Fear and Loathing and Science
Season 3 | Episode 5
Better Living … Through Chemistry?
In this episode, a chemist explains chemistry’s public relations problem, and why we need to put our faith in chemistry now, maybe more than ever.
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The phrase “better things for better living through chemistry” began life in 1935 as a DuPont advertising slogan—an enthusiastic expression of optimism about science, and its potential to solve virtually any human problem. It’s clear that without chemistry, the world would be a very different place. So why, out of all the sciences, is chemistry so little understood, and so often held in low regard by the public?
Guests
Eric J. Schelter, Professor of Chemistry
Madeleine M. Joullié, Professor of Chemistry (Emeritus)
Daniel J. Mindiola, Brush Family Professor of Chemistry and Graduate Chair
Host
Alex Schein
Producer
Loraine Terrell
Editors
Alex Schein and Loraine Terrell
Interviewer
Loraine Terrell
Illustration
Dan Lee
Music
Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C’18
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
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