1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,559 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what will? 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: What's that Mango? 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: So welcome back to day two of our countdown of 5 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 1: the twenty five greatest science ideas in the past twenty 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: five years. And you know what's funny is when I 7 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: was driving around last night, I saw a car with 8 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: a bumper sticker and this is true. It said science 9 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: is like magic, but it's real. Okay, that's a real 10 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: bumper sticker. 11 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 2: I like that, you know. And considering we've already covered 12 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 2: how to get catch up to flow smoothly out of 13 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 2: a bottle, and a scientist to capture the actual smell 14 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 2: of space in a perfume, also a cure for hamster 15 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 2: jet lag, I'd say we're off to a pretty magical star. 16 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 2: It's also weird, but it's a pretty magical start. Yeah. 17 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: But as soon as I saw that sticker, I had 18 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: to roll down my window to yell, Hey, science fans, 19 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: subscribe to Part Time Genius on your favorite podcast. 20 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 2: You are not telling the that is not a mango move. 21 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 2: But I feel like they might like the show well, 22 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 2: and actually I feel like you forgot to tell them 23 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 2: to leave a rating and review. That's that's your other 24 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 2: go to. 25 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I'm sure they'll figure it out in the meantime. 26 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: When do you say we get started with day two 27 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: of our incredible countdown? 28 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 2: Can't wait, let's dive in. Hey, their podcast listeners, Welcome 29 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 2: to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always 30 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 2: I'm here with my good friend mangesh Hot ticket there 31 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 2: and over there in the booth knows deep in a 32 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 2: book of magic tricks. It's our pal and producer Dylan Fake. 33 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: I think I might have inspired him to take up 34 00:01:57,800 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: this new hobby with that little story. 35 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 2: As long as he doesn't run off to Vegas without us, 36 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 2: I think that's okay. So Mango, I'm really excited to 37 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 2: continue this countdown because today we're talking about bike helmets, 38 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 2: We're talking about virtual dolphins, lobsters, and strangely, a healthy 39 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 2: diet that doesn't involve lobsters unfortunately. So let's get started. 40 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: With Okay, Well, so how about we kick this off 41 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: with a little pop quiz. What would you describe as 42 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: sort of a modern healthy diet? 43 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 2: You know, obviously, I think it involves a lot of 44 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 2: fruits and veggies, good fats. You hear about olive oil, fish, nuts, 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 2: maybe some eggs, beans, poultry for protein, red meat, and 46 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 2: alcohol in moderation of course, and not too much candy, 47 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 2: which is a bummer, like those atomic fireballs we've been 48 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 2: sending out, So just those in moderation as well. Those 49 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 2: are the things that come to mind. 50 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,119 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you just described the classic Mediterranean diet, right, 51 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: and it's how people in the blue zones eat right 52 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: like people who live along I'm in place like Sardinia, Italy, 53 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,959 Speaker 1: Italian Islands, Ikorea and Greece, and people tend to eat 54 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: really healthy lives there. But what if I told you 55 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: there might be an even healthier diet and instead of 56 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: tomatoes and olive oil, we should be eating cassava and 57 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:18,679 Speaker 1: howler monkeys. 58 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 2: Oh, I didn't see that went coming. I think you'd 59 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 2: have to give me some pretty convincing evidence. I don't 60 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 2: think I'm up for this. I don't know. You might 61 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 2: call it like the Temple of Doom diet. 62 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like it's a good derivative from the 63 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,919 Speaker 1: Indiana Jones franchise. But let me tell you a little 64 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: bit about it. So, over the past decade, there have 65 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: been a number of studies involving the chi Mayne people 66 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: and indigenous people native to the lowlands of the Bolivian Amazon, 67 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: and the Chimyine live off the land, far from modern conveniences, 68 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: and they basically have like little to no access to healthcare, 69 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: at least the kind you and I are familiar with. 70 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: And for some reason they are freakishly healthy. Really, so 71 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: if you take heart disease right like here in the US, 72 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: about one in four people over the age of forty 73 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: five shows signs of a clogged heart, but the Chimene zero. 74 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 2: Really. 75 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: In twenty seventeen, Lancet reported that, quote, the Chimyne have 76 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: the lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any population known 77 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: to science. 78 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 2: Is that incredible? Yeah? So no heart problems. 79 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 1: Yeah. They also don't get high blood pressure or type 80 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: two diabetes. They show little evidence of asthma or autoimmune diseases. 