Name: Episode #15: Books Bound in Human Skin by It's Only Science
Duration: 47 min 51 s
Description: Who knew a scientific examination of bookbinding would take us down such a macabre pathway? That's right, books made with human flesh are more common than you could imagine—Alison will explain. Bill tries to make "e Day" a thing, and we'll deepen your appreciation for tardigrades, naked mole rats and octopuses.

After the fall of the Roman Empire the trade for Egyptian papayrus ended which eliminated the suppy of affordable paper. In Medeval Europe animal skins were used to make paper and hundreds of animals skins would be needed for a single book. The pages were folded along the spine of the animal (spine of the book). In these examples of human skin books was the human skin used for the pages of the books or just the binding?

I just binged every episode over the past 2 days 😂 pleeease make more of these! 

In January 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Jordan Tama, Provost Associate Professor at American University’s School of International Service about his new book, Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy: Cooperation in a Polarized Age. They also discussed how party control in the US government can influence foreign policy, the changing coalitions of the Democratic and Republican parties and why some foreign policy issues have bipartisan consensus while others don’t. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributor: Dr Jordan Tama (American University)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy with Dr Jordan Tama

In January 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Andrew Rudalevige, the Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government at Bowdoin College and visiting professor in the LSE’s Department of Government for the 2023-24 academic year. They spoke about the separation of powers in US government and the executive branch, and former President Trump’s potential plans to reshape the federal bureaucracy to create more political appointees if he is re-elected to the presidency in this year’s presidential election.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Professor Andrew Rudalevige (Bowdoin College)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Limits of Presidential Power with Professor Andrew Rudalevige

Are we on the verge of a weight-loss revolution?

Are weight-loss jabs the answer to Britain’s obesity crisis? Should we be doing more to tackle the root causes?

Joanna Bale talks to Helen, who found Ozempic ‘life-changing’, Clinical Psychologist Sarah Appleton, and LSE’s Nikki Sullivan & Paul Frijters.

Research links:

The relationship between obesity and self-esteem: longitudinal evidence from Australian adults by Sophie Byth, Paul Frijters and Tony Beatton:

https://academic.oup.com/ooec/article/doi/10.1093/ooec/odac009/6751730?login=true

LSE IQ podcast

Are we on the verge of a weight-loss revolution?

On March 5th, 16 US states and territories held primary elections to decide the 2024 Republican and Democratic presidential nominees: a day known as “Super Tuesday”. The Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jason Casellas about the Super Tuesday results, the primary race so far, and what the trends may mean for the general election in November.

Jason Casellas is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston and is the John G. Winant Visiting Professor for American Government at Oxford University for 2023-24. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Additional resources:

- Phelan US Centre event recording: Déja vu all over again? Super Tuesday and the race for the presidency. 6 March 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XtA_AZWvkc
- LSE USAPP blog series on the 2024 Elections - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/category/the-2024-elections-2/
- LSE USAPP blog Q&A series on the 2024 elections from Thomas Gift (UCL) - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/author/thomas-gift/

The Ballpark | Super Tuesday 2024 results with Professor Jason Casellas

In February 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Mathieu Duchâtel, Resident Senior Fellow and Director of International Studies at Institut Montaigne about transatlantic convergence between the EU and the United States on China policy. They also discussed the fault lines between the EU and US on China policy, and how China has responded to these divergences, including on Taiwan policy.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Dr Mathieu Duchâtel (Institut Montaigne)

The Ballpark | China Policy: The Limits of Transatlantic Convergence with Dr Mathieu Duchâtel

Why do some countries, such as China and Russia, stand outside of the liberal international order and oppose values that the West takes for granted – values such as liberty and democracy? For the late Professor Christopher Coker the answer lay in the rise of a new political entity, the civilizational state. In an episode of LSE iQ which explored China’s position in the world in the coming century, Professor Coker talked about this, the potential for war between the United States and China and what that might look like. 

Christopher Coker, was Professor of International Relations at LSE for almost four decades, and co-Director of LSE IDEAS, LSE’s foreign policy think tank. He was a scholar of war and warfare. This episode of LSE iQ is a lightly edited version of our 2019 interview recorded before the COVID pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is dedicated to his memory.


Contributors

Professor Christopher Coker

Research

The Rise of the Civilizational State by Christopher Coker

The Improbable War, China, the United States and the Logic of Great Power Conflict by Christopher Coker

China, war and the civilizational state

In March 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jason Casellas about how the role of Latino voters in the United States and their changing voting patterns. They also discuss how Latino voters might influence the 2024 presidential election.

Jason Casellas is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston and is the John G. Winant Visiting Professor for American Government at Oxford University for 2023-24. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Additional resources:

•	The Ballpark podcast: Super Tuesday 2024 results with Professor Jason Casellas - https://wp.me/p3I2YF-dF3 

Contributors: Professor Jason Casellas (University of Houston and Oxford University)

The Ballpark | Latino Voters In The United States With Professor Jason Casellas

In March 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jennifer Carlson of Arizona State University, and 2022 MacArthur Fellow, about her new book, Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy. They also discuss the symbolism and political value guns have in American politics and society.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Professor Jennifer Carlson (Arizona State University)

The Ballpark | Merchants of the Right with Professor Jennifer Carlson

In March 2024, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Elizabeth Saunders, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University about her new book, ‘The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace’ and the role of ‘elites’ in US foreign policymaking.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

LSE: The Ballpark | The Insider's Game: How Elites Make War and Peace with Prof. Elizabeth Saunders

In April 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Elizabeth Ingleson, Assistant Professor in the Department of International History at LSE and Centre Affiliate of the Phelan US Centre. They spoke about Dr Ingleson’s new book, Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade. They also discussed the evolution of the US-China trade relationship since the 1970s, including the role played by US policymakers and capitalist interests.

Dr Elizabeth Ingleson will be launching her new book at the LSE Phelan US Centre event, ‘Made in China: When US-China interests converged to transform global trade’, on Tuesday 7 May from 5pm to 6:30pm at LSE. More details about how to attend in person and online are here - https://www.lse.ac.uk/united-states/events/2024-events/Made-in-China-When-US-China-Interests-Converged-to-Transform-Global-Trade. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

LSE: The Ballpark | Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged with Dr Elizabeth Ingleson

Who knew a scientific examination of bookbinding would take us down such a macabre pathway? That's right, books made with human flesh are more common than you could imagine—Alison will explain. Bill tries to make "e Day" a thing, and we'll deepen your appreciation for tardigrades, naked mole rats and octopuses.

Episode #15: Books Bound in Human Skin

"It's Only Science" is a podcast from the editorial team at Discover Magazine. Every episode, we get the band of nerds together to talk about science. We might discuss the news, play some games or just share something that blew our minds recently. We don't take ourselves too seriously, so join us and have some fun. After all, it's only science.

Episode #15: Books Bound in Human Skin

It's Only Science

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