1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what will? 3 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 2: What's that mano? 4 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: So you know how sometimes after it rains you see 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 1: snails on the ground, uh huh. And you know how 6 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: sometimes you pick up those snails and collect that trail 7 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: of clear, slimy stuff they leave behind and rub it 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: all over your face as a moisturizer. 9 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 2: So we're like fifteen seconds into this episode and you 10 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 2: have already lost me. Is that actually a thing? 11 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: Yeah? Well, I don't know about the DIY version of it, 12 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: but there's definitely a whole industry around snail musin and 13 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: in fact, snail slime might be our most valuable of 14 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: the slimes. If you're going to put money in slime, 15 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: it is probably the top slime to put money into 16 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: right now. But some forecasters believe that the market for 17 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: snail slime beauty products will actually top seven hundred and 18 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: seventy million dollars in the next year, and that's in 19 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: the US alone. 20 00:00:57,360 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 2: Wow, that's more than we brought in in advertising for this. 21 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 2: Isn't that amazing? I can't believe we've been stepping over 22 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 2: this primost line for all these years. 23 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: I know it's embarrassing, but from smearing it on our 24 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: faces in the name of beauty to getting it dumped 25 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: on our heads on kids shows in the name of comedy, 26 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: Today's episode is all about trying to figure out why 27 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: humans are so obsessed with slime. 28 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 2: Let's dive in. Welcome back to Part Time Genius. I'm 29 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: Will and as always, I'm here with my good friend Mango, 30 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: and somewhere back behind that big booth is our pal Dylan, 31 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: who many of you know Moonlights is a snail beauty 32 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 2: influencer because of his beautiful dewey scan. We were just 33 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 2: talking about it before we started recording. 34 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: I know, we get it, Dylan. Your skin is beautiful 35 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: and glowing. You're better than us, all of that. 36 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 2: Let's let's move on. I'm getting I'm getting upset. But Mango, what, 37 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 2: why are we talking about slime today again? 38 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: Well, in addition to complimenting Dylan, it's it's just like 39 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: a weird topic. But you know, I live in Brooklyn, 40 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,679 Speaker 1: right and we have this little fence in backyard and 41 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 1: for some reason there's a hole in the fence and 42 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: it was there when we moved in. But it's great 43 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: because our kids, and the neighbors kids use it to 44 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: sneak over to each other's houses. So I'll throw my 45 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:31,919 Speaker 1: kids in the backyard and suddenly they're like three more 46 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: kids playing in the backyard with them. And it's really 47 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: sweet and kind of Americana to me. But we have 48 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: this one little neighbor, Yuki, and when it rains, he 49 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: comes over in his little raincoat and he just goes 50 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: snail hunting in our flower beds. Yuki is just the best. Yeah, 51 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: even does this like little hand civil for snails. I 52 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: don't know, have you ever seen this? Okay, he does that, 53 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: and so partly that and then part of the fact 54 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: that Ruby is just on an age where like kids 55 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: are always playing with slime and making slime at home 56 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: because of like science or something. It's just around my 57 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 1: house all the time, and I hate it, Like, I 58 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: hate slime so much, so I wanted to do this 59 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: episode to try to understand why slime exists and why 60 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: some humans are so attracted to it. 61 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 2: Wait, I want to go back, though, Why do you 62 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 2: hate slime so much? 63 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: I mean, it sounds fussy, but I don't like my 64 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: hands being like wet and sticky, right right? I like putty, 65 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: like silly putty. I can get behind it and you 66 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: can bounce it, you can transfer images, it can erase stuff. 67 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: But you know it's not slime. 68 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 2: Okay, so we're going to change this episode is now 69 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 2: about putty. Now I'm actually glad we sort of that. 70 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 2: But because you've done a lot of thinking about this, 71 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 2: maybe we should start with what slime is, like what 72 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 2: counts as slime. 73 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, so slime is a pretty broad term. Even scientists 74 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: will use the word slime without specifying exactly what it is. 75 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: But it's basically anything that's kind of saw and creepily fluid. 