What do you think of when you hear the term Snake Oil? Do you think of miracle vitamins with outlandish claims? Do you think of sneaky sales people trying to separate you from your money? Or do you think of actual snakes?

The truth is, those are all true. Snake Oil is a complicated concept that includes shiffy profiteers, and an audience that is, if not ‘gullible,’ at least ‘susceptible.’

Joseph Sledge spent three decades in prison because of bad forensics, and when you learn how it played out in the courtroom… you’ll see that what he really fell victim to, was “Snake Oil.”

The best defence against snake oil is science.

These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca
Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

What do you think of when you hear the term Snake Oil? Do you think of miracle vitamins with outlandish claims? Do you think of sneaky sales people trying to separate you from your money? Or do you think of actual snakes? The truth is, those are all true. Snake Oil is a complicated concept that includes shiffy profiteers, and an audience that is, if not ‘gullible,’ at least ‘susceptible.’ Joseph Sledge spent three decades in prison because of bad forensics, and when you learn how it played out in the courtroom… you’ll see that what he really fell victim to, was “Snake Oil.” The best defence against snake oil is science. These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically, we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca Learn more about SciMar at https://scimar.ca/

When Snake Oil Enters the Courtroom

In Season 2 of the series we will share a new collection of surprising and unusual stories from the history of science.
In each episode we will feature two seemingly unrelated stories from the past. Then, Dan Riskin will connect the dots between those stories and offer insight into how that history impacts modern medical research.

We are learning from the past so we can understand the present, and inform the future.

Along the way we will learn how a professor at Stanford turned mild mannered young men into cruel vicious prison guards, and how the Irish Potato Famine really had nothing to do with potatoes.

We will ask questions such as: “Did we learn the wrong lesson from the sinking of the Titanic?” “How many people did Orson Wells actually fool?” and “What exactly is Maple Syrup Urine Disease?”

In these ten episodes we will also follow along with SciMar as they take their breakthrough science into the testing phase. Will the things they discovered in a row of test tubes in the lab be repeatable in real people? And will that prove to be the final cure for type 2 diabetes?

So, if you are intrigued by science, get excited about the process of discovery, and want to have the best stories at your next dinner party, this is the show for you. We promise a season full of guinea pigs, Corona beer, shipwrecks, and cobras.

--

The series is produced by SciMar, a medical research company developing a new way to detect, treat and cure type 2 diabetes. Rather than insulin from the pancreas, they are focused on hepatalin, a hormone that comes from the liver. We will use historical stories to shine a light on where this modern company is headed.

Society & Culture

Documentary

Science

History

In Season 2 of the series we will share a new collection of surprising and unusual stories from the history of science. In each episode we will feature two seemingly unrelated stories from the past. Then, Dan Riskin will connect the dots between those stories and offer insight into how that history impacts modern medical research. We are learning from the past so we can understand the present, and inform the future. Along the way we will learn how a professor at Stanford turned mild mannered young men into cruel vicious prison guards, and how the Irish Potato Famine really had nothing to do with potatoes. We will ask questions such as: “Did we learn the wrong lesson from the sinking of the Titanic?” “How many people did Orson Wells actually fool?” and “What exactly is Maple Syrup Urine Disease?” In these ten episodes we will also follow along with SciMar as they take their breakthrough science into the testing phase. Will the things they discovered in a row of test tubes in the lab be repeatable in real people? And will that prove to be the final cure for type 2 diabetes? So, if you are intrigued by science, get excited about the process of discovery, and want to have the best stories at your next dinner party, this is the show for you. We promise a season full of guinea pigs, Corona beer, shipwrecks, and cobras. -- The series is produced by SciMar, a medical research company developing a new way to detect, treat and cure type 2 diabetes. Rather than insulin from the pancreas, they are focused on hepatalin, a hormone that comes from the liver. We will use historical stories to shine a light on where this modern company is headed.

Share When Snake Oil Enters the Courtroom

Sign up to save your podcasts

When Snake Oil Enters the Courtroom

When Snake Oil Enters the Courtroom

More shows like Inside the Breakthrough - How Science Comes to Life

TED Radio Hour

Radiolab

Freakonomics Radio

Fresh Air

Hidden Brain

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Invisibilia

the memory palace

Science Vs

Revisionist History: The Alabama Murders

Science Friday

Throughline

Short Wave

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

What's Your Problem?