#24 Thomas Levenson on the Impact of Storytelling in Science, the Three Major Scientific Revolutions of the Current Era, and the Case for Vaccinations in the Age of Misinformation

Thomas Levenson is a historian of science and Professor of Science Writing at MIT. He has written several bestselling narrative histories covering topics from Isaac Newton’s unexpected career as a crime fighter to the 1720 South Sea Bubble, now recognized as one of the world’s first financial crises. Levenson explores how scientific ideas emerge, collide with politics, and reshape society and the modern world. His work brings together science, history, and human drama, showing how discovery is never isolated from culture, power, and chance.

A Pox on Fools: The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines was published in 2026 by Penguin Random House.

This episode of Shaping Science is made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons.

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