When Science Makes History

During the Age of Sail, nearly 2 million sailors died due to a Vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy took down more sailors than shipwrecks, storms, and skirmishes combined. What is scurvy and how do parsley, camu camu, kiwifruit, and paprika prevent this disease? Does taking Vitamin C actually aid your immune system? Find out the answer to these questions and more on this episode of When Science Makes History.

What does blue raspberry flavoring have in common with synthetic meat and for that matter - what is synthetic meat? How are artificial urine, vanilla extract, and essential oils related? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this episode.

Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash

What do Protestants, Catholics, Priests, and Peruvians have in common? What does tree bark have to do with malaria and why did synthesizing an antimalarial take almost two hundred years? What is a prophylaxis and what is Plasmodium? Learn the answers to these questions and a whole lot more on this episode of When Science Makes History.

There is a reason most of us do not fear dying from a paper cut, strep throat, or tuberculosis. The answer is antibiotics. These did not always exist and we are past the dark ages of bacterial sepsis and maybe heading back into those days. In this episode, learn what molds, MRSA, peptidoglycan, and penicillin all have in common. More appropriately, learn "who" is the connection point between all of these in this episode of When Science Makes History.

Photo Credit: Center for Disease Control (CDC).

What do potatoes, elephants, billiard balls, hemp, and the oceans have in common? Well... believe it or not - plastics! This episode is slightly different from our normal episodes and is aimed at heightening our awareness of the lifespan of plastic. This episode covers the development of plastics and how we can creatively reduce, reuse, and if possible recycle items we come in contact with each day.

"In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row... " remains a familiar poem covering battle, death, and the plant known as Papaver somniferum. So, what do the poppy flower, opium, twilight sleep, and women voting have in common? Apparently, quite a bit. Listen in on this episode entitled, "Into the Arms of Morpheus" on When Science Makes History to acquire the answers to these questions and a whole lot more.

Photo by Tim Cooper on Unsplash

What does the air we breathe have to do with fertilizer? What connection exists between Nazi Germany, gas warfare, and ammonia? Who was Fritz Haber and what was his scientific role in history? Find out the answer to these questions and more on this episode of When Science Makes History.

Photo by Bas van den Eijkhof on Unsplash

What do boll weevils, peanuts, cotton, and tomatoes have in common? What connection is there between Iowa State University and Tuskegee University, and more importantly - who is that connection? Iowa corn fields to Alabama's cotton and peanut fields all have a common connection in George W. Carver. Listen to this episode to learn more about the fascinating genius of the boy called the Carver's George. 

What do rum and beets have in common, or just as equally, what do artificial sweeteners and lead paint have in common? How did the phrase "Yo, Ho, Ho, and a Bottle of Rum" get attached to pirates? How did sugar drive the slave trade and who gave the Caribbean the first sugar plants to start growing?  Have you heard about the Boston Molassacre? All these questions and more can be answered on this episode of When Science Makes History.

Photo by Sonika Agarwal on Unsplash

What is caffeine? Does caffeine keep us awake? Can you get addicted to caffeine? What exactly does caffeine do in our bodies? Coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks? What is your preference? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this episode of When Science Makes History. 

Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash