How a plane crash in Nebraska gave us the modern ER.
February 1976. A flight out of California turned catastrophic when it crashed into a farm in rural Nebraska. What happened that night at the local hospital, and crucially, what went wrong, would inspire a global sea-change in how emergency rooms operate and fundamentally alter the way doctors think in a ... Show More
Apr 3
Life in a Barrel
This week, in an episode we first aired in 2022, we flip the Disney story of life on its head thanks to a barrel of seawater, a 1970s era computer, and underwater geysers. It’s the chaos of life. Latif, Lulu, and our Senior Producer Matt Kielty were all sitting on their own littl ... Show More
54m 42s
Feb 2025
Can I trust the FDA? (from thalidomide to cough medicine)
<p><strong>#206</strong></p>
<p>Melissa and Jam address a listener's question about the FDA's reliability in approving products. They discuss the intersection of chemistry, government, and society, focusing on FDA's role in regulating food and drugs. The episode includes a deep d ... Show More
30m 23s
Oct 2025
Chris Hadfield’s Fictional Universe Is Rooted in Real Space History
What happens when a real-life astronaut turns to fiction? In this episode, Chris Hadfield shares how decades of spaceflight and global diplomacy inspired his latest novel, Final Orbit, a cold war thriller packed with historical intrigue and technical precision. Host Rachel Feltma ... Show More
10m 52s
Sep 2020
Identity After Death with Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Amy Michael, Part 2
The conclusion to Laurah's interview with UNH lecturer and forensic anthropologist Dr. Amy Michael, who talks about some of her biggest cases, search and recovery, and how she uses cold-case investigation in the classroom. The Fall Line is created by Laurah Norton and Brooke Harg ... Show More
40m 36s
Sep 2025
Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang
From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the mind and brain, unpack how social media and algorithms are reshaping the way we commun ... Show More
26m 55s