The History of Chemistry
89: Pathological Science
This episode is all about chemical examples of "pathological science," as Irving Langmuir called it, "the science of things that aren't so." We hear of the six symptoms of pathological science, then we learn of three examples of pathological chemistry: polywater, promoted by Boris Deryagin, from the 1960s and early 1970s; memory water, promoted by Jacques Benveniste, from 1988, and its close cousin, homeopathy; and finally cold fusion, promoted by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons in 1989.
Hiss & Tell: Cat Behavior and BeyondWelcome to "Hiss and Tell", a podcast about cat behavior and more!
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
- Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry
- Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at steve@historyofchem.com
- Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook
This episode is all about chemical examples of "pathological science," as Irving Langmuir called it, "the science of things that aren't so." We hear of the six symptoms of pathological science, then we learn of three examples of pathological chemistry: polywater, promoted by Boris Deryagin, from the 1960s and early 1970s; memory water, promoted by Jacques Benveniste, from 1988, and its close cousin, homeopathy; and finally cold fusion, promoted by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons in 1989.
Hiss & Tell: Cat Behavior and BeyondWelcome to "Hiss and Tell", a podcast about cat behavior and more!
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
- Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry
- Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at steve@historyofchem.com
- Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook