The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong · Mark Chrisler
By Heart, Part 1
July 29, 2025·50 min·4 clips
Geneticist Charles Epstein discovered the protein mechanism behind Down syndrome, then a Unabomber bomb arrived at his home.
As heard by us
A sharp look at how memory became measurable, with just enough wit to keep the science from feeling sealed off.
The episode treats memory science like a real problem that had to be worked out slowly, not a neat idea handed down all at once. It follows Ebbinghaus through nonsense syllables, repeated tests, and a kind of stubborn patience that makes the whole thing feel more human than…
Why you'd press play
Your memory is unreliable, and this episode is happy to prove it with Ebbinghaus's painstaking experiment.
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