1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas. And 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: unless the calendar is lying to us, this is the 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: week of Valentine's Day, that's right, Yeah, which probably means 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: different things to different people. Some may For some people, 7 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: it may mean a celebration of the love that I 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: am now in. For others, it is perhaps a reminder 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: of a past love and uh and brings with a 10 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: certain negative connotations or love that is not yet fully 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: manifested in one's life, and then it can be equally problematic. 12 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: Or maybe it's just how in the world am I 13 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: gonna get reservations at a restaurant tonight to uh, to 14 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: satisfy the uh, the significant other in my life? That's right? 15 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: And I think that we've got a podcast that's that's 16 00:00:57,560 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: gonna cater to some of this, right, But we're not 17 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: talking about it. Well, I don't know. I don't know, 18 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: because we're not talking like, uh, you know, roses and 19 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: kitten farts here, are we? No, we're not. We're talking 20 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: hardcore science and love, right though it is conceivable that 21 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: a scientists could study either um, kitten farts or certainly 22 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: they study flowers. But but yeah, we're we're dealing with 23 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: scientists in love. And it's it's a it's an interesting concept. 24 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: I mean, it's not out of everyone knows. Scientists are 25 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: of course human beings, and they fall in love and 26 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: no matter how nailed down there, they're one part of 27 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: their life. Maybe with with the strict you know, realities 28 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: of science. Uh, they're still subject to this weird human 29 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: emotion that entangles all of us. That's right. And we've 30 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: talked about scientists being that the obsessive kind before, right, 31 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,279 Speaker 1: so it would make sense that scientists and love would 32 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: be super obsessed and too scientists and love doubly so, 33 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: and might even their love might be so crazy and 34 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: strong that it could eventually lead to maybe like the 35 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: a bomb. Yeah, it's like, uh, you know, it's like 36 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: the like love is an alcohol and uh in zeal 37 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 1: for science is a caffeinated beverage. And then when when 38 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: those two things mix, when they are in the same container, 39 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: as we'll see in two cases, when when scientists are 40 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: in love with each other and share that scientific zeal 41 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: and and a and and this love, it becomes something 42 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 1: that can potentially give you a heart attack. It's true. 43 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: Right in the club were so specifically we are talking 44 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: about well, first let's talk about the Sagans, that's right. 45 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: The second Carl Sagan and Andrewin. Yes, yes, and they 46 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: had they had a groovy kind of love, Yes, a 47 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: cosmic kind of love. I guess you could say, um 48 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: to uh. To set this in time, we are going 49 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: back to the summer of ninety seven, and that's when 50 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: Carl and a lot of you probably know Carl Sagan 51 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: of course, the host of Cosmos, which you can get 52 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: on you can get it on like Netflix streaming and stuff. 53 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,959 Speaker 1: It's it's still wonderful today. Most of the science still 54 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: holds up. But you know, astronomer, astrophysicist, um, you know, 55 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: cosmologists generally generally was just on the forefront of popularizing 56 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: science and just being a a mascot for for scientific inquiry, right, 57 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: particularly space, particularly space. Yes, and uh. He was involved 58 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: in a little something called the Voyager project, and the 59 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: creative director on this was one and Drew In. Now Voyager. 60 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: You may remember this mostly from the Star Trek movie 61 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: in which a a a fictional Voyager craft comes back superintelligent. 62 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: But of course Voyager we were sending them out and 63 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: they're still sailing out to the limits of of of 64 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: man's discovery and space and uh aboard this particularly two 65 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: particular crafts, Voyager one and Voyiger two, was a Golden Record, which, 66 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: interestingly enough, jad Aban Rod and Robert Korich of Radio 67 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: Lab referred to as quote the ultimate mixtape that's right 68 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: of their love because they collaborated on this school record. 69 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: I mean, it's also like a mix tape, like hey, 70 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: aliens out there, here you go, and maybe we made 71 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: a mixtape for you. But it's also it really represent 72 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: this this bond that was growing between these two and 73 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: this love that was growing between the two between these 74 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: two in the summer of Yeah, I mean, it's literally 75 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 1: documenting them falling in love and the moment that they 76 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: fell in love in which they chose a specific piece 77 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: of music for it, which is amazing, and it's just 78 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: out there flinging itself into outer space. Yeah. And currently 79 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: Voyager one is one hundred and sixteen point five astronomical 80 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:50,600 Speaker 1: units from Earth. Just to rewind, an astronomical unit is 81 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: the distance between the Earth and the Sun. So it's 82 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: that distance spread out a hundred and sixteen and a 83 00:04:55,880 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: half times Voyager two is point two astronomic units from 84 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: the Earth, and these distances continue to increase. And we 85 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,600 Speaker 1: talked about this a little bit in our previous podcast 86 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: about alien etiquette, and the idea, of course of this 87 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: Golden Record is that it would be intercepted and it 88 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: might tell an extraterrestrial life form what life was like. 89 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 1: I suppose you used to say it was um during 90 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,919 Speaker 1: that time period, because it's going to be out there 91 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,719 Speaker 1: for a while. