The dramatic race to discover Insulin

From dating shows to police interrogation rooms, the polygraph test has long been marketed as a way to detect deception. But can it really? And who decided we needed a truth machine in the first place? In this episode, a Throughline listener sends us on a quest to uncover the sto ...  Show more

The Eighth Amendment. What is cruel and unusual punishment? Who gets to define and decide the amendment's boundaries? And how did the Constitution's authors imagine it might change? In this hour, the shifting definition of cruel and unusual punishment. This episode was originally ...  Show more

As StoryCorps' 20th anniversary approaches, we'll be looking back at important moments both in our history and the country's. This week — one more short story from our Military Voices Initiative. Sergeant Ocean Subiono tells his father, Russell Subiono, about what happened when h ...  Show more

A look back at a strange chapter of American history known as the Satanic Panic—and how it connects to Teal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

There's a lot to get upset about in life, but these two stories are perfect proof that sometimes one era's complaint is another's curiosity.