How Marie Curie’s Genius Shaped Science | Dava Sobel [Ep. 478]

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How did Marie Curie go from being rejected by the French Academy to winning two Nobel Prizes?

In this episode of Into The Impossible, Dava Sobel, author of “The Elements of Marie Curie,” takes us on a journey through Curie’s life, from having an angry mob outside her house to making revolutionary discoveries that would change the course of history.

Dava Sobel is an acclaimed author with a particular talent for telling the stories of historical figures in science and highlighting the human elements behind their groundbreaking achievements. Through Sobel’s incredible storytelling, we gain insight into the resilience and brilliance of one of history’s most iconic figures.

Join us as we explore how Marie Curie’s legacy still shines today!

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Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro

00:26 Marie Curie’s scandal and public backlash in 1911

02:07 Her wartime efforts creating mobile X-ray units

04:28 Judging a book by its cover

07:40 Marie Curie’s work on magnetism

09:52 Explaining the names of the chapters

17:14 Curie’s success in breaking gender barriers

20:22 Dangerous misconceptions surrounding radium

23:10 Marie and Pierre Curie’s work

29:15 The distinctions between physics and chemistry

30:54 Galileo’s daughter and the human side of scientists

42:26 Galilean moons and solving the longitude problem

45:02 The Pope’s argument

50:46 What’s next for Dava Sobel

56:37 Outro

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Additional resources:

➡️ Learn more about Dava Sobel:

📚 The Elements of Marie Curie: https://a.co/d/gEyX6qI 💻 Website: https://www.davasobel.com/ 📚 Galileo’s Daugther: https://a.co/d/fVkwQLW

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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