76 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: So in nature, slimes act as one of three things. 77 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: They can be a lubricant or a barrier, or they 78 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: can be in adhesive. And one really common slime is 79 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: egg white or albumin, which is a hydrogel. So egg 80 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: whites are actually ninety percent water, and they provide protein 81 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: and water for bird embryos and also cushioning inside the egg. 82 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: But one of the most important things they do is 83 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: that they act like a firewall against microbes. So it's 84 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: actually this very sophisticated thing, and human embryos are protected 85 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 1: by a similar a very similar slime, amniotic fluid. It's 86 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: strange to think about, but yeah, I guess that's right. 87 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: I mean kids are born, they're basically covered in egg white. Yeah, 88 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: I mean for century, slime was especially associated with women 89 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: because of pregnancy and childbirth. 90 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 2: That's it's kind. 91 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: Of that weird extension of those four humors and those 92 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: old theories like blood and phlegm and bile. Plus there's 93 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: obviously all this ignorance about women's anatomy. But slime plays 94 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: this weird role in our imagination because it's almost this 95 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,840 Speaker 1: boundary between health and sickness, right Like, on one hand, 96 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:09,920 Speaker 1: it can be this protective layer and on the other 97 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: hand excessive puss or mucus, which are also slime's signal 98 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: disease to us. And in fact, I can read you 99 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: this little quote from a book by Suzanne Wedlock. It's 100 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: called Slime and Natural History. She says, humans are quote 101 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: probably hardwired to find signs of their own mortality and 102 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: animality disgusting and to shrink from contamination. 103 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 2: All right, so we're kind of hardwired to be grossed 104 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,359 Speaker 2: out by slime. But I feel like that's definitely changed 105 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 2: some over the years, and we now have a working 106 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 2: definition of slime. So why don't we get back to 107 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 2: that slimy gold you were talking about at this start. 108 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 2: So this is snail musin. 109 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, so this is really cool and probably the thing 110 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: that makes me like snails so much more. The reason 111 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: snails secrete slime is actually for movement. I always thought 112 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: it was just like this disgusting evolutionary mistake, but snail 113 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: slime is also referred to is pedal mucus because snails 114 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 1: use it to move. They're basically generating their own waves 115 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: or surfing them in slow motion. So snails are they're 116 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: basically like surfing their own. 117 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 2: Snot Yeah, that is awesome. 118 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: I'm going to read you the exact quote from Wedland's 119 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 1: book because it's so fun. A series of contractions sends 120 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:23,279 Speaker 1: numerous little waves across their souls. Every elevation presses directly 121 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: on the slime below, causing its molecular framework to break 122 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: or shift. If the pressure is strong enough. The snail 123 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 1: foot then glides on the more fluid slime. Once the 124 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: wave has passed, the pressure abates and the molecular framework recovers. 125 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,799 Speaker 1: The slime hardens again, and the snail foot pushes away 126 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:40,919 Speaker 1: until the next surge. 127 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 2: Okay, so that's why snails make their slime, but I'm 128 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 2: still missing this leap of why people are scooping it 129 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 2: up and putting it on their faces. 130 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: Well, snail musin has actually been used in Asian beauty 131 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: products for years, but it got super trendy in global 132 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: skincare around twenty seventeen. Advocates say snail musin hydrates the 133 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: skin and reduces wrinkles, but you know, the science on 134 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: that's kind of mixed. But whether or not it works, 135 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: there's been a huge boom in the snail slime industry 136 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: or hellicic culture I guess it's called that wasn't familiar. 137 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: In Italy, there are more than four thousand snail farms 138 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: and they've seen a forty six percent increase in snail 139 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: slime in the last ten months, all due to demand 140 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: from the cosmetics industry. 141 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 2: I mean, I will say I think when people hear 142 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 2: cosmetics industry and they hear animals of any kind, we 143 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 2: do get a little bit concerned. For good reason. 