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

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📝 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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