# Harvard Science Book Talk: Matt Kaplan, in conversation with Daniel Lieberman, "I Told You So! Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right" #### calendar\_today Date and Time **March 12, 2026** 06:00PM - 07:00PM EDT #### pin\_drop Location **Harvard Science Center, Hall A** 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 [ Free Tickets arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/matt-kaplan-at-harvard-university-tickets-1981618087042) ![MattKaplan headshot and book cover; Daniel Lieberman's headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum7191/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2026-03/Kaplan-mail.jpg?itok=FnQCosTw) For two decades, Matt Kaplan has covered science for the *Economist*. He’s seen breakthroughs often occur in spite of, rather than because of, the behavior of the research community, and how support can be withheld for those who don’t conform or have the right connections. In this passionately argued and entertaining book, Kaplan narrates the history of the 19th century Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis, who realized that Childbed fever—a devastating infection that only struck women who had recently given birth—was spread by doctors not washing their hands. Semmelweis was met with overwhelming hostility by those offended at the notion that doctors were at fault, and is a prime example of how the scientific community often fights new ideas, even when the facts are staring them in the face. In entertaining prose, Kaplan reveals scientific cases past and present to make his case. Some are familiar, like Galileo being threatened with torture and Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó being fired when on the brink of discovering how to wield mRNA–a finding that proved pivotal for the creation of the Covid-19 vaccine. Others less so, like researchers silenced for raising safety concerns about new drugs, and biologists ridiculed for revealing major flaws in the way rodent research is conducted. Kaplan shows how the scientific community can work faster and better by making reasonably small changes to the forces that shape it. --- **Matt Kaplan** is a science correspondent at *The Economist* where he has written about everything from paleontology and parasites to virology and viticulture over the course of two decades. His writing has also appeared in *National Geographic*, *New* Scientist, *Nature*, and *The New York Times*. He is the author of *The Science of Monsters* and *Science of the Magical*, and co-author of *David Attenborough’s First Life: A Journey Through Time.* He completed a thesis in Paleontology at Berkeley, and one in science journalism at Imperial College, London. In 2014 he was awarded a Knight Fellowship to study at MIT and Harvard. Born in California, he lives in England. **Daniel E. Lieberman** is the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences, a Professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, and an Affiliate in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. His primary research interest is the evolution of human physical activity and its relevance to health. Lieberman is the acclaimed author of several books, including *The Story of the Human Body, Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding*, and *Fed Up: What Evolution Reveals About Food, Diet, Health, and Eating Well.* --- For more information and videos of Harvard Science Book Talks, see . **Contact Info:** [science\_lectures@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu) See also:- [ Science Public Lecture Series ](/event-type/science-public-lecture-series) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://science.fas.harvard.edu/node/1623376/event-feed.ics) Copy link link