WEBVTT - Is the Dead Sea dead? 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:02.840 Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:07.520 It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you Should Know? 0:00:08.119 --> 0:00:16.400 From House Stuff Works dot com? Hey, and welcome to 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:19.919 the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant, 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:24.680 and you put us together and throwing a couple of microphones, 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:28.640 little jar pot pourri, and you've got stuff you should know. 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:32.480 If you get my chocolate and your peanut butter, then 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:37.200 we make a delicious extra large pieces cup extra large 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:39.599 with a lot of body hair. Yeah, you can pick 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:42.120 that out, though you can eat around it. You want 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:43.680 to pick it up before you eat them because of 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:49.600 getting up the chest here, Chuck. Yes, are you familiar 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:52.920 with the Dead Sea? I am, and I really really 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:55.960 want to go get in it one day. Okay, I 0:00:56.040 --> 0:01:03.080 would like to too, um, especially because I am particularly 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:08.039 interested in what I've come to term geographical ironies. And 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:12.200 there's no greater geographical irony than the Dead Sea because 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:17.080 it's called the dead Sea but it's dying. Yeah, that's 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:21.000 pretty ironic, it is. And sad well yeah, I mean 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.200 that may not have come across my flipped tone, but 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:25.720 I think it's sad. Yeah, and it's not called the 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:29.639 dead Sea because of its properties. I mean, I'm sorry, 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:31.720 it is called the Detchy because properties. It's not called 0:01:31.720 --> 0:01:34.200 the Etchy because it's dying. No, but which makes it 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:38.480 irun After thousands and thousands and eons of years, people 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:42.760 have been going to this awesome little spot forever. Um. 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:48.040 It's in real danger and it's of course thanks to humans, 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:50.360 and we'll get to that. But the Dead Sea is 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:54.240 an example of a vanishing tourist attraction. Um. There's a 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:57.200 lot of places that are um have been listed and 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:00.760 identified as this place isn't gonna be around fifty years, 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.840 so like, if you're interested, you better go now. The 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:06.000 Dead Sea is definitely one of them. They think that 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:10.520 by it's possible it won't be there. Whatever it is 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:13.519 there is not going to be anything worth visiting. Yes 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:16.120 you want to go cry, I think there is, uh 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:18.280 and fill it with your salty tears. Maybe that's what 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:22.000 we should do. UM. I don't even have the stat 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:23.720 from me, but I believe I read today that it's 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.560 it's following by about a meter per year. Yes, that 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:31.560 is correct, right, yeah, um, which is scary because as 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:34.880 everyone who doesn't live in the US knows a meter 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:39.280 is um almost three ft, it's over three ft. It's 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:41.120 a certain amount of feet, it's more than a yard. 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:45.679 All right, let's talk about the Dead Sea as a whole. Well, yeah, 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.200 there's a reason why you should care about this. This 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:51.280 is a really interesting, unique place that has some really 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:54.920 awesome qualities to it. So here and we're going to 0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:57.480 describe why you should be sad that the Dead Sea 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:00.880 is dying. That's right, Uh it is. First of all, 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:03.040 you're some unique properties of the Dead Sea. It is 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:09.480 feet three below sea level, and its shores that surround 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:12.800 it are literally the lowest points on planet Earth, the 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:16.919 lowest dry point. Yeah right, yeah, sure, it's not like 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:20.160 the bottom of the ocean. But you're basically bathing in 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:24.040 a lake feet below the ocean. And it is a lake. 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:28.000 It's a terminal lake. It's not a sea terminal, meaning 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:31.960 that water flows in and it doesn't flow out. The 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:35.000 only way that water leaves it is by evaporation, which 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:38.480 is super interesting. Well that's what gives it it's um 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:42.520 it's amazing properties. Could tell break the news? Can I 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:44.760 for people that don't know this, thank you very much. 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.320 So you have water flowing in its main tributary is 0:03:47.360 --> 0:03:52.600 the Jordan River, or for Biblia Files, I guess Bibbla 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:57.600 Files the river Jordan's at the Jordan River. They like 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:00.680 to flip that um. And like you said, it comes in, 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:02.800 but it doesn't go out, but it evaporates. Well, the 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:05.800 Jordan River doesn't just bring fresh water into the Dead Sea. 