81 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: Even their brains appear to be special. Like as we 82 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: age are brains typically atrophy, but for some reason, the 83 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: brains of older Chimyne people deteriorate at a rate that's 84 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: slower than seventy percent. 85 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 2: Wow, so they just never get sick. 86 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: I mean, that's the weird thing. They do get sick 87 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: like a lot. They are outdoorsy, their lifestyle exposes them 88 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: to like an insane bacterial load, viral and parasitic infections. 89 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 1: Seventy percent of their population has parasitic roundworm infections, and 90 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: because they get sick so often, they high levels of inflammation. Now, 91 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: the strange part is that for most of us, inflammation 92 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: would increase our chance of heart disease and other chronic ailments, 93 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,919 Speaker 1: but not for the Chimne. Their good health is so 94 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: puzzling that scientists actually gave it a name, the Chimeyne 95 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: inflammation paradox. Now, in recent years, researchers have descended on 96 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: the population to learn their secrets, and so far their 97 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: insights have gone against the grain of what we know 98 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: about healthy living. So take those roundworm infections right, Like, 99 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 1: on the face of it, it sounds pretty unhealthy, but 100 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:37,159 Speaker 1: researchers have actually discovered that this particular roundworm alters the 101 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: immune system in a way that might actually improve female fertility. 102 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 2: Oh wow, it's not crazy. 103 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: And most chi Mayne only got six or seven hours 104 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: of sleep, and that's below the eight or nine hours 105 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: that doctors typically recommend. Here, right, it's accepted wisdom that 106 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: inadequate sleep can make you age faster, and yet tests 107 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: that measure aging was called intrinsic age acceleration, show that 108 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 1: the chi Mayne age slower than just about everybody. 109 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 2: That is incredible. But back to the idea of the diet. 110 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 2: What does their diet have to do with any of this? 111 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: So historically, obesity is rare among the Chimyenne, even though 112 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: they eat a lot more than we do. The typical 113 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: Chimaye women eat six hundred more calories than the average 114 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 1: American women in a given day. Okay, but there are 115 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: two big differences here, right, So First of all, their 116 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: diet is composed completely differently than ours. They eat only 117 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 1: four to fifty grams of fat a day Americans eat 118 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: twice that. They also get more protein than we do, 119 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,600 Speaker 1: as much as fifty grams more per day than the 120 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,640 Speaker 1: average American, and they consume twice as much potassium, but 121 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: just one eighth the amount of sodium. The other difference 122 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: is activity level. The Chimayne actually average about sixteen thousand 123 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:48,919 Speaker 1: steps every single while, and they maintain this level of 124 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: physical activity late into their lives. 125 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 2: Their apple watches and garments must just be giving them 126 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 2: so many awards for all that activity. All right, so 127 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 2: we've got low fat, high protein tons of activity. Obviously, 128 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 2: what kinds of foods are they actually eating? Like what's 129 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 2: on the menu for the average chimne home. 130 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, So for starches and veggies, they tend to eat 131 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: like plantains, cassava, rice, and that's about it. Their primary 132 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: seafood is a fish called the trahira, also known as 133 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: the wolffish because of its dog like teeth. Then for protein, 134 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: they eat a lineup of local mammals, including capabera, the pecari, 135 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: which is basically a small wild pig. They also eat pakas, 136 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: which are these giant rodents with markings kind of like deer, 137 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: and Kutta Mundi's, which well, it's kind of like a 138 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: cross between a lemur, a raccoon, and a small beer. 139 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: And that's about it. They don't eat that much else. 140 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: Most of their calories come from just nine different foods, 141 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: which is pretty counterintuitive. Like here in the US, we're 142 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: always told we should be eating the rainbow of vegetables 143 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: and a wide variety of foods, but that's not what 144 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: they do. 145 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 2: That's super interesting. I want to say that I'm sold here, 146 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 2: because it does feel like they've figured out the perfect diet. 147 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 2: But I don't know how you could achieve that here. 148 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 2: It's not like you're able to go to the store 149 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 2: and pick up a code of Mundi, which, by the way, 150 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 2: i'd never heard of that before. You said it's a 151 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 2: cross between a lemur, a raccoon, and a small base. 152 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 2: It all looks like a small I got it. I 153 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 2: got it. But anyway, that sort of food isn't exactly 154 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 2: accessible here. 155 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're not finding it out a barbecue. This dietary 156 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: advice isn't realistic for people like you and me, And 157 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: lately even the Chimene have been having a hard time 158 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,679 Speaker 1: following this diet, and that's because modern life has started 159 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: intruding on their space, right on their villages. Kids are 160 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 1: now eating pasta there and processed foods and sugars. After 161 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: generations of this diet that's like helped them defy the odds, 162 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: their health's actually getting worse, it's kind of sad to see. 163 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: And they're gaining weight. So it's possible that the world's 164 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,680 Speaker 1: healthiest diet might actually be on the verge of extinction. 