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And I think that 92 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: was the sort of the joke to us as well. 93 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: Maybe they intercept this in fo years and then they'll 94 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: be like, I don't even know what this chicken scratches. Yeah, 95 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: and it's kind of a you know, it's it's kind 96 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: of a time capsule as well. But but it it 97 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:43,359 Speaker 1: contained the just the record contained spoken greetings in fifty 98 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: nine different languages, ranging from ancient Acadian to Wu, a 99 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: modern Chinese dialect that's not to be confused with anything 100 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: Wu Tang clan or but sadly with the record was 101 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: was pressed and sent out before their genesis, but also 102 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: Sounds of Earth ninety minutes of of selected music from 103 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: both both Eastern and Western classics. Again no Wu tang, 104 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: sadly and uh. Also the sound of a kiss, mother's 105 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 1: first words to a newborn child, Yeah, baby crying right. Yeah. 106 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: So a vast collection of our human experience, and most 107 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 1: impressive of all, for the purposes of discussing the love 108 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: between these two scientists of the sound of a heartbeat, 109 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: that's right. What was the idea? Andrew And said, I'd 110 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: like to have my heartbeat recorded, right, and then sort 111 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: of data scrambled later to to sort of map this out. 112 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: Take me down that road, Robert, Yeah, and it's it's 113 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 1: it's fascinating because because the Sagan and and basically went 114 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: down and had this recording done, like just just shortly 115 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: after they had actually come because they've been professionally aligned 116 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: for a while and they knew each other, they were 117 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: working each other, but this was after they actually reached 118 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,280 Speaker 1: the point where they realized they were in love with 119 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: each other, and and and and and just shortly after 120 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: they had actually spoken about it with each other, and 121 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: then they went and recorded her heartbeat. And now it's 122 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:08,040 Speaker 1: out there on the plate, and it's it's it's it's beautiful. 123 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: It's the love and the science um intermingling with each other. 124 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: And uh, and you know, maybe it's a little sappy 125 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: if you're if you're not in the mood for it 126 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: this week. But yeah, but there, I mean, there you go. 127 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: You've got this, this incredible collaboration between two people. And 128 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: we should also note to that Carl Sagon was married 129 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: at the time that um he met Andrew and and 130 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: as far as I know, nothing nuts or scandalous went on, 131 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: so to speak. I think he actually declared his love 132 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: for her over the phone after she had talked to 133 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: him about a particular piece of music that they had 134 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: been obsessing over. So it was sort of one of 135 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: those things that I think that he was like, oh 136 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: my god, I'm in love with this person. And then 137 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: of course he dissolved his marriage, his first marriage, So 138 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: I just want to point that out. I think that 139 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: Carl Singgon was a perfect gentleman. I'd like to think that, 140 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: but but I don't know that for sure. And of 141 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:02,559 Speaker 1: course Sagan died uh sadly in ninety six. But Anne 142 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: continues on continued writing, and she believe currently resides in 143 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: New York, YEP and she actually made a comment to 144 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: for that radio piece saying something about how sometimes when 145 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: she gets a little depressed or you know, nostalgic, thinks 146 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: about the Golden Record and this, this document of their 147 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:24,119 Speaker 1: love just flung out into outer space can still traveling. Yeah, 148 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: it's kind of a beautiful thought. I think so as well. Yeah, so, 149 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: and and it's one of those like grand I mean, 150 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: he didn't do it for Valentine's Day, but you know 151 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 1: it's it pretty much trumps anything that any of us 152 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: might have us might be scheming for that week. Yeah, 153 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: all right, helicopter ride. Sorry, Carl's got you beat. Yeah. Yeah. 154 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: But there's another pair, pretty famous pair that has come 155 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: to white recently because of a book that's been written 156 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: about them. Right though they've of course they've been you know, 157 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: people have been studying the for want that this latest 158 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 1: book has been really really fascinating, sort of re examining 159 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: their relationship and their contribution to science. Yeah. The book 160 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:10,959 Speaker 1: is called Radioactive Marie and Pierre Curie by Lauren Redness. Uh. 161 