144 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, the industry doesn't have the best track record, 145 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: but several companies say they've actually developed processes to extract 146 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: the slime that doesn't injure the snails. So there's a 147 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: South Korean company it's called cause RX, and they say, quote, 148 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: the snails are placed over a mesh in a dark 149 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: and quiet room for about thirty minutes. The snails are 150 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 1: left alone to freely roam the net, leaving musin in 151 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: their trails. There's no external process applied to the snails 152 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: or the mesh to force muse and production. 153 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 2: I just had this great mental image when you said 154 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 2: the snails are free to roam the net, surfing, turfing 155 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 2: the web, the darkness. Yeah, exactly, all right, Well, so 156 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 2: far slime is three for three and it protects fetuses, 157 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 2: you can surf it, and you can wear it on 158 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 2: your face, which I know people are looking for things 159 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 2: to put on their face. So one thing I'm kind 160 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 2: of fascinated by recently is slimy foods. 161 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: Though so things like okra. 162 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 2: I love some good slimy ochre, I actually really do. 163 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 2: But it's also things like Nato, which is a Japanese 164 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 2: fermented soybean that's delicious when you eat it with rice, 165 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:43,080 Speaker 2: and it's very gooey, and in fact, that guy texture 166 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 2: is kind of common in Japanese food. You find it 167 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,439 Speaker 2: in stuff like seaweed and mountain yam, and the Japanese 168 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 2: have a word for it. It's neba neba, which translates 169 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 2: to sticky or slimy, and it's it is supposed to 170 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 2: be on a monopoia for the noise your mouth makes 171 00:08:58,120 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 2: while enjoying these slimy foods. 172 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: Never neva, never neva. 173 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely fun to say. All right, well you 174 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:19,959 Speaker 2: keep working on your neva's. Let's take a quick ad break. 175 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 2: Welcome back to Part Time Genius where we're talking slime, 176 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 2: and I think it's time to veer into slime of 177 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 2: pop culture because of course it's one of the most 178 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,319 Speaker 2: popular places where we encounter slime. You'll see these in 179 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 2: TV and movies. Of course, there's Ghostbusters with Slimer, that 180 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:39,439 Speaker 2: green floating slime. 181 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: Who became such a fan favorite. I mostly remember him 182 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: from High Seed Juice Box. 183 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, Slimer was such a big deal in here, like 184 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 2: like Todd It was like Michael Jordan's Slimer Madonna, you 185 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 2: know what I mean. It was just Slimer was a 186 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 2: big deal. And then there's the Blob, which features, of 187 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 2: course a blob, this expanding, massive red gelatinous material which 188 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 2: just grows and it eats, and it like pulls human 189 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 2: victims into itself from all directions. And some of this 190 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 2: imagery actually goes back to the nineteen thirties. You've got 191 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:13,439 Speaker 2: writers like HP Lovecraft and Corell Chappek, and they actually 192 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 2: who wrote War with the Newts. 193 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: You know, I feel like I read a good bit 194 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: in college, and I'm not familiar with that literature. 195 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 2: You need to do a little bit more reading. But 196 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 2: it's it's about slimy neutes that quote wage war on 197 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 2: humanity and strive toward world domination. It's famous because it's 198 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,719 Speaker 2: basically this allegory, Like what you find out is the 199 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 2: Newts were peaceful and kind until humans started abusing. So Cheppek, 200 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 2: you know, was writing this in nineteen thirty six Czechoslovakia, 201 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 2: so it's basically about fascism. So you saw that coming 202 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 2: right clearly about that. Yeah, And of course there's this 203 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 2: slime from Nickelodeon, which we knew we had to get 204 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 2: to at some point, which is actually kind of messed 205 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 2: up when you hear the origin story. I did not 206 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 2: know this origin story before this, Yeah, but it's actually 207 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,080 Speaker 2: messed up in a fun way, I promise. So back 208 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 2: in nineteen seventy nine, which side note the ar you 209 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 2: and I were both born, You Can't Do That on 210 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 2: television premiered in Canada and it was such a big 211 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 2: hit that Nickelodeon picked it up. But in a twenty 212 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 2: twelve interview with Vulture, co creator Jeffrey Darby explained that 213 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 2: the slime was actually a total accident. I don't know 214 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 2: if you remember this, but there was this funny dungeon 215 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 2: set on the show. Do you remember this? 216 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 1: Yeah? I do. When Cable and Nickelodeon came to our 217 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: neighborhood in third grade, all the kids in our neighborhood 218 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 1: were completely obsessed totally that and doubledare h Double? 