A polymath isolated it, a young scientist popularized it, a dentist applied it to his field, and we inhaled it at a party.  It started off as a "glorious gas" but ended up as the undoing of a very thin-skinned dentist. Join us this week as we drill into the dental applications of nitrous oxide! As you inhale deeply, you'll find that the best job is the one that requires you to get high, a chloroform habit is a bad idea and, most importantly, it's ok to fail. 

Proof of the Big Bang had eluded astrophysicists throughout the early 20th century. That is until two radio-astronomers working for a telephone company stumbled upon of of the most significant find in cosmology. Join us as we listen to the universe weave a tale of childhood escapes from Nazi Germany, experimental satellites, and pigeon murder! Along the way we explore the proper way to measure your PhD and speculate as to what exactly "pigeon fanciers" do with all those pigeons. 

Before proper food safety regulation, everything from borax to formaldehyde could end up on your dinner plate. Then in the early 1900's, one wily chemists assembled a  group of volunteers to eat poison for science. Join us as we digest the appetizing story of The Poison Squad! We learn what eating borax for a year will do to a healthy young man, pour some praise for the AOAC and give you advise on which side of the glory hole you want to be on. 

During the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans unleashed a vile weapon against Allied troops. Standing on the German side as the yellowish fog of war swept across the land killing thousands, was German scientist, Fritz Haber. Join us as we piece together the complicated legacy of this chemist who pulled bread from the sky and fed the world. We also propose ending war through diplomatic makeout sessions and figure out that a fur coat and a pair of funky glasses really make the villain.