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: And then this just came out I think in December 162 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: two ten. Yeah, followers, and we picked up our copies 163 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: in the last week or two. Yeah, and uh, I 164 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: was I this is a book. I was really not 165 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 1: sure exactly what to expect um. And we're going to 166 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: come back to the curies, but just to briefe, we're 167 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: gonna talk about this book because I basically heard from 168 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: my wife had heard something about it on the radio 169 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: and she's like, hey, this sounds like there's a really 170 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: cool book about the curious coming out. And the cover 171 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:41,839 Speaker 1: glows in the dark. There was you. Yeah, I'm like, 172 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: all right, I'm there, you know, I mean I left 173 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: things ago. I'm wearing glow in the dark shirt right now. Yeah. Uh, 174 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: and we always record the podcast in complete darkness. Yeah, well, 175 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,679 Speaker 1: which sometimes the candle well yeah, we have to see 176 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: the notes and we only use extremely flammable paper, right, yeah, 177 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: it makes sense. But but but anyway, this book, so 178 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 1: I get it in right and it's you know, it's 179 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: a large, hard bound book, and sure enough, the cover 180 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 1: glows in the dark, but it is it's it's kind 181 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,199 Speaker 1: of hard to describe because it's not really one might 182 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: be tempted to talk about it as a graphic novel, 183 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 1: but it was that was my initial impression. But generally speaking, 184 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: graphic graphic novels are more a case of sequential art, 185 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: where you're having a little little boxes or large boxes 186 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: of of images that tell a story. Um, and this 187 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 1: is more I guess I would tend to think of 188 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 1: this as an like an illuminated manuscript or a or 189 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 1: just an illustrated biography. But it's not even even calling 190 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: it a biography. It's not really accurate. No. In fact, 191 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: I heard an interview on MPR with the author of 192 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:46,439 Speaker 1: Laura read Nous, and uh, the the interviewer has had 193 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: actually made this um observation that he thought that it 194 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: was more like sort of eliminated manuscript or journal like this, 195 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: this imagined journal. Yeah, there of what might be Marie 196 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: and pre curious experiences. It's kind of scrap bookie. And 197 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: I say that in like the absolute best connotation, Like 198 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 1: we're not talking Etsy here, We're talking science scrap bookie, 199 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: if it makes any sense. But the reason that we're 200 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: getting so excited about this is because Laura Redness really 201 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: put a tremendous amount of research into this book. So 202 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:25,599 Speaker 1: she's looking at the trajectory of Marie and Pierre curious relationship, 203 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:27,560 Speaker 1: which is really the heart of this book and is 204 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:30,840 Speaker 1: interesting in and of itself, but she's also looking at 205 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: UM what their discoveries UH bore out for us as 206 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: humanity and UM. And she's also looking at the future 207 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: generations of the curious and what they contribute or what 208 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: their contributions were as well. So I mean she she 209 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: went to great lengths really to mind a lot of 210 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:51,199 Speaker 1: information of this book. I think we should stop for 211 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: a second, just for anybody listening out there is not 212 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: really familiar with the curious or refresher UM. Marie Cury 213 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: was born Marie Scouldwowski sculd Bwoska sounds good in warsaw 214 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: poland um back in, I believe. And she went on 215 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: to marry physics professor Purre Cury in uh Pierre Curry, 216 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: sorry inn and the two dove into research together like 217 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: this is again it's like the the the deal with 218 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: with with Carl and Ann. They were they were both 219 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:26,199 Speaker 1: just really under their work, and suddenly they had they 220 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: had the chance to be together too, and they fell 221 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,719 Speaker 1: in love and they threw themselves at the same research, right, 222 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: And actually, let's just go with that, because I think 223 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: it's interesting to point out that Marie Curie, who was 224 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: really Maria, she changed her name to Marie Um when 225 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,200 Speaker 1: she was in Paris. But she was one of very 226 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: few obviously women students at Sorbonne, and she was the 227 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: first to get her PhD in science and I believe 228 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: the first to become a professor there. Yes, and she 229 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: was appointed after her husband's death. And she won not one, 230 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: but two Nobel Prizes. Yeah, so first woman to win 231 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: a Nobel prize, first person to win two alongside Pierre. 232 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 1: So what I'm the reason why I think that's important 233 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: is because these are incredible circumstances for this woman to 234 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: be in. And the fact of the matter is she 235 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: meant Pierre because she just needed some extra lab space. 