219 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 2: There? For sure? That was another show with slime. But 220 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 2: back to You Can't Do That on television, the set 221 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 2: had a chain hanging down, and the whole day they 222 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 2: were shooting, there was this running joke between producers where 223 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 2: they'd say, whatever you do, kids, don't pull on the chain. 224 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 2: So as bits go. Eventually someone decided to commit and 225 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 2: they went to the cafeteria asked for all the day's 226 00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:59,599 Speaker 2: plate scrappings. They collected these all in one bucket, and 227 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 2: their play was to dump it on a kid when 228 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 2: he or she inevitably pulled the. 229 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: Chain because you know, as we both know, when you 230 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: tell a kid not to do something, he or she 231 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,880 Speaker 1: pretty much has to do it. Of course, so slime 232 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: was originally just food scraps. 233 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 2: Well, they actually ran out of time to shoot the 234 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,239 Speaker 2: scene that day, and you can't go to overtime with kids. 235 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: Of course, but you can dump food scraps. 236 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 2: Yet that seems to be seems to be fine, So 237 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 2: they come back the next week to get the shot. 238 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 2: But the prop guys like, I didn't get a new 239 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 2: bucket of food slop. I just have the old one 240 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,680 Speaker 2: from last week. And we all know what happens to 241 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 2: a bucket of food slop if you leave it backstage 242 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 2: for a week, it turns it a compost. Yeah, I mean, 243 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:46,319 Speaker 2: it got all green and gooey and moldy. And I 244 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 2: guess this is because it was the eighties and they 245 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 2: actually dumped this gooey mold on a child and it 246 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,200 Speaker 2: got such positive response from Nickelodeon that they wrote a 247 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 2: show with nothing but slime in it. And that's how 248 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,680 Speaker 2: Nickelodeon's Greens was invented. 249 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: And I'm guessing they've changed that recipe over the years. 250 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 2: They did just a little bit. Yeah, it's proprietary, so 251 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 2: we don't know exactly what it is. But Darby says 252 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 2: it's all edible and non toxic, so that's good. But 253 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 2: he also has this really insightful thing to say about 254 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 2: the nature of sliming someone. So here's what he had 255 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 2: to say. Slime is a leveler. It's violent, but it's 256 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 2: not violence. It's safe. That's why it resonated with kids. 257 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,839 Speaker 2: You're pulling these people who are on pedestals down green 258 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 2: Slime was about trying to give this come upance to 259 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 2: kids on TV so audiences at home wouldn't feel so 260 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 2: jealous of them. And of course plenty of adults started 261 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 2: getting slimed too. 262 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 1: You know, that's something I actually hadn't thought of, Like, 263 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: you get all the fun of dropping something on someone's 264 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: head looney Tune style, but because it's slime, it's not 265 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:53,280 Speaker 1: an anvil, and no one's getting hurt. 266 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 2: That's right. 267 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:55,959 Speaker 1: It's kind of a great evolution for comedy. 268 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, it kind of reminds me of this one journalist 269 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 2: what he said about the prevalence of slame and more 270 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:04,960 Speaker 2: adult movies, especially in the nineteen eighties. Also, it captures 271 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 2: these feelings of uncertainty of the times, like I mean, 272 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,559 Speaker 2: honestly even like fears of radioactive threats. 273 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, slime is I guess pretty versatile in terms of 274 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: what he plays on at philosophically, here's something that's kind 275 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: of fun. Did you know mid pandemic? HuffPo actually looked 276 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: into claims that slime has mental health benefits and it's 277 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: something I've seen more and more like this idea that 278 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: we like slime because it's both distracting and calming. Anyway, 279 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: HuffPo talked to Jack Turbin, who's a doctor and chief 280 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: Fellow and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Stanford and while 281 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 1: he said he's not aware of any peer reviewed studies 282 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: looking at the impact of slime on mental health, things 283 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: like slime and putty have interesting textures which make it 284 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: easier to capture our attention and draw ourselves into our senses, 285 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: which can make it easier to take a moment away 286 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: from our thoughts and anxieties about the past or future. 