Smart Tea

Halloween energy, but make it scientific! Aarati tells the story of a chemist who discovered thallium and the fourth state of matter, plasma. But he also used science to investigate spirits, believing he could explain the unexplainable supernatural phenomena he observed.

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Boo! When you feel frightened, angry, or other strong emotions, your brain signals your body to prepare for drastic action. Aarati tells the story of the physiologist who coined the term "fight or flight" and defined "homeostasis". 

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Finding a drug that works is only half of the challenge. Understanding WHY it works can open up paths to entire families of drugs that treat a myriad of diseases. Aarati tells the story of the Nobel Prize winning scientist who defied all expectations and created treatments for cancer, organ transplants, viral infections and more.

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The man behind E. coli, one of the most well-known bacteria in the world was actually a renowned pediatrician in his time. Aarati tells the story of how this celebrated physician became fascinated with microbes in the gut and how they affected the health of infants. 

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Can a splash of ink really reveal secrets about your inner soul? Aarati tells the story of the psychiatrist behind the inkblot test and how art, emotion, and psychology came together in one of history’s most iconic tools.

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Anyone can be a scientist as long as they are curious and persistant! Aarati tells the story of a farmer turned astronomer, who discovered Pluto when he was just 24 years old. 

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It's never too late to become a scientist! Aarati tells the story of Ynes Mexia, the shy yet adventurous woman who became a botanical collector at the age of 51 and  discovered over 500 new plant species by going places no one had ever been before. 

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The Silicon Valley boom in the early 2000s was only possible when computers could execute orders more efficiently and computer chip design became more accessible. Special guest, Maria Sisneroz tells the story of Lynn Conway, a pioneer in computer engineering and trans-activism.

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Earning the reputation of "Crazy Count Zeppelin", Ferdinand was always up for an adventure. Aarati tells the story of the military man turned balloonist and his never ending thirst for excitement. 

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A bioluminescent jellyfish brought a rainbow of possibilities to biology. Aarati tells the story of a brilliant chemist who won the Nobel Prize for transforming nature's fluorescent proteins into powerful tools for modern science. 

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Happy Pride Month! This episode, we are covering the story of a trailblazing doctor who was the first trans man in America to have a gender affirming surgery. His contributions to the early detection of tuberculosis through chest x-rays saved countless lives before the antibiotic cure was developed. 

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Your mind can be a powerful drug, but when (if ever) is it ethical to choose mind over matter? Aarati tells the story of an army doctor who observed the placebo effect in soldiers and then went on to transform how we conduct clinical trials. 

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Yellow fever killed thousands of people in the 1800s but no one understood how it spread. Aarati tells the story of the Cuban doctor who discovered that mosquitos can act as a vector for disease. 

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From laptops to cell phones to electric cars, our modern world runs on lithium-ion batteries. Aarati tells the story of one of the scientists who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating lightweight, rechargeable, batteries. 

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On June 24, 1975, Eastern Airlines 66 mysteriously crashed when attempting to land at JFK airport. Authorities called in Mr. Tornado to investigate. Aarati tells the story of Dr. Ted Fujita, who analyzed the destruction from severe storms and gave us a scale to quantify tornados.

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After retirement, Dr. Alice Stewart continued to raise awareness of how radiation could cause cancer, immunodeficiencies, and other possible health defects. She stood up against government entities on behalf of workers who were dying of radiation poisoning and continued to fight against nuclear weapons manufacturing for the rest of her life. 

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In this two part series, Aarati tells the story of the epidemiologist who realized there was a link between prenatal x-rays and childhood cancer. She  undertook a lifelong crusade to warn people against the dangers of radiation.

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Stress affects men and women differently. We sit down with Kiara Rodríguez-Acevedo, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania to ask her how she is blending neuroscience and epigenetics to uncover how estrogen levels in the brain influence stress vulnerability and resilience.

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Happy Black History month! In this episode, Aarati tells the unlikely story of a carpenter turned lab technician. Vivien Thomas created a blood shunt for the hearts of blue babies without ever having gone to medical school or earning a degree... and without getting credit for decades.

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Ants may not be very big, but we have a lot to learn from these tiny creatures! We sit down with Andrew Robertson, a PhD candidate at Georgia Tech and winner of Galactic Polymath Education Studio's 2025 #MySciJourney competition, and talk about his work on ants and other social insects.