165 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 2: That's rough this has become a universal problem of trying 166 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 2: to pry the sugary snacks away from our kids, you know, 167 00:08:57,960 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 2: so they don't ruin their appetites before they eat a 168 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 2: good dinner. It's just it's still different. Like here we're 169 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 2: eating chicken. There they're eating capy bara, which I actually 170 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 2: didn't know that was something people late. 171 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, So now, if you don't want to eat a 172 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 1: capy berra, I certainly don't blame you, but maybe you'd 173 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: like to hug one. Today on our Instagram, we're actually 174 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 1: having a little contest. We're giving one lucky listener a 175 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: wonderful and ridiculous plushy capabera for them to not eat. 176 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: So get the details and enter to win at part 177 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: time genius. 178 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 2: All right, So for number eighteen, I got admit that 179 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 2: last story did make me a little bit hungry, so 180 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 2: I'm gonna stick with that theme. Here's a question for you, mego, 181 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 2: do you like lobster I'm kind of like so so 182 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 2: on it. Okay, I like lobster rolls, but I don't 183 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 2: love lobster meat that much. I'm also not into working 184 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 2: for my food. Other than pistachios and bananas, maybe boiled peanuts, 185 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 2: I don't really like cracking foods open with my fingers 186 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 2: and pulling chunks of meat out of there. You put 187 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 2: it that way, Well, I actually do like lobster, although 188 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 2: it's not that I get to have it that often. 189 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 2: But anyone who's ever dined on whole lobster knows it 190 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 2: is not the easiest thing to eat. So, like you said, 191 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 2: you have to break it apart with mallets and crackers 192 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,559 Speaker 2: and stick little forks in there to retrieve every last 193 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 2: little bit of meat. And if you don't know what 194 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 2: you're doing, it is a daunting task. 195 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's really intimidating, especially for you know, I was 196 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: a vegetarian for a large part of my life, and 197 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: so I think that's. 198 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,839 Speaker 2: Part of why I'm not as attracted to it, right. Right, 199 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:28,960 Speaker 2: it's sort of intimidating, and you know, even if you 200 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 2: do know what you're doing, it's messy, like it's one 201 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 2: of the only foods that served with a bib and 202 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 2: wet wipes. But I've actually got a pretty big solve 203 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 2: for you here. This goes back to two thousand and six. 204 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 2: A man named Johnny Hathaway was thinking about this problem. 205 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 2: He's a Native manor and he and his family had 206 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,959 Speaker 2: opened a seafood restaurant and a touristy part of the state. 207 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 2: So every summer the place was flooded with people who 208 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 2: craved lobster, but, as he told us in an interview, 209 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 2: customers were turned off by the mess. 210 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 3: Well, I soon found out that people really wanted the food, 211 00:10:59,080 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 3: not the animal. 212 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:01,680 Speaker 2: He thought, there has to be an easier way to 213 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 2: cook and serve lobster, and it turned out there was. 214 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 2: I've got three words for you, mango, high pressure processing, 215 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 2: you get it. 216 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: I like that you're saying these things expecting me to 217 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 1: have a reaction, but I have no idea what any 218 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 1: of that means. 219 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 2: All right, Well, in the simplest terms, it's kind of 220 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 2: like pasteurization, except it uses cold water and pressure instead 221 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 2: of high heat. So the process is really useful because 222 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 2: it kills the pathogens and the microorganisms that can actually 223 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 2: make food spoil. Now, one day, Johnny happened to be 224 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 2: chatting with someone from the main lobster promotion Council is 225 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 2: sort of a collective for the state's prize industry, and 226 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 2: she told him she'd heard about some guy in New 227 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 2: Orleans who were using high pressure processing to kill bacteria 228 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: and oysters. That's a big problem. By the way, a 229 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 2: lot of people enjoy eating oysters raw, so having the 230 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 2: ability to eliminate that bacteria without cooking was a pretty 231 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:55,959 Speaker 2: big deal. And it gets better. So the folks in 232 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 2: Louisiana were finding that putting oysters in a high pressure 233 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 2: machine didn't just make them safe to eat, it actually 234 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 2: also shucked them. That's pretty magical. Now, just completely detached 235 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 2: the meat from the shell. And what is lobster if 236 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 2: not a larger and more complicated oyster. Right. 