9: Ep. 9: The Science of Poison and Toxicology episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 15, 2026 · 38 MIN

9: Ep. 9: The Science of Poison and Toxicology

from The Science of Murder · host The Science of Murder

Most people think a poisoner’s greatest tool is the substance they choose. They’re wrong. A poisoner’s greatest tool is time—the window between the final dose and the first symptom where the body begins to erase the evidence of its own destruction. 

This episode deconstructs the laboratory’s role in identifying the "invisible weapon." We move beyond the dramatic tropes of mystery novels to examine the ADME process—Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion—and how a Medical Laboratory Scientist utilizes Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify chemical signatures in complex biological matrices. We explore the critical distinction between acute and chronic toxicity, the physiological impact of corrosive vs. systemic poisons, and why the "dose makes the poison" remains the fundamental law of the lab.

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9: Ep. 9: The Science of Poison and Toxicology

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This episode is 38 minutes long.

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This episode was published on March 15, 2026.

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Most people think a poisoner’s greatest tool is the substance they choose. They’re wrong. A poisoner’s greatest tool is time—the window between the final dose and the first symptom where the body begins to erase the evidence of its own destruction. 

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