Constant Wonder

The secrets to making excellent pho at home; cooking with Italian grannies; and an introduction to the world's only sourdough library. Guests: Andrea Nguyen, cooking teacher, editor, consultant, and author of "Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors" and "The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam's Favorite Soup and Noodles" Vicky Bennison, creator of “Pasta Grannies” YouTube channel, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@pastagrannies Karl De Smedt, Sourdough Librarian at Puratos Sourdough Library, St. Vith, Belgium 00:00:00 - A Scrumptious Soup 00:25:03 - Pasta Grannies 00:44:38 - The World's First Sourdough Library

A delightful history of using personal ads to find love. And, when did diamonds become a girl's best friend? Guests: Francesca Beauman, historian, bookseller, and author of "Matrimony, Inc.: From Personal Ads to Swiping Right, a Story of America Looking for Love," and "Shapely Ankle Preferr'd: A History of the Lonely Hearts Ad" Read more of Francesca's writing on her website: https://www.francescabeauman.com/ Rachelle Bergstein, author of "Brilliance and Fire: A Biography of Diamonds." Explore her other work on her website: https://www.rachellebergstein.com/ 00:00:00 - Advertising for Love: From Personal Ads to Swiping Right 00:34:02 - When Did Diamonds Come to Mean Forever?

Pigments in every color that you can imagine. Guests: Narayan Khandekar, Director of the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art and Curator of the Forbes Pigment Collection at Harvard Ben Jensen, Chief Technical Officer, Surrey NanoSystems 00:00:00 - Rare Pigments 00:36:00 - Vantablack Is the Darkest Material Ever Created

The abyss of the deep sea is anything but lifeless! Guests: Nicole Xu, PhD candidate, Bioengineering, Stanford University Helen Scales, author of "The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It." Explore Helen's other work: https://helenscales.com/ 00:00:00 - Jellyfish Explorers 00:24:07 - The Brilliant Abyss

For two POWs in WWI, a con was the only way to secure their freedom. And, Gregor MacGregor fooled hundreds into believing in a nonexistent promised land. Guests: Maria Konnikova, journalist and author of "The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It . . . Every Time." Discover more of her writing on her website: https://www.mariakonnikova.com/ Margalit Fox, author of "The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History." Explore her other work on her website: https://margalitfox.com/ 00:00:00 - The Land That Never Was 00:22:22 - How Two POWs Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History

Whitman's poetry sheds light on human connections and national identity. Maps help us view history differently. Guests: Jennifer Crandall, documentary filmmaker, and creator of film "Whitman, Alabama" Susan Schulten, historian at the University of Denver 00:00:00 - Whitman, Alabama 00:24:42 - Maps in American History

From "chili queens" to the founder of Taco Bell to the invention of Doritos, how America embraced Mexican food. Guests: Gustavo Arellano, author of "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America" Paul W. Bosland, Professor of Horticulture and Director of Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University 00:00:00 - How Mexican Food Conquered America 00:28:57 - Why Do You Enjoy Food That Sets Your Mouth on Fire?

Monuments and mummies alike provide insights to the distribution of power in ancient Egypt. Guests: Kara Cooney, Professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA and author of "The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World." Learn more about her work on her website: https://karacooney.squarespace.com/ Jamie Fraser, Curator for the Ancient Levant and Anatolia at the British Museum in London 00:00:00 - Just Men, Just Men, or Despots? 00:31:04 - Finding a New Mummy

The Santa Claus Association was supposed to help kids, but its founder was no saint. And, the myths behind the man Johnny Appleseed. Guests: Howard Means, journalist and author of "Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story" Explore Howard's other writing on his website: https://howardmeans.com/ Alex Palmer, author of "The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York." Discover more of Alex's work on his website: https://www.alexpalmerwrites.com/books 00:00:00 - Johnny Appleseed: The Eccentric Man Behind the Great American Legend 00:24:41 - A Cunning Christmas Crime

Climate change, ice instruments, and lab-designed snowflakes. Guests: David Robinson, geographer at Rutger's University, New Jersey State's climatologist, and member of Protect Our Winters (POW), a climate change organization that can be found here: https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/ Kenneth G Libbrecht, Professor of Physics at Caltech Tim Linhart, ice sculptor and founder of Ice Music. See some of his work here: https://cellomuseum.org/tim-linharts-ice-cellos-extreme-icemanship/ 00:00:00 - How Snowfall Fits into Climate Change 00:21:56 - Snowflake Science 00:37:14 - Instruments Fashioned from Ice Actually Work . . . and Sound Good

Christmas wouldn't be the same without Dickens. And, the railroads changed Christmas forever. Guests: Lucinda Hawksley, art historian, public speaker broadcaster, and great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Learn more about Lucinda's writing at her website: https://www.lucindahawksley.com/ Ainissa Ramirez, P.h.D and award-winning scientist. She has written for Forbes, The Atlantic, and the American Scientific, and is the author of "The Alchemy of Us." Visit her website to learn about her other writing: https://www.ainissaramirez.com/books 00:00:00 - Our Obsession with Christmas 00:35:09 - Railroads and the Modern Christmas

Danielle Reed explores the wide genetic differences in taste buds, and a related topic, why COVID-19 causes some people to lose their sense of taste and smell. And, musician Annie Dickinson sees music in color. Guests: Danielle Reed, Chief Science Officer at Monell Chemical Senses Center. Annie Dickinson, singer and director of A&R @ Nettwerk Music Group. 00:00:00 - Tasteblind 00:34:15 - Seeing Music in Color

Federal law enforcement was weak at the beginning of the 20th century. Guest: Willard M. Oliver, Professor of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University, author of "The Birth of the FBI: Teddy Roosevelt, the Secret Service, and the Fight Over America's Premier Law Enforcement Agency." 00:00:00 - The Origin of the FBI 00:40:33 - The Pinkertons

Advances in cardiac surgery were pioneered by fearless heart surgeons, and some unsung heroes who assisted them. Guest: Thomas Morris, historian award winning author of "A Matter of the Heart" and "The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth." Visit Thomas Morris online to learn more about his work: https://www.thomas-morris.uk/the-matter-of-the-heart/ 00:00:00 - The History of the Heart through Milestone Operations 00:38:40 - Fetal Surgery

Jim Thorpe was known as the greatest athlete in the world. Guest: Robert. W. Wheeler, author of "Jim Thorpe: World's Greatest Athlete." Still curious? Visit the Jim Thorpe Foundation's website to learn more about his legacy: https://www.jimthorpememorialfoundation.org/ 00:00:00 - Jim Thorpe 00:41:45 - Jim Thorpe, PA

Preserving traditional and ancient arts. 00:00:00 - Preserving Ancient Japanese Boatbuilding 00:00:00 - The Big World of Miniature Trees

The wonders of these smart, social creatures. Guest: Sy Montgomery, naturalist and author of over thirty books, including "The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle" and "The Soul of an Octopus." Find her online: Author page: https://symontgomery.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sytheauthor... Facebook: / sytheauthor 00:00:00 - The Soul of an Octopus

Join host Marcus Smith for conversations that invite you to discover, explore, and reengage with the wonders of the world around you. Find new episodes that will be available each week starting February 9th, 2022.