287 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 1: And he's not the only one who thinks this. There's 288 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: this author Britney Johnson, who's also a licensed mental health counselor, 289 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: and she said soothing sounds and soft textures have been 290 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: known to be a great coping skill for people of 291 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 1: all ages. Touching slime can actually trigger calming signals in 292 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: your brain. 293 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 2: That is pretty interesting. So it feels like one minute 294 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 2: you're catching slime in a ghost trap and the next 295 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 2: minute you're squeezing him like a therapy dog. 296 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, like a wet green you can see therapy dog. Now. 297 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 2: Of course, slime has plenty of negative connotations too, Like 298 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 2: we've talked a little bit about the health benefits and 299 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 2: nature our mental health, I guess, and possibly magically deaging 300 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 2: your skin like your Benjamin button. But slime is still gross, 301 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 2: and especially when you're talking about pink slime. 302 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: I'd actually forgotten about pink slime and food, right, So 303 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: tell me what it is exactly. 304 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 2: So, pink slime has an official name. It's called lean 305 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 2: Finely Trimmed Beef or LFTB, and in the nineteen nineties 306 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 2: it was in a ton of pre made beef patties 307 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 2: in the US. And the term pink slime was actually 308 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 2: coined by a micro biologist named Gerald Zernstein in two 309 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 2: thousand and two, but most of us became aware of 310 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 2: pink slime from the two thousand and eight documentary Food Ink. 311 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 2: You remember all the noise it made. 312 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I just remember like thinking at the time it 313 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: was so gross. It was on like magazine covers and things. 314 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 2: Everywhere everywhere, and it's not appetizing. I mean, pink slime 315 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 2: got a lot of bad press for that. It was 316 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 2: a two thousand and nine New York Times expos and 317 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 2: it reported that BPI, the company who made LFTB, had 318 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 2: been lowering the levels of ammonium hydroxide it used to 319 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 2: treat it in response to complaints of the strong ammonious 320 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 2: smell in meat. But the reduction of ammonium hydroxide caused 321 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 2: several batches of burger destined for school lunches to test 322 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 2: positive for E. Coli and salmonella. 323 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: Oh that's gross. 324 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:50,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's this twenty twelve ABC News report that ran 325 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 2: about LFTB. BPI eventually sued ABC and its parent company, 326 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 2: Disney for defamation, but the damage was done by that point, 327 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 2: so grocery chains said they would know longer carry pink slime. 328 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 2: Sales plummeted for maybe five million pounds per week to 329 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 2: less than two million pounds. 330 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,719 Speaker 1: I mean, pink slime is legitimately disgusting. Be careful, though, 331 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: because we don't want to get sued, so don't tell 332 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: see too much. Yeah, I mean, pink slime is delicious 333 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,439 Speaker 1: right right in Cereal. But I think we're allowed to 334 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: safely say that sea snot is gross? Is that? Okay? 335 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 2: I don't know. I don't know what sea snot is, 336 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 2: but yeah, sure, I agree. 337 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:31,120 Speaker 1: Sea snot are these thick, slimy, gray brown sheets known 338 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 1: as marine mucilage, and they are made of dead and 339 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:38,880 Speaker 1: living organic material, but a lot of it is phytoplankton. 340 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: And these microscopic algae usually help fill the ocean waters 341 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,160 Speaker 1: with oxygen, but when they're stressed, they can grow out 342 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: of control and produce this sticky mucus like substance that 343 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:54,600 Speaker 1: can span miles. In twenty twenty one, turkeys Marmara sea. 344 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: It was actually overrun with sea snot, boosted by global 345 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: warming and also from an overload of pollutants like wastewater 346 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 1: and also pesticides. 