236 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: So someone was like, oh, you should check out the sky. 237 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 1: He's got some extra space. You know, you could probably 238 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: use it. So what happens, obviously, is they come together 239 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: and they find that they are both the most hardcore 240 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: science researchers that they know that exists, and that really 241 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: bonds them. So they have this I don't know that 242 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: I would call it a passionate sort of love. I 243 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: don't know that we know that, but we know that 244 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:42,719 Speaker 1: they're passionate about their research and this really bonds them together. Right, Yeah, 245 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: they become like a just just a team of effort, 246 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: you know, and and uh and and what did they accomplish? Well, Okay, 247 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: at the first Nobel prize I had to do with 248 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,320 Speaker 1: her with their isolation of polonium, which is a radio 249 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 1: active elopment named Bymary for hooland her home contry. And 250 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: uh and also radium, another radioactive element, and the one 251 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: that was far more noteworthy, and we discussed a little 252 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: more and she named that one that has the Latin 253 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: for light, I believe. And then the second one was 254 00:14:15,559 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: for actually her her inquiry into radioactivity and the fact 255 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: that she even discovered that their elements could be radioactive. Right, 256 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: So this book is about these two people coming together 257 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: about the the thoroughly non scientific things in their lives 258 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 1: that led them to each other. Like she fell in 259 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 1: love with a with a noble um and son, as 260 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: I remember, and he was too good for her according 261 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: to the family, so it was heartbreak. And then he 262 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: had another situation with where he was in love with 263 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: someone and it just was not meant to be, you know, right, 264 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: So they had both experienced heartache and when they found 265 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: each other, um, I think that I obviously drawn to 266 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: each other because of their love of science. But Marie 267 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: also says, in the as told by Laura Redness in 268 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: the book, he caught the habit of speaking to me 269 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: in his dream of an existence consecrated entirely to scientific research, 270 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: and asked me to share that life. So that, again, 271 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: is unusual to have this pair of people, um at 272 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 1: that time period saying okay, let's just throw all caution 273 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 1: to the wind. We'll get married or research like we've 274 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: never researched in our life. Maybe we'll have kids. The 275 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: kids don't matter in the sense that you'll still research, 276 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: and then they'll research too. That's right, create the little researchers. 277 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 1: And so again that's that the was a not something 278 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: that was commonly thought. Then it was you get married, 279 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 1: you raised the children. Um, you know, I'll come home 280 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: and you make me some you know, roast beef. Right. 281 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: And she was still doing that, and she was doing 282 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:46,520 Speaker 1: the science. I mean she was she was going to 283 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: the lab with him and working, but but also raising kids, cooking. Um. 284 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: So the great thing about Redness is book. I mean, 285 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: aside from just being beautiful to look through, I mean, 286 00:15:56,560 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: the illustrations are magnificent, is that she weaves this the 287 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 1: emerging love of the curious with the emergence of this science, 288 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 1: of this fascinating science of radioactivity, right because radium and 289 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: plonium by themselves is kind of like okay, yeah, all right, 290 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: so there's the elements, but what what's what does that 291 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: mean to our society today? Well, tremendous amount. And at 292 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: the time that you really had this, especially with radium, 293 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: there was just radium zeal. They really took off and 294 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 1: uh and Redness discusses this at length in the book. 295 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:32,320 Speaker 1: And because it was a time, it's like, I think 296 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 1: back to any time where we've developed a new technology, um, 297 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: like when electricity was first becoming a thing and in 298 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: the utilization of electricity in our lives, like people were 299 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: tremendously excited about it, and you know, like you know, 300 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 1: Tesla and Edison are doing all this stuff. It's like, 301 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 1: let's let's show it off. Let's do it. Let's electrocute 302 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: an elephant's electricating himself. Yeah, like electurting himself. And there 303 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: was there was some fascinating talk in the time where 304 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 1: people were discussing using electricity to execute criminals and some 305 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: people were actually speaking up and saying this is just 306 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: this is blasphemous because electricity is this holy, blameless creature 307 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: and and you you you can't use that to kill 308 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 1: a criminal. That's just that's what. That's horrible. How could 309 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: it light up my life and allow me to to 310 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:18,120 Speaker 1: stay up late and kill a criminal or Yeah, that's 311 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:25,879 Speaker 1: just completely ridiculous. This presentation is brought to you by 312 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow. So you see, and you we 313 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: end up seeing the same thing with radium today. You 314 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 1: continue to to see. Anytime there's like any kind of 315 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 1: new science, you can guarantee somebody out there is going 316 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: to try and market something to make a buck off 317 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:45,679 Speaker 1: of it. And with radium at the time, it was 318 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 1: it was really kind of crazy. Um. And we should 319 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: also point out that the reason that this happened that 320 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: radium sort of went nuts is that Marie and pre 321 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,639 Speaker 1: Cure decided not to patent radium because they thought, well, no, 322 00:17:57,840 --> 00:17:59,439 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, it's only gonna be a handful 323 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:01,640 Speaker 1: of scientist that really need to use it. We don't 324 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: need to patent u. Yeah, and they were like and 325 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: then they were like, this is a totally beneficial thing. 