1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: Welcome to How Stuff Works Now. I'm your host, Lauren Vogelbaum, 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:10,879 Speaker 1: a researcher and writer. Here at How Stuff Works. Every week, 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: I'm bringing you three stories from our team about the 4 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:17,119 Speaker 1: weird and wondrous advances we've seen in science, technology, and culture. 5 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: This week, we're getting better numbers on how much radiation 6 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: air travelers are exposed to and unrelated researchers think that 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: they may know why Wales sometimes get stranded on the shore. 8 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: But first, managing editor Alison Loudermilk and our freelance writer 9 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: Dave Rouse dive deep into the purposefully confusing world of 10 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: website and app terms of service. If you never read 11 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: the terms of service or privacy policies on websites or apps, 12 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: you're not alone. Earlier this year, researchers from Michigan State 13 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: and the University Connecticut wanted to see how many Internet 14 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: users did read these notoriously lengthy policies before clicking agree. 15 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: So they rounded up five forty three student participants who 16 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: thought they were beta testing a new social networking site 17 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: called name Drop. The researchers found that of the students 18 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: didn't read the fake websites privacy policy or terms of service. 19 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: Those who did skim the eight thousand word and four 20 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 1: thousand word documents in about a minute each yep a minute. 21 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: Only nine of those five D forty three students noticed 22 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: that the terms of service included the slightly controversial child 23 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: assignment clause We'll read you an excerpt. By agreeing to 24 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: these terms of service and in an exchange for services, 25 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,759 Speaker 1: all users of this site agree to immediately assign their 26 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: firstborn child to name Drop Incorporated. If the user does 27 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: not yet have children. This agreement will be enforceable until 28 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: two thousand fifty. All individuals assigned to name drop automatically 29 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: become the property of name Drop Incorporated, no exceptions. Okay, 30 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: so popular websites and apps like Facebook, Amazon, and Instagram 31 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: aren't coming after firstborn, but they do in pensionally draft 32 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: privacy policies, terms of service, and end user license agreements 33 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: e u l a's that they know or hope no 34 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: one will ever read. Git Walsh, a staff attorney with 35 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: the Electronic Frontier Foundation at Digital Rights Advocacy Group, told 36 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: House to Works that there's a clear advantage to them 37 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: being unreadable. Welsh also mentioned that it would take all 38 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: of us two months to read all of the agreements 39 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: that we click through in a year. In fact, wal 40 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: said the PayPal terms of service agreement is longer than 41 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: Hamlet and a lot less interesting. The real function of 42 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: these dense, jargon filled policies and agreements, which most of 43 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: us ignore, isn't for companies to inform users of our rights, 44 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: but to establish legal grounds for collecting and sharing our information. 45 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: Welsh also mentioned that fifty people surveyed by Pew in 46 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: two thousand fourteen thought that if a company has a 47 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: privacy policy that means they won't share your information. Not true. 48 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: Walsh also says the typical privacy policy is written to 49 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: give the company as much leeway as possible, so when 50 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: you click agree on most social networking sites, that gives 51 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: the company the right to mind and collect data not 52 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: only from your clicks and likes, but from your private 53 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: messages to other users too. Whilst as we're not just 54 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: talking about social media sites, your home automation system collects 55 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: and shares data with the company about when your home 56 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: and when you're not. Medical monitoring systems gather and save 57 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: extremely personal and sensitive information. I mean, when was the 58 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: last time you read the fine print on any of 59 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: these systems. Essentially, Walsh explains, we trust devices with all 60 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: of the intimate details of our private lives, but the 61 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: privacy policies are written to let the companies that run 62 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: those devices basically do whatever they want and commercialize your 63 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: private data. A British government task force just released a 64 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: report about how unreadable terms and conditions impact children online. 65 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: In the UK, fifty six percent of twelve to fifteen 66 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: year olds have an Instagram account. But when a group 67 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: of children were asked to read the apps five thousand 68 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: words terms of service agreement, none of them could decipher 69 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: the postgraduate level legalise. So the task force asked a 70 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: lawyer to translate the document into plain English. Here's how 71 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: that translated policy read. Although you're responsible for the information 72 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,479 Speaker 1: you put on Instagram, we may keep, use, and share 73 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: your personal information with companies connected with Instagram. This information 74 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: includes your name, email, adjusts, school, where you live, pictures, 75 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: phone number, your likes and dislikes, where you go, who 76 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: your friends are, how often you use Instagram, and any 77 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: other personal information we find, such as your birthday or 78 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: who you were chatting with, including in private messages. The 79 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: report noted that when a thirteen year old named Amy 80 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: read the d jargon version. She said, they must know 81 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: that no one reads the terms and conditions, but if 82 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: they made it more easy and then people would actually 83 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: read it and think twice about the app. Another boy 84 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: named Alex put it more bluntly, I'm deleting Instagram because 85 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: it's weird. Does that mean you have to start reading 86 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: these insane in terms of service? No, it doesn't. The 87 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: Electronic front Here Foundation has published a handy cheat sheet 88 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: of companies that have your back when it comes to 89 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: government data requests, and a crowdsource initiative called terms of 90 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: Service Didn't Read reads and rates the privacy policies in 91 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: terms of service for a major website and ABS so 92 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:21,599 Speaker 1: you don't have to next up our own. Audio producer 93 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: Dylan Fagan and freelance writer Laurie L. Dove explore new 94 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: research into a cause of whale beachings that sounds surprising 95 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: on the surface, solar flares. Each year, hundreds of otherwise 96 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:38,720 Speaker 1: healthy whales wind up stranded on coastlines across the globe. 