347 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 2: Oh goodness, so ce snot could talk, it would probably 348 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 2: say stop dumping poison on me, and I'll chill out 349 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 2: a little bit. 350 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, it's funny you say that, because that's 351 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,080 Speaker 1: something we tend to do with slimes, right, Like we 352 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 1: treat them like they're sentient. And it seems like we've 353 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,160 Speaker 1: done this for a while. So back in nineteen seventy three, 354 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 1: a woman in Garland, Texas named Marie Harris, she found 355 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: a mysterious slime oozing from the ground in her backyard, 356 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:30,400 Speaker 1: and she said it was reddish and foamy, it had 357 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,119 Speaker 1: this black mucus inside when it was punctured, and it 358 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:37,479 Speaker 1: also released this purple goo, so really really gross, And 359 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: eventually she hacks it in half with a garden hoe, 360 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: but two days later it's back, and it's doubled in size, 361 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:46,280 Speaker 1: and over the course of a couple of weeks it 362 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:48,880 Speaker 1: grew to sixteen times its original size. 363 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,199 Speaker 2: It definitely makes it sound like it's a lie, I know. 364 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: And a Dallas paper called it, quote the brooding and 365 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:00,440 Speaker 1: inscrutable organism, and it set off this minor media frenzy, 366 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: and of course rumors start to spread that it had 367 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: come from outer space, and it turns out it was 368 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:07,919 Speaker 1: just a slime mold, which you know, is gross, but 369 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,199 Speaker 1: soil dwelling amiba, these brainless, single celled organisms that you 370 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 1: see growing on forest litter and decaying wood. I mean 371 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,000 Speaker 1: slime molts don't have brains, but they actually are kind 372 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: of smart mango, So how do you mean, Well, like 373 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: you said, they don't have a brain, but slime molds 374 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: can make really strange and sophisticated shapes, including. 375 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 2: Add this to the list, a replica of the Tokyo 376 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,200 Speaker 2: subway system. I mean that's pretty smart. They connect it. 377 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,160 Speaker 2: This is this is actually true. A group of researchers 378 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 2: from the Hokkaido University in Japan placed FI serum policy fallum. 379 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:43,960 Speaker 2: Say it with me now, FI serum policyfallus in a 380 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 2: petri dish scattered with oat flakes, and they sprinkled the 381 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,880 Speaker 2: food scraps in a pattern meant to replicate the locations 382 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 2: of some of the most visited sites in Tokyo. So 383 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 2: first the slime mold size grew exponentially, and then it 384 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 2: branched out, and then the the size of the branches 385 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 2: started to shrink and eventually recreated this complex, interconnected network 386 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 2: made of slimes that looks almost exactly like the Tokyo 387 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 2: subway system. 388 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,359 Speaker 1: See super smart, which is cool, but it also sounds 389 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: like you can just like mold slime molds to look 390 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: like art or architecture. 391 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's so easy to endow this inanimate 392 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 2: growth with intention. Actually, the original the Blob movie from 393 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,960 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty eight was probably inspired by slime molds because 394 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,160 Speaker 2: it's fun to imagine that the slime is actually thinking. 395 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 2: But it's just a movie. It's not like slime can 396 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 2: actually become aware and kill people, so you can relax. 397 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:43,639 Speaker 1: Well. Actually, in twenty sixteen, there's a mass migration of 398 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: snails that left a trail of slime on a German 399 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: motorway and it caused a car crash. Or I guess 400 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:50,679 Speaker 1: a car surfing out. 401 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 2: Of control always comes back to the snails. 402 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,200 Speaker 1: So there's one other thing about snail slim. I want 403 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:01,119 Speaker 1: to say, snails actually leave molecular messages, were potential mating 404 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: partners in their trails, So it's not only a wave, 405 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: but it's like uh tinder for snails. 406 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:09,199 Speaker 2: Ah, that's pretty awesome. All right, Well, we've got a 407 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 2: few more facts to get to, but before that, let's 408 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:28,479 Speaker 2: take a quick break. Welcome back to part time Genius, 409 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 2: where we're still talking slime. Mengo and you know who 410 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 2: loves slime mango cool youths. 411 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: Cool youths is not what they call themselves. 412 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 2: I don't know. They don't talk to me, but cool 413 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:43,639 Speaker 2: youth do love slime. In twenty seventeen, everyone on the 414 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 2: Internet was trying to make their own slime. According to Google, 415 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 2: the number one how to question of the year was 416 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 2: how to make slime. Slime is even part of the 417 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 2: cool youth secret internet slang mango. 418 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,159 Speaker 1: The more you say it, the cooler. And yeah, I know, 419 00:21:58,680 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: I know, cool youth. 420 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 2: Because everyone was so obsessed with making slime, a ton 421 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 2: of these slime tutorial videos popped up on YouTube. So 422 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,160 Speaker 2: now when someone uploads a bootleg of a popular movie, 423 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 2: they'll put in a slime tutorial in the title to 424 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 2: bury the bootleg and a sea of legit slime tutorial videos. 