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It's episode 50! Aarati tells the story of the temperamental Russian chemist who figured out a way to organize all the known (and unknown) elements into a table that ordered them by increasing atomic weight and grouped them into categories. 

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Why do certain things never happen in reverse? A shattered glass does not spontaneously reform, a spray of perfume doesn't concentrate back into it's bottle... but why not? In the Part III of our December Thermodynamics series (the final part!) Aarati tells us the story of the physicist who understood the true nature of entropy.

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Part II of our December Thermodynamics Extravaganza! Aarati tells the story of the German scientist who formally stated that 1) energy is conserved and 2) entropy is always increasing.

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Born to one of the most influential families during the French Revolution, Sadi Carnot kickstarted another revolution in physics. His perfect (although theoretical) steam engine transformed the way we think about heat and work.

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After birth, a quick check to make sure the newborn is beathing and acting normally can be the difference between life and death.  Aarati tells the life story of Dr. Virginia Apgar, an obstetric anesthesiologist who pioneered the field of neonatal care.

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Vulcanized rubber was a revolutionary material for clothing, medical devices, life preservers and eventually, the tire industry. But life was tougher than you can imagine for this ingenious inventor. 

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Bat echolocation opened up a whole new world of questions regarding animal behavior. Aarati tells the story of the scientist who first put forward the idea that many animals were self-aware, could strategize, and feel emotions just like humans do.

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Is intelligence something you are born with or is it a skill you can improve? Aarati tells the story of the self-taught psychologist who came up with the original IQ test to help people across the entire intelligence spectrum.

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At the turn of the century, the world came together to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) after scientists found evidence that they were destroying the Earth's protective ozone layer. Aarati tells the story of a chemist and Nobel Prize laureate who helped ring the alarm and continued to fight for environmental protections.

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Dive into the extraordinary life of the marine biologist who transformed our understanding of the ocean and the animals that live in it. Aarati tells the story of Dr. Eugenia Clark's lifelong obsession with adventure, fish, and ocean conservation.

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Can you handle the heat? Aarati tells the story of the nature-loving scientist whose discovery of Thermus aquaticus, a microbe living in the hot waters of Yellowstone Park, helped make PCR one of the fundamental tools of biotech.   

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An orange a day keeps the scurvy away! Aarati tells the story of the 18th century naval physician who set up the very first clinical trial to figure out what treatments for scurvy actually held (sea)water. 

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So much of our modern life runs on batteries: laptops, cell phones, electric cars, watches, remotes, even toothbrushes! Aarati tells the story of the Italian scientist who settled a decade long debate about how electricity is generated and stored by building the first battery. 

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Travel back with us to Ancient Rome! Aarati tells the story of Pliny the Elder, who made it his mission to catalogue over 20,000 "scientific" facts, laying the framework for encyclopedias.

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Frances refused FDA approval of thalidomide for treating morning sickness until it was deemed safe... which it wasn't. Aarati tells the story of the FDA medical officer who held the line against a shady pharmaceutical company and saved American babies. 

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Even a Nobel Prize laureate couldn't stand in her way! Aarati tells the story of the first Indian woman to get a PhD in science and how she used it to help her country's people.

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For someone who was literally blinded by science, Gustaf remained optimistic. And why shouldn't he have been? He saved countless lives and won the Nobel prize by improving lighthouses. And he set a new standard in home cooking!

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Meet the scientist whose discoveries led to him almost winning the Nobel Prize SEVEN times. From the Aurora Borealis, to electromagnetic cannons, to fertilizer, the impact Kristian Birkeland had on science cannot be overstated.

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We spend about 33% of our lives sleeping but during that time, our brain is still incredibly active. In this episode, we talk about Dr. William Dement, the Stanford professor who set up the first sleep clinics to study what is goes on while we are dreaming.

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Any pilot will tell you, bird strikes are unfortunately a common occurrence. But thanks to Roxie's work, the skies are less dangerous for airplanes and our flying feathered friends. Aarati tells her story and introduces Maria, the new podcast co-host!

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For more information and sources for this episode, visit https://www.smartteapodcast.com.