1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and my name is Christian Sager. Robert, 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: I'm I'm ready for a vacation. Yeah, it's the middle 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: of summer, it is. I was just reading that this 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: is not our imagination, that apparently the statistics are saying that, 7 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: like this is one of the hottest years in a 8 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: long time. This summer is brutal. I want to go 9 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: to Small Bard. That's where I want my vacation, so 10 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: so not the not the beaches of Florida, not the 11 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: mountains of of of North Georgia. But no, Yeah, I'm 12 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: definitely not a beach person. Uh. My ideal vacation spot 13 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: is I'd like to spend summers in Small Bard and 14 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: then winters in Tristan d'acuna. Do you know that island? 15 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: I don't think it's the small island in the Atlantic 16 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: Ocean kind of smack betwe queen. Uh North America and Europe, 17 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: and I think it might it might technically have originally 18 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 1: been like a Portuguese colony, but it's something like there's 19 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: something like a hundred people live there or something like that. 20 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: But it's its own nation. Uh, it's everything about it 21 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: sounds great. Nobody goes there, so that's where I want 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: to spend my winter. You like isolation, you want splendid isolation. Yeah, 23 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: I'm weird though, because I like isolation. But then I 24 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: also usually live in big metropolitan areas, so it's it's 25 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: one or the other. It's not in the middle, Like 26 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: suburbs are definitely not for me, but like I could 27 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,039 Speaker 1: be in the middle of nowhere like small Bard, just 28 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: surrounded by ice and polar bears, or smack in the 29 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: middle of New York City. Those are like the places 30 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: I'm the happiest. Well it This reminds me of the 31 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: classic one Zevon song Splendid Isolation Whereas, which is a 32 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: really intelligently written track about this this yearning for isolation 33 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: and then the dangers of indulging that desire oh too much. 34 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: But there's there are lyrics about like wanting to live 35 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: alone in the desert and be like Georgia O'Keefe for 36 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: or live on the Upper East Side and never go 37 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: down in the streets. So the kind there's a certain 38 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: kind of isolation that you you can find in the 39 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: crowded um metropolitan areas that in a in a way 40 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: is akin to desert isolation. It is, Yeah, there's something 41 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: nice about it. Um. But I became really attracted to 42 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: Small Bard after I watched this TV show called Fortitude, 43 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: which I believe was produced by either the BBC or 44 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: maybe it was Sky. That's one of those television networks 45 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: out of Britain. And uh, there's two seasons of it 46 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: and it's on Amazon now and so my wife and 47 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: I just binged watched the whole thing and it's all 48 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: set on Small Bard in a small town. Uh. It's 49 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 1: a murder mystery and man, I recommended to listeners of 50 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: our show it tackles the weirdness of real science within 51 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: this murder mystery, and without spoiling anything, it touches on 52 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: so many things we covered on this show, Like they 53 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: get into stuff like shamanism, psychedelics, human experimentation, parasites. There's 54 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: just a lot of interesting stuff there. And so I 55 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: was like, Small Bard is fascinating. So what do I do. 56 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: I sit down in a google Small Bard and you 57 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: know what comes up right away? A blog post that 58 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: you wrote in two thousand and eleven about small Bard. 59 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yes, yeah, I wrote a piece about like 60 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 1: buried Secrets beneath fall Bard because I think I was writing. 61 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: I wrote several pieces for how stuff works at the 62 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: time I think about it. So I'm glad you you 63 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: brought up small Bard is something to cover because it's 64 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: one of those topics where I kind of forget sometimes 65 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: that it's it's such a cool topic because I wrote 66 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: about in the past, and I not that I, you know, 67 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: contain all knowledge of small Bard, but you know, I 68 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: already already hit some of the high points and I 69 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,119 Speaker 1: have to to revisit it. Yeah, yeah, it's worth revisiting too. 70 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: And from the research that we did for today's episode, 71 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: what's really fascinating is how much it's changing to right 72 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: and and there's a lot of scientific research going on 73 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: there specifically because of those changes, because I think people 74 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: some people look at smaal Bard as like a canary 75 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: in a coal mine, no pun intended, because there's literally 76 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: coal mines all over this place, but that if stuff 77 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: starts going wrong they're ecologically it might be a sign 78 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: that things are going to change in the rest of 79 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: the world. Now, before we we push on and get 80 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: into sal Bard hardcore. I have two questions to ask 81 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: about Fortitude. First of all, is it supernatural in nature? 82 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: Is there some sort of a speculative element? That's the 83 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: thing is you don't know, Like I've seen both seasons 84 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: and I don't want to. You watch the first four 85 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: or five episodes and there's no inclination that you're watching 86 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,119 Speaker 1: a supernatural mystery. You think it's just like a murder 87 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: mystery in this remote place. But then things start to 88 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: get so bizarre that you have to ask yourself is 89 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: this supernatural or is there something They do come up 90 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: with kind of quasi scientific explanations for the things, but 91 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: you're it's left up to you, the audience, to decide. Okay, cool, 92 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: that sounds good now. And then my second question, season two, yea, 93 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: does star Dennis Quake? Correct? Oh, yeah, yeah, they bring 94 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: Dennis Quaid in. Uh. He plays a fisherman who's apparently 95 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 1: he's an American fisherman that's apparently lived on the island 96 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: his old life. He's married to uh Catlan Stark from 97 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: Game of Thrones. Uh, And uh, yeah, he's great in it. 98 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: He's great. He's because the first season you're really following 99 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: like the this murder investigation. Stanley Tucci is the American 100 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: in that season, and then Dennis Quaid apparently was there 101 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: the whole time. We just never saw him in season one, 102 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: and they like kind of introduced him as like a 103 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: major player in season two. Well, this is cool because 104 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: we're chatting him a little bit about this offline. But 105 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: Dennis Quaid, I think we tend to sort of see 106 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,720 Speaker 1: him as just your your average vanilla leading man type 107 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: of guy, and certainly he's done plenty of motion pictures 108 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: that kind of back that up. But he also has 109 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 1: this often forgotten sci fi pedigree. You know. Yes, absolutely. 110 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: One of the first movies I ever saw him in 111 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: Jaws three. That's right, he was in Jaws three. Now 112 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: I can't remember his Jaws What's the pot? And that 113 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: was that the one where like Jaws gets in the 114 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: water system and the Jaws Jaws invade Sea World. Is 115 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: that the plan the plot of that movie? Yeah, Dennis 116 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: Quaid is, like I believe he plays like the head 117 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: engineer at this quote unquote Sea World place that Lewis 118 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:36,039 Speaker 1: Gossip Jr. Runs. Oh he's in that too, yeah. Yeah. 119 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: And then his wife or maybe girlfriend, she's like a 120 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: dolphin trainer or a marine biologist or something like that. 121 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: And yeah, Jaws gets into sea World and starts eating 122 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,039 Speaker 1: all the animals and all the people swimming around stuff. 123 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: And it's in three D. Oh yeah, because Jaws three D. Yeah. Well, yeah, 124 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: he was I guess one of the first big films 125 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: that he was in in this ties into the science. 126 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: He was in the right off after not Gordon Cooper, 127 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: and then he went on to be and just basically 128 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: back to back three like really fun sci fi properties. 129 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: Dreamscape it's pretty great. Yeah, yeah, like a lot of 130 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: like Dream Warrior Shenanigans. You have the guy from the Warriors. 131 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: The Warriors come out and play quickly. He turns into 132 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: a snake man in them. And then you have Enemy Mine, 133 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: which is also yeah gossip. J plays the the alien 134 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: that Quaid crash lands on this this world with It's yeah, 135 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: it's one of my one of my favorite sci fi 136 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: that's a great movie. Yeah. And then of course Inner 137 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: Space that probably I would imagine Dennis Quaid's biggest movie, 138 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: or at least like most people remember him from no 139 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: pun intended biggest movie. But but I remember Inner Space 140 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: fondly because I want to say, at Universal Studios they 141 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: had like an inner space ride. You would like, yeah, 142 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: you would go in and you would get inside like 143 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: a room with like not what do you call it 144 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: when like the seats all move and everything together, like 145 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: you're on a journey together. Yeah, I'm sure there's an 146 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: industry term for that. And there's screens all over the 147 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: room as if you're in like this vessel and you've 148 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: been shrunken down and injected into Martin Short's body. Yeah, 149 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: that was That was such a fun film. I remember 150 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: I made so many when I was a kid. I 151 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: made so many lego submarines to go inside Martin short body. 152 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: You know, poor Martin Shorts body. I should have mailed 153 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: him too and said, Martin Short, can you please swallow 154 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: the submarine made it for you? Yeah, yeah, you know. 155 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: And this funny thing is about with fortitude is I 156 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 1: haven't really thought of Dennis Quaids since the eighties because 157 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,079 Speaker 1: he's mostly in things that are off my radar, right, 158 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: Like the only two things I can remember recently, wasn't 159 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: he in that movie Frequency where he's like a ghost 160 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: talking to his daughter through time and space through an 161 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: old radio or something? I didn't see that one, but 162 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: he was in it, which they've now turned into a 163 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: TV show, I think. Uh so, I guess it was successful. 