Inside the Breakthrough - How Science Comes to Life Podcast
1) Give it All Away (Best of for 2025)
The discovery of insulin and building of the first Jeep. Two stories to explain why innovation and capitalism have a complicated relationship. Voted best episode from season 1. Originally published Ma...Show More
2) Seeing it Firsthand (Best of for 2025)
The story of Antarctic Explorer Roald Amundsen, and a giant squid. What do they have in common? Listen to find out. Reprised from season 1. Originally published May 31st, 2021.
3) Money Matters (Best of for 2025)
The Nazi scientist that powered NASA’s moonshot and the Roman emperor who built the Colosseum have more in common than you think. To find the connection, follow the money. Our most controversial episo...Show More
4) Ooops! That’s a Big Mistake (Best of for 2025)
A man gets a lobotomy to cure his epilepsy, and the government tries to rid India of cobras. Neither of those efforts go as planned. Dan Riskin’s favourite episode from season 2 Originally published N...Show More
5) Clinical Trails Gone Bad (Best of for 2025)
Scurvy was a bigger threat to the Royal Navy than the French were, meanwhile the biggest threat to six men in a British hospital was their medicine! The connection explains how clinical trails are run...Show More
6) What is Snake Oil? (Best of for 2025)
What is really in ‘snake oil’ and why did an innocent man go to prison for murder. What’s the connection? Listen to find out. This is one of our favourite episodes from season 1. Originally published ...Show More
7) Spreading the News
How you tell a story goes a long way to determining whether or not it gets believed, and remembered.
8) Guinea Pigs
Let’s talk about the use of animals in medical research. It’s not a subject that people are very comfortable discussing, but we are going to do it anyway. We will start with an incredible story of a ...Show More
9) Follow the Money
The relationship between researchers and funders is complicated. Some people think that researchers should be left to their own direction and that all financial support should be ‘no-strings attached...Show More
10) Old Meets New
The Amish community in Pennsylvania is heavily impacted by genetic diseases. You might think that their resistance to modern technology would make it difficult to treat these conditions. But actually ...Show More