One more best of show while the team rests up and works on new content for the fall. From the placebo show, Michal Meyer reveals the dubious science behind the idea of mesmerism. Next, Bob Kenworthy and Gigi Naglak show how climate change is impacting two countries in extreme ways. And reporter Esther D’Amico examines how shows like The Big Bang Theory are convincing teenagers that being a geek isn’t so bad.

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The Distillations crew takes a break every August to regroup and plan for the next season’s shows. So instead of new material, we pull together our favorite segments from episodes past. This one includes a few of my personal favorites: James Voelkel’s essay on Palmer the Poisoner from our Forensics show, Gigi Naglak on how maggots are used to treat infections from our Gross Out episode. And finally, Josh Kurz’s feature on how placebos manage to fool the brain.

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I didn’t have much to do with this show other than a few early conversations with indie feature producer Zoe Sullivan, but I couldn’t resist posting this one anyway, especially with a title like “Chem-moo-stry.” Details from the the Distillations website:

Over a billion cows are currently grazing on lands across the world, but what do we actually know about them? They’re big. They moo. They give us milk. But what else? On today’s show Distillations is answering some long-standing questions about cattle. First, we find out why the effects of dairy are nonexistent for some and unbearable for others. Then, producer Zoe Sullivan takes us to a research farm at the University of Wisconsin where scientists are exploring the mechanisms of cow digestion—with a little help from the clear, removable “portholes” implanted into its research cows.

Image courtesy of Flickr user twbuckner.

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This is the second of Distillations’ four-part series Our Chemical Landscape. In this episode, we move from the city to the burbs, where increased sprawl is creating a host of traffic and related air quality issues. First, Distillations assistant producer Anne Fredrickson brings us a brief history of electric cars. Then, a feature from Austin, Texas where producer Lindsay Patterson explores how mass transit options might help mitigate growing transportation and pollution concerns in her area.

Commuters taking the highway to downtown Austin. Image courtesy of Flickr user Rutlo.

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This episode was guest produced by my friend and colleague Ari Daniel Shapiro, host and producer of Ocean Gazing, a podcast about the science of the seas. First, Ari brings us to an underwater lab off the coast of Key West where scientists study the effects of CO2 on the coral reef. Then he visits a pontoon boat off the Oregon coast where researchers use light to study the seas.

Also – check out this beautiful audio slideshow Ari produced for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Image courtesy of Jim Maragos/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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This is the first of a new four-part series called Our Chemical Landscape, in honor of the International Year of Chemistry. Each episode will look at how science has shaped one of these four areas: the city, the suburb, the farm, and the wild.

We begin with the city, looking specifically at how energy impacts the city’s past, present, and future. First, an historical essay on the transition from gas lighting to modern electricity. Plus a feature story from Kimberley Haas about Philadelphia’s plan to become the greenest city in the country.

Special thanks to Catherine Girardeau who finished production on this one.

Philadelphia skyline image courtesy of Flickr user Kevin Burkett.

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The Distillations crew is a decidedly geeky bunch. We revel in it, and with this episode, we hope you will too.

From the Distillations website:

Next time you’re channel surfing, take a look at the scientists depicted on screen. Far from the bumbling poindexters of yore, many of these characters are more like rock stars—solving crimes, saving the world. It makes you wonder: is it becoming chic to be a geek? In today’s episode we seek an answer to this question. First, producer Esther D’Amico investigates how shows like The Big Bang Bang Theory might influence a new generation of scientists. Next, CHF president Tom Tritton looks at some troubling statistics about the state of science education in the U.S. and shares the ways we might improve our standing.

PS: I love my Distillations co-workers for writing “bumbling poindexters of yore”. That is some genius phrasing.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Bylzz.

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In this episode of Distillations, we look at the use of radioactive isotopes in medicine. First, a segment on using radioactive iodine to cure thyroid cancer. And an interview with two scientists who use PET scans to study the effects of alternative treatments like acupuncture and meditation.

Image of PET scan from a former opioid addict under the influence of morphine, circa 1980.

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Distillations celebrates Earth Day with a show on climate change. First, we profile Chad and Bangladesh – two countries facing opposite but equally devastating effects of climate change – extreme drought and extreme flooding. Then, an interview with atmospheric chemist Susan Solomon, a key member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, about what the world’s population might face in the future.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Flying Singer.

