The Michael Shermer Show Heretics: The Scientists Who Were Mocked But Later Proven Right
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Mar 12, 2026 Matt Kaplan, science correspondent at The Economist and author of I Told You So!, tells short biosketches of scientists who were mocked then proven right. They discuss why institutions and careers protect consensus. They explore mRNA’s long slog to success, historical medical backlash like childbed fever, and how funding, replication, and peer review shape which ideas survive.
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How Global Sharing Accelerated COVID Vaccines
- Rapid global collaboration enabled the COVID vaccine timeline to compress from years to under a year.
- Eddie Holmes receiving genomic data immediately and open sharing let labs worldwide pivot to vaccine design and testing quickly.
Katalin Karikó's Chance Photocopier Breakthrough
- Katalin Karikó's mRNA work was repeatedly dismissed and she faced demotion and deportation threats before collaborating with Drew Weissman.
- A chance meeting at a photocopier led to a key fix (modified nucleosides) that stabilized mRNA for use in vaccines.
PhD Student Harassed for Trying to Replicate Color Pigment Work
- A PhD student who tried to replicate fossil color pigment methods was screamed at and reduced to tears at a conference.
- The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology later had to publish behavior rules after the harassment escalated.