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:09.880 It brings a lot of salty, brackish water. Okay, So 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:12.800 because this is in one of the hottest places on Earth, 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:17.240 the water evaporates pretty quickly, right, Yeah, otherwise it would 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:20.039 be overflowing, which would be kind of awesome exactly. But 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:23.520 because of this evaporation, the salt crystals are left behind, 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:27.240 mineral salts um and so water that comes in, whether 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:30.080 fresh or otherwise, it just increases in more and more 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:34.000 and more concentration, which is why the Dead Sea is 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.800 one of the saltiest places on Earth. Yeah, and have 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:41.039 you seen the photos of the huge accumulations of these minerals, 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:45.080 I guess, just various salt minerals. They like they look 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:50.360 like sculptures almost in places, it looks like crystal outcroppings. 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:55.240 It's about two fifty square miles. It is surrounded by 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:59.520 the West Bank Israel and Jordan's which also makes it. 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:02.680 You know, they're trying to get these neighbors to agree 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.040 on how to best manage this place, and it's hard 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:07.760 to get that area to agree on a lot, so 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:10.960 they That's one of the reasons I think that there 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:13.359 are issues. It's hard to get these folks to the 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:17.400 table sometimes agreed. All right, we'll put thank you. Um. 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:21.279 So you've got you've got water coming in, you have 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:25.479 water staying terminally. Did you know? Also Atlanta's original name 0:05:25.520 --> 0:05:30.680 was terminus um so, which makes the Dead Sea terminal lake, 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:34.560 like you said, um. And the salt that's coming in 0:05:34.600 --> 0:05:37.280 it's not like table salt or anything that it's actually 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:41.320 well known for thirty five mineral salts um that the 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:48.760 sea boasts like calcium, bromi, potassium, magnesium, iodine. But the 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:52.799 thing that makes the Dead Sea so so significant salt wise, 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:58.120 is that the concentrations of this because of the unique 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:00.320 setup of the water flowing in in a vap reading, 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:09.880 it's so salini sealini selin honest um that compared to 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:13.240 an ocean, it just endorfs the salinity of any ocean. Yeah, 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.840 I think they the saltiest ocean. Um is somewhere between 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:23.400 three to six um salty and I generally see about 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:27.680 in the dead sea, So, which is six percent for 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:31.320 the saltiest ocean, like the kind of ocean where like yeah, 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:34.600 on the highest level, on the high end, and like 0:06:34.720 --> 0:06:39.640 five times that five six times that for the dead sea. Yeah, 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:43.080 it's amazing. As a result of this, so, um, people 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:44.760 are like, well, this is this is just great, this 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:47.000 is healthful. What does this mean? It means a bunch 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:50.279 of things. First of all, it means proven through physics 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:54.720 and just general observation. You float like with no trouble 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:58.520 whatsoever because of the incredible density of the sea water 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:01.080 in the dead sea. And another fun thing you can 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:03.800 do is go to Google images and google dead sea 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:07.080 float and you will see lots of pictures that people 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:11.160 laying virtually on top of the water reading books and newspapers. 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:13.800 And it's pretty funny. It's like it looks like an 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:17.760 illusion almost, it does. It looks like it's been photoshop. 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:21.160 That's right. Um, so you've got the fact that you 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:23.800 can float, But there's a lot of people who claim 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:27.560 like healthful benefits of the dead sea. Um, and I 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:31.160 was looking this up, like there's there's entire companies UM 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.720 like UH was the name of it, the Dead Sea 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:39.720 Research Center, dead Sea Works. There's a lot of like cosmetics, 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:42.480 skin care products, all this stuff that are associated with 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:44.640 the Dead Sea and that used dead sea minerals and 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:49.440 all that UM, and they all boast all sorts of 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:53.280 what appeared to be snake oil properties. Emilyash to sell 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:57.800 dead sea mud masks, so but she doesn't anymore. I 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:02.160 think the