164 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: I don't know. But then there's this movie called I 165 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: think it's called The Dog's Purpose, and it's all about 166 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: like Dennis Quaid when he's a little kid, has a 167 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: dog that he loves and it's like the best dog ever. 168 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: And that dog dies and he grows up and he 169 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: becomes Dennis Quaid and gets another dog. But it turns 170 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: out that his dog has been resurrected over and over 171 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: again for the last fifty some odd years and is 172 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: now resurrected in this new dog's body, and like Dennis 173 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:27,439 Speaker 1: Quaid becomes aware of reincarnation through dogs. Wow, so it's 174 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: like the Dog I llama. Yeah, it's something like that. 175 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: At least that's what the trailer looks like. Looks real bad. 176 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: But uh if Fortitude he's fantastic. It made like I 177 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: had forgotten how great he was. And then you watch 178 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: Fortitude and man, yeah, I can't recommend that show enough. Yeah, 179 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: I'll have to check that out. I I really enjoyed 180 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 1: the Quad on two thousand nine Pandorum. I know that's 181 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: a lot of people it's a It was a like 182 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:54,200 Speaker 1: a German co produced science fiction horror film with space 183 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: crazy is in it and really and like mutants on 184 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: a on a colony barge to another world. So he's 185 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 1: just one of these guys who kind of just jumps 186 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: around all over the place and just does does everything. 187 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: I think so, But I was looking for more sci 188 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: fi and like science oriented stuff on his resume, and 189 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: I didn't see a lot between the three earlier films 190 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,200 Speaker 1: we mentioned and Pandorman frequency. So yeah, I wonder if 191 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: he was he was afraid of being typecast is being 192 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: like the sci fi leading man. But yeah, well now, 193 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: I mean now he's like he's coming back, is like that, 194 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 1: you know. I would assume he's in his late fifties, 195 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,959 Speaker 1: early sixties, and he's got that like grizzled look to him, 196 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: you know, and in fortitude, it's like his skins made 197 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 1: of leather. He's like the perfect guy to be a 198 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: fisherman on this frozen island. So maybe we should get 199 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: into small Bard. Let's do it. So our our producer 200 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: Alex asked us before we came into the studio today, 201 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 1: what's this about? We told him, and he looked at 202 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: us quizzically right, like he didn't know what the word was. 203 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: We were even saying when we said small Bard and 204 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,679 Speaker 1: most people don't like it's it's this place that's so 205 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: remote that most people don't even know it exists. In fact, 206 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:03,959 Speaker 1: it's not even it doesn't even belong to a nation. Really. Um, 207 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: but let's give some brief background on it, and then 208 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: we're gonna go through and we're gonna extrapolate some of 209 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 1: the really cool, bizarre science facts surrounding this archipelago. Okay, 210 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: so this is the background from the official I went 211 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: straight to the CIA for this, the CIA's World fact 212 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:27,840 Speaker 1: Book from twenty sixteen, so it's you know, meticulous research. 213 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 1: Uh They say that Small Bard was first discovered by 214 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:35,320 Speaker 1: Norwegians in the twelfth century, and that the islands they 215 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: are served as an international whaling base during the seventeenth 216 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: and eighteenth centuries. Norway's sovereignty, though, was recognized in nineteen twenty, 217 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: so five years later it officially took over the territory 218 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: of Small bard Um, which I believe used to be 219 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 1: referred to as Spitzbergen. Uh So, so small Bard, Norway 220 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:58,480 Speaker 1: sort of runs it, and we're not really going to 221 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 1: talk a lot about like the history in the politics 222 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,840 Speaker 1: of it today. But from what I understand, Norway runs it. 223 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: There's a governor that's appointed by Norway. Norway funds a 224 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 1: lot of the stuff that's on the island, but it 225 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: has its own government, it has its own economy and everything. 226 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: In the twenty century, though, coal mining started because there's 227 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 1: a lot of coal resources available on small Bards. So 228 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: today Norway and Russia they have sort of joint custody 229 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,200 Speaker 1: over over this land. There's various companies that are still 230 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:34,960 Speaker 1: functioning from those nations that are mining companies essentially, and 231 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 1: travel between the settlements is usually accomplished by snowmobiles, aircraft 232 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,559 Speaker 1: and boats. So to give you an idea, it's actually 233 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: a pretty big place between all of the islands. It's 234 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: total area is sixty two thousand, forty five square kilometers 235 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: and as you would imagine its climate as Arctic, it's 236 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: tempered by a warm North Atlantic Current, though so it 237 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: does have has cool summers. The winners are cold. The 238 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: North Atlantic Current flows along the west and north coast 239 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 1: of Spitzbergen or now Small Bard, and it keeps the 240 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: water open and navigable for most of the year, although 241 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: my understanding is is in the winter the only way 242 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: you can get to and from the mainland is via plane. 243 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 1: I don't know that boats are all that reliable during 244 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: the really heavy, you know, winter seasons. Now, small Bard 245 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 1: itself is actually six hundred and fifty miles or a 246 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: thousand and fifty kilometers from the North Pole. This means 247 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: it's the northernmost year round human settlement on the planet. Uh. 248 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,320 Speaker 1: It's population is around two thousand, two hundred. That's like 249 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: right around like my peak, like right around where like 250 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,079 Speaker 1: I'd be comfortable being around that many people. And you're 251 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 1: not even really I mean you're spreading out two thousand, 252 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 1: two hundred people over the sixty thousand square miles you know, 253 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: well they're not even right. They have one person for 254 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 1: every thousand squamos. That would that would be disastrous. Yeah. Um. 255 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:05,839 Speaker 1: But recently, Smalbard tried to move its economy toward tourism 256 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 1: and scientific research and away from the coal mining that 257 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,839 Speaker 1: supported the economy in the early twentieth century. So the 258 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 1: basic ideas they want and apparently this is a thing 259 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: now like small Bard tourism. In fact, like I found 260 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: this website called dark tourism, and it was like all 261 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: about touring places like this. Um, and it sounds like 262 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: I'm very interested in this. Actually, it sounds like you 263 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 1: can fly into small Bard from Norway. I think it's 264 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 1: like a three hour flight. Long year Bian, I believe 265 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 1: is like the major town that you visit. It's got 266 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: a couple hotels there. There's like a few museums on 267 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: the island, and you can visit these like ghost towns 268 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: that are like abandoned Russian mining towns. Yeah. But um, 269 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 1: one thing that's that's in fortitude and pretty heavily mentioned 270 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: in the first and second seasons that is true about 271 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: smaal Bard is danger of being eaten by polar bears 272 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: pretty much everywhere you go except for this long year 273 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: been place. So most people carry firearms with them whenever 274 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: they go anywhere outside of that town's limits because the 275 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: polar bears, well you know, they're hungry, so they'll pounce 276 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: on you. Yeah. I think this is one of the 277 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: wonderful details about small Bar When you start you look 278 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: at it and you realize this is a an unforgiving, 279 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: frigid wilderness. The most part with polar bears roaming around um, 280 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: a doomsday arc which we will get into UM and 281 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: then abandoned mining towns, abandoned minds, UM glaciers which will 282 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: be hitting next. I mean, it's just just a fascinating place, 283 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: especially and then when you look at the human activity 284 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: that is drawn there, it's kind of a at times, 285 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 1: it kind of looks like a microcosm of human interests 286 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: in the natural world. Yeah, what are you there for? 287 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: Oh well, we're here to look at it, to exploit it, 288 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: to study it, and to save it. Yeah, exactly like 289 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: we started off in the early twentieth century exploiting it, 290 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: whether it was the natural resources like coal or the 291 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: animals that were there. Uh, and now we're turning around 292 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: and trying to make it something that's beautiful to look 293 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: at and that we can, like I said, it's this 294 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:16,880 Speaker 1: Canarian coal mine that we can study and and and 295 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: save that and hopefully, you know, save the earth by 296 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: looking at Small Bard. We're gonna talk about some examples 297 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: related to possible climate change here. All right, Well, let's 298 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: let's talk a little bit about the glaciers of Small Bard. Yeah, 299 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: and it's this will hopefully you know, if you don't 300 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: know a lot about glaciers. Maybe this will serve as 301 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 1: an introduction to them. I learned a thing doing this 302 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:41,480 Speaker 1: research that there is a job called a glaciologist, people 303 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: who just study glaciers, and apparently many of them live 304 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: in Small Bard. Yeah, I mean glaciers cover of small Bard, 305 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: and it's I feel like glaciers of one of these 306 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: areas where it's it's easy just dismiss them. It's just 307 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 1: sort of vestiges of a long departed ice age and 308 00:16:57,480 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: just think of, oh, it's just just ice sitting around 309 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: and falling into the sea, right. Yeah. In fact, the 310 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: only time we really hear about glaciers, like in the 311 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: news is when big parts of them fall into the sea, 312 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: Like was it last week? Wasn't there like a huge 313 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:15,480 Speaker 1: Antarctic glacier that broke off? Yeah? Yeah, So you know, 314 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 1: we tend only pay attention when stuff like that happens, 315 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,399 Speaker 1: when it's really when it's when it's you know, really 316 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: headline worthy. But uh, yeah, glaciers are not timeless remnants. 