Science doesn’t always get it right the first time—and that’s part of the journey. In this anniversary special, we explore how ideas about nerve damage, sustainable materials and alien life have done a full 180. This episode first aired in August.

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The Search for Extraterrestrial Life Is a Roller Coaster of Hope and Disappointment

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

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Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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ENCORE: Science’s Greatest 180s