On Good Stories and Coming Along for the Science

A New York Times bestselling author, Sam Kean has written four books on science—books with titles like The Disappearing Spoon and The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons. So as you might guess, he’s someone who appreciates a good story just as much as an interesting discovery. Here, he and host Ted Fox talk all kinds of science, from ill-fated efforts to control the weather and early research on DNA to the bum rap that mercury gets and everyone’s favorite precious metal … aluminum?