326 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:05,919 Speaker 1: A lot of great stuff is going to come out 327 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 1: of this, and it just wouldn't be in the spirit 328 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 1: of what we're doing. So along come the all these 329 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: radioactive quack cures. Um. Just to just to run through. 330 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: I feel like there were a lot of radium water 331 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: jars where you just filled up with water and then 332 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: you could have radium in your drinking water. Radioactive drinking water. 333 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: It seems like a good idea at the time, right, Um, 334 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,320 Speaker 1: And it would there were there were rather far more 335 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: questionable items such as suppositories. Again we're talking about real 336 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: radium in this pository. Yeah, actual radioactive elements, uh, in 337 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: a person's rectum for medicinal purposes. You can get radioactive toothpaste. Um. Again, 338 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 1: it's just you could get these these radioactive plates to 339 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: put in your cigarette package cigarette. At the at the time, 340 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:54,719 Speaker 1: it's like if you thought, oh, the cigarettes aren't good 341 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,920 Speaker 1: enough for me, now that let me add some radioactivity 342 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 1: to that, just to just to boost the health actor 343 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:05,719 Speaker 1: or a little. Um. There were a refrigerator, freezer deodorizers. Uh. 344 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:08,160 Speaker 1: There you could get a flask you could radiate all 345 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,360 Speaker 1: your food in the freezer. Is that when I'm here? Right? Yeah? 346 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:12,479 Speaker 1: And and I mean it just went on and on 347 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: and and and then on top of that, at the time, 348 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 1: again everybody's willing to rate radium was a expensive and 349 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: and and all this hope was wrapped up in it. 350 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,640 Speaker 1: The stuff is going to change the world, um. And 351 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,480 Speaker 1: and so for a brief time before the dark attributes 352 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 1: of radium became fully known, it uh, it became like 353 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: like like if you had had a if you had 354 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 1: like a credit card back in the early nineteen hundreds, 355 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 1: platinum or a gold, neither of those would have been 356 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: your higher in card. No, you would want a radium 357 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: card because you had it. Yeah, you had a number 358 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: of these different radium branded products that were not in 359 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 1: them in and of themselves radioactive. But you had like 360 00:19:55,240 --> 00:20:00,199 Speaker 1: radium beer, you had radium nut x condoms, um, you 361 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: had radium playing cards, radium cigarettes. Uh, you know, the 362 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: list just goes on. So this is like when I 363 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: see products in the store and that says all natural 364 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 1: organic and they actually that's sort of like the greenwashing, 365 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: they may not be radium washing. Yeah. Wow. So that's 366 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: that was a crazy um amount of fervor around something 367 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: like that. Yeah, And of course it was not meant 368 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 1: to last. And that's one of against something that's beautifully 369 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: woven into this text because it kind of I mean, 370 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: it does parallel so often our stories of love where 371 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: where love blooms and is awesome, but then they're either 372 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: love faulters or it is complicated by other things, and 373 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,239 Speaker 1: it maybe it's maybe it doesn't fail, but it is 374 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: forced to become a more realistic beast, you know, the 375 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: half life it is stabilizes exactly nice. So what I 376 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: think is interesting about this too is that you know, 377 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:03,880 Speaker 1: obviously Pierre and Marie didn't really understand how um dangerous 378 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:05,760 Speaker 1: it was to be handling this in the first place anyway. 379 00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:07,880 Speaker 1: And the boy were they handling it? Yeah, I mean 380 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: they were. They were tossing it around at dinner parties, right. Uh. 381 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,520 Speaker 1: Marie had a little bar in a jar next to 382 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,640 Speaker 1: her bed that would you know, illuminate blue at night, 383 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: which I'm sure was quite pretty. And and then there's 384 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 1: also this uh, this case to where um it was, 385 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: And Pierre goes into the United Kingdom's Royal Institution and 386 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:31,880 Speaker 1: there are all these guys, they're scientists from all over 387 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: and he rolls up his sleeve to show a burn 388 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: on his arm, or what looks like a burn off 389 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: to everybody. And this is a wound that had been 390 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 1: caused by radium salts which he had taped to the 391 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 1: skin um for just ten hours fifty days earlier. The 392 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,439 Speaker 1: wound was still there. And while he's doing this, he 393 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: ends up spilling some of the salts that he's showing 394 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:57,440 Speaker 1: off the table and the the the resulting contamination of 395 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:00,080 