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Natural Sciences · Seeker

Surprisingly Brilliant

by Seeker

A science history podcast uncovering the little-known stories and less-talked-about people behind well-known science & tech. Written & Hosted by Maren Hunsberger & Greg Foot for Seeker

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

The Impossible Picture

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 winding road science took t

Dec 9 2021
1 h 04 min

The Helplessly Human Doctor

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 therapeutic tool, who brok

Apr 30 2021
1 h 07 min

The Lifesaving Bean

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 against all odds, how

Feb 18 2021
59 min

The Half-Walnut of Pus

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 around for hundreds of

Feb 11 2021
1 h 01 min

The Language of the Universe

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 person. Isaac Newton D

Feb 4 2021
50 min

The Donald Trump Of Science

A story in three parts: The discovery of a revolutionary biotechnology that’s used every day by countless scientists. How that works. And the dangerous ideas (& behaviour

Jan 28 2021
52 min

The Secret Doctor

This doctor was a public health pioneer, a visionary in the medical treatments of his day, and a relatively radical voice against the entrenched establishment...but do we

Jan 21 2021
1 h 05 min

The Forgotten Whiskey Chemist

Greg tells Maren about a chemist who develops hit product after hit product, from revolutionising whisky production to developing ‘the first wonder drug'… a man who was o

Jan 14 2021
58 min

The World in a Jar

A forgotten figure, shrouded in mystery, is the true voice behind our modern understanding of perhaps the most important issue facing humanity today: climate change. Mare

Jan 7 2021
47 min

The Puzzle Beneath Your Feet

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 worked out what shaped -

Dec 31 2020
59 min

The Reinvention of Sex

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 may be available for

Dec 24 2020
1 h 05 min

The Way To Win At Everything

Chess... Poker... Rock Paper Scissors... Your daily commute..? Nuclear war..? AND your Social Media?? Turns out you can form a winning strategy for all of these using 'Ga

Dec 17 2020
55 min

The Virus Queen

 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 tells Greg the story o

Dec 10 2020
46 min

The Question Of Who Flew First

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 checks in Italy, takes of

Dec 3 2020
1 h 01 min

The Electronic Ear

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 of recorded history,

Nov 26 2020
1 h 00 min

The Twist In The Tale

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. Greg tells Maren the

Nov 19 2020
57 min

Season 2 Is Here!

New amazing stories from science history are coming Thursday, November 19th!

Nov 16 2020
1 min

The Fourth Astronaut

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 Maren the story of an incred

Jun 25 2020
46 min

The Fungus that Shaped the World

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 thing: the humble Penicill

Jun 18 2020
48 min

The Mystery & Might of Ectoplasm

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 Greg tells Maren the amaz

Jun 11 2020
46 min

Chart positions

Where Surprisingly Brilliant ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 16, 2026).

#140 NEW Natural Sciences US

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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Surprisingly Brilliant, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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