Surprisingly Brilliant
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
The Impossible Picture
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Time travel? Aliens? Seeing the invisible? This special episode’s tale from science history has them all as Maren takes Greg down the long and windi...
The Helplessly Human Doctor
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The man who changed our understanding of disorders of the brain was a man who couldn't recognize faces himself. He was a man who saw music as a thera...
The Lifesaving Bean
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One bean has changed the world in unexpected ways, and the man behind it was even more extraordinary. This is the story of a man whose genius shone ag...
The Half-Walnut of Pus
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 aro...
The Language of the Universe
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 pe...
The Donald Trump Of Science
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A story in three parts: The discovery of a revolutionary biotechnology that’s used every day by countless scientists. How that works. And the danger...
The Secret Doctor
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This doctor was a public health pioneer, a visionary in the medical treatments of his day, and a relatively radical voice against the entrenched estab...
The Forgotten Whiskey Chemist
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Greg tells Maren about a chemist who develops hit product after hit product, from revolutionising whisky production to developing ‘the first wonder ...
The World in a Jar
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A forgotten figure, shrouded in mystery, is the true voice behind our modern understanding of perhaps the most important issue facing humanity today: ...
The Puzzle Beneath Your Feet
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 worke...
The Reinvention of Sex
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Way To Win At Everything
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chess... Poker... Rock Paper Scissors... Your daily commute..? Nuclear war..? AND your Social Media?? Turns out you can form a winning strategy for al...
The Virus Queen
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The first human coronavirus, yoga, and the recorder all have something in common: they were all mastered by the same woman. In this episode, Maren t...
The Question Of Who Flew First
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is the story of not just one set of brothers, but three: the Wrights, the Montgolfiers & the Lilienthals. It’s a story that does pre-flight che...
The Electronic Ear
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Twist In The Tale
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We kick off Season 2 with the story of your most requested person: Rosalind Franklin. But it’s not the story we should be remembering her for either...
Season 2 Is Here!
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
New amazing stories from science history are coming Thursday, November 19th! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Fourth Astronaut
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Ma...
The Fungus that Shaped the World
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 thin...
The Mystery & Might of Ectoplasm
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Gr...
The Chemist Who Saved the Lepers
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Maren tells Greg the story of a gruesome disease and the woman who came up with a solution...but who disappeared from history until now: Alice Ball. O...
The Case Of Death By Peach Melba
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Greg tells Maren a true crime science history story about a famous chef who served her entrees with a special side... of death! This is the story of ...
The Deadly Buzz
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Maren tells Greg the story of a historic plague...or is it? It's a tale of a gruesome disease and how a few courageous, self-experimenting scientists ...
The Thick Brown Muck
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Greg tells Maren about the discovery of one of medicine’s biggest breakthroughs -a drug that has saved millions of lives: Insulin. It’s a story ...
The Great Air Debate
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The discovery of one of our most important elements is hugely disputed. Maren tells Greg the twists and turns of the story of oxygen, the battle betwe...
The Queen of Nuclear Research
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Queen of Nuclear Research very few people - including those working in Physics - know of! Greg tells Maren a trans-Pacific tale of passion, dedica...
The Admiral and the Moth
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Maren tells Greg about the person responsible for the foundations of modern computing, yet her name is rarely mentioned in the history books. Her inno...
The Inventor From The Future
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A man you know. A story you don’t. His electric revolution lit up America but he also worked on what’s been called early radar, robotics, and... a...
The Case of Botanical Espionage
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Grab a gin and tonic as you listen to Maren tell the story of a miraculous discovery, espionage and economic cartels all surrounding...a tree? A very ...
The Annoying Noise
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps the biggest accidental discovery story in the history of the universe. Well, definitely *about* the history of the universe. Greg tells Maren ...
The Discovery of Dragons
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the ‘Princess of Paleontology’ you may not have heard of. Maren tells Greg all about the lady who’s life work was finding the fossils that ...