The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

1. 1
   Number 1: Charles Lindbergh, Lab Rat

   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... Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

   April 07, 2026·20min
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2. 2
   Number 2: The Publicity Stunt that Sparked the Scopes Monkey Trial

   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... Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

   December 16, 2025·19min
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3. 3
   Number 3: The Birds and the Bees and the Frogs

   A young woman in the mid-1900s couldn’t take an at-home pregnancy test. Instead, she sent a vial of urine to a clinic, where a technician would, of all things, inject it into a frog, and hormones in the urine would cause the frog to lay eggs. This frog-based test was far faster, easier, and cleaner than any pregnancy test before, and it shifted power for family planning from doctors to women themselves. Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

   April 15, 2025·19min
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4. 4
   Number 4: The Would-Be Saint's Battle over Down Syndrome

   After scientists had a handle on how many chromosomes humans have, other researchers began exploring whether certain ailments might be caused by chromosomal abnormalities. To this end, a French cardiologist discovered that Down syndrome was caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in humans. But a colleague stole credit for her work, and the battle over their legacies continues to this day, in part because the colleague is on track to become a certified Catholic saint. Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

   April 08, 2025·19min
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5. 5
   Number 5: The Winter when People Ate Tulips

   It’s the 80th anniversary of the Dutch Hongerwinter during World War II, which led to widespread starvation, and an inadvertent breakthrough in treating deadly celiac disease. Our Sponsors: * Check out ElevenReader and use my code "Spoon" for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b * Check out my new book, The Museum of Lost Things! https://www.amazon.com/Museum-Lost-Things-Treasures-Legendary/dp/1426223862 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-museum-of-lost-things-sam-kean/1149452418 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-museum-of-lost-things-true-tales-of-fabled-treasures-legendary-cities-and-mythical-creatures-that-vanished-from-history-sam-kean/7acdc59032c1002b Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

   December 10, 2024·20min
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