237 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: I feel like some of Breene biologists out there might 238 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:21,439 Speaker 1: disagree with that. H No simple assessment continues, just. 239 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 2: Facts, manu. So when Johnny heard this, he knew he 240 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 2: had to see this for himself. So he got in 241 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 2: touch with the oyster guys and they were like, we 242 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:31,079 Speaker 2: don't know anything about lobsters, but we're up for trying 243 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 2: an experiment. So here's Johnny again. 244 00:12:33,679 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 3: So I brought some lobster down in New Orleans and 245 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 3: I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe what it did. 246 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 3: We put it in the machine, we take it out, 247 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 3: and it's a very simple process. But what it does 248 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 3: is it breaks the membrane between the shell and the meat, 249 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 3: and it allows you to take out the meat raw. 250 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 3: The meat slides right out. 251 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 2: So I just want to take a second to acknowledge 252 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 2: the historic nature of that moment, right like it was 253 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 2: the first time in human in history that anyone had 254 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 2: shucked a raw lobster. It's just not possible otherwise. So 255 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 2: until that fateful day, the only way to break meat 256 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 2: from the membrane was by cooking it. So Johnny heads home, 257 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 2: he tracks down a high pressure processor online. He calls 258 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 2: it the big mother Shucker because this thing is huge. 259 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 3: The first machine I bought was sixteen feet high and 260 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 3: weigh to eighty thousand pounds, and all it is is 261 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 3: a cylinder that you'd fill with water, no heat, no chemicals, 262 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 3: It's just water and you turn on the pressure and 263 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 3: find the right pressure. The cycle last maybe three minutes. 264 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 2: So once he had it up and running and got 265 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 2: the settings dialed in, Johnny and his employees were able 266 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 2: to process four to six million lobsters every single week. 267 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:45,800 Speaker 2: I didn't know there were that many lobsters out there. 268 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:48,679 Speaker 2: And you have to understand there's a lot of tradition 269 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 2: in the main lobster industry and that's part of the 270 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,439 Speaker 2: cultural importance here. But that also meant that Johnny had 271 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 2: to sell the idea of this pressure shucked raw lobsters 272 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 2: to people who'd been doing things the old way for 273 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:01,839 Speaker 2: a long time. You could see a lot of people 274 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 2: might just take joy in that process, right, because it's 275 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 2: like an art in itself. But luckily his raw Lobster 276 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 2: Meet won two awards at the two thousand and seven 277 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:14,440 Speaker 2: Brussels International Seafood Show Best New Food Service Product, Most 278 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,680 Speaker 2: Convenient New Seafood Product. Now that was a pretty definitive 279 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 2: seal of approval, and it helped Maynor see the commercial 280 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 2: potential of what he was. 281 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 3: Up to other processors and fishermen alike. They saw, okay, 282 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 3: this opens up another way for us to market our product. Right, 283 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 3: we don't have to just sell live anymore. We can 284 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 3: sell it to processes, and processes can do more value 285 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 3: added products. 286 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 2: It opened up new markets now, according to Johnny, Chef's 287 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 2: love the convenience of raw lobster. It gives them more 288 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 2: options for cooking. Before, if you wanted a suv lobster, 289 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 2: it had to be parboiled first, and as Johnny says, 290 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 2: nobody buys a cook steak and then cooks it again. 291 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 2: But there's one other benefit to this process that's worth mentioning. 292 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 3: The pressure actually kills the lobster within six seconds. So 293 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 3: you know, that's pretty good when you think about the 294 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 3: animals in the world how they're treated. I think that 295 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 3: was very important. 296 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 2: If you're going to eat lobster, that is a pretty 297 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 2: humane way to do it. Anyway, since Johnny's big new discovery, 298 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 2: a few other high pressure processors have actually opened up 299 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 2: in Maine, and Johnny's thinking about new ways to put 300 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 2: the technology to use. For example, he's working with the 301 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 2: University of Maine and research involving crab and lobster shells, 302 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 2: which contain a polymer called kitan. Now it's already being 303 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 2: used in agriculture as fertilizer, but apparently may have other 304 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 2: applications including helping with skin problems and wound healing. And 305 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 2: when you can separate a bunch of crustaceans from their 306 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 2: shells in a matter of minutes, it makes all the 307 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 2: testing and advances a whole lot more possible. 