Distillations | Science History Institute

This week we celebrate the opening of the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s new museum! SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:04 Element of the Week: The Periodic Table 03:06 Tools of the Trade: Technicon Autoanalyzer 06:13 Tour of new Making Modernity exhibit 11:18 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Erin McLeary for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

There’s nothing quite like a good night’s rest to recharge the body and restore the spirits. Today’s show looks at the science of sleep—and insomnia. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:28 Element of the Week: Helium 03:15 Mystery Solved! Snoring 06:44 Caffeine and Wakefulness 10:38 Quote: C. S. Lewis 11:02 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Catherine Giradeau and Anke Timmermann for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

According to Newton’s third law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In this week’s episode we explore causes and their effects in several different ways. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:16 Element of the Week: Francium 03:10 Chemistry in your Cupboard: Pheromone Perfumes 06:11 Feature: The Chemistry of Ripe Apples 10:38 Quote: Ralph Waldo Emerson 10:57 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio and Lara Ratzlaff for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Breaking through the glass ceiling can be tough, especially when you are a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field. This week’s episode takes a look at women in chemistry. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:30 Introduction 01:19 Element of the Week: Meitnerium 03:21 A Conversation with Donna Nelson 07:30 Feature: The Career of Helen B. Brown 11:31 Quote: Abigail Adams 11:43 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush and Catherine Girardeau for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

This week we delve into the world of experimenting on oneself. Many scientists have both knowingly and unknowingly used themselves as guinea pigs in the lab. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:23 Element of the Week: Radium 03:03 Conversation with Rebecca Herzig 08:04 Chemistry in your Cupboard: Home DNA Test Kits 10:51 Quote: Edwin Emory Slosson 11:14 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Dominique Tobbell for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

All over the Midwest, farmers are cranking up their combines for the corn harvest. Modern agriculture depends on science and technology at every step of the way, from genetically modified crops, to the fertilizer on the fields, to the fuel in the tractor. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:21 Introduction 01:21 Element of the Week: Nitrogen 03:27 Feature: Biodiesel and glycerine 08:06 Mystery Solved! Compost 10:43 Quote: Walt Whitman 11:16 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Amy Coombs and Audra Wolfe for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

In the eleventh century the first camera obscura was invented, helping artists draw. It would be another eight centuries before people figured out how to capture images directly onto film. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:10 Element of the Week: Selenium 03:13 Commentary: Objectivity vs. Subjectivity 06:04 Science and Photography at SFMOMA 10:50 Quote: Terrence Donovan 11:15 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to David Caruso and Emily Wilson for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

We continue to look back at some of our favorite episodes this week at Distillations. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:48 Element of the Week: Black Bile 02:12 A Conversation with Jackie Duffin 06:44 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Pop Rocks 08:52 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Erin McLeary, Robert Hicks, and Chi Chan for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

This week we’re looking back at some of our favorite Distillations episodes. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:50 Element of the Week: Platinum 03:03 Making Mauvine 08:30 Mystery Solved! Damascus Steel 11:17 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush and Chi Chan for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Addicted to the Olympics? Take a break from too much video with 12 minutes of audio. On today’s show, we investigate Olympic mysteries, from the flame of the torch to the composition of those so-called gold medals.   SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:12 Element of the Week: Gold 03:13 Mystery Solved! The Olympic Torch 06:01 Citizen Air Quality Monitoring 10:43 Quote: Albert Camus 11:03 Closing Credits   CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush and Andrew Stelzer for researching this show. Additional credits available at https://sciencehistory.org/stories/distillations-pod/olympics/