317 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: They're rather complex structures, and they are given to cyclical 318 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 1: and progressive change. So these titans advanced to the sea 319 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: by as much as nine ft or thirty meters. Each year, 320 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: winter births new glacial ice, and each spring these giants 321 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: bleed fresh water from their crystalline hearts. Yeah, yeah, that 322 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:50,640 Speaker 1: is a great way to describe it. And I'll get 323 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,719 Speaker 1: into this in a couple of minutes. But the glaciers, 324 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,200 Speaker 1: they're like your metaphor of them bleeding is actually pretty 325 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: accurate because there's different types of ice within them, and 326 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: they melt at different consistencies based on pressure, not on temperature. Yeah, 327 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 1: different chambers and yeah, they really kind of have their 328 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:10,159 Speaker 1: own anatomy. And this is this is how it how 329 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:11,879 Speaker 1: it works. Just just moving a lot of water. It 330 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: roads limestone to form hidden tunnels. If you've ever gone 331 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:16,600 Speaker 1: to on a tour of a cave or a cavern, 332 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: this has been related to you. Well, the same thing 333 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: happens with the glacial drainage. They forge these complex cave systems. 334 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: The melt water gouges these u coiling tunnels or the 335 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: ice and far below it flows along the rocky glacier 336 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:37,359 Speaker 1: bed to form sub glacial conduits. And here you, uh, 337 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: if conditions are just right, adventurous explorers can traverse floors 338 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 1: of naked stone all the while you have the uh, 339 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: the lights gleaming against these uh these this ice architecture overhead. 340 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: I'll try to include an image of this or the 341 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,040 Speaker 1: landing page of this episode of Seftability of Mind dot com, 342 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: because it's it's it's even more beautiful than whatever you're picturing. 343 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 1: You know. The closest thing I think we have to 344 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 1: that anywhere near us, and you're probably more familiar with 345 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: it than I am, since you're from Tennessee is uh 346 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: Rock City and Lookout Mountain just outside of Chattanooga. Have 347 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: you been there? Oh city? Yeah? And have you gone 348 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 1: inside Lookout Mountain before? Um, let's sit well, are you 349 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: talking about you're talking about Rock City? Um? Yeah, Like 350 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,160 Speaker 1: on top of Lookout Mountain, there's that like a little 351 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,360 Speaker 1: I don't know, how would you describe it. I would 352 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 1: describe it as a tennesseean Wagner theme, um outdoorsy. Uh, 353 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: it's like this weird village for dwarves, like our ferries 354 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:41,360 Speaker 1: or something. You go through little caves, you go across 355 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,720 Speaker 1: the suspension bridges and then occasionally there are dwarves and 356 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,880 Speaker 1: there is an actual Wagner music playing over the speakers, 357 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,919 Speaker 1: and you can take an elevator inside this mountain and 358 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: uh climb around inside it very much like what you're 359 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: talking about, except where it's not a glacier, it's an 360 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:01,200 Speaker 1: actual mountain waterfalls. We'll imagine you're in a cave, except 361 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: only you have cave beneath you and then ice above 362 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:07,959 Speaker 1: your How how much scarier is that? Because I went 363 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: into Lookout Mountain and it was like, it's beautiful, but 364 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: it's also the whole time you're in there, you're like, 365 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:17,400 Speaker 1: what if anything goes wrong? Like I'm dead? Uh, and 366 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: in the glaciers, I imagine that's even stronger of a 367 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: of a feeling. Yeah. Also Lookout Mountain fun fact, home 368 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: to Autobot City in the nineteen eighties Transformers movie. Really 369 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:32,199 Speaker 1: like what was out about city? Did they live there 370 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:33,920 Speaker 1: that the auto It was like, Yeah, it was like 371 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:37,879 Speaker 1: a transforming city. It was basically where Chattanooga is, and 372 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: they they lived there. Yeah. There's a whole scene at 373 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 1: the beginning where they're like, uh, looking at the sky 374 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 1: from Lookout Mountain. Crazy. Yeah, alright, so these uh, these 375 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: ice caves, these and these these tunnels beneath the glaciers. 376 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: Each year, researchers from the University Center in Small Bar 377 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: they descend into these uh, these glacial caves, and they 378 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: map out the tunnels and also you know, study how 379 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:09,719 Speaker 1: glacial um hydrological systems work. Uh. But there is a 380 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,240 Speaker 1: sense of emurgency and a lot of their work because 381 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 1: while you know, stone Cave tends to outlive any human spelunkers. Uh, 382 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: the melt water, the airflow, glacial surges after the ice formations. 383 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,119 Speaker 1: This changes everything. So it's not one of these things 384 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 1: we're like, all right, we'll just come back next year 385 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 1: and finish his work. The entire system may have may 386 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: be different. And of course that's even when you factory 387 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,879 Speaker 1: in climate change on top of that, it just adds 388 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: to the fragility of these environments. So this is where 389 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: these glaciers get weird though, because that they're not like 390 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 1: quote normal glaciers. You know, it's not like we encounter 391 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: a ton of glaciers in our lifetime. But weirdly, the 392 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: glaciers once fall Bard actually behave differently than the others worldwide. 393 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,679 Speaker 1: They advance in some distance for a couple of years, 394 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 1: then they'll actually retreat like it's like they go forward 395 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,320 Speaker 1: and it seems like they then move backward. They remain 396 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: quiet for fifty undred years and then they'll start advancing again. 397 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:17,880 Speaker 1: So scientists have started studying this closely because they're thinking, well, 398 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,360 Speaker 1: this could affect sea levels. We need to understand this phenomenon. 399 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: So these glaciers are called surging glaciers, and sometimes they're 400 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: referred to as pulsating glaciers. I like that better, so 401 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm gonna call them pulsating glaciers today. It 402 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:36,239 Speaker 1: brings it's it's such a wonderful mental image that used 403 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: to mind because again, we tend to think of glaciers 404 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: it's just dead ice from a primal age, just sitting around. 405 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,480 Speaker 1: But but there is a there's a there's a dynamic 406 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: nature here. Oh totally, they're their own like constantly changing ecosystem. 407 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:52,879 Speaker 1: Uh So one in five of the glaciers on Small 408 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 1: Bard acts this way, and globally, to give you an idea, 409 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: only one in a hundred act this way with the 410 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:03,280 Speaker 1: retreating in the advance sing. Some glaciologists even claim that 411 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: nine out of ten glaciers on Small Bard pulsate, but 412 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:11,639 Speaker 1: this isn't actually proven yet. By contrast, there's no pulsating 413 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 1: glaciers in nearby Norway, only a few in Alaska and 414 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: Iceland have been found to behave the same way, as 415 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,439 Speaker 1: well as some in Greenland and in the Antarctic. But 416 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,439 Speaker 1: small Bard seems to be like the place to study 417 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: these pulsating glaciers. Now, I read an interesting explanation by 418 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: French researcher Heidi Sevestre. I believe that's how you pronounce 419 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: her last name. Uh. This is her her theory for 420 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:40,360 Speaker 1: what's going on with these glaciers, and it sounds plausible. 421 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: So because they have massive weight, glacier masses flow slowly 422 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: toward the ocean, right, this is this is what we 423 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: know about them. Most only move a few meters on 424 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,880 Speaker 1: a summer day, and our classic idea of a glacier 425 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: is what's referred to as a Kelvin glacier, where the 426 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 1: front ends into the sea and then I detaches from it. 427 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: These glaciers are currently receiving faster than normal and they 428 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,640 Speaker 1: continually lose more ice, so this is why we're paying 429 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: more attention to it. A pulsating glacier, though, will actually 430 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: move faster than this. It moves twenty meters a day, 431 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: for example, but they're unable to move fast enough to 432 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 1: dispose of excess snow that is exerted on them from 433 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: the ice caps. So while they're sliding faster, their volume 434 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: actually remains the same. So it's not that they're actually 435 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 1: moving forward and then retreating backward. It's that their their 436 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:37,680 Speaker 1: volume is staying the same, and it seems like that. 437 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,680 Speaker 1: So this is where these two different types of ice 438 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 1: I was referring to come into play. You've got cold 439 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: ice where the temperature is constantly below the melting point, 440 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 1: and this moves slowly. And then there's temperate ice that 441 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,639 Speaker 1: is closer to the melting point. And what will happen 442 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: is water forms underneath this ice and allows it to 443 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:02,480 Speaker 1: slide faster. So when a pulsating glacier becomes thicker because 444 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: of this snow melt, the theory is that the pressure 445 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 1: inside the ice is actually increasing and that results in 446 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: an increase in temperature. So the bottom ice starts to 447 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 1: melt and then the whole thing starts sliding faster. It 448 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:20,800 Speaker 1: all comes down to this increased pressure atop these glaciers. 