308 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: That's really interesting. You know, I wonder if it's going 309 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: to affect the all you can eat crabshats and like Maryland. 310 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: In places like that where you know you've got all 311 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: this old bay and you're often drinking beer because like 312 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: it takes such a long time and like it's hard 313 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 1: to get the meat out. It's going to be a 314 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: very different process here. 315 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 2: It's going to have it comes straight down a shoot 316 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 2: into your mouth. 317 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: Do not touch that dial. We will be right back 318 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: with more great science ideas right after the break. Welcome 319 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: back to Part Time Genius, where we're talking about the 320 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: twenty five greatest science ideas of the last twenty five years. 321 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: So this one is close to my heart. Will Were 322 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: you a bike rider as a kid? 323 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 2: Definitely. I rode my bike every day to school from 324 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 2: really second grade on all the way, yeah, all the 325 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 2: way through elementary school. I loved riding my bike. 326 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 1: And did you have to wear a helmet? 327 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 2: Well, I was actually talking about this just the other 328 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 2: day to somebody that this was on the front end 329 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 2: of kids wearing helmets, right, And of course my parents 330 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 2: maybe wear a helmet, and I'm thankful for that, but 331 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,199 Speaker 2: I was one of the few in our group of 332 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,480 Speaker 2: friends that would ride to school that were wearing helmets. 333 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 2: Of course, I'm glad that there's no weirdness around that today. 334 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 2: But yeah, I was one of the few wearing them 335 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 2: at that point. 336 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:15,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like it is so normalized today and 337 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 1: the helmets are so much less clunky. 338 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:17,880 Speaker 2: Yep. 339 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 1: In seventh grade, with no warning, my dad went out 340 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: and did two things. First, he bought his helmets and 341 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: insisted we wear them, which you know makes sense and 342 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: i'd of course two with my kids now. But he 343 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: also found these white poles that he put on our 344 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: like very thin bubbles they put on with orange flags, 345 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: and so they were. 346 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 2: Riding above us. Wow. 347 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: It was partially because like we lived on a hill 348 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 1: and so like if you went up the hill, you 349 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:47,960 Speaker 1: want cars to be able to see what was coming. 350 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:50,720 Speaker 1: But it was kind of the equivalent of wearing headgear 351 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:52,959 Speaker 1: to like a middle school dance, right, So like I 352 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: used to bike everywhere to the local convenience store to 353 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: like cull to sack. You know, it was just transportation 354 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:05,480 Speaker 1: for us, and and then immediately I start walking. For me, 355 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: helmets were really a deterrent. And one thing that I 356 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 1: think is really fascinating is there's a company called Holdving, 357 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: which has created something that's basically a scarf like technology 358 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,920 Speaker 1: that inflates on impact like an airbag. 359 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,439 Speaker 2: So is this like an invisible airbag helmet or like, 360 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 2: how I'm not picturing this? 361 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. This thing is amazing and middle school me 362 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: would have been so psyched to seen one of these 363 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: or had one of these. But I've been watching videos 364 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 1: online of people crashing and one second it looks like 365 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: they're wearing nothing on their head, and next it looks 366 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: like someone like pulled over like an airbag hoodie. The 367 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 1: whole thing is the invention of two brilliant Swedish women 368 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 1: named Anna Hoppt and Teres Alston. They designed the helmet 369 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,160 Speaker 1: in two thousand and five as part of a master's 370 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: thesis in industrial design at Lund University, and they tricked 371 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 1: it out with some really interesting features. You do have 372 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: to keep the helmet charge and you have to switch 373 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 1: it on when you're riding, but you can change out 374 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: the colors so like you can have the scarf like 375 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,399 Speaker 1: thing match your outfit. It comes with a black box 376 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 1: and it records the last ten seconds before a crash, 377 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:09,400 Speaker 1: which can actually be helpful if you're trying to determine 378 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: fault in like the accident or something like that. And 379 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: according to tests done by engineers at Stanford the whole 380 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:18,399 Speaker 1: thing actually protected people from concussions eight times better than 381 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:22,199 Speaker 1: traditional bike helmets. Unfortunately, however, the cost ended up being 382 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:26,200 Speaker 1: a factor. In a twenty fifteen review from The Guardian, 383 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: they said a new helmet cost about two hundred and 384 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,720 Speaker 1: fifty pounds and if you get in a crash you 385 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 1: kind of have to replace it. Polving did replace the 386 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:35,719 Speaker 1: helmets for about one hundred pounds once you bought your 387 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 1: first one, but it really wasn't cheap. 