The Failings of Forensic Science, Part I

In this classic invention-themed episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe build on last month's episode on ice skates with a discussion of their wheelbase spin off: the rollerskate! (originally published 6/24/2025)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss 1989’s “The Soldier and Death,” a short rendition of a classic Slavic folktale for Jim Henson’s The Storyteller. Directed by Henson and written by Anthony Minghella, it features Bob Peck as the titular soldier and John Hur ... Show More

In this episode, Robert and Joe come back to their Stuff to Blow Your Mind series on various mythological concepts of what came before the creation or emergence of our universe. (part 4 of 4)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Forensic Science is supposed to provide perfect certainty in the most serious criminal cases. What if it's all a bunch of bullshit? Robert sits down with Dr. Kaveh Hoda to talk about all the myriad cons in forensic "science.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Raychelle Burks is a forensic chemist and an associate professor at American University. She's also a big fan of murder mysteries. Today, we talk pop culture forensics with Raychelle and what signs to look for to know whether or not a tv crime show is getting the science right. ( ... Show More

<p>Ben Bowlin of Stuff They Don't Want You to Know joins the show to talk about DNA forensics, cold cases and science. How reliable is DNA evidence?</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com ... Show More

<p>There’s a sticky issue scientists have to deal with – science is carried out by humans. We humans have flaws (and how) and they can end up in our work. Fortunately, science is waking up to research bias. In the meantime, here’s what to look out for.</p><p> </p> Learn more abou ... Show More

Break the Science Barrier is a TV documentary that I presented on Channel 4 in 1996. It argues for the importance, for society, of scientific ways of thinking. In it, I interviewed David Attenborough, Alec Jeffreys, who discovered DNA fingerprinting, and Douglas Adams, who gave a ... Show More

A Forensic look at ForensicsNo dead strawberries this week, but plenty of dead bodies, as Brian Cox and Robin Ince take a gruesome look at the science of death and some of the more unusual ways that forensic scientists are able to look for and gather clues and evidence. From inse ... Show More

“It’s not really science,” says David Michaels, PhD. “It’s public relations disguised as science.” Today, the epidemiologist and author of The Triumph of Doubt explains how frequently science is manipulated across industries—from tobacco to personal-care products to football. Dur ... Show More