425 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: I mean, that's I guess pretty smart because YouTube's much 426 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: less likely to find and take down those videos. Right. 427 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, so if you type like slime tutorial and for instance, 428 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 2: mean Girls, you might get a bootleg of Mean Girl's 429 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 2: movie musical. Not that we're condoning bootlegs. I just thought 430 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 2: that was interesting. 431 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, of course we're not. But as far as slime's involvement. 432 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: It's pretty incredible that people are so obsessed with it, 433 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 1: and slime tutorials are so prevalent that it's a good 434 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,919 Speaker 1: hiding place for like illegal recordings of comad movies. 435 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I gotta say that, after all these 436 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,439 Speaker 2: impressive slime facts, I have one remaining question, and that 437 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 2: is what can't slime do? 438 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 1: Maybe that's a good cue for one of our old 439 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: fashioned fact offs. 440 00:22:57,840 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 2: Let's do it. 441 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 1: All right? 442 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 2: Why did I kick this off? 443 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 1: So? 444 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 2: Did you know that slime has actually been to space? 445 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 2: In twenty twenty, Nickelodeons sent about two leaders of slime 446 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:18,399 Speaker 2: to the International Space Station, where astronauts played with it 447 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 2: to figure out how slime acts in weightless environments. That's 448 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 2: actually so cool that they got to do this. According 449 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 2: to Nickelodeon, scientists shot it out of a giant syringe, 450 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,199 Speaker 2: popped a giant slime balloon, and plopped it on the 451 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 2: ground to see if it would break apart and create 452 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,959 Speaker 2: a mess or stay clung together, Which is a super 453 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 2: fun way to get kids interested in how materials react 454 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 2: in these microgravity environments. 455 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: It's made me change my stance on slime. Now we 456 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:46,120 Speaker 1: can play with it in space. 457 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 2: All they want. 458 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: So here's a gross one. I'm not sure if you've 459 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 1: ever seen a hagfish. Have you ever thing? 460 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 2: So I don't know. 461 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,920 Speaker 1: There are these like eel like creatures. There are delicacy 462 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: in some parts of the world. But one of the 463 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: most amazing things about hagfish is the way that they 464 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,959 Speaker 1: create an enormous amount of slime. So this is according 465 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: to The Atlantic science writer Ed Yong, hagfish produced slime 466 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: the way humans produce opinions, he said, which is a 467 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: great line. But according to Yong, basically, when they're scared 468 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:17,919 Speaker 1: or stressed, they release a teaspoon of gunk, and in 469 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: a fraction of a second, when that mixes with water, 470 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:25,120 Speaker 1: it expands ten thousand times and that single teaspoon can 471 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: fill buckets. Wow, that goog can actually protect hagfish from 472 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: sharks because it stops them from being able to like 473 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,200 Speaker 1: breathe I guess. But there's actually a photo of Yong's 474 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:38,639 Speaker 1: Atlantic piece when a truck full of hagfish overturned and 475 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,879 Speaker 1: they spilled on a road in South Korea, and there's 476 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,199 Speaker 1: a car that's just covered in gunk. It looks like 477 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: it is like slimed and it can't move. It is 478 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,200 Speaker 1: so funny and so horrific, you have to say it. 479 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 2: I definitely have to see that. All right, here's another 480 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,359 Speaker 2: quick one. So toy slime first became a thing in 481 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:59,160 Speaker 2: the nineteen seventies, and in nineteen seventy six Mattel released 482 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,480 Speaker 2: the first line. It was called Slime and it was 483 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,280 Speaker 2: sold in these little trash cans. I feel like it 484 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 2: was sold in trash cans for years, right like, even 485 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,200 Speaker 2: when we were kids. And from there it slowly got 486 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 2: incorporated into other nineteen eighties franchises, from Masters of the 487 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 2: Universe to of course Ghostbusters. But my favorite slime toy, 488 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 2: which I first learned about doing through you know, a 489 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 2: little bit of research sought on Wikipedia, there's this board 490 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 2: game called Slime Monster, and the rules are amazing. So 491 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 2: let me just read you this directly from the box. 492 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:33,400 Speaker 2: All right, the slime Monster has invaded the town. You've 493 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,880 Speaker 2: got to stop him. You must get from the high 494 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 2: school to the armory, pick up a landmine and knock 495 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:42,000 Speaker 2: the slime monster over. But be careful that the slime 496 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,919 Speaker 2: Monster doesn't knock you over with his slime. So basically, 497 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 2: you keep trying to move this super gross, weird monster around, 498 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 2: so he's standing over another player, and then you get 499 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 2: to slime them, and if the slime knocks them over, 500 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 2: they have to move back to the beginning. It actually 501 00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:59,880 Speaker 2: makes no sense, so we just stopped playing this game. 502 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:01,360 Speaker 2: But it was a funny description. 