outbreak straddled the line between tragedy and comedy. 

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It's the late 1700's in France and a different reign of terror is underway for the cats and dogs that happen to cross Tarrare's path. Join us as we gorge ourselves on the story of one of the most bizarre medical marvels of that era. Tarrare's unique ability took him from street performer and pickpocket to experimental guinea pig and French spy. But the whole ordeal left the gross young man with a pit in his stomach and possibly a golden fork. 

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Once again we take questions from all the listeners and try to answer them... if we don't get distracted by electric cloud discharges. Learn the answers to questions about petrified glass, mass extinctions and the Mandela Effect. Also we delve into some philosophical queries regarding scientific ethics and the role of spirituality in the sciences. 

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In 1995, the world was introduced to the most famous sheep in science history. While Dolly the sheep was the star of the show, she wasn't the first animal - or even the first sheep - ever cloned. Join us as we duplicate the surprisingly long history of animal cloning and separate the fact from the fiction. Also find out why you don't want to be up front at a DJ Diploid concert and all the things you can accomplish with baby hair and salamander eggs. 

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After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the third core slated for another shot at Japan was relegated for experimental use. But this instrument built for death would not go without taking a couple of lives of its own. Join us as we critically examine the deaths of two Manhattan Project scientists and the ignored safety protocols that could have saved them. We also try to figure out how swinging works, find that cowboy boots in a lab is definitely and aesthetic, and create a new genre of heavy metal called Demoncore.

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As far back as ancient Greece, seafarers have told myths of massive tentacled sea monster. From tales of the Kraken to Archie the preserved giant squid, this elusive cephalopod has terrified and captivated sailors and scientists alike. Come aboard our French ship as we traverse the ocean in search of the giant squid. On our odyssey we discover that Norwegian names are very difficult to pronounce, sperm whales are swallowers and European Seashells will be the next big hit. Grab a mothjito and join us on a deep dive. 

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