449 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: But when this melt water drains off, the friction increases 450 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:28,359 Speaker 1: again and the glacier comes to a halt. So we're 451 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:34,119 Speaker 1: essentially seeing like this the shift in in densities of matter, right. Uh, 452 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:38,360 Speaker 1: and these glaciers can be pretty dangerous because they their 453 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: speed increases. You actually shouldn't walk on them, and most 454 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 1: researchers try not to when they're at this stage where 455 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:48,480 Speaker 1: the melt waters underneath them. It's unfortunate though, because researchers 456 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 1: feel like they would be able to understand them better 457 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: during the advancement stage than the halting stage. Still, though, 458 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: the melting is super significant. There's a loss of four 459 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: point five million tons of melt water per hour in 460 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 1: the summer months, so we're talking about a lot of water. 461 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,080 Speaker 1: They're like, I think people kind of casually talk about 462 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,439 Speaker 1: glaciers melting when they're referring to climate change. When you 463 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: hear a number like that, that's massive. Now you know 464 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: another thing about about glaciers and just generally the ice 465 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: and the fryging nature of small bart You know, we 466 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:27,199 Speaker 1: often think that environments like this are are pretty you know, 467 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,639 Speaker 1: barren of life. You know, you had, sure you have 468 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 1: polar bears and birds and and whatnot, but uh, people 469 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:39,639 Speaker 1: often overlook the the microbial life. There was a there 470 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: was an interesting research project in two thousand five was 471 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,960 Speaker 1: called the Arctic Mars analog Small Bard Expedition or a 472 00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:52,360 Speaker 1: MACE and uh. Their purpose was, as you might guess 473 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,359 Speaker 1: from the title, was to essentially test out various life 474 00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:00,400 Speaker 1: seeking technologies that we might use on Mars here on Earth. 475 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: You know, So you pick a you know, a sufficiently 476 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,720 Speaker 1: uh you know, seemingly lifeless environment and then look for 477 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:12,399 Speaker 1: it's uh, it's microbial life. And they made some pretty 478 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 1: startling discoveries, including microbial life within the blue ice vents 479 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: of the million year old seref Gel volcano. So they 480 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 1: the researchers found both microbiota, fossils and living communities. Uh. 481 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:30,680 Speaker 1: And this painted a picture of of life's ancient colonization 482 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 1: of this once of these once thermal heated cracks. So 483 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: as the world cooled, these hardy organisms adapted to survive 484 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:43,480 Speaker 1: extreme cold and thrive on ice suspended mental deposits. Okay, 485 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: so okay, yeah, I'm getting a pretty clear picture here 486 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,880 Speaker 1: that like again, like we were saying, like it's its 487 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: own ecosystem, there's all this stuff going on underneath the ice. Now, 488 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 1: much of the soil and small Bard remains at or 489 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 1: below the freezing point year round. A thin active area 490 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:01,959 Speaker 1: may warmed a life during the spring, but the frozen 491 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,520 Speaker 1: perma frost uh tends to remain frigid underneath. Now research 492 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,720 Speaker 1: is still catching up with the secrets of life in 493 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:11,120 Speaker 1: that perma frost, but recent findings reveal that it contains 494 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:17,160 Speaker 1: microbial biomass comparable to temperate soil ecosystems. Okay, yeah, so 495 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: I mean that that comparison to Lookout Mountain is probably 496 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,919 Speaker 1: nowhere near accurate. But when you're thinking about it, like 497 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:28,600 Speaker 1: outside of it being ice versus stone, there's as much 498 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: life probably moving around within these two things. Yeah, And 499 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: I mean the point about um temperate soil ecosystems I 500 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: think is important. I know on the show, we've talked 501 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:42,280 Speaker 1: before about the idea of like taking earth ecosystem into space, 502 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 1: taking it to another world, and about how that would 503 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: inherently involve bringing dirt with you. So the the old 504 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: vampire myth where the vampire has to bring, uh, bring 505 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: their dirt with them in their their their their grave 506 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 1: dirt with them so they can you know, take up 507 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 1: in a new location. It's kind the same way with 508 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: humans in general, like if if, if, if we want 509 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 1: Earth life to succeed somewhere else, we have to bring 510 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 1: our dirt because there is so much life in it. 511 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: There's so much uh that that serves as the bedrock 512 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 1: for for for life itself. And that's heavily related to 513 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: the seed vault that we're going to talk about later 514 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 1: in this episode. But you know what, I'm gonna jump 515 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: ahead in the notes because I just have one small 516 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:24,479 Speaker 1: thing I want to bring up here that I think 517 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: is related to what you're talking about here. So there's 518 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,960 Speaker 1: this rumor, and it's perpetuated by that show fortitude, that 519 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: it's illegal to die in small Bard. Uh. It's not real. 520 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:41,040 Speaker 1: That's a myth. But the the idea is that people think, oh, well, 521 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:44,920 Speaker 1: because the permafrost, the ground is so hard all the time, 522 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:48,480 Speaker 1: you can't dig graves in it, so that this this 523 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 1: myth came about, you know that that you couldn't be 524 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: buried there. Uh. There are graveyards on on some of 525 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: the islands. But the governor's office clarified this in and 526 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: they said the reason why is it's not illegal. But 527 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: the major town of Long year Been is not a 528 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: quote cradle to grave community is how they referred to it, 529 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: um because they don't have the means to care for 530 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: the elderly. You know, there's it's it's such a limited 531 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,000 Speaker 1: resource area that you know, when you become a senior citizen, 532 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:23,080 Speaker 1: it's not like the people who are working there, whether 533 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: their researchers are doing tourism or you know, in mining towns, 534 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 1: they also have enough of a population to take care of, 535 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: like a senior living facility. Well, they have all these 536 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: polar bears. I mean, I don't got to train these 537 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 1: polar bears and yeah, things could really really look up 538 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 1: for small Bard. Yeah, but I mean in terms of 539 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,160 Speaker 1: like you know, end of life care. Oh, you mean 540 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 1: just like having them eat people. Yeah, I mean it's 541 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 1: one option. I'm not saying do it. I'm just saying that, 542 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: you know, one one might might think there might be 543 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:57,200 Speaker 1: a solution there that benefits both, you know, the elderly 544 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: of fall Bard and polar Bear. It's what you're talking 545 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: about here reminds me of that. Um. Do you ever 546 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 1: read the Northern Lights trilogy that Pullman Stuffy? Yeah, one 547 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: of one of the talking polar bears in it, at 548 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,640 Speaker 1: one point eats one of his friends when he dies 549 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: to take his essence into himself. Yeah, there's actually there's 550 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: been a polar bear cannibalism observed on small Bard. I 551 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: believe I remember from from research, but I guess I 552 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 1: ended up going I know this is kind of a 553 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: grizzly tangent, but I guess I thought about it because 554 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,600 Speaker 1: it makes me think about burial customs in Tibet, where 555 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: you have limited burial space for obvious reasons, and so 556 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:42,080 Speaker 1: you have this long tradition of sky burial of exposure 557 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,160 Speaker 1: burrel letting uh the animals in this case that the 558 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 1: vultures um of the natural world consuming flesh. So it 559 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 1: seems like that would work with polar bears as well, 560 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,360 Speaker 1: But it's it's hard to really kick start a tradition 561 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 1: like that. I would be okay with it, you know what, 562 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 1: Like let it be heard here and now across the 563 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: air waves of this podcast. If I die and I'm 564 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:08,160 Speaker 1: in small Bard, I don't want to make it too 565 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:09,920 Speaker 1: much of a burden on my loved ones. But if 566 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,720 Speaker 1: I'm in swall Bard, I'm perfectly okay with my body 567 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:14,600 Speaker 1: being left out on the ice for polar bears to 568 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,000 Speaker 1: lunch on. That seems like a great way to contribute 569 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: to the away from the rest of the humans. A 570 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:25,080 Speaker 1: true green burial Uh, actually, what you're just mentioning with 571 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:27,680 Speaker 1: the sky burial reminds me of something I've been meaning 572 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 1: to mention to you, and I might as well recommended 573 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: to the audience while we're here. Um, Warren Ellis and 574 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:36,719 Speaker 1: Phil Hester have this new comic book called Shipwreck, and 575 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 1: one of the issues is basically just a sky burial. 