Speaker 1: the table was still detectable and in need of cleaning 396 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: up like fifty years later. So and and you know, 397 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 1: when we're saying it the way we're presenting it, it it 398 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 1: probably it comes off a little weird and a little 399 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:12,600 Speaker 1: bizarre and maybe a little funny. But the way Redness 400 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,160 Speaker 1: presents it, I mean you really, she presents these two 401 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 1: human beings and that are engaged in this thing they 402 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,120 Speaker 1: really care about in er enter, engaged in this relationship, 403 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: and they keep they keep dealing with this dangerous stuff 404 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: and they're getting they're getting more and more sick. It's 405 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: having an effect on their bodies and their their well being, 406 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: and they realize it on some level, but they she's 407 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: still sleeping. They can't stop themselves. Like I was telling 408 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 1: you earlier, it reminds me of of stories you hear 409 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 1: about people that are in an abusive relationship and they 410 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: can't They know that it's it's a bad relationship, but 411 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: that they can't break themselves away from it because they're 412 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 1: they're tied to it, they're obsessed with it. And that's 413 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,960 Speaker 1: that's the the way redness really presents it here, that 414 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 1: that they they're they're so obsessed with the scientific discovery 415 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: that they're working with it, they can't they can't separate 416 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: themselves enough from it too to save themselves. Well, and 417 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: I think it's because it's that quest for knowledge. They 418 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: know there's there's more potential than they realize, and in 419 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,639 Speaker 1: fact they yeah, I mean they start to say, okay, well, 420 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,679 Speaker 1: if if this is killing healthy cells, maybe it can 421 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:17,239 Speaker 1: kill diseased cells, and therefore it could be used in radiations. Right, 422 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 1: And after they had worked with they figured out ways 423 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 1: that what would become X rays where it can be 424 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:24,320 Speaker 1: used to figure out what You don't have to cut 425 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:26,439 Speaker 1: into a limb to see what's going on with the bones, 426 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 1: you can you can we kind of it's easy to 427 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: overlook that today just how helpful uh an X ray is? Right, So, yeah, 428 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: you've got you've got these two people completely obsessed with us, 429 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: completely obsessed with the process, and you know, Rediness does 430 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: do a great job of weaving what becomes that story 431 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: of radiation, right. So what happens is that you know, 432 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: they're playing around with it. They they have um a 433 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: couple of daughters, Irene and Eve. And I'm jumping ahead 434 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: a little bit because there's a lot of stuff that 435 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 1: happens in marine Pierre Pierre Curie's life. But what happens 436 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: is that Irene begins to study radium as well, and 437 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 1: Mary's a scientist Frederick and they actually create artificial radioactivity, 438 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,639 Speaker 1: which is to say that they can take an element 439 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:22,160 Speaker 1: and make it radioactive. And then you begin to see 440 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:26,640 Speaker 1: that this is this is information that's being um relayed 441 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: from one generation to another. And it makes me think 442 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,399 Speaker 1: about our past podcast about tool users and even about 443 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,960 Speaker 1: computer viruses, where we talk about how the human is 444 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 1: just essentially a host for information, host for for technology, 445 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: and that we're just they're just replicating it based on us. 446 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: And that really is evident, I think, in this connection 447 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 1: between the generations here, right, and and also like we're 448 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 1: talking about that the optimism for for radium and all 449 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: things radioactive, that optimism beginning to to to fall for 450 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: a little and maybe become well, definitely become a lot 451 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: more realistic. And part of that was realizing, whoa, that 452 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:05,200 Speaker 1: the Curries are getting really ill. But also when people 453 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: were suddenly realizing, hey, we can we can make weapons 454 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 1: out of this um not not only does there's certain 455 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 1: negative health things going on here, but but we could 456 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: make a bomb. Yeah, that's right. Is Einstein actually who 457 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:21,160 Speaker 1: who's looking at the situation and looking at the discoveries 458 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: of the two generations and sends out a missive to 459 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,239 Speaker 1: FDR saying, hey, we we probably need to get behind us. 460 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 1: The Germans are working on it. Yeah. So again it's 461 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 1: like this very interesting in traductory between like the relationships 462 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 1: and how the relationships are bearing out science, which you 463 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 1: know implicates all of us really when you look at it. Yeah. Yeah. 464 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:44,159 Speaker 1: The book also goes it goes a lot into like 465 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: it'll it'll deal with the curies and the nodile flash 466 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: forward to Robert Oppenheimer, um, you know, contemplating uh, nuclear weapons, 467 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: or it will it will skip to Hiroshima or m 468 00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: or three mile three mile island and in the noddle 469 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 1: it back to the curies. So it it jumps around 470 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,679 Speaker 1: in time, A little man gives you this complete picture 471 