This is an I-Heart podcast.

Daniel here.

Before we jump into today's episode, I want to remind you that my new book,

Do Aliens Speak Physics, comes out very soon.

It's all about what it might be like to try to talk to aliens about physics.

Sean Carroll said the book, quote,

is lighthearted and fun,

but also shows a way to think truly deeply

about what physics is

and how we come to learn about it.

So go check out the book at www.

www.alianspeakphysics.com.

Okay, on to the show.

Quick disclaimer here.

This episode is about polio and touches on issues related to death and suicide.

In a past episode, we talked about what I consider to be one of humanity's most incredible achievements, the eradication of smallpox.

Let's keep the good vibes going and talk about another massive win for humanity, how science eradicated wild polio in the United States and many other nations around the world.

Towards the middle of the 20th century, for reasons we don't totally understand,

cases of severe polio in the United States started to rise.

In 1948, over 27,000 kids got polio, which was three times more than the prior year.

In 1949, there were 42,000 cases, and by 1952, there were 57,000 cases, which included 21,000

cases of paralysis and 3,000 deaths.

...