576 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: Like you're watching a sky burial take place in this 577 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: issue while these characters are having a conversation with one another, 578 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,800 Speaker 1: So it really highlights Uh, I mean, they talk about 579 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: the actual sky burial act itself, but then you're you're 580 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: not witnessing it because it's a comic book, but it's 581 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:56,840 Speaker 1: making you think about it in a way that like 582 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 1: when we just do an episode on on sky burials, 583 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: we can say, yeah, they put your body out in 584 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 1: a bunch of vultures riputer shreds, right, But like this 585 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:06,840 Speaker 1: is showing the whole thing happening while these two guys 586 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 1: are just sitting there having a conversation. It's pretty interesting. Yeah, 587 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:13,480 Speaker 1: there's like a ritual processing of the body that takes place. Yeah, 588 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: I feel like we've we've talked about sky Barrel on 589 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: the show. I know that you and I talked about 590 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: Tibetan culture and art and traditions. Yeah, I think you 591 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: did something on it before I joined the show, or 592 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 1: maybe there was a video that one of us did. 593 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: It's been a while. This is what happens everybody, like, 594 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 1: we do so much stuff that we forget sometimes where 595 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:34,560 Speaker 1: we did, but we know that we've learned these things somewhere. Yeah. 596 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 1: I definitely wrote an article on sky burial for how 597 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:40,800 Speaker 1: stuff works, but I do not remember any exactly what 598 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:43,200 Speaker 1: the podcast scenario was. Yeah, well, we'll take a peek 599 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: back of the archives and if we haven't done it, 600 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,480 Speaker 1: maybe that's something we need to visit. All right, Well, 601 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:49,280 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break and when we come back 602 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:52,440 Speaker 1: we will get more into the human history of small 603 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: bart than All Right, we're back now. You touched on 604 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: this a little bit. All but marauding Vikings knew the 605 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:06,480 Speaker 1: islands of swall Bard as a swall borrow in the 606 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:09,839 Speaker 1: twelfth century, though they had little use for it then. 607 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:14,279 Speaker 1: When Dutch explorer Wilhelm Barrens rediscovered the islands in fIF 608 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:18,640 Speaker 1: whalers followed in his wake, so soon the shores were 609 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 1: crawling with semen from across Europe. All bundled up against 610 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:27,320 Speaker 1: the chill as they cooked gore streaked slabs of blubberd 611 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:31,120 Speaker 1: to oil and great big iron cauldron. There's something like 612 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: really appetizing about that. I know it's not supposed to be, 613 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:37,080 Speaker 1: but and I'm the vegetarian on the show, but the 614 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:41,320 Speaker 1: idea of eating blubber cooked in oil cauldron sounds awesome 615 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:46,480 Speaker 1: to me. Well, it's it's certainly a grim scene to imagine. 616 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: I always find these illustrations of whale processing very you know, 617 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:55,840 Speaker 1: intriguing but but grotesque. When I was a kid in Newfoundland, Canada, 618 00:34:56,200 --> 00:35:01,759 Speaker 1: we got to explore some abandoned whaling um stations there 619 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,239 Speaker 1: and it was it was pretty fascinating to just walk 620 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,560 Speaker 1: through these areas that you're just completely desolated because there's 621 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:09,320 Speaker 1: there's no reason for people to be there and remain 622 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 1: there if they're not processing large aquatic mammals. Yeah, it's fascinating. Uh. 623 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: My experience growing up in New England is similar, although 624 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,759 Speaker 1: like those towns have survived and have since gone on 625 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:23,799 Speaker 1: to you know, have different economies surrounding them. But you 626 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: see like these old seaside towns that used to like Gloucester, Massachusetts, 627 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 1: I think of which I believe Gloucester is what the 628 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,279 Speaker 1: setting for Moby Dick was based on. I want to 629 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: say it might listeners, please correct me if I'm wrong, 630 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 1: but I think that's right. It's an interesting town to 631 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 1: take a look at the whaling industry. So if you're 632 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:44,920 Speaker 1: familiar with, of course the whaling industry, one of the 633 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: one of the issues besides it being you know, eventually 634 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:53,840 Speaker 1: largely removed from the sphere of human influence. Uh. They 635 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 1: also reached the point where whalers had virtually hunted many 636 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,719 Speaker 1: of their these whales to the brink of extinction at 637 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:02,120 Speaker 1: So when that happened around Small Bar, they left for 638 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 1: other waters and then fur wrapped hunters. They were pretty 639 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,200 Speaker 1: much the only ones there for a while, and then 640 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 1: the world kind of forgot about Small Bard until the 641 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 1: coal rush of the twentieth century, and then you had 642 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:16,880 Speaker 1: settlements popping up across the islands, mining shafts sinking down 643 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,640 Speaker 1: like roots into the perma frost. Now and today, the 644 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:25,439 Speaker 1: coal industry still continues on Small Bard. Uh, and uh 645 00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:29,440 Speaker 1: it still reshapes the environment to a certain degree. You 646 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:33,560 Speaker 1: have you know, underground tunnels that span for miles through 647 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:37,080 Speaker 1: the mountains of Long year bin and uh the mouths 648 00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 1: of abandoned mines pots the hillsides. And then you also 649 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,600 Speaker 1: have this situation where near active minds you have fans 650 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:45,759 Speaker 1: of coal dust that drift through the air, and you 651 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:50,399 Speaker 1: have black snow heaps uh, you know, along the roadsides. Uh. 652 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: And also like tracking back to the communities that that 653 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,320 Speaker 1: that staff these mines. I find the whole coal mining 654 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:03,200 Speaker 1: history of Small Bard really interesting, especially in light of UH. 655 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: So we're recording this in the summer of twenties seventeen. 656 00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:08,680 Speaker 1: There's a lot of talk about coal mining going on 657 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 1: again here in the United States, whether we should do it, 658 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:14,440 Speaker 1: whether we should support the mining industry, whether we shouldn't 659 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 1: support the mining industry. A lot of the stuff that 660 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,320 Speaker 1: I thinks fall Bard kind of went through already again 661 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,759 Speaker 1: maybe a Canarian a coal mine for the rest of US. 662 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 1: Um So, outside of the coal industry, as I mentioned before, 663 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:28,960 Speaker 1: there's this big science industry that's going on there now too, 664 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: and there is a main research station for that that 665 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:36,919 Speaker 1: is called knee Oldsend uh. And there's a lot of 666 00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 1: strange symbols over the phonetic lettering there. So I hope 667 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:42,560 Speaker 1: I'm getting that right. We looked it up ahead of time, 668 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,840 Speaker 1: but I'm not great with my Norwegian. So this place 669 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:49,480 Speaker 1: was formed in the mid sixties. It reminds me of 670 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,799 Speaker 1: when we did our episode on academic Garadoc uh in 671 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 1: the former Soviet Union. Now knee Oldsen is actually a 672 00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:00,319 Speaker 1: research station for scientists from ten different nations and they 673 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:04,480 Speaker 1: study environmental and earth sciences there. But it's actually owned 674 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,960 Speaker 1: by King by a s which originally was a mining 675 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:12,319 Speaker 1: company and now it provides infrastructure to this area. Uh. 676 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:15,440 Speaker 1: The aim is to keep the local human impact on 677 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:20,120 Speaker 1: the environment as low as possible using sustainable operations for 678 00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:23,279 Speaker 1: research and monitoring. So that's kind of fascinating that this 679 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,440 Speaker 1: company that started off as a mining operation in the 680 00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:30,400 Speaker 1: middle of these icy wastes has evolved over the decades 681 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,600 Speaker 1: and said, Okay, we no longer want to participate in that. 682 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:36,960 Speaker 1: What we're going to do now is shift our resources 683 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,680 Speaker 1: into building the sustainable infrastructure for science. Yeah. I should 684 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:44,600 Speaker 1: also throw in that astronomy is another area of interest 685 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:47,080 Speaker 1: in Svalbard. You know it is It's generally is the 686 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:49,879 Speaker 1: case when you have, you know, research areas that are 687 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:53,359 Speaker 1: far removed from human activity. They say, the northern lights 688 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:57,359 Speaker 1: there are phenomenal. Uh. So there's a committee that operates 689 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:01,719 Speaker 1: as a forum for exchanging in formation. Uh. This is 690 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: basically exchanging scientific information between all of these ten nations 691 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:09,040 Speaker 1: that are together there at this research station. Then there's 692 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:13,200 Speaker 1: another committee that basically delivers advice and tools to people 693 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:16,040 Speaker 1: who aren't on Small Bard but want to do research there. 694 00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:19,239 Speaker 1: So this is something you're interested in, your scientist, UH, 695 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:23,320 Speaker 1: go check it out. Actually, King's Bay dot No Slash 696 00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:25,920 Speaker 1: Research is where I found this information, and all the 697 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,920 Speaker 1: contact information for people who want to go study there 698 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 1: is available there. One other thing I want to add 699 00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:36,239 Speaker 1: quickly again related possibly to climate change. There was a 700 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:40,640 Speaker 1: freak weather incident in Small Bard just recently in January 701 00:39:40,719 --> 00:39:46,400 Speaker 1: of it had this unusually warm winter, and what actually 702 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:50,000 Speaker 1: started happening because of this unusually warm winter was that 703 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: the perma frost started to melt in the winter. Subsequently 704 00:39:53,719 --> 00:39:58,680 Speaker 1: there was an avalanche and then all of this plus 705 00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:01,840 Speaker 1: the rainfall that came when the during the warmer season, 706 00:40:01,880 --> 00:40:05,759 Speaker 1: instead of there being snowfall, all of it refrozen to 707 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:10,759 Speaker 1: ice instead of snow. So the terrain became very treacherous. 708 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:13,440 Speaker 1: It was like even more treacherous than it already was like, 709 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:16,640 Speaker 1: imagine you're studying those glaciers that we're talking about, they're 710 00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:18,640 Speaker 1: moving twenty meters a day, and then all of a 711 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:21,799 Speaker 1: sudden everything's covered in like slick ice. You know, it's 712 00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:25,120 Speaker 1: just sounds like a nightmare. Now, even to the point 713 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:30,120 Speaker 1: that certain shrubs on the islands that reindeer eat froze 714 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:34,240 Speaker 1: over and the reindeer couldn't get to like the grub 715 00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:36,800 Speaker 1: or the berries I guess that are on these shrubs 716 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:40,920 Speaker 1: that they used to survive. So they found dead reindeer 717 00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:43,560 Speaker 1: all all over the place that it's starved to death. 718 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:47,880 Speaker 1: So this was reportedly a once in a five hundred 719 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:52,040 Speaker 1: year event, although some of the scientists are concerned that 720 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:55,960 Speaker 1: climate change may bring more winters like this too small 721 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:59,000 Speaker 1: barred in the future. So again, you know, like we 722 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,680 Speaker 1: talked about climate chain John the show, occasionally it comes up. 723 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,200 Speaker 1: You know, it's not always like a topic we're tackling. 