503 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:05,200 Speaker 1: So here's a sweet one. It's about Slimy the Worm 504 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: Oscar the Grouches pet from Cemer. So I've always seen 505 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,199 Speaker 1: Oscar the Grouch. I known about Slimy, but this is 506 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,640 Speaker 1: the origin story. So apparently the first time Slimy met 507 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:16,919 Speaker 1: Oscar was on a rainy day when Oscar went to 508 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: the park to see mud puddles and he saw these 509 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: other worms playing in one place, but there was this 510 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,879 Speaker 1: one baby worm playing alone, and then Slimy climbed up 511 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:29,320 Speaker 1: onto Oscar's shoulder and falls asleep, and Oscar takes them 512 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 1: back to his trash can and feeds him strawberry sodas. 513 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,639 Speaker 1: That is where the friendship was born, which is, you know, 514 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: almost too sweet a story for Oscar the Grouch, but 515 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 1: I really like it. But the funniest thing about the 516 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 1: whole mythology is that Slimy actually has his own family. 517 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 1: He's got parents, named Dusty and Eartha and a cousin 518 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:49,880 Speaker 1: named Squirmy, and also Rachel. 519 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 2: No it right, Rachel makes perfect sense. All right. Well, 520 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 2: if you want any indication of just how big the 521 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,199 Speaker 2: DIY market is for slime, take a look at the 522 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 2: growth of Elmer's glue. According to The Washington Post, the 523 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,439 Speaker 2: trend really kicked off in twenty seventeen, like we were 524 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,120 Speaker 2: talking about earlier, partially inspired by social media and YouTube, 525 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 2: but also because of the varieties of slime you could make, 526 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 2: from sequence slime to glitter slime to cloud slime, and so, 527 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,360 Speaker 2: as Elmer's marketing director told The Washington Post, we shipped 528 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 2: more glue in the month of July of twenty seventeen. 529 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:27,639 Speaker 2: Then we shipped the entire year of twenty sixteen. It 530 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:29,440 Speaker 2: was a wild and crazy time. 531 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: That's insane, considering like they supplied glue to like every school. 532 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 2: In the game, everywhere. It's amazing. 533 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:37,439 Speaker 1: So how about this one to closes out. If you 534 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 1: want to make slime a career, why not consider becoming 535 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:43,960 Speaker 1: a slime tender at the Slumu Institute and twelve thousand 536 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,560 Speaker 1: foot Slime Museum in Manhattan. In addition to guiding kids 537 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 1: through glow in the dark, slime caves, making their own 538 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: slime at slime bars and slime waterfalls. You get to 539 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:57,639 Speaker 1: rev kids up by saying, when I say slime, you 540 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 1: say times slime. 541 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 2: That's right. Wait, I have never heard of this place. 542 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 2: It's in New York. 543 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,200 Speaker 1: I have thought about taking Ruby and their friends to it, 544 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:10,439 Speaker 1: and it just feels like a nightmare. 545 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, it really does. But when they say slime and 546 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:17,680 Speaker 2: you say time energizing, I think for that, I feel 547 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,199 Speaker 2: like you're gonna win the fact off today. So congratulations. 548 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,200 Speaker 1: I am so honored, and I think the cool youth 549 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: are really gonna the cool youths. 550 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,880 Speaker 2: All right, Well that's it for this week's Part Time Genius. 551 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 2: We're so excited to be doing this show again. Thanks 552 00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:32,919 Speaker 2: so much for listening. 553 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. 554 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,520 Speaker 1: This show is hosted by Will Pearson and Me Mongas 555 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:58,480 Speaker 1: and research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's 556 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:01,880 Speaker 1: episode was engineered and produce by the wonderful Dylan Fagan 557 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced 558 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:09,080 Speaker 1: for iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, with social 559 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 1: media support from Sasha Gay, Trustee Dara Potts, and Viny Shorey. 560 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 561 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.