Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Wonder Cupboard asks what science is, how it works, and how it came to be. Elena Falco and Ian Bridgeman present a new topic on the history and philosophy of science every episode.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ History and philosophy of science • How scientific ideas, methods, and language develop • Cultural and political influences on science • Medicine and biology debates (vaccines, viruses, hypnosis) • Everyday technologies (ice, air conditioning, sunbathing) • Conceptual questions (numbers, beauty, simulation)This podcast explores how science is made, understood, and embedded in culture by blending history of science with philosophical questions about knowledge and explanation. Across episodes, the hosts use everyday objects and experiences—such as heat, cooling, ice, and sun exposure—as entry points to trace how scientific ideas develop, how technologies emerge, and how they reshape daily life and society.
A recurring focus is the boundary work of science: what counts as “alive,” what makes an explanation scientific, and why scientific methods and models are trusted. Listeners are taken through debates about realism and instrumentalism, questions about the nature of numbers, and modern thought experiments like simulation hypotheses, showing how abstract ideas connect to scientific practice.
The show also examines the social signals and institutions surrounding science, including the role of language and writing, peer review, professional identity, and symbols like the lab coat. Several topics highlight how scientific authority intersects with power, politics, and public disagreement, including the history of vaccination and the forces that shape acceptance or resistance.
Alongside concepts and controversies, this podcast tells stories about influential figures and moments—from Galileo and Victorian science culture to the origins of mesmerism and episodes where aesthetics (“beauty” in theories and in nature) becomes a lens for understanding how scientists choose, justify, and communicate ideas. Guest conversations with scientists and science communicators appear as part of this broader tour of how science works and how it came to be.
| Episodes: |
018 – Sunbathing2020-Jul-31 55 minutes |
017 – Air Conditioning2020-Jun-29 56 minutes |
016 – Ice2020-Jun-04 74 minutes |
015 – Are Viruses Alive?2020-Apr-27 48 minutes |
014 – Beauty Part 2 with Simon Watt2020-Apr-04 69 minutes |
013 – Beauty Part 1 with Sabine Hossenfelder2020-Feb-04 51 minutes |
012 – Merry Christmas2019-Dec-26 23 minutes |
011 – Vaccines and Power2019-Dec-01 50 minutes |
010 – Do We Live in a Simulation?2019-Oct-13 59 minutes |
009 – Lab Coats2019-May-19 48 minutes |
008 – Valentine's Special: Mamie & Kenneth2019-Feb-14 27 minutes |
007 – What Are Numbers?2019-Jan-29 48 minutes |
006 – Mesmerism2018-Dec-12 69 minutes |
005 – What's the Language of Science?2018-Sep-11 38 minutes |
004 – Flat Earth2018-Aug-30 67 minutes |
003 – Sexy Plants2018-Jul-15 54 minutes |
002 – Why Does Science Work?2018-Mar-22 42 minutes |
001 – Galileo2018-Mar-19 57 minutes |