Metal poisons. Odorless ones. Toxic plants. Iocane powder, arsenic, old lace, poisons as self-defense, black mirrors, Aqua Tofanas, movie myths, and the start of testing for that which ails or kills you: we’ve got Historical Toxicology with Pulitzer Prize-winning science author & chemistry connoisseur Deborah Blum. She wrote the beloved “Poisoner's Handbook: ... Show More
Jul 8
Capsicumology (CHILE PEPPERS) with Paul Bosland
Scoville units. Nightshades. Hot ones. Sweet ones. Scandalous data. Pull up a seat for a wild, hot ride through New Mexico. Pepper expert, horticulturist, and Capsicumologist Dr. Paul “The Chileman” Bosland of New Mexico State’s Chile Pepper Institute dishes up stories of how chi ... Show More
1h 27m
Jul 2023
Special Episode: Deborah Blum & The Poison Squad
<p>Oh, to taste the food of the past. Strawberry jam made from farm-fresh strawberries. Milk straight from the cow. Cookies baked with freshly churned butter and brown sugar. Because that’s how it was, right? Everything used to be fresher, more pure, unadulterated by preservative ... Show More
1h 5m
Sep 2022
Ep. 126. Blum, Keener: The Poison Squad and the Fight for Food Safety Legislation
<p><strong>Deborah Blum</strong>, Director of the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT and the Publisher of <em>Undark</em> magazine, is a Pulitzer-Prize winning science journalist, columnist and author of six books, most recently, <em>The Poison Squad</em>, a 2018 New York T ... Show More
1h 46m
Jul 2018
50 Poison Special - A History of Russian Poisonings
Welcome to Part 1 of a bonus Unknown History miniseries: The Poison Chronicles. Eleanor Herman, author of The Royal Art of Poison, discusses the history of poison as a political tool used over centuries. In this first segment, Herman explores the use of poison throughout Russian ... Show More
10m 45s
Mar 2025
The Servants' Revenge: Arsenic & a Poisoned Pint of Beer
Why did two servants living in Plymouth, England, poison their whole household in 1675? How did they sneak arsenic into the food? And what on earth is pottage?Today Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney talk to Dr Blessin Adams, author of "Thou Savage Woman: female killers in early m ... Show More
51m 51s
<p dir="ltr">I hope you enjoy this spooky minisode bonus from the dark days of 2020! Let's meet one of history's most prolific female poisoners.</p> <p dir="ltr">You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints <a href="https://www.theexploresspodcast.com/store" tar ... Show More