388 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 2: And you know that this goes back over a decade now, 389 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 2: so I'm curious, like, can I get a hold of 390 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 2: a whole thing now? 391 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: Not easily. So the founders left the company in twenty 392 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,720 Speaker 1: fifteen and the company went bankrupt in twenty twenty three. 393 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 1: But what Anna Andrees did actually opened people up to 394 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,880 Speaker 1: new ways of thinking about bike helmets. There's an incredible 395 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:00,119 Speaker 1: company out of Germany called in Flabby that actually has 396 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,199 Speaker 1: an ultra thin geometric helmet. You fill it with a 397 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: bike pump and it fills these air pockets to protect 398 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 1: your head. And the best part is you can actually 399 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:10,439 Speaker 1: fold it up and scrunch it up so you're not 400 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: carrying this clunky helmet around it just kind of like 401 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: sticks in a bag or a pocket. That said, I 402 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't be surprised if someone tries to improve on the 403 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 1: last released version of the whole thing and then comes 404 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,920 Speaker 1: out with a better inflatable helmet. Also, just for the record, 405 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: I want to make clear that I do wear a helmet. 406 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: These days, I'm a little less worried about what kids 407 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: in my neighborhood think about me. But I do wear 408 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 1: it when I bike around New York on city bikes 409 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: with my family, so you don't have to worry. 410 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 2: Okay, I'll check that one off the list, all right. Well, 411 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 2: I think it's safe to say that VR hasn't quite 412 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 2: taken off in the way we might have expected it to, 413 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,360 Speaker 2: at least not yet. But one use of it that's 414 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 2: really interesting is in pain management, so more specifically having 415 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 2: patients virtually swim with dolphins. That's actually helped patients manage 416 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:56,320 Speaker 2: their chronic pain better. Have you heard about this? 417 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 1: No, that's incredible. 418 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:00,679 Speaker 2: According to a piece on the radio station WAB, a 419 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 2: seventy year old military vet told reporters, it's fantastic. I 420 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,479 Speaker 2: really feel like I'm there. I get a strong feeling 421 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,160 Speaker 2: of pleasure, relaxation and peace, just nice to think about. 422 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,920 Speaker 2: So basically, he swims three times a day for ten 423 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 2: minutes a session and it's had a remarkable effect on 424 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 2: his ability to manage his pain. That is really cool, 425 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 2: and it's really that effective apparently so. And the truth is, 426 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 2: doctors like Brennan Spiegel at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, 427 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 2: they've been looking for alternative ways to help patients manage 428 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,520 Speaker 2: their pain and reduce their reliance on heavy prescription pills 429 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,439 Speaker 2: for a long time now, and VR actually seems to 430 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:37,479 Speaker 2: have an impact, at least according to the paper he 431 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 2: published in the journal Plus one Now. In his study, 432 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 2: Spiegel took patients who were either experiencing pain from cancer 433 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,640 Speaker 2: or maybe had severe orthopedic pain, and he divided these 434 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 2: patients into two different groups. So one group got VR 435 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 2: headsets and was told they could use as much VR 436 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 2: as they wanted, but they were asked to do it 437 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,440 Speaker 2: at least three times a day for ten minutes a session. Meanwhile, 438 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 2: the other group got to watch a wellness channel on TV. So, 439 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 2: as Spiegel put it, VR is thought to create an 440 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:08,119 Speaker 2: immersive distraction that restricts the brain from processing pain. And 441 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 2: what they found was that when they used a zero 442 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 2: to ten pain scale, the group that us VR three 443 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 2: times a day actually saw a drop in their pain 444 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 2: levels by two full points. 445 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,480 Speaker 1: That is pretty remarkable, And i'd actually heard of VR 446 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: being used for immersion therapy, like people have a tough 447 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,440 Speaker 1: time with heights, having the VR stimulate like you're looking 448 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: out of a tall building, or people who are afraid 449 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 1: of public speaking, you get to talk to a virtual 450 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,120 Speaker 1: crowd and build up a stamina or muscle skill. But 451 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: the idea of swimming with dolphins is just so beautiful. 452 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,240 Speaker 1: It's so different from like facing your fears. 453 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:43,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, it really is. And scientists are looking for how 454 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:46,399 Speaker 2: VR might be useful in other painful conditions, you know, 455 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 2: from managing labor pains to distracting patients when they get 456 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 2: painful infusions for cancer treatments. It's pretty remarkable what can 457 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 2: happen here. It's awesome. 