Feb. 24, 2012
Science Diction: The Origin Of 'Tuberculosis'
Historian Howard Markel discusses the history of tuberculosis, and related terms like 'consumption.'
Jan. 20, 2012
Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word ‘Moon’
Science historian Howard Markel talks about the word ‘moon’ and its relatives, such as ‘lunacy.’
Dec. 16, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of The Petri Dish
Julius Petri replaced clumsy bell jars and test tubes with a simple set of nesting glass dishes.
Nov. 25, 2011
A Tale Of Two Addicts: Freud, Halsted And Cocaine
Medical historian Howard Markel discusses his book An Anatomy of Addiction.
Nov. 25, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of ‘Stethoscope’
Unlike the stethoscope familiar to patients today, the original device was a simple tube.
Oct. 21, 2011
Science Diction: The Origins of the Bunsen Burner
Historian Howard Markel talks about chemist Robert Bunsen and how his namesake apparatus came to be.
Sep. 30, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word 'Epilepsy'
Medical historian Howard Markel traces descriptions of epilepsy through the millenia.
Aug. 26, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of ‘Chemistry’
Howard Markel discusses the origins of the word ‘chemistry,’ said to have roots in Egypt or Greece.
Jul. 22, 2011
A Tale Of Two Addicts: Freud, Halsted And Cocaine
Medical historian Howard Markel discusses his book An Anatomy of Addiction.
Jun. 24, 2011
Science Diction--The Origin Of The Word ‘Radio’
Scientists originally used ‘radio’ to refer to devices that employed electromagnetic radiation.
May. 27, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word "Syphilis"
Medical historian Dr. Howard Markel and STD expert Dr. Peter Leone discuss the history of syphilis.
Apr. 22, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word 'Robot'
Robot was the brainchild of the Czech playwright Karel Čapek, who introduced it in a 1920 play.
Mar. 11, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of The Word 'Clone'
Historian Howard Markel discusses how clone came to refer to genetic creations like Dolly the sheep.
Feb. 11, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of 'Antibiotic'
A Naval officer coined the term 'antibiotic' in 1860, to describe his opposition to beliefs in alien life.
Jan. 28, 2011
Science Diction: The Origin Of 'Physician'
Science historian Howard Markel discusses the parallel origins of physician and physics.
Dec. 17, 2010
Science Diction: Comet
In this month's Science Diction, we look at the origins of the word 'comet.'
Oct. 22, 2010
Science Diction: Cancer
It's one of the most feared medical conditions. But how did 'cancer' get its name?
Sep. 17, 2010
Science Diction: Cell
The human body contains more than 100 trillion cells, with an average size of 10 micrometers and mass of 1 nanogram. But how did the word 'cell' come to be?
Aug. 13, 2010
Science Diction: Evolution
The word "evolution" is often attributed to Charles Darwin. But he wasn't the word's greatest champion.
Jul. 09, 2010
Science Diction: Genome
In our monthly series on the words of science, we'll talk about how the word 'genome' came to be.
May. 21, 2010
Science Diction: Scientist
Before the 1830s, there were no scientists -- the word scientist didn't exist. We'll talk about the word's origins and history.
May. 01, 2009
Influenza Update
We'll get the latest on the outbreak of Type A, H1N1 influenza. What are researchers learning from studying the virus -- and how are doctors and other health professionals dealing with its spread?
AVAILABLE IN ITUNES
Michael Pollan Talks Plants and Food
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Age of Wonder
Ira talks with Richard Holmes, author of 'The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science.'
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