Vaccines. They're a big topic of conversation right now. But who discovered them? Who gave the first one? And what was the rather effective method around for hundreds of years before them?? Greg tells Maren a (rather gross) story of pus, pox parties, and… cuckoos? It's a tale that travels from China, through Turkey, to a small town in Gloucestershire, and asks if the ‘father of immunology' really earned that title. 

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The universe speaks in a common language...the mathematics of change. Maren wasn't so sure about math, but after this episode she's a truly changed person. Newton DID stand on the shoulders of giants to translate the universe...but he also had his rivals. Maren tells Greg a story that starts with the beginning of civilization and goes (literally) on to infinity.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://lin...

This doctor was a public health pioneer, a visionary in the medical treatments of his day, and a relatively radical voice against the entrenched establishment...but do we only remember him because of this one secret? Maren tells Greg a story that traverses the globe and challenges all our assumptions.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

A forgotten figure, shrouded in mystery, is the true voice behind our modern understanding of perhaps the most important issue facing humanity today: climate change. Maren tells Greg a story filled with intrigue and lost voices, and they come to understand why all these voices are so important to listen to in the first place.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

This week Greg tells Maren about shovel-faced reptiles, giant ferns, land bridges, and classified war-time research. This is the story of how we worked out what shaped - and shapes - our planet. The story of an idea that's said to be as big a deal to Earth Sciences as Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is to the Life Sciences. Yet the idea was ignored for 50 years... 

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr....

One pill changed the world forever. It replaced crocodile dung inserted into the vagina. It involved rabbit embryos fertilized in a test tube. And it may be available for men in the future. Maren tells Greg a story filled with the wild characters and moral quandaries that have defined our modern sex lives.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

Chess... Poker... Rock Paper Scissors... Your daily commute..? Nuclear war..? AND your Social Media?? Turns out you can form a winning strategy for all of these using 'Game Theory' - and in this episode Greg not only tells Maren how, but also untangles the story of its development, including separating fact from fiction in the film 'A Beautiful Mind'.

[*Winning not guaranteed. Sorry]

Show notes, sources, and transcr...

This is the story of not just one set of brothers, but three. A story that does pre-flight checks in Italy, takes off in France, and soars to the US, with a quick layover in Brazil. Along the way Greg tells Maren about the contenders who some claim really flew first, and their journey ends at a surprise destination: the Moon.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

A story that spans from the tiniest cells in your inner ear to a technology that changed the world and will shape our future. It takes us through all of recorded history, uncovering not only how we hear the world, but how biased that world is too. Maren tells Greg a tale of biophysics, Alexander Graham Bell, the future of brain implants, and how we can reframe our perceptions of language and sensory experience.

Show notes, sources, ...

We kick off Season 2 with the story of your most requested person… but it’s not the story you may be expecting… and, it turns out, it’s not the story we should be remembering her for either. Greg tells Maren the tale of how the structure of DNA was unravelled, but the twist leads us somewhere else entirely.

Show notes, sources, and transcript can be found at https://linktr.ee/surprisinglybrilliant

Meet the ‘Rope Mother’ - the lady whose code, weaved into copper wire and magnetic rings, saved the Apollo 11 mission to the moon… Greg tells Maren the story of an incredible person who has not only been called The Fourth Astronaut, but who also pioneered, and coined the term for, ‘Software Engineering’.

Experts:

Rod Pyle- https://www.planetary.org/connect/our-experts/profiles/rod-pyle.html

Zoe Corbyn-https://www.theguardian.com/profi...

The course of World War II, the development of successful cancer treatment, and just being able to go outside without fear all come down to one thing: the humble Penicillium fungus. Maren tells Greg a tale of accidental discoveries, fungal espionage, and the daunting potential future of medicine without this life-saving substance. 

Experts:

Mariya Lobanovska- https://tang.path.ox.ac.uk/content/dr-mariya-lobanovska

Kevin Brown-https://...

What do a children’s birthday party, an accidental discovery, a shoe shop gadget, and Marie Curie have in common?? Have a listen to find out, as Greg tells Maren the amazing origin story of one of the most important pieces of medical tech ever developed.

Expert: Dr Ehsan Samei - Professor of radiology at Duke University, North Carolina

Sources can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lY3UIVCIOoSPYXxvI0Sk6zeB9dlASEMU_9ts...