458 00:22:57,280 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: So here's a quick one that gives me a lot 459 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,679 Speaker 1: of empathy for that character pig Pen in Nuts. 460 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 2: Is the one with the dirty cloud around him all 461 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 2: the time. 462 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:09,120 Speaker 1: I love pig Pen, but it turns out he is 463 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:12,640 Speaker 1: not alone. Apparently we all have a swarm of bacteria 464 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: that we're constantly shedding in the space around us. It's 465 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: known as a microbial cloud, and according to a team 466 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: of scientists at the University of Oregon, everyone is surrounded 467 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:27,000 Speaker 1: by a unique cloud. It's about ninety centimeters wide, made 468 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 1: up of millions of bacteria. And when we walk through 469 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: each other's clouds, our clouds mingle and we actually change 470 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: each other's microbiomes. 471 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 2: Just a little wow. 472 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 1: The way a BBC article put it was a little 473 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 1: grosser than that. They're right, quote, walk through someone else's 474 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 1: cloud and it'll rain bacteria on your skin and be 475 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: breathed into your lungsaw. 476 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 2: That is really gross. And I think the thing that 477 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:54,639 Speaker 2: stuck out to me is ninety centimeters Like that's not tiny, 478 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 2: you know, like that's actually a meaningful But yeah, that's 479 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 2: a really gross description. 480 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: I mean, the article quotes one biologist as saying the 481 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:06,640 Speaker 1: findings were quote simply gross. Microbiologists are disturbed. That's pretty great, Yeah, 482 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:08,760 Speaker 1: But I think it's just one of those things that 483 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,639 Speaker 1: you live with forever, you don't really think about, and 484 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: then when you happen to, like peer under a microscope, 485 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,639 Speaker 1: it's more complicated than you could ever imagine it. 486 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm guessing a shower doesn't help the situation. 487 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: Now you cannot scrub this away. But the way the 488 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,919 Speaker 1: scientists rand the experiment was pretty fascinating. So they basically 489 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 1: had people hang out in a room where Petri dishes 490 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:31,359 Speaker 1: and suspended air filters inside the room, collected the floating microbes, 491 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: and then they analyze these personal clouds. And what they 492 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: found was that every cloud is really like a fingerprint. 493 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 1: But also, I do think there's something poetic about the 494 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: fact that, like, when you hang out in someone else's cloud, 495 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 1: you take back a bacterial souvenir. Like there's almost this 496 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: record of your life and how you spent your time 497 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: that you're constantly carrying around with you, and the idea 498 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: that you're changed a little by everyone you meet or 499 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,400 Speaker 1: interact with. It's just kind of human and wonderful. 500 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 2: I agree. 501 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 1: Okay, listeners, we've got to pause for a quick break, 502 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: but we'll be back with more Part Time Genius very soon. 503 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:23,719 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Part Time Genius, where we're continuing with 504 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 1: our crazy countdown. 505 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 2: All right, semengo, what would you say if I told 506 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,960 Speaker 2: you I could fix the cracks in your phone screen? 507 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,119 Speaker 2: Just by covering it with a damp paper towel. 508 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I'd probably think you were lying or it 509 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:38,639 Speaker 1: was a prank. 510 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:42,160 Speaker 2: Right, Well, it's actually an innovation that is just around 511 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,160 Speaker 2: the corner. Once this new quote self healing glass hits 512 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 2: the market, we really will be able to repair cracks 513 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 2: by just adding water. 514 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: That's amazing. So how exactly does this work? Because I mean, 515 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: correct me if I'm wrong, but like glass needs heat 516 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 1: to repair, not moisture, right, Well, that's definitely true of 517 00:25:57,800 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 1: traditional glass. 518 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,480 Speaker 2: But what I'm talking about is something called peptide glass. 519 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,120 Speaker 2: And in case your chemistry is a little rusty, here 520 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 2: it is. I knew it would be. A peptide in short, 521 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 2: is a chain of amino acids, which are chemical building 522 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,720 Speaker 2: blocks of proteins. So peptides can self assemble into all 523 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 2: kinds of useful structures, including endorphins and insulin. But because 524 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:22,239 Speaker 2: they're crystalline in nature, they aren't typically associated with glass. 525 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,400 Speaker 1: Because glass isn't crystalline. 526 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 2: Right, And in crystalline structures, the atoms are arranged in 527 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 2: a rigid repeating pattern, so when the crystal is subjected 528 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 2: to stress, it tends to fracture really easily. Glass, on 529 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,959 Speaker 2: the other hand, is what's known as an amorphous solid. 530 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:39,719 Speaker 2: That means that atoms are arranged at random, which allows 531 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,919 Speaker 2: it to absorb stress more evenly, making it harder to 532 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 2: actually break. 