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Distillations April Fools’-themed show looks at medical trickery through the ages. First, a segment on 18th-century doctor Franz Mesmer and the earliest documented evidence of the placebo effect in action. (Origin of the term “to mesmerize!”) Then, a feature from super creative audio/video producer Josh Kurz on the modern placebo, and how the pesky human brain both helps and hinders modern medical trials.

Image of Franz Anton Mesmer, 1815.

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Marie Curie was amazing and all, but she’s not the only notable woman of science. Distillations honors women’s history month by profiling a number of lesser-known female chemists. First, a segment on British Nobel Prize Winner Dorothy Hodgkin. Then, we walk you through the “Ladies in the Lab” tour at CHF’s museum.

Image by Gregory Tobias courtesy of CHF Collections.

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This show highlights two centuries of forensic science. First, a segment on a 19th century serial killer brought to justice by the father of British forensic medicine. Then an interview with modern-day forensic specialist Michael Eyring, who helped solve one of the biggest crimes of the 20th century by tracing microscopic paint spatter. It’s real life CSI!

Image courtesy of Flickr user Carlos A. Martinez.

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In honor of Black History Month, this show celebrates the contributions of African-American chemists. Segments on George Washington Carver (not JUST the guy who invented peanut butter) and a glimpse into CHF’s oral history program. You’ll hear interview excerpts from Reatha Clark King and Linda Meade-Tollin, two women who overcame both race and gender stereotypes to achieve great success in their field.

George Washington Carver image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

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This show explores the intersection of art and science, with highlights from CHF’s new gallery exhibit, Elemental Matters: Artists Imagine Chemistry. The first segment explains how the development of oil paints in tubes helped launch the impressionist movement. Then reporter Ashley Milne-Tyte interviews artist Dove Bradshaw about creating art from the elements.

The CHF exhibit also highlights this beautiful representation of the periodic table: The Periodic Table Printmaking Project.

Image: Segment of Dove Bradshaw’s Song of Which (Evelina kneeling, looking left), 2004.

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This show highlights one of the lesser know scientific ventures of World War II – the US Synthetic Rubber Program. This was an unprecedented collaboration of the top scientific and business minds of the day to develop an alternative to the natural rubber supplies that had been cut off at the start of the war. First, a segment on the scientific history of natural vs. synthetic rubber. Then an interview with historian Mark Finlay, author of Growing American Rubber: Strategic Plants and the Politics of National Security.

This show was a companion to CHF’s new online exhibit Rubber Matters.

Image courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives. Billy Evans turns in some old rubber to the Atlantic filling station of L. E. Wadman, 1603 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington, DE.  June 15, 1942.

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In this episode we explore both the risks and benefits of nuclear power. A segment on the rocky history of the nuclear power industry including the disasters of Chernobyl and Three-Mile-Island. Plus an interview with Keith Moser, director of innovation for Exelon Nuclear, about the potential benefits of the U.S. embracing a nuclear future.

Nuclear power plant image courtesy of Flickr user redjar.

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Celebrate the holidays Distillations style with our version of Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. It’s a bleak (yet entertaining) end-of-the-year/world show with visits from the ghosts of chemistry past, present, and future. Segments on Greek Fire, the devilish 8th-century weapon used by Byzantine naval forces. A feature from reporter Stefan Bos on the red sludge toxic spill that devastated a small town in Western Hungary this fall. Plus the future death of a very important star – our sun.

Image from CHF Archives: Scrooge and his third visitor. Illustration by John Leech, 1843.

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The fourth and final installment of our series on the original four Greek elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. Segments include a history of the air we breath – how it was formed and how it’s changing over time. Plus a feature from WABE reporter Jim Burress on how volatile organic compounds and tailpipe emissions combine to make a “toxic soup” and how furniture and carpet manufacturers are changing their products to make our air healthier.

New York Skyline image courtesy of Flickr user Sev!.

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This is the partner show to our Herbal Remedies show from a few months back. Segments on the history and legitimacy of acupuncture, and a feature from indie producer Gretchen Cuda on the healing power of yogic breathing.

Sunset Yoga image courtesy of Flickr user Andrew Kalat.

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Part three of our four-part series on the original four Greek elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Segments include a review of the history of flame retardants and the legislation that has guided their use in the United States. Plus a heart-wrenching yet inspiring feature from indie producer Anna Boiko-Weyrauch. In this non-narrated piece, we learn about burn survivor Mike Mcaneny, who was admitted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center with severe burns over 65% of his body. He was treated with Integra, an artificial skin replacement.

Image of Mike Mcaneny’s hand and arm, healed with artificial skin. Photo by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch.

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