NPR People: Hmmm.... Krulwich on Science Podcast

Joseph Guillotin, Henry Shrapnel and Jules Leotard became immortal — by entering the English language. But when your entire life is reduced to a single definition, the results are sometimes upsetting.

In his new book, author and Harvard literature professor Stephen Greenblatt explores the 2,000 year-old writings of Lucretius and his "spookily modern" creation tale.

Most people have a favorite number. But why do people choose the numbers they do?

Have you ever wondered how much heat you can take? 232 years ago, three men decided to find out.

Democracy in the human world can be a messy and acrimonious business, but in the bee world, a little waggle dance can help you get all the votes you need.

Everyone knew the mission would fail — the technicians, the pilot and the friend who would replace him if he deserted the mission. But Soviet leaders demanded a triumph in space, and so in 1967, Vladimir Komarov allowed himself to be launched towards his own death.

Deep in the middle of a Siberian winter, a frozen bird fell from the sky. Then another. Not what you expect while ice fishing in the Russian wilderness.

Krulwich makes a bet he can find tools that have gone extinct — but it turns out old technology doesn't disappear like you'd think. Tools from centuries ago are still being made — and used, by more people than you'd think.

Deep in the Arizona desert, one man has been deciphering the chatter between rodents, hoping to prove that communication among highly social animals is more sophisticated than we think.

Try as you might, you can't walk in a straight line without a visible guide point, like the sun or a star. You might think you're walking straight, but a map of your route would reveal  you are doomed to walk in circles.