724 00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:06,920 Speaker 1: It's usually related to the topics like small bar that 725 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:09,240 Speaker 1: we're talking about here. But this seems like a perfect 726 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:12,600 Speaker 1: microcosm example of like people say, well, what's the what's 727 00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:16,040 Speaker 1: the harm in climate change? This is a very small 728 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:19,479 Speaker 1: example up in one of the you know, northernmost parts 729 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:21,840 Speaker 1: of the world, but you can see how quickly it 730 00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:24,880 Speaker 1: affects the ecosystem. Yeah, indeed, Yeah, this is definitely one 731 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 1: of those um canary coal mine situations, UM, which reminds 732 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,279 Speaker 1: me of coral being another one. Oh yes, summer we 733 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:36,320 Speaker 1: talked about at about coral reefs and uh, the loss 734 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:40,040 Speaker 1: of coral reefs you know oftentimes, uh you said, we 735 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 1: remember we were talking about the bleaching that occurs there 736 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:47,400 Speaker 1: generally just due to a very small increase in sea temperatures. 737 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:50,879 Speaker 1: So it doesn't take much to begin to to put 738 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:53,960 Speaker 1: certain organisms out of balance, and then you can have 739 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:58,200 Speaker 1: this cascading effect. It's really in these remote, exotic places 740 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:01,880 Speaker 1: around the world where we're starting to the the impact first, 741 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:06,320 Speaker 1: you know, or at least maybe we look around ourselves 742 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:09,880 Speaker 1: in our industrialized society and we we don't necessarily realize 743 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:12,560 Speaker 1: the impact. In these places, you can see it because 744 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:15,160 Speaker 1: there aren't as many humans there. Of course, it's kind 745 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:17,960 Speaker 1: of ridiculous, right when you look around ourselves in a 746 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:23,439 Speaker 1: drastically reshaped um environment, and then we and then to think, well, 747 00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:25,719 Speaker 1: how can humans possibly change the environment? I mean, looked 748 00:42:25,719 --> 00:42:28,640 Speaker 1: at the Testament to it, look at the artificial mountains 749 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:32,680 Speaker 1: that we've built up into the sky, and it's it's 750 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:36,160 Speaker 1: uh to me, it can feel a bit ridiculous. Yeah, well, 751 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:38,480 Speaker 1: hey again, I don't know if it's climate change or not, 752 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:41,480 Speaker 1: but it has been a hot summer. It's been unpleasant 753 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 1: and it's so it's been on my mind. And that's 754 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: why you want to go to small bar absolutely. Now 755 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:50,120 Speaker 1: speaking of environmental issues here, it's it's worth noting that 756 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:53,640 Speaker 1: there are there are some really interesting environmental programs going 757 00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:56,759 Speaker 1: on on small Bard. One of them is a subterranean 758 00:42:56,840 --> 00:43:00,839 Speaker 1: CEO two storage so rising carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere. 759 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:04,120 Speaker 1: These are worried climatologists for years. It's fall Bard, for 760 00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:07,760 Speaker 1: all of its delicate natural beauty, is home to Norway's 761 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:12,040 Speaker 1: only coal burning plant, which supplies local residents with most 762 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:16,400 Speaker 1: of their power. And these processes in turn release carbon dioxide, 763 00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:19,800 Speaker 1: which contributes to the earth screenhouse effect. Now, fortunately, Small 764 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:22,799 Speaker 1: Bard also boasts an excellent place to store the emissions. 765 00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:26,920 Speaker 1: Remember those minds that we were talking about, Well, roughly 766 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:30,520 Speaker 1: three thousand two untern eighty feet or a thousand meters 767 00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:34,040 Speaker 1: below the city of Long Year been beneath the perma 768 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:37,800 Speaker 1: frost and the warrant of mining tunnels. Researchers have discovered 769 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 1: an ideal storage site for carbon dioxide, so here coal 770 00:43:41,600 --> 00:43:45,839 Speaker 1: plants would be able to inject emissions into poorous sandstone 771 00:43:46,320 --> 00:43:48,840 Speaker 1: um above which you have a thick layer of slate 772 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:51,759 Speaker 1: which would act as a lid ceiling deep in the earth. 773 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:55,320 Speaker 1: And this measure is part of a broader university center 774 00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:58,400 Speaker 1: in small Bard. Emission to make the islands carbon neutral 775 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:03,360 Speaker 1: by lead is the estimate. In addition to carbon capture, 776 00:44:03,360 --> 00:44:06,560 Speaker 1: the plan also calls for the increased use of biofuels 777 00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:10,640 Speaker 1: and a switch from gas powered cars and snowmobiles primarily snowbils, 778 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:16,400 Speaker 1: to hydrogen fuel equipped transportation. So there's actually another gas 779 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:20,759 Speaker 1: related issue in and arounds fall Board, especially related to 780 00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:26,000 Speaker 1: carbon UH. There's reports that there's methane bubbling up from 781 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:29,839 Speaker 1: the bottom of the sea that surrounds the archipelago UH, 782 00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:32,719 Speaker 1: and it's caused some anxiety. People want to know why 783 00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:36,280 Speaker 1: this is happening. There's plumes off the coast of small 784 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:39,680 Speaker 1: Board that have actually been present for thousands of years, 785 00:44:39,719 --> 00:44:42,920 Speaker 1: and measurements show that what's going on is the methane 786 00:44:42,920 --> 00:44:46,359 Speaker 1: gets trapped in these water columns and they bubble up 787 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:51,080 Speaker 1: from ice like crystal lattices down below called hydrates. But 788 00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:54,759 Speaker 1: when these melt, it releases methane and that percolates up 789 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:58,520 Speaker 1: above and subsequently releases into the atmosphere. Now here's where 790 00:44:58,520 --> 00:45:00,480 Speaker 1: it gets really interesting, and it's really added to that 791 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:04,080 Speaker 1: carbon storage you were talking about. The carbon that's in 792 00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:09,040 Speaker 1: these gases seems to be consumed by microbes. So again 793 00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:12,080 Speaker 1: microbial life and s fall Bard really seems to be 794 00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:16,480 Speaker 1: running the show. We're talking about algae, phytoplankton here, stuff 795 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:20,520 Speaker 1: like that, and it's using photosynthesis. But wait a second. 796 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:24,120 Speaker 1: If these microbes are eating parts of methane, how much 797 00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:27,759 Speaker 1: carbon are they pulling out of the atmosphere in this 798 00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:32,240 Speaker 1: process of photosynthesis? What researchers have found that around the 799 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:37,840 Speaker 1: deepest seeps of methane there there actually wasn't an excess, 800 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:41,920 Speaker 1: and this indicated to them that the microbes below were active. 801 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:44,520 Speaker 1: But if you look at the shallow seeps around s 802 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:47,640 Speaker 1: fall Bard, there was a measurable release and some of 803 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,040 Speaker 1: this can be found drifting into the East Siberian Sea 804 00:45:51,080 --> 00:45:54,000 Speaker 1: where there are similar methane bubbles that have been found. 805 00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:59,480 Speaker 1: Measurements though show that fall bards area isn't creating a 806 00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:02,880 Speaker 1: net addition to the greenhouse effect. And this is fascinating, 807 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:05,760 Speaker 1: especially in relation to what you're talking about with mining 808 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:08,600 Speaker 1: and storing the carbon, right, Why why would that be? 809 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:11,719 Speaker 1: You would you would assume they've been burning coal, they've 810 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:14,960 Speaker 1: been mining coal, all this stuff. What's going on here? Well, 811 00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:17,840 Speaker 1: it seems that the organisms that I referred to earlier 812 00:46:17,800 --> 00:46:23,160 Speaker 1: actively sucking up the carbon dioxide. So while methane may 813 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:28,040 Speaker 1: be bubbling up, carbon dioxide is being absorbed twice as much. Now, 814 00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:30,920 Speaker 1: this is good news for the greenhouse effect, because methane 815 00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:34,640 Speaker 1: actually traps thirty times more heat in our atmosphere than 816 00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:38,120 Speaker 1: carbon dioxide. Luckily, a recent study, and by reason I 817 00:46:38,160 --> 00:46:40,480 Speaker 1: mean like this is like two months ago, found that 818 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:44,719 Speaker 1: a thousand nine dred times almost two thousand times more 819 00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:49,279 Speaker 1: carbon dioxide is being absorbed than methane is actually being 820 00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:53,960 Speaker 1: emitted from these these seeps. So it's benefiting the atmosphere 821 00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:57,399 Speaker 1: instead of contributing to the warming effect. And the same 822 00:46:57,440 --> 00:47:01,520 Speaker 1: physical force that is it pushing the methane bubbles up 823 00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:05,400 Speaker 1: is also providing this nutrient rich cold water from the 824 00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:09,719 Speaker 1: seabed up to the surface, which fertilizes the phytoplankton and 825 00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:12,520 Speaker 1: then they bloom and they soak up c O two. 826 00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:14,880 Speaker 1: So this is really unique to this area and it 827 00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:19,120 Speaker 1: can't necessarily be counted on wherever there's methane seeps around 828 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:22,759 Speaker 1: the world. But in fact, even in this area, it 829 00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:26,200 Speaker 1: can change with the seasons and only be present during 830 00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:29,440 Speaker 1: the constant sunlight of their Arctic summer. You gotta remember, 831 00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:33,400 Speaker 1: when they have summer, it's sunlight all day long. The 832 00:47:33,480 --> 00:47:36,360 Speaker 1: sun doesn't go down. Likewise, they have a period of 833 00:47:36,400 --> 00:47:38,279 Speaker 1: the year where it's just dark all the time. So 834 00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:40,719 Speaker 1: they said, when it's dark all the time, this might 835 00:47:40,719 --> 00:47:43,359 Speaker 1: be the opposite. We need to do further testing. So 836 00:47:43,520 --> 00:47:45,640 Speaker 1: the idea is they're going to test these some more, 837 00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:48,839 Speaker 1: and they're gonna test other methane seeps around the world, 838 00:47:48,920 --> 00:47:52,240 Speaker 1: but they're thinking that this phytoplankton might be a key 839 00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:56,239 Speaker 1: to combat in climate change. Alright, we we're gonna take 840 00:47:56,239 --> 00:47:58,200 Speaker 1: one more break and when we come back we will 841 00:47:58,200 --> 00:48:05,600 Speaker 1: discuss the doomsday vault. Alright, we're back, and yeah, I 842 00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:07,719 Speaker 1: feel like for a lot of people, when you say 843 00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:10,200 Speaker 1: small Barred, if they do recognize the name, they're going 844 00:48:10,239 --> 00:48:14,359 Speaker 1: to think of the Doomsday Vault. Yeah, especially for you know, 845 00:48:14,680 --> 00:48:16,600 Speaker 1: those of us who do the kind of work that 846 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:18,799 Speaker 1: you and I do. Hey man, how many times does 847 00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:21,160 Speaker 1: the seed Vault come up around here? I want to say, 848 00:48:21,160 --> 00:48:24,200 Speaker 1: like almost every show at How Stuff Works has done 849 00:48:24,200 --> 00:48:27,359 Speaker 1: an episode on the seed Vault. Probably it's one of 850 00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:30,719 Speaker 1: these like areas of fascination that that we all have, 851 00:48:31,080 --> 00:48:34,160 Speaker 1: those of us that study kind of the the nonfiction 852 00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:36,640 Speaker 1: weirdness of the world, right, yeah, yeah, I mean there's 853 00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:38,760 Speaker 1: a How Stuff Works article about it, there's the Stuff 854 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:41,160 Speaker 1: you Should Know episode based on it, and uh, and 855 00:48:41,440 --> 00:48:43,400 Speaker 1: I feel like it's come up on this show in 856 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:47,080 Speaker 1: the past as well, but I figured we'd roll through it, 857 00:48:47,160 --> 00:48:48,640 Speaker 1: talk about it a little bit and talk about why 858 00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:53,040 Speaker 1: it's interesting. I mean, it's on one level, it makes 859 00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:56,120 Speaker 1: for great photos because they have a great entrance to 860 00:48:56,239 --> 00:48:59,040 