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 1: of of of what they're working on and what it's 472 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: ultimately going to become. Uh, the the atomic tests in 473 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,920 Speaker 1: Nevada and the and just like I was not aware 474 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,160 Speaker 1: before reading this that anyone ever had a mushroom clop 475 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 1: party where you would go out and have like a 476 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: barbecue and I mean not close up but like the 477 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: distant smoke. Right yeahar in Las Vegas this was a 478 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: big deal, right whatever the years between nineteen and nineteen 479 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:30,879 Speaker 1: sixty three that you would have a mushroom club party, 480 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: I guess until they went underground and started detonating there. Um, 481 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 1: but yeah, you see that picture, you see the you 482 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: see Radium sort of being born and being teased into 483 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: this other, this other thing that becomes this other thing 484 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 1: that becomes the a bomb, just as you see Iren 485 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: being born and having this relationship in furthering that technology 486 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 1: and then having she and her husband having another child, 487 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,040 Speaker 1: which is the great grandchild or excuse me, the a 488 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 1: child of Murray who becomes a nuclear physicist. Of course. Um, 489 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 1: you know, the book does, as you say, jump around, 490 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: but you keep going back to that story of Marie 491 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: specifically sort of suffering for her knowledge in a sense. Um. 492 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: And you look at how she and Pierre detailed the 493 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: accounts of their own decline. Marie more so because Pierre 494 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 1: was killed. Um, he had untimely death. He was killed 495 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: in nineteen o six, I believe. Yeah, he was run 496 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 1: over by a carriage carrying thirteen thousand tons of military gear. 497 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: Was bal part. Yeah. Um. But Marie at the end 498 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,919 Speaker 1: of her life, when she was very, very sick, and 499 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: she died from a classic anemia, which is of course 500 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: caused by that radiation, she ch unicled her deterioration and 501 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 1: data columns with entries on her body temperature, her color, 502 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: her urine discharged and pus and she tracked her level 503 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,400 Speaker 1: of pain. I mean, it's just so interesting that even 504 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: at the very end of her life that she's sort 505 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: of handling it the only way that she knows, County, 506 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,040 Speaker 1: which is to make it into data that she can 507 00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:06,679 Speaker 1: try to understand. Um. But you know, that's that's the 508 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:11,360 Speaker 1: interesting thing about this is it's the slow death of herself, 509 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: and even Irene and Frederick, her daughter and son in law, 510 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: are exposed to radiation and also getting ill as well. Yeah. 511 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: It's uh again, it's it's a really powerful book. I 512 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:25,159 Speaker 1: I fin it, actually read the second half of it 513 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: last night before going to sleep, and so I just 514 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,040 Speaker 1: I had all these dreams where where somebody was testing, 515 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: like testing nuclear weapons on a college campus, and I'm 516 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:36,400 Speaker 1: when I was getting like really because they were doing 517 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:37,840 Speaker 1: some sort in the dream, they were doing some sort 518 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,760 Speaker 1: of like war game, and I just was so angry. 519 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 1: I was like, why are you doing this? This is 520 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 1: so destructive to all of us, And don't you know 521 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: that now I'm going to deal with the zombies after 522 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: the apocalypse and treat to a mall now I know. 523 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: Luckily the zombies didn't show up in the dream, but 524 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: that's good, I think. Though. Again, looking back at their accomplishments, 525 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: you just have to look at how amazing it is 526 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 1: that they took four years of their lives just specifically 527 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: for radon excuse me radium. Um, it's grueling work. They 528 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 1: are in a shed in Paris, they had forty tons 529 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 1: of corrosive materials to go through to extract just one 530 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 1: tenth of a gram of radium. And the reason they 531 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: had to do this because they had to prove that 532 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,240 Speaker 1: it physically existed, because just to say you know, Okay, 533 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,640 Speaker 1: well we've we found this and to try to get 534 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: this published, the scientific community wasn't necessarily gonna um take 535 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: that at face value, right, so they think about all 536 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:37,040 Speaker 1: that exposure in that time, going through a heat pile 537 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: of corrosive materials kind of creepy. So anyway, it's, uh, 538 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: you know, we're we're not being bribed to say this, 539 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 1: but it's a great book. So if you if you're 540 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: interested in a an atypical science uh book, pick it 541 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 1: up if you want to want to read, if you're 542 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:56,680 Speaker 1: you want to read a romance that has science in 543 00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: it and and also a store a story of science, 544 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: tific advancement and all the complications that come with it 545 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 1: in human culture. Uh, It's it's a really good read. 546 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,640 Speaker 1: Also would make for a pretty cool Valentine's Day gift 547 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: if you that that other person in your life is 548 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 1: uh is interested in science at all. And I would say, 549 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 