533 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: I love how they are like different types of solids, 534 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:48,879 Speaker 1: different types of liquids. Ketchup is a certain type of 535 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:52,239 Speaker 1: liquid that doesn't move or flow right right, and then 536 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 1: you have this type of glass. But how is there 537 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,119 Speaker 1: something called peptide glass. It seems like a bit of 538 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: a contradiction. 539 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 2: Well it is exactly that, and that's why researchers at 540 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:02,720 Speaker 2: Tel Aviv were so surprised last year. They found when 541 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 2: a certain peptide is mixed with water, it can self 542 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 2: assemble into this rigid, transparent, glass like material. Now this 543 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 2: wasn't something that they set out to find either, and 544 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 2: that's always the fun in science of these accidental discoveries. 545 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 2: But in fact, they were actually studying entirely different properties 546 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 2: of peptides when they made this discovery. But that wasn't 547 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 2: even the best part, because it turned out this new 548 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,120 Speaker 2: kind of glass also had the ability to heal itself 549 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 2: when it was remoistened. 550 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:29,280 Speaker 1: That's awesome. 551 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 2: So, according to one of the studies, authors quote. We 552 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:35,320 Speaker 2: found that although the peptide glass cracks under dry conditions, 553 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 2: it can easily repair these cracks. All that needs to 554 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 2: be done is transfer the glass to a more humid environment. 555 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 2: As soon as you do that, water molecules re enter 556 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:47,680 Speaker 2: the material, repair the cracks, and allow the glass to reform. 557 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,359 Speaker 1: That is so amazing. And I know you said this 558 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,200 Speaker 1: was just discovered, but what are the commercial prospects or 559 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 1: something like this? Does it seem like a viable product? 560 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:58,639 Speaker 2: It definitely does so far. So conventional glass requires a 561 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,200 Speaker 2: ton of energy to produce because you have to gather 562 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:03,680 Speaker 2: all the different raw materials and you melt them together 563 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,800 Speaker 2: at extremely high temperatures. But with this, you actually just 564 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 2: take some peptide powder, mix it with water, and voila. 565 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 2: Like it's instant glass. It's pretty amazing. It's as strong 566 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,679 Speaker 2: as silicate glass too, so it could be used to 567 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:19,239 Speaker 2: make just about anything windows, doors, optical lenses, and of 568 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 2: course the thing we're all thinking about phone screens. I mean, 569 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:24,399 Speaker 2: it really does sound like it could revolutionize like a 570 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 2: bunch of different industries and also save you so much 571 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,119 Speaker 2: money on repairs. Imagine like getting a crack in your 572 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 2: windshield and just like waiting for the rain to repair it. Yea, 573 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 2: it's amazing. Yeah, and you wouldn't necessarily have to replace 574 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:37,920 Speaker 2: your existing glass either. You could just add a thin 575 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 2: coating of peptide glass over the top to sort of 576 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:41,200 Speaker 2: act as a barrier. 577 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 1: You know who's going to really benefit from this as 578 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:45,800 Speaker 1: anyone with a glass bottom boat. 579 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 2: Yes, those are the people that we really want to 580 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 2: look out for. You know. It's like how people say 581 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 2: we should make an entire plane out of the same 582 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 2: material as the black box, Like, just make the whole 583 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 2: boat out of peptide glass and it can never spring 584 00:28:57,880 --> 00:28:58,200 Speaker 2: a leak. 585 00:28:58,520 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: I think you just came up with the best sign 586 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:00,720 Speaker 1: of the year. 587 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 2: Nailed it all right, Well that does it for today. 588 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 2: Be sure to tune in tomorrow as the countdown continues. 589 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 2: I don't want to give too much away, but tomorrow's 590 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 2: episode involves NASCAR dinosaurs. Sounds like, really this is a 591 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 2: tough guy episode and a very special musical number. That's right, 592 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 2: that's right, And of course don't forget the head over 593 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,640 Speaker 2: to our Instagram at part time Genius to enter our 594 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 2: copy bar contest. We're from Gabe Dylan, Mary Mangush and me. 595 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening, oh. 596 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: And Lucas Riley, Thank you, Lucas. Part Time Genius is 597 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 1: a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. This show is hosted 598 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: by Will Pearson and me Mongschatikler and research by our 599 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,840 Speaker 1: good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's episode was engineered and 600 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:59,600 Speaker 1: produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan with support from Tyler Klang. 601 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,440 Speaker 1: The show is executive produced for iHeart by Katrina Norvel 602 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 1: and Ali Perry, with social media support from Sasha Gate 603 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:11,280 Speaker 1: Trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shorey. For more podcasts from 604 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:16,280 Speaker 1: Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 605 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.