97 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: Most are still alive at the moment they get stuck, 98 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: but within a matter of hours, the whales suffocate under 99 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: their own weight. Drown and high tide, or conversely die 100 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: of dehydration. Why is this happening. No one has a 101 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: clear answer, but researchers may be getting closer to deciphering 102 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: the mystery of these mass strandings by looking to the 103 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 1: Sun for clues. NASA Helia physicist Anti I. Polkinen, stationed 104 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: at the Goddard Space Flight Center, is working with the 105 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the International Fund 106 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: for Animal Welfare. They're parsing years of data that may 107 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: provide a link between solar flares and beached whales. Research 108 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: from two thousand five suggested a link between the phenomena, 109 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,359 Speaker 1: but this new undertaking will be the first time quantitative 110 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 1: research has been used to gather statistically significant data on 111 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: the possible relationship. Whales, like dolphins and porpoises, use magnetic 112 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 1: fields for navigation, and when solar flares interrupt Earth's magnetosphere, 113 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: cetaceans the collective name for whales, dolphins, and porpoises may 114 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 1: lose all sense of direction, leading to deadly mistakes. The 115 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: hope is that by pulling data from years of whale beachings, 116 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: scientists will understand the relationship between solar flares and these strandings. 117 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: Katie Moore, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare 118 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: Global Animal Rescue Program and project collaborator, says, if we 119 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: understand the relationship between the two, we may be able 120 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: to use observations of solar storms as an early warning 121 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,720 Speaker 1: for potential strandings to occur. This would allow stranding responders 122 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: and global hotspots and really around the world to be 123 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: better prepared to respond, thus having the opportunity to save 124 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: more animals. Also interesting, researchers believe the moon's gravitational influences 125 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: also make it difficult for whales to navigate open seas. 126 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: When there's a full moon or a new moon. In 127 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: combination with a coastal storm, whales may swim into two 128 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: shallow waters. Finally, this week, Step editor Christopher Hasiotas and 129 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: our freelance writer Patrick Jake Tiger have a story for 130 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: us about how scientists are setting out exactly how much 131 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: danger air travel poses radiation wise, if you're listening to 132 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: this podcast while cruising through the stratosphere at thirty six 133 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: thousand feet, your jetline or seat probably seems like a 134 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: pretty serene place. After all, you're well above the clouds 135 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: and weather, and indeed above much of the Earth's atmosphere itself. 136 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: What you probably don't realize, though, is that just above you, 137 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: a street of high energy particles from deep space is 138 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: crashing down into the atmosphere, causing all sorts of molecular 139 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: level carnage. Try not to flinch, you're getting bombarded with 140 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: cosmic rays. For those of us back on the Earth's surface, 141 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: the thickness of the atmosphere pretty much filters them out, 142 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: but in the thin air of the stratosphere where airplanes fly, 143 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: there's little cover. Fortunately, most research on the subject indicates 144 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: that occasional air travelers probably aren't getting that much of 145 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 1: a cosmic dose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 146 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: estimates that across country flight exposes an average traveler to 147 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: about three point five millirams of radiation, which is less 148 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: than the amount of radiation received during one chest X ray, 149 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: but it's more of a risk for pilots and airline 150 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 1: crew who spend a whole lot more time in the sky. 151 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: Cosmic radiation can break down DNA and produce free radicals, 152 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: which can damage parts of cells. Free radicals, by the way, 153 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: aren't exclusive to cosmic rays. And can also be generated 154 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: by substances found in fried food, alcohol, tobacco, smoke, and 155 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,680 Speaker 1: air pollution, among other sources. Hooray. The good news is 156 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: that the fine people at NASA are studying high altitude 157 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: radiation to get more precise numbers on exposure and to 158 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: improve real time monitoring for everyone who flies. In September 159 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: of two thousand sixteen, researchers in New Mexico launched a 160 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:20,439 Speaker 1: giant helium balloon carrying NASA's Radiation D Symmetry experiment, also 161 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: known as rad X and apologies to anyone who uses 162 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: that name for online gaming avatars. This array of instruments 163 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 1: measures cosmic rays coming from the Sun and interstellar space. 164 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: The scientists recently published an article on their work in 165 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: a special issue of Space Weather Journal. Chris Marten's, the 166 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: principal investigator of the rad X mission at NASA's Langley 167 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: Research Center, says that measurements were taken for the first 168 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 1: time at seven different altitudes where the physics of D 169 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: symmetry is very different. By having the measurements at these 170 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,079 Speaker 1: seven altitudes, he says, we're really able to test how 171 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: well our models capture the physics of cosmic radiation now. 172 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: According to NASA, aircraft crews frequent flying leads them to 173 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,679 Speaker 1: being exposed to us as much cosmic radiation as they 174 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: would receive on the ground. On the bright side, the 175 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:08,199 Speaker 1: mission also tested two new radiation measuring instruments, the Rashard 176 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: detector and the TELEDI and t I D detector, that 177 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 1: may be installed in aircraft in the future. Such friendly, 178 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: friendly scouys. That's our show for this week. Thank you 179 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:23,959 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Further thanks to our audio 180 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: producer Dylan Fagan and our editorial liaison, Eve's Jeff Cote. 181 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: Subscribe to now Now for more belated science news and 182 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 1: send us links to anything you'd like to hear us cover, 183 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 1: plus the name of your favorite podcast, Professional Curiosity. You 184 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: can send us an email at now podcast at how 185 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com, and of course, for lots more 186 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: stories like these, head on over to our home planet 187 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: now dot how stuff works dot com.