Speaker 1: it looks like it's kind of like a part of 861 00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:01,960 Speaker 1: a spaceship poking out of the snow. Totally. It always 862 00:49:01,960 --> 00:49:04,840 Speaker 1: brings to mind the spaceship and the thing for some reason, 863 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:08,080 Speaker 1: you know, Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's like this, I guess. Uh. 864 00:49:08,480 --> 00:49:10,360 Speaker 1: I encourage those of you listening to go look at 865 00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:12,479 Speaker 1: a photo if you haven't seen this, but it looks 866 00:49:12,520 --> 00:49:15,600 Speaker 1: like this long concrete hallway is pushing its way out 867 00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:18,640 Speaker 1: of a mountain towards a beach. Right Like you can 868 00:49:18,680 --> 00:49:21,279 Speaker 1: see the ocean isn't that far from I would say 869 00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:25,359 Speaker 1: it's like maybe fifty meters from the door to this vault. Uh. 870 00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:27,520 Speaker 1: And it's very modern looking. The place was built in 871 00:49:27,560 --> 00:49:30,160 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, and it's got this interesting glass 872 00:49:30,200 --> 00:49:34,120 Speaker 1: configurations embedded in the concrete. And there's um like led 873 00:49:34,360 --> 00:49:37,759 Speaker 1: lights that you can see that look really beautiful at night. Yeah. Yeah, 874 00:49:37,880 --> 00:49:39,960 Speaker 1: so it is I should if you should back up 875 00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:41,440 Speaker 1: and just say, I guess what exactly it is. It 876 00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:43,560 Speaker 1: is a seed vault. And the idea of a seed 877 00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:47,240 Speaker 1: vault is is nothing particularly new. I mean, as long 878 00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:51,800 Speaker 1: as we've cultivated crops, as long as we've had m agriculture, 879 00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:55,360 Speaker 1: you know, we've have had farmers set aside seeds, focus 880 00:49:55,440 --> 00:49:58,560 Speaker 1: on other seeds and uh and as and as the 881 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:03,799 Speaker 1: centuries and centuries have rolled by, we've had various lessons 882 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,400 Speaker 1: in what happens when you depend too much on one crop, 883 00:50:08,239 --> 00:50:10,720 Speaker 1: if you have a mono crop culture, and then that crop, 884 00:50:11,480 --> 00:50:14,440 Speaker 1: that crop is all the more susceptible to disease. UH. 885 00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:16,680 Speaker 1: To some to any kind of blight that might take 886 00:50:16,719 --> 00:50:21,160 Speaker 1: it out. And therefore it's it's great to have diversity, 887 00:50:21,640 --> 00:50:29,160 Speaker 1: genetic diversity, um, crop species diversity, and uh, and where 888 00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:30,920 Speaker 1: are we going to keep it all? There's like two 889 00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:33,439 Speaker 1: different levels here that you can sort of focus on. 890 00:50:33,440 --> 00:50:37,120 Speaker 1: One is, hey, we love potatoes. If something happens to 891 00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:40,360 Speaker 1: this potato, we need alternate potato genetics to turn to, 892 00:50:40,840 --> 00:50:43,000 Speaker 1: which is exactly what's going on with bananas right now. 893 00:50:43,600 --> 00:50:45,719 Speaker 1: So that's one level. And then the other level is 894 00:50:46,040 --> 00:50:50,279 Speaker 1: we just have like rich biodiversity anyway, and there there 895 00:50:50,320 --> 00:50:55,719 Speaker 1: are potential answers in that biodiversity that we don't even 896 00:50:55,800 --> 00:50:57,880 Speaker 1: we don't even know we need yet with the questions 897 00:50:57,880 --> 00:51:00,239 Speaker 1: haven't come up or we're not we're not matt shing 898 00:51:00,239 --> 00:51:04,000 Speaker 1: them up correctly. And therefore we need to safeguard this, 899 00:51:04,000 --> 00:51:07,200 Speaker 1: this treasure, this this this rich bio diversity in this 900 00:51:07,280 --> 00:51:10,840 Speaker 1: case of a plant life of seeds, often with a 901 00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:13,840 Speaker 1: focus on on on food crops. But we need to 902 00:51:13,840 --> 00:51:17,920 Speaker 1: have that saved safe somewhere so we can we can 903 00:51:17,960 --> 00:51:21,080 Speaker 1: seek it out when we need it. Yeah. Absolutely, Uh. 904 00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:25,560 Speaker 1: This small bard Global Seed Vault is actually this massive facility. 905 00:51:25,640 --> 00:51:27,960 Speaker 1: It's built into the side of a mountain and the 906 00:51:27,960 --> 00:51:31,040 Speaker 1: the ideas it's designed to keep the entire world's food 907 00:51:31,120 --> 00:51:34,359 Speaker 1: supplies safe in the face of climate change, but also 908 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:38,200 Speaker 1: other threats. Uh. Really interesting example that came out of 909 00:51:38,520 --> 00:51:43,040 Speaker 1: I watched a YouTube video that Veritassium did where the 910 00:51:43,080 --> 00:51:46,560 Speaker 1: host of Veritassium went to Small Bard and went inside 911 00:51:46,640 --> 00:51:49,040 Speaker 1: the seed vault. It was fascinating and I'll talk a 912 00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:51,720 Speaker 1: little bit about that more. But they actually have already 913 00:51:51,760 --> 00:51:56,200 Speaker 1: had to withdraw seeds from there because in Syria when 914 00:51:56,239 --> 00:51:59,640 Speaker 1: Aleppo was bombed, they lost access to the seed vault 915 00:51:59,680 --> 00:52:02,600 Speaker 1: that is there, so they needed to replenish it with 916 00:52:02,640 --> 00:52:06,000 Speaker 1: what Syria had already sent to Small Bard. So this 917 00:52:06,080 --> 00:52:09,040 Speaker 1: is I mean, this is real important stuff here. Yeah. 918 00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:13,000 Speaker 1: Now you mentioned that the various cataclysms it's made to survive. 919 00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:16,240 Speaker 1: I've also read that it is made to survive anything 920 00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:20,279 Speaker 1: short of a direct nuclear strike. And I think if 921 00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:24,280 Speaker 1: you're if you're launching a nuclear missile at the small 922 00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:28,719 Speaker 1: barred global seed vault, that's that's kind of a digma. Yeah. Well, 923 00:52:28,760 --> 00:52:31,759 Speaker 1: here's why I can't imagine that ever happening. Again. From 924 00:52:31,760 --> 00:52:37,960 Speaker 1: that Veritassium video, this fascinating example. The United States in 925 00:52:38,080 --> 00:52:42,120 Speaker 1: North Korea. The seeds that they sent together to the 926 00:52:42,160 --> 00:52:45,640 Speaker 1: small barred seed vault sit on the same shelf. So 927 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:47,880 Speaker 1: they literally show in this video. I encourage you to 928 00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:51,560 Speaker 1: go watch it. Uh the different boxes in the North 929 00:52:51,640 --> 00:52:56,040 Speaker 1: Korean boxes are all handmade. Uh and and but they're 930 00:52:56,080 --> 00:52:58,680 Speaker 1: just all right there next to each other, like two 931 00:52:58,800 --> 00:53:02,600 Speaker 1: nations that we think of as being quote enemies have 932 00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:06,040 Speaker 1: their seeds in the same place to make sure that 933 00:53:06,080 --> 00:53:09,840 Speaker 1: everybody can eat. That is the most comforting news of 934 00:53:10,080 --> 00:53:14,160 Speaker 1: US North Korean relations that I've heard, and quite sometimes, Yeah, yeah, 935 00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:17,920 Speaker 1: it's nice. Maybe we need to remind our global leaders 936 00:53:17,920 --> 00:53:20,719 Speaker 1: of these seed boxes. Yeah, I mean, you know, in 937 00:53:20,760 --> 00:53:22,880 Speaker 1: a in a way like that sums it up, right, 938 00:53:22,920 --> 00:53:24,960 Speaker 1: I mean, like, this is the stuff we depend on, 939 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:27,480 Speaker 1: this is the stuff we come from, this is this 940 00:53:27,560 --> 00:53:29,760 Speaker 1: is these are our treasures as a as a people, 941 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:34,720 Speaker 1: and this is what is is more important. Yeah, absolutely so. Actually, 942 00:53:34,880 --> 00:53:38,439 Speaker 1: around the entire world there are seeds from nearly ten 943 00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:43,760 Speaker 1: thousand different crop varieties, and we're talking wheat, barley, chickpe, eggplant, whatever. 944 00:53:44,120 --> 00:53:47,160 Speaker 1: But when you consider it, there's only actually a hundred 945 00:53:47,160 --> 00:53:50,160 Speaker 1: and fifty or so crops that make up what people 946 00:53:50,320 --> 00:53:53,359 Speaker 1: mainly eat today. That's kind of fascinating. I hadn't really 947 00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:56,680 Speaker 1: thought about that. Uh, you get your like your your 948 00:53:56,719 --> 00:53:59,080 Speaker 1: blue apron shows up at home. This isn't a plug 949 00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:01,280 Speaker 1: for one of our sponsors, but like I've been eating 950 00:54:01,280 --> 00:54:04,240 Speaker 1: blue apron lately. And you get a couple of different seeds, 951 00:54:04,280 --> 00:54:07,000 Speaker 1: you get your you know, your veggies, whatever you're gonna 952 00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:09,520 Speaker 1: put your meal together with. You don't realize it's really 953 00:54:09,520 --> 00:54:12,360 Speaker 1: only about a hundred and fifty different combinations of these 954 00:54:12,440 --> 00:54:15,960 Speaker 1: of these particular vegetables that you can work with. Uh, 955 00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:18,480 Speaker 1: And that doesn't count all the varieties though. Okay, so 956 00:54:18,520 --> 00:54:21,399 Speaker 1: there's a hundred and fifty general crops, but then when 957 00:54:21,440 --> 00:54:23,480 Speaker 1: you count all the varieties, then you're looking at a 958 00:54:23,560 --> 00:54:27,160 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty thousand different varieties. And then when you 959 00:54:27,200 --> 00:54:30,840 Speaker 1: take in seed samples as a whole, what you're talking about. 960 00:54:31,160 --> 00:54:33,879 Speaker 1: We've seen estimates of four point five million. Yeah, yeah, 961 00:54:33,960 --> 00:54:37,120 Speaker 1: yeah yeah. So the actual vault it was built in 962 00:54:37,160 --> 00:54:40,360 Speaker 1: two thousand eight and it is designed as a backup 963 00:54:40,400 --> 00:54:43,640 Speaker 1: to a pre existing loose network of other seed banks 964 00:54:43,680 --> 00:54:48,000 Speaker 1: that exist around the world. Norway paid nine million dollars 965 00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:51,040 Speaker 1: for the construction of this. It's a thousand square meters 966 00:54:51,239 --> 00:54:55,040 Speaker 1: and it's got three separate secure underground storage chambers and 967 00:54:55,040 --> 00:54:59,200 Speaker 1: they're kept at either negative eighteen degrees celsius or you know, 968 00:54:59,239 --> 00:55:01,520 Speaker 1: for comparison for those of us in the United States, 969 00:55:01,680 --> 00:55:06,280 Speaker 1: zero degrees fahrenheit. Uh. But it's surrounded by perma frost. 970 00:55:06,320 --> 00:55:08,759 Speaker 1: They purposely built it in so the perma frost was 971 00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:12,200 Speaker 1: all around it, and this naturally keeps the temperature down 972 00:55:12,480 --> 00:55:15,759 Speaker 1: to negative six celsius. So the idea here is that 973 00:55:15,800 --> 00:55:19,080 Speaker 1: even if there's a power outage, it will naturally keep 974 00:55:19,120 --> 00:55:21,759 Speaker 1: these seeds cool no matter what. Now, I'm glad that 975 00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:24,359 Speaker 1: you brought up the fact that there are other seed 976 00:55:24,440 --> 00:55:27,440 Speaker 1: vaults that feed into small Bar, because it's important to 977 00:55:27,480 --> 00:55:29,239 Speaker 1: note even though the small Bar tensity is the most 978 00:55:29,280 --> 00:55:32,600 Speaker 1: the most press it's just one of the shining stars 979 00:55:32,640 --> 00:55:38,000 Speaker 1: among various gene banking efforts around the world. Multiple organizations 980 00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:41,480 Speaker 1: are are working to preserve organisms of all forms against 981 00:55:41,560 --> 00:55:47,160 Speaker 1: the dangers of extinction due to climate change, pollution, habitat loss, etcetera. Like. 982 00:55:47,760 --> 00:55:50,400 Speaker 1: There's actually a wonderful New York Times article that recently 983 00:55:50,440 --> 00:55:54,960 Speaker 1: came out titled Arcs of the Apocalypse by Malia wolan Um. 984 00:55:55,040 --> 00:55:57,080 Speaker 1: I'll try to remember to include a link to that 985 00:55:57,239 --> 00:55:58,840 Speaker 1: on the landing page for this episode of Stuff to 986 00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:01,600 Speaker 1: Blow Your Mind dot Com because it discusses fall Bard 987 00:56:01,600 --> 00:56:04,760 Speaker 1: a little bit, but it also discusses San Diego Zoos 988 00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:09,200 Speaker 1: Frozen Zoo UH, the National Ice Core Laboratory, and Lakewood, 989 00:56:09,200 --> 00:56:13,480 Speaker 1: Colorado Smithsonian's National Zoo. They have some efforts to uh 990 00:56:13,640 --> 00:56:16,680 Speaker 1: to this is this is pretty great. Maintain the largest 991 00:56:16,719 --> 00:56:22,400 Speaker 1: collection of frozen exotic animal milk uh, the Coral Restoration Foundation, 992 00:56:22,520 --> 00:56:26,399 Speaker 1: the Florida Keys, the National l Average Genetic Resources Preservation 993 00:56:26,640 --> 00:56:30,600 Speaker 1: in Colorado. Uh. These are just a few. So, um, 994 00:56:30,680 --> 00:56:33,160 Speaker 1: it's fall barred again. It's kind of the superstar. But 995 00:56:33,800 --> 00:56:36,239 Speaker 1: there are a lot of scientists around the world that 996 00:56:36,280 --> 00:56:40,200 Speaker 1: are saying, yes, there's our bio diversity is precious, let's 997 00:56:40,280 --> 00:56:44,200 Speaker 1: preserve what we can. Yeah. In fact, there's a thousand, 998 00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:47,680 Speaker 1: four hundred other gene banks around the world in a 999 00:56:47,800 --> 00:56:52,120 Speaker 1: hundred different countries, and securing diverse crops like this is critical. 1000 00:56:52,200 --> 00:56:55,600 Speaker 1: Why so that we have strong, healthy crops that supply 1001 00:56:55,760 --> 00:56:59,279 Speaker 1: the world with steady food going forward. Right immediately, Like 1002 00:56:59,320 --> 00:57:00,719 Speaker 1: as I was doing the research of this, I have 1003 00:57:00,719 --> 00:57:03,120 Speaker 1: a little notebook where I write down ideas for potential 1004 00:57:03,160 --> 00:57:05,719 Speaker 1: stories and I was like, ah, like, this is a 1005 00:57:05,719 --> 00:57:08,160 Speaker 1: great idea for story, although somebody's probably already written this 1006 00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:11,080 Speaker 1: five times. You're in a future dystopia. The world's running 1007 00:57:11,080 --> 00:57:15,680 Speaker 1: out of food. There's no longer like a industrial transportation. 1008 00:57:15,960 --> 00:57:17,919 Speaker 1: You got to send a mission up to small Bar 1009 00:57:18,000 --> 00:57:20,120 Speaker 1: to break into the vault and get those seeds out 1010 00:57:20,160 --> 00:57:22,160 Speaker 1: so you can feed the world. Yeah, I feel like 1011 00:57:22,240 --> 00:57:25,080 Speaker 1: small Bard comes up in the novel The Wind Up 1012 00:57:25,120 --> 00:57:30,640 Speaker 1: Girl by author Paolo Bagala COOPI he um tremendous book. 1013 00:57:30,680 --> 00:57:35,160 Speaker 1: It's kind of a post environmental disaster, uh science fiction novel, 1014 00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:38,160 Speaker 1: really wonderful read. But I believe there's some mention of 1015 00:57:38,160 --> 00:57:41,520 Speaker 1: SMaL Bard because basically nobody can fly anywhere anymore because 1016 00:57:41,560 --> 00:57:45,480 Speaker 1: the we've were post oil at this point, everyone's having 1017 00:57:45,480 --> 00:57:49,560 Speaker 1: a resort to clipper ships again to to navigate the world. 