When Great Scientists Got It Wrong
25:53 minutes
In Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein, astrophysicist Mario Livio explores the colossal errors committed by scientific greats, from chemist Linus Pauling’s botched model of DNA, to Charles Darwin’s failure to understand genetics—the very mechanism of natural selection.
Segment Guests
Mario Livio
Mario Livio is an astrophysicist and author of several books, including Galileo: And the Science Deniers (Simon & Schuster, 2020). He’s based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Heard on the Air
Read an excerpt from Brilliant Blunders.
Meet the Producer
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.