Radiolab Episode Summary: "Pass the Science"
Original Air Date: March 22, 2011
Hosts: Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich
Guest: Richard Holmes, author of "The Age of Wonder"
Episode Overview
In this episode, Radiolab dives deep into the beautifully tangled relationship between science and communication. Anchored by an intimate and at times poetic conversation with Richard Holmes — celebrated author of "The Age of Wonder" — the episode unravels how the spirit of scientific curiosity gets passed from one person to another, transcending barriers of language and discipline. Through Holmes’ personal stories, the show captures the magic of discovery, and the drive to make even the most abstract science accessible.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. How a Science Book Changed Everything
- [01:41] Host Robert Krulwich introduces Richard Holmes and his acclaimed book, "The Age of Wonder," which chronicles the dawn of modern science in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
- Holmes shares that his literary background and a "lost scientific childhood" primed him for rediscovering science later in life.
- “As a kid, I was fascinated by science… I could build radios, I could strip a motorcycle engine, I flew model aircraft.” — Richard Holmes [03:01]
2. Life at Cambridge and Unexpected Inspiration
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[04:17] Holmes describes receiving a fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge, a storied institution great for science. He intended to work on literary biography but was irresistibly drawn to the college’s scientific archives, especially the letters of astronomer William Herschel.
- “I started reading those [Herschel’s letters]… all this lost side of me started floating back.” — Richard Holmes [05:05]
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Holmes recounts the tradition of dining at "high table" with world-class scholars — including seven Nobel laureates — underscoring the heady atmosphere where ideas flowed as quickly as the meal.
- “The meal would probably be over in about 25 minutes. Amazing. And you talked. I often never had time to finish my meal because... I'd be next to an astrophysicist.” — Richard Holmes [05:53]
3. The Wordless Lesson: Galois, Group Theory, and Cross-Language Communication
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[06:56] Holmes recalls one night, seated beside a Russian mathematician who spoke no English. Feeling compelled to connect — despite no shared language or expertise — Holmes blurts out the name “Évariste Galois,” a tragic and revered figure of French mathematics.
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[07:28 – 09:20] Holmes narrates the powerful and tragic story of Galois — a young, revolutionary mathematician whose groundbreaking work, written the night before a fatal duel, would become foundational to group theory in mathematics.
- “There are lines which are clearly about this girl... And the repeated thing is, I have no time. I have no time. There is no time.” — Richard Holmes [08:39] -
Holmes describes how, upon hearing "Évariste Galois," the Russian mathematician responds without words: he clutches his heart, spreads his arms, and then uses silverware to nonverbally model the concept of group theory — the “little box inside the big box.”
- “He pulled in all the crockery, the silver water jug, the knife, the fork, the plates. And he showed me group theory... No words. There was no wor. He was talking about group theory.” — Richard Holmes [12:11]
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The hosts and Holmes delight in the beauty of this wordless transfer of scientific understanding.
- “And to me it was kind of — it was a sort of revelation moment, really. And I thought, I love you science people, that you won't, nothing will stop you. You are jolly well going to explain this.” — Richard Holmes [13:20]
4. Inspiration for "The Age of Wonder"
- [13:34] This seven-minute, language-barrier-breaking demonstration became a turning point for Holmes, convincing him that he had to write a book that could do for science what the Russian mathematician had done for him: reveal wonder across boundaries.
- “I am now going to — I will work at this and try and produce… I will try and write a book that will somehow do the same thing.” — Richard Holmes [13:56]
- Robert Krulwich briefly highlights the accolades Holmes’ resulting book would earn.
- “The Age of Wonder, which was the best book of the year from the National Academies…” — Robert Krulwich [14:19]
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
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On rediscovering science:
“All this lost side of me started floating back.”
— Richard Holmes [05:05] -
On the drive to communicate science:
“I love you science people that you won’t, nothing will stop you. You are jolly well going to explain this.”
— Richard Holmes [13:20] -
On Galois’s last night:
“The repeated thing is, I have no time. I have no time. There is no time.”
— Richard Holmes [08:39] -
On the Russian mathematician’s lesson:
“No words. No words. There was no wor. He was talking about group theory. And that's how he explained it to me.”
— Richard Holmes [12:11] -
On the mission to write “The Age of Wonder”:
“I am now going to…try and write a book that will somehow do the same thing.”
— Richard Holmes [13:56]
Important Segment Timestamps
- [01:41] – Introduction to "The Age of Wonder" and Richard Holmes
- [04:17] – Holmes’ pivot from literature to science at Cambridge
- [06:56] – The high table tradition and dinner with the Russian mathematician
- [07:28] – The tragic yet inspiring life of Évariste Galois
- [12:11] – The wordless demonstration of group theory
- [13:34] – The motivation to write a science book for all
- [14:27] – Episode closes with reflection on “The Age of Wonder”’s accolades
Episode Tone & Style
The episode is warm, thoughtful, and tinged with the awe of scientific discovery. Holmes’ storytelling is poetic yet accessible, and both hosts maintain a tone of delighted curiosity. The theme: that the “language of science” can be passed between people even when words fall short, and that curiosity triumphs over all barriers.
For anyone who missed the episode, "Pass the Science" is both a personal adventure and a celebration of how science — like music or love — can leap between people, unbound by language, and become a story to pass on.