Distillations | Science History Institute

Science History Institute
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Jan 11, 2008 • 10min

Episode 5: The Body Chemical

Western medicine has always looked at the body as a system in balance. Today’s show looks at how ideas about the body’s equilibrium have changed over the past few centuries, from humoral theory to the discovery of vitamins and the role of trace elements in human health.   SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:12 The Element of the Week: Black bile 02:52 Mystery Solved: Pellagra 05:39 Trace elements, or why do we need selenium and nickel, anyway? 08:55 Quote of the Week: Albert Szent-Gyorgyi 09:15 Closing Credits   CREDITS Special thanks to Erin McLeary for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.
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Jan 4, 2008 • 12min

Episode 4: Measurement

Chemistry has always been a science of measurement. In this episode, we look at several cases of how measurements affect scientific research and practice as well as daily life.   SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:09 The Element of the Week: Platinum 03:34 Interview with Norm Holden, Brookhaven National Laboratories, on changing atomic weights 07:21 Stoichiometry: Featuring Robert Wolke, author of What Einstein Told His Cook 11:28 Quote of the Week: Robert Weber 11:46 Closing Credits   CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.
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Dec 28, 2007 • 7min

Episode 3: Happy Holidays from CHF!

This week, in honor of the holiday season, we’re offering a toast to chemistry. We’ll explain what makes champagne bubble, and why size matters when you’re talking about carbonation.   SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:03 Element of the Week: Phosphorus 02:48 The Science behind Champagne Bubbles 05:57 Quote of the Week: Graham Greene 06:16 Closing Credits   CREDITS Additional credits available at distillations.org
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Dec 21, 2007 • 11min

Episode 2: Cleaning Up

After the recent oil spills in the San Francisco Bay and the Kerch Strait, Distillations delves into the reality of cleaning up human-made messes.   SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:55 Commentary by Jody Roberts 02:55 Element of the Week: Mercury 04:44 Cleaning up the San Francisco oil spill 09:12 Quote of the Week: Barry Commoner 09:44 Closing Credits   CREDITS Special thanks to Jody Roberts for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.
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Dec 14, 2007 • 11min

Episode 1: Communicating Chemistry

How do scientists explain what they do to the larger public, and how can historians help? In this first episode of Distillations, we explore this question by looking at phlogiston, an obsolete element once thought to explain combustion.   SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:42 The periodic table 01:52 Element of the Week: Phlogiston 04:02 Interview with Paul Smith, director of lecture demonstrations in the department of chemistry, Purdue University 09:16 Quote of the week: Primo Levi 09:43 Closing Credits   CREDITS Special thanks to Anke Timmermann for researching this show. Additional credits available at sciencehistory.org.

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