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Math! Science! History!

Math! Science! History!

By: Gabrielle Birchak
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 Math! Science! History! is a podcast about the history of people, theories, and discoveries that have moved our scientific progress forward and spurred us on to unimaginable discoveries. Join Gabrielle Birchak for a little math, a little science, and a little history. All in a little bit of time.© 2025 Mathematics Science World
Episodes
  • FLASHCARDS: Science Paw-thorship

    FLASHCARDS: Science Paw-thorship
    Oct 17 2025
    Publish or Purrish: The Cat Who Co-Authored Physics Episode Overview: In this episode of Math! Science! History!, we uncover the remarkable story of F.D.C. Willard, the Siamese cat who became a published co-author in a world-renowned physics journal. What began as a workaround for rigid authorship conventions turned into a beloved legend in science history. But Willard wasn’t alone. We also take a closer look at other non-human co-authors, from a dog in immunology, to a hamster in physics, and even bonobos in language research, while exploring what these unusual stories reveal about the culture of scientific publishing and the pressures of the “publish or perish” system. Three Takeaways: The real physics behind Willard’s paper and why the study of helium-3 was serious science, not just a playful prank.Other cases of animals as authors—including a dog, a hamster, and three bonobos—and what those choices meant.The bigger issue of authorship in science and how conventions and pressures shape who gets credit, and why. Resources and Further Reading: Wikipedia: F.D.C. WillardHetherington, J.H. & Willard, F.D.C. (1975). Two-, Three-, and Four-Atom Exchange Effects in bcc ³He. Physical Review Letters, 35(21), 1442–1444.Matzinger, Polly & Galadriel Mirkwood. (1978). In a fully H-2 incompatible chimera, T cells of donor origin can respond to minor histocompatibility antigens in association with either donor or host H-2 type. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 148(1), 84–92. Geim, A.K. & H.A.M.S. ter Tisha. (2001). Detection of Earth rotation with a diamagnetically levitating gyroscope. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 294–295, 736–739.Savage-Rumbaugh, S., Kanzi, Panbanisha, & Nyota. (2007). Welfare of Apes in Captive Environments: Comments on, and by, a Specific Group of Apes. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 10(1), 7–19. Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h Let’s Connect!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory Enjoying the Podcast? If you love Math, Science, History, here’s how you can help:🌟 Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!📢 Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!🔔 Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal 🛍 Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store 🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers🎵 Sound Editor: David Aviles Until next time, carpe diem!
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    11 mins
  • The Wild Ride of Math: From Goats to Rockets

    The Wild Ride of Math: From Goats to Rockets
    Oct 14 2025
    From tallying goats to launching rockets, this episode takes you on a fast-paced, lighthearted journey through the complete history of mathematics. Inspired by D.E. Smith’s The History of Mathematics, this is the espresso version — goats, Greeks, calculus cage matches, infinity, and beyond. 3 Things Listeners Will Learn: How early humans counted goats, stars, and time with sticks, pebbles, and sky-watching.Why Newton and Leibniz’s feud over calculus was the most brutal “cage match” in math history.How modern math evolved into the language of infinity, chaos, quantum physics, and AI. Resources Mentioned: The History of Mathematics by David Eugene Smith Euclid’s Elements Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h 🌍 Let’s Connect!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory Enjoying the Podcast? ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Dionisio Aguado by Trygve Larsen from Pixabay Sneaky by Emmraan from Pixabay Flute, Oriental, Japan Shakuhachi Music by Lobsang Karma from Pixabay Audio Editor: Podcast mixed by David Aviles Until next time, carpe diem!
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    36 mins
  • FLASHCARDS! Do Math-Believe Science-Learn History

    FLASHCARDS! Do Math-Believe Science-Learn History
    Oct 10 2025
    In this Flashcard Friday follow-up to Tuesday’s interview with Dr. Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai of the Massachusetts Historical Society, we revisit the numbers that changed the course of history. During the Revolutionary War, smallpox was more dangerous to the Continental Army than the British. By comparing mortality rates, George Washington made a bold, science-driven choice: inoculate his troops. The math was simple but profound, 30% risk of death without inoculation versus just 2% with it. This decision helped save the Revolution. In this episode, we reiterate Dr. Wongsrichanalai’s quote: “do the math, believe the science, and learn your history.” From spotting misleading anecdotes to recognizing reliable sources, and from Washington’s decision to Edward Jenner’s breakthrough, today’s lesson is that evidence and history are our best guides when confronting fear and misinformation. Three Things You’ll Learn How arithmetic saved an army — Why the difference between 30% and 2% mortality mattered more than opinions.How to vet science today — Which sources are reliable and why consensus matters more than a single flashy headline.What history teaches us about vaccines — From smallpox inoculation to global eradication, the past shows us how trust in evidence safeguards survival. Resources Mentioned Massachusetts Historical SocietyWorld Health Organization (WHO)European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h Let’s Connect!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory Enjoying the Podcast? If you love Math, Science, History, here’s how you can help:🌟 Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!📢 Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!🔔 Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal 🛍 Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store 🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Until next time, carpe diem!
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
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