1: even it sort of extends beyond that. I mean, it's 550 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: it's about humanity, right, Yeah, it's that. It's it's bigger 551 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 1: than just mere romance. Yeah. And I don't mean to 552 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: get all goofy here, but I admit that I had 553 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:26,840 Speaker 1: like a tier yeah at my kitchen table. And it 554 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 1: wasn't the love story part of it. I was just like, Wow, 555 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:32,520 Speaker 1: she did a great job and really capturing, um what 556 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:35,360 Speaker 1: science means to us, I think on an individual level. Yeah, 557 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 1: yeah it is. Yeah, it's a great book. Right, enough 558 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: with my earnest exclamations, Robert, take us on home. Okay, uh, yeah, Well, 559 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 1: I believe we have a little listener mail here. Okay, 560 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:51,040 Speaker 1: we have have one here from a listener by the 561 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:54,719 Speaker 1: name of Peter, and he writes in Julian Robert regarding 562 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: the future of pain podcast. First of all, what is 563 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 1: an Indian burn? I grew up with three boisterous brothers, 564 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 1: and I'm sure that we tortured each other in various ways, 565 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: but I've never heard this particular infliction of paint. Um, 566 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: do you want to answer that? When in the doing 567 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: burnus it's when you take someone's arm, for instance, and 568 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:14,920 Speaker 1: you put both of your hands on and then you 569 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: twist in opposite directions until This is my understanding of that. 570 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: Other people may have other variations, but you do it. 571 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: This is my John my brother method. Um, until your 572 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: skinny hands raw and hurts a lot. Okay, alright, So anyway, Uh, Peter, 573 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 1: there you go, and I don't know the atymology, haven't 574 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 1: a matter. Yeah, I don't think it's actually Native American 575 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: or air vedic in uh in its origins. Anyway, Peter continues, However, 576 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:45,479 Speaker 1: my bigger question is whether this is an approbo when 577 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: he goes on to ask about the racial and ethical references. 578 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 1: So there he goes, that's our answer to Probably doesn't. 579 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: But anyway, his main point is, I want to come 580 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:58,640 Speaker 1: back to the new anesthetic technique called continuous peripheral nerve block. 581 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: In two thousand nine, I was in a truly horrific 582 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 1: head on car crash caused by a drunk driver, resulting 583 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 1: in severe trauma and burns. I was hopped to hospitalize 584 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,160 Speaker 1: for five months, and I am truly grateful for pain 585 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,840 Speaker 1: management with opiates. These drugs certainly made me somewhat loopy 586 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:16,000 Speaker 1: and confused, but I wouldn't call it a high. Even so, 587 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: these side effects may may have been been side effects, 588 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 1: may have been beneficial. In retrospect, I think that it 589 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,800 Speaker 1: was helpful to only gradually become conscious and cognitive of 590 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 1: my permanent injuries if my physical discomfort had been controlled 591 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: in such a way that my thoughts were clear and present. 592 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: I think that I would have been pained and traumatized 593 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:37,560 Speaker 1: in other ways. It was difficult enough to accept my 594 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 1: missing fingers and toes, large areas of grafted skin, and 595 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: generally shattered existence. In addition, I was essentially immobilized on 596 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,000 Speaker 1: my back for three months in the narcotic effect of 597 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: oxycotton and other medications certainly made this miserable time more tolerable. Fortunately, 598 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,440 Speaker 1: as I have continued to recover, I am not in 599 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:58,480 Speaker 1: any constant pain or or even in any significant intermitted pain. 600 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 1: I have learned to walk again, and I am composing 601 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,480 Speaker 1: this message with voice recognition software, and I'm working halftime 602 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: in my profession. I do have some long term side 603 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: effects from the extended period on opiates, such as chronic 604 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: difficulties sleeping sleeping, but no addictions. Opiates were definitely worth it. 605 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 1: I'm a regular listener. Thanks for the great podcast, so 606 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: h Peter, thanks for writing in that was the The 607 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: nerve blocking technique is something we've discussed as well as 608 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:25,480 Speaker 1: the use of opiates, so it's it's really nice to 609 00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: have some listener feedback on how this actually affects one's 610 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 1: live Yeah, and We're glad that you're doing well as well. 611 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 1: So yeah, thank you for listening. So, hey, if you 612 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: have anything that you would like to share with us, 613 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,400 Speaker 1: one place you can find us is Facebook, the other's Twitter. 614 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,200 Speaker 1: On both of those we are Blow the Mind. And hey, 615 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:45,240 Speaker 1: I actually have a correction within this podcast right now, 616 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:48,160 Speaker 1: right here, and that is that I've been referring to 617 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 1: Lauren Redness as Laura. So Lauren, my apologies and if 618 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 1: you'd like to email us, please do so at Blow 619 00:33:54,840 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: the Mind at how stuff works dot com. For more 620 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff 621 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:06,720 Speaker 1: works dot com. To learn more about the podcast, click 622 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: on the podcast icon in the upper right corner of 623 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:12,520 Speaker 1: our homepage. The how Stuff Works iPhone app has a ride. 624 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 1: Download it today on iTunes