1018 00:57:49,680 --> 00:57:51,920 Speaker 1: And at least small Bard comes up because there's a 1019 00:57:51,920 --> 00:57:54,800 Speaker 1: lot of there's also this it's like a post GMO 1020 00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:58,520 Speaker 1: apocalypse kind of a scenario as well. Well. I mean 1021 00:57:58,680 --> 00:58:01,440 Speaker 1: that sounds like, yeah, exactly right. So it sounds like 1022 00:58:01,760 --> 00:58:05,520 Speaker 1: that author did their research, especially because you've got countries 1023 00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:09,240 Speaker 1: and research universities and other organizations that are all sending 1024 00:58:09,280 --> 00:58:12,800 Speaker 1: their prepackaged seeds up to this vault in these boxes 1025 00:58:12,840 --> 00:58:15,200 Speaker 1: that are stored on these shelves. And the thing is 1026 00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:18,360 Speaker 1: is how long the seeds can stay there is varied actually, 1027 00:58:18,400 --> 00:58:20,720 Speaker 1: Like it's you know, we we hear people talking about 1028 00:58:20,720 --> 00:58:22,600 Speaker 1: this seed vault all the time. It's easy to think like, oh, 1029 00:58:22,640 --> 00:58:25,040 Speaker 1: they just sit there forever and then they're fine, But 1030 00:58:25,080 --> 00:58:30,959 Speaker 1: actually there's a completely broad variety of how long they'll 1031 00:58:31,080 --> 00:58:33,640 Speaker 1: last in that cold. Some will last for up to 1032 00:58:34,040 --> 00:58:37,400 Speaker 1: a thousand, two hundred years, others only last for eighty years. 1033 00:58:37,440 --> 00:58:40,280 Speaker 1: So this is something we need to keep maintaining as well. 1034 00:58:40,360 --> 00:58:43,360 Speaker 1: It doesn't just like go away, you know. Yeah. Uh. 1035 00:58:43,400 --> 00:58:46,760 Speaker 1: And speaking of maintaining, I know some of you may 1036 00:58:46,800 --> 00:58:49,000 Speaker 1: have caught news of this earlier in the year, so 1037 00:58:49,040 --> 00:58:51,640 Speaker 1: I do want to mention that, yes, earlier this year, 1038 00:58:51,680 --> 00:58:54,360 Speaker 1: news came out that the vault experience flooding due to 1039 00:58:54,480 --> 00:58:57,760 Speaker 1: excessive rainfall during what should have been uh you know, 1040 00:58:57,920 --> 00:59:02,360 Speaker 1: well below freezing weather. The water that flooded in shorted 1041 00:59:02,360 --> 00:59:05,440 Speaker 1: out the electric pumps they would have been used to 1042 00:59:05,480 --> 00:59:08,400 Speaker 1: prevent this. But it's important to note the seeds stayed 1043 00:59:08,480 --> 00:59:13,440 Speaker 1: dry thanks in Part two, efforts from firefighters and locals. Um. 1044 00:59:13,480 --> 00:59:15,560 Speaker 1: But still it's a it's a troubling development in the 1045 00:59:15,600 --> 00:59:19,640 Speaker 1: grander sense when you start speaking of you know, climate 1046 00:59:19,720 --> 00:59:23,000 Speaker 1: change and its effects on the natural world and everything 1047 00:59:23,040 --> 00:59:26,080 Speaker 1: we're trying to do. Uh, but it's important to the 1048 00:59:26,120 --> 00:59:30,320 Speaker 1: seed vault itself. Was fine. Yeah, and that is related 1049 00:59:30,360 --> 00:59:33,560 Speaker 1: to the freak weather incident from I was talking about too. 1050 00:59:33,560 --> 00:59:38,680 Speaker 1: So they're experiencing this like unprecedented warm flashes apparently. Uh. 1051 00:59:38,840 --> 00:59:40,760 Speaker 1: Now a couple of fun facts that I learned from 1052 00:59:40,760 --> 00:59:45,120 Speaker 1: that veritassium video as well. So only the depositor can 1053 00:59:45,160 --> 00:59:47,840 Speaker 1: open the actual boxes that have the seeds in them. 1054 00:59:47,840 --> 00:59:49,920 Speaker 1: So the people at the seed Vault who run it, 1055 00:59:50,240 --> 00:59:52,680 Speaker 1: they can't open those boxes. They don't even know what's 1056 00:59:52,680 --> 00:59:55,840 Speaker 1: inside them. They assume their seeds, but could be something else. 1057 00:59:55,840 --> 00:59:58,080 Speaker 1: Who knows, Like maybe Jimmy Hoffa's in one of these 1058 00:59:58,120 --> 01:00:00,560 Speaker 1: boxes and it got sent to the small bar seed vault. 1059 01:00:00,600 --> 01:00:04,360 Speaker 1: You don't know, the world leader clone. Um, yeah, maybe 1060 01:00:04,400 --> 01:00:06,760 Speaker 1: that's what's there. I should mention that there is an 1061 01:00:06,800 --> 01:00:10,080 Speaker 1: international treaty, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for 1062 01:00:10,120 --> 01:00:14,720 Speaker 1: Food and Agriculture, and that's what governs access, right Uh. 1063 01:00:14,760 --> 01:00:16,240 Speaker 1: And so they have a couple of rules. They don't 1064 01:00:16,240 --> 01:00:19,600 Speaker 1: allow drugs to be stored there, so any so for instance, 1065 01:00:19,600 --> 01:00:22,560 Speaker 1: like marijuana seeds are not allowed to be stored there 1066 01:00:23,080 --> 01:00:26,920 Speaker 1: UH or any genetically modified seeds either. They have to 1067 01:00:27,000 --> 01:00:30,520 Speaker 1: be UH seeds from one of the twenty five crops 1068 01:00:30,560 --> 01:00:33,240 Speaker 1: that are considered to be the most important for global 1069 01:00:33,240 --> 01:00:39,120 Speaker 1: food security. So we're talking about stuff like rice, maize, potato, bananas, plantains, etcetera. 1070 01:00:39,680 --> 01:00:41,680 Speaker 1: And they've actually, this was a funny bit in the 1071 01:00:41,760 --> 01:00:45,880 Speaker 1: video too. They receive letters from men who want to 1072 01:00:45,880 --> 01:00:48,920 Speaker 1: put their genetic material in there. So they're like, oh, 1073 01:00:49,080 --> 01:00:51,680 Speaker 1: is this a place where I can just store me 1074 01:00:52,360 --> 01:00:55,040 Speaker 1: so for you know, for future needs if I ever 1075 01:00:55,120 --> 01:00:58,120 Speaker 1: need to access my d n A. I can't. That 1076 01:00:58,240 --> 01:01:00,400 Speaker 1: is ridiculous because there are places they do. They're like, 1077 01:01:00,440 --> 01:01:04,160 Speaker 1: if that's your thing, there there there are services, there 1078 01:01:04,200 --> 01:01:07,840 Speaker 1: are establishments that make that their their business. Why would 1079 01:01:07,840 --> 01:01:10,840 Speaker 1: you contact vall Bar. Maybe you're very mismistake and I 1080 01:01:10,840 --> 01:01:13,200 Speaker 1: it's like saying, Hey, I've got some ice cream? Can 1081 01:01:13,240 --> 01:01:15,440 Speaker 1: you store it there? I hear you have a place 1082 01:01:15,480 --> 01:01:17,840 Speaker 1: that is cold, and I don't know where else in 1083 01:01:17,880 --> 01:01:20,200 Speaker 1: the world I might find such a place. We should 1084 01:01:20,200 --> 01:01:22,080 Speaker 1: write them a letter asking if we can put our 1085 01:01:22,160 --> 01:01:26,560 Speaker 1: ice cream. But yeah, it seems odd to me as well. 1086 01:01:26,640 --> 01:01:29,680 Speaker 1: Apparently they just don't even bother responding to these requests, 1087 01:01:29,680 --> 01:01:33,240 Speaker 1: which I think is probably the right move. Yeah. It's 1088 01:01:33,280 --> 01:01:35,520 Speaker 1: like when you get like a nasty Facebook comment, they 1089 01:01:35,560 --> 01:01:39,480 Speaker 1: just leave it alone, don't don't, don't engage. Yeah, so 1090 01:01:39,560 --> 01:01:42,840 Speaker 1: that's the seed Vault. We've pretty much hit, uh, you know, 1091 01:01:43,160 --> 01:01:45,800 Speaker 1: most of our most of our tourist spots. The things 1092 01:01:45,800 --> 01:01:48,160 Speaker 1: I'd want to hit when I go to us Fall 1093 01:01:48,240 --> 01:01:50,640 Speaker 1: Bar the seed Vault. I want to see some glaciers 1094 01:01:51,320 --> 01:01:54,280 Speaker 1: climb around in some CEO two tanks. I might go, 1095 01:01:53,920 --> 01:01:58,800 Speaker 1: h go first swim and some methane seeps. You know, 1096 01:01:58,960 --> 01:02:01,240 Speaker 1: I think that would probably kill Oh man, they should 1097 01:02:01,240 --> 01:02:03,560 Speaker 1: really do a death metal music fest. They're part of 1098 01:02:03,560 --> 01:02:06,160 Speaker 1: this whole what you said, the dark tourism. Yeah, if 1099 01:02:06,240 --> 01:02:08,800 Speaker 1: you imagine it with like people were mah ing, polar 1100 01:02:08,800 --> 01:02:11,240 Speaker 1: bears are picking off people on the outside, it sounds 1101 01:02:11,280 --> 01:02:14,800 Speaker 1: like a metal Oclilypse episode. Yeah. Um. There is a 1102 01:02:14,880 --> 01:02:19,440 Speaker 1: scene in Fortitude, which again you know me, caught my interest. Uh. 1103 01:02:19,560 --> 01:02:22,200 Speaker 1: It's like the first or second episode, the one of 1104 01:02:22,240 --> 01:02:24,680 Speaker 1: the characters goes down to like there's like a small 1105 01:02:24,720 --> 01:02:27,520 Speaker 1: bar that's basically like the only bar in the town, right, 1106 01:02:27,920 --> 01:02:30,880 Speaker 1: and there's like a death metal band playing in this 1107 01:02:31,080 --> 01:02:34,360 Speaker 1: tiny bar, and there's like fifteen people all like rocking 1108 01:02:34,360 --> 01:02:36,280 Speaker 1: out to this death Is it anyone we would know? 1109 01:02:36,520 --> 01:02:38,560 Speaker 1: It's not like Trip to con or anybody? Is it? 1110 01:02:38,560 --> 01:02:40,520 Speaker 1: It's not, But it's a real band. I went and 1111 01:02:40,560 --> 01:02:42,880 Speaker 1: looked up online. I forget what their name is, but yeah, 1112 01:02:42,960 --> 01:02:45,080 Speaker 1: they were like, yes, we are the band that's in 1113 01:02:45,120 --> 01:02:49,040 Speaker 1: that episode from Fortitude. Now did it side TANGI did 1114 01:02:49,080 --> 01:02:54,600 Speaker 1: it feel believable that this band was playing in a bar? Uh? Well, 1115 01:02:54,720 --> 01:02:57,320 Speaker 1: my first thought was like, man, it must have been 1116 01:02:57,360 --> 01:03:00,320 Speaker 1: expensive to fly this band from wherever they were just 1117 01:03:00,520 --> 01:03:03,040 Speaker 1: fall Bard and bring all their equipment with them. But 1118 01:03:03,360 --> 01:03:06,120 Speaker 1: I'm assuming in the context of the show, these are 1119 01:03:06,120 --> 01:03:09,080 Speaker 1: a bunch of small Gardians that just played death metal 1120 01:03:09,160 --> 01:03:12,280 Speaker 1: there every night. I don't know. Well, hopefully it's more 1121 01:03:12,320 --> 01:03:16,919 Speaker 1: believable than it was. A true Detective. Season two, there's 1122 01:03:16,920 --> 01:03:20,320 Speaker 1: this recurring bar scene where Vince Vaughan's characters hanging out 1123 01:03:20,360 --> 01:03:23,040 Speaker 1: and there's a very I don't wannacall her name, but 1124 01:03:23,040 --> 01:03:26,640 Speaker 1: there's a very talented musician playing. There's playing the saddest 1125 01:03:26,680 --> 01:03:30,000 Speaker 1: songs in the world, and I'm just I'm torn out 1126 01:03:30,000 --> 01:03:32,200 Speaker 1: of the viewing experience because I'm like, who would who 1127 01:03:32,240 --> 01:03:34,600 Speaker 1: books this artist to play here? This is man that 1128 01:03:34,840 --> 01:03:37,960 Speaker 1: season of TV it's something else. But yeah that I 1129 01:03:38,000 --> 01:03:42,440 Speaker 1: saw that as well, and it those scenes kept yanking 1130 01:03:42,440 --> 01:03:45,080 Speaker 1: me out. It felt very much like, um, they were 1131 01:03:45,080 --> 01:03:48,480 Speaker 1: trying to do what David Lynch does. Actually, oh yeah, 1132 01:03:48,480 --> 01:03:50,920 Speaker 1: the nine is Nails thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In the 1133 01:03:50,920 --> 01:03:54,400 Speaker 1: new season of twin Peaks, every episode has a performance 1134 01:03:54,440 --> 01:03:57,280 Speaker 1: by a band uh in it. Usually it's it's right 1135 01:03:57,320 --> 01:04:01,200 Speaker 1: at the end credits. Uh. And this felt very much 1136 01:04:01,240 --> 01:04:04,400 Speaker 1: like that, or like in Mulholland Drive, David Lynch, you know, 1137 01:04:04,840 --> 01:04:08,760 Speaker 1: inserts music in certain places where you're watching performances, and 1138 01:04:08,800 --> 01:04:10,920 Speaker 1: that felt like it was trying so hard to do 1139 01:04:10,960 --> 01:04:14,080 Speaker 1: that and true detective, but it was just it was painful, 1140 01:04:15,040 --> 01:04:18,640 Speaker 1: but fortitude not painful. You're giving it a strong recommendation, Yeah, 1141 01:04:18,680 --> 01:04:20,960 Speaker 1: I loved it. The first season is better than the 1142 01:04:20,960 --> 01:04:24,760 Speaker 1: second season, but they're both fun. Uh, And yeah, I 1143 01:04:24,760 --> 01:04:28,160 Speaker 1: I can't recommend it enough, especially like if you are 1144 01:04:28,200 --> 01:04:31,240 Speaker 1: a listener of our show and you've listened to multiple episodes, 1145 01:04:31,280 --> 01:04:34,800 Speaker 1: I think you'd find it delightful because they tap into 1146 01:04:34,880 --> 01:04:38,120 Speaker 1: all of these things that we've covered over the years. Cool. Well, 1147 01:04:38,160 --> 01:04:40,440 Speaker 1: we'd love to hear from Fortitude fans that have some 1148 01:04:40,520 --> 01:04:42,320 Speaker 1: thoughts on the Small Bard issues here. And if you 1149 01:04:42,400 --> 01:04:46,200 Speaker 1: have been to Small Bard as a working professional, as 1150 01:04:46,240 --> 01:04:49,480 Speaker 1: a tourist, as a polar Bear, then let us know 1151 01:04:49,560 --> 01:04:52,360 Speaker 1: because we would love to hear your account. Yeah, definitely, 1152 01:04:52,440 --> 01:04:55,440 Speaker 1: I'm I'm planning my Small Bard vacation right now, so 1153 01:04:56,000 --> 01:04:58,760 Speaker 1: please let me know if you've been there and uh 1154 01:04:58,800 --> 01:05:01,240 Speaker 1: what I need to prepare for and you know, maybe 1155 01:05:01,240 --> 01:05:03,200 Speaker 1: in the next five years or so, I'll finally make 1156 01:05:03,240 --> 01:05:05,760 Speaker 1: it up there, all right. Well, in the meantime, hey, 1157 01:05:05,760 --> 01:05:07,840 Speaker 1: if you want more stuff to blow your mind, go 1158 01:05:07,920 --> 01:05:10,240 Speaker 1: to stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. That is 1159 01:05:10,280 --> 01:05:13,880 Speaker 1: our mothership. That's where you'll find all of our little 1160 01:05:13,920 --> 01:05:17,320 Speaker 1: podcast episodes. Who find some videos. You'll find blog posts 1161 01:05:17,600 --> 01:05:19,760 Speaker 1: as well as links out to our various social media 1162 01:05:19,800 --> 01:05:24,400 Speaker 1: accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Instagram, etcetera. And as 1163 01:05:24,400 --> 01:05:27,600 Speaker 1: far as Facebook goes, we did we were currently experimenting 1164 01:05:27,600 --> 01:05:30,000 Speaker 1: with a Facebook group there. So if you've been to 1165 01:05:30,000 --> 01:05:32,360 Speaker 1: our Facebook page and you want, like I don't know, 1166 01:05:32,400 --> 01:05:36,880 Speaker 1: you want more involved conversation. You want to share something 1167 01:05:36,920 --> 01:05:40,080 Speaker 1: with us, Uh, that's one avenue to do that. Yeah, 1168 01:05:40,120 --> 01:05:42,000 Speaker 1: you just go to the discussion group and you ask 1169 01:05:42,080 --> 01:05:44,680 Speaker 1: to join in. One of us or the other moderators 1170 01:05:44,680 --> 01:05:47,240 Speaker 1: will let you in and you can participate in the 1171 01:05:47,240 --> 01:05:50,200 Speaker 1: conversations going on there. It's like a message board. It's 1172 01:05:50,200 --> 01:05:53,160 Speaker 1: like we're back to the nineties of internet era. But 1173 01:05:53,200 --> 01:05:56,440 Speaker 1: I like it. It's it's a more tight knit community 1174 01:05:56,480 --> 01:06:00,160 Speaker 1: on Facebook than our our huge audience that subscribe up 1175 01:06:00,160 --> 01:06:02,480 Speaker 1: there right now. Yeah, it's an experiment. We're gonna see 1176 01:06:02,520 --> 01:06:04,360 Speaker 1: what happens with it and if it if it it's 1177 01:06:04,360 --> 01:06:06,440 Speaker 1: a module attached to the motor shift, if you will 1178 01:06:06,440 --> 01:06:08,040 Speaker 1: and if it, if it works, will keep it. If not, 1179 01:06:08,080 --> 01:06:11,640 Speaker 1: we'll jettis it into the into the cold unforgiving black 1180 01:06:11,640 --> 01:06:15,440 Speaker 1: hearted space. And if you want to write us the 1181 01:06:15,480 --> 01:06:17,360 Speaker 1: old fashioned way, you just want to get in touch 1182 01:06:17,400 --> 01:06:20,520 Speaker 1: with us directly, you can write to Robert, Joe and 1183 01:06:20,600 --> 01:06:23,560 Speaker 1: myself at blow the Mind at how stuff works dot 1184 01:06:23,600 --> 01:06:36,040 Speaker 1: com for more on this and thousands of other topics. 1185 01:06:36,240 --> 01:07:00,000 Speaker 1: Does it how stuff works dot com