cost of getting the dead Sea mud was 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.640 cost prohibitive for and it wasn't a big seller. It 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:07.960 was it was an economic decision. So, but it wasn't 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:11.880 because it was like fraudulent. Okay, so is it? Well? 0:08:11.960 --> 0:08:15.720 I was looking and I couldn't find a lot, but 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:18.800 I did find some stuff where there have been studies 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:23.040 on like Utah Salt Lake UM the effects of that 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:25.840 UM and there's been some studies on the Dead Sea 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:31.600 and they found UM that it does have effects, demonstrable 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:37.600 effects on things like arthritis, arthritis, It reduces UM, the 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:43.640 symptoms of that fibromalogic yes, xema. It's it's been shown 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:48.720 to reduce that UM and UH basically just generally improving 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:51.360 the health of your skin. Yeah, any kind of skin 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:53.360 like psoriasis or anything going on with your skin. It 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:56.040 should help, right, And these were studies that were carried 0:08:56.080 --> 0:09:00.920 out by UM Like, they were published in pure viewed journals, 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:04.880 So I mean they're legitimate studies. What's got thirty five minerals, 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:06.719 it's got to be good for you, right, and in 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:10.400 very very high concentrations, so it's not just the minerals. 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:14.480 And in in the dead sea um itself. Like the mud 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:18.280 is well, like you're saying, Emily so Sol the mud 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.720 pack mud mask, Yeah, um, Like that's you can just 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:23.840 walk up on the shore in some places and scoop 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:25.920 up the mud and then bam, there's your mud mask 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:30.319 um rich and nutrients. So it's not much of a 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:32.880 surprise that people have kind of flocked to this as 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:37.400 a natural spa for a very very very long time. Yeah. 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.720 And I think even before, I mean they did it 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:43.640 back in biblical days, even before we had all these studies, 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:46.559 I think they realized some of the properties. And apparently 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:49.480 the sun there is filtered. The UV rays are filtered 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:52.719 because of the atmosphere. Yeah, is that right? The atmospheric 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:56.280 pressure because it's so far below sea level. Um, it's 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:59.200 it filters a lot of the UV rays out, so 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:02.960 laying out, Um, is I guess better for you laying out? 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:07.000 I remember that back in the day, Go lay out, Yeah, exactly, 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:09.240 work on the dan that's still lay out. Do you 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:12.560 lay out? I believe it. But which is basically just 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.680 like napping or reading in the sun exactly, that's what 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:17.840 it amounts to. Yeah, like I don't have like little 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:22.960 goggles baby oil. So what they suggest if you go 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:25.720 to the Dead Sea and you want to revitalize yourself 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:31.160 a bit, um, take a swim or a float, get 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:34.760 in there, get get in the water like itself and 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.720 just spend some time in there. Um, apply some of 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:40.800 the some of the mud maybe that you can scoop 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:46.240 up or they're probably selling stuff. Um, thermomineral bath they 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:48.640 say exists there as well. Is that right? Yeah? That 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:52.000 place is amazing it is and um. Then they of 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:57.080 course also suggest optional psychological counseling and follow up consultation 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.960 with a medical professional. So that's like a seventh step 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:02.880 special right, it's like good for the mind and body, right, 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:06.280 that's what they say. Um, but yeah, you can apparently 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.319 travel to the area and there are plenty of places 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:11.360 where you just show up and you're like, I have 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:14.360 rumored toroid arthritis, and they say, okay, well come with us, 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:15.880 and we're gonna take you to the to the Dead 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:18.840 Sea and put you through these this procedure for bath 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:21.360 salt baths. Yeah. I think it's a lot like um 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:25.240 going to Battle Creek in the nineteenth century. Oh yeah, 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:28.200 you know and hanging out with Dr Kellogg. Oh yeah, 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:30.640 that Battle Creek. Yeah, okay, sure, yeah, they'd be kind 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:32.760 of cool. Yeah, because that means we have a time 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:36.280 machine exactly what we do um another property of the 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:39.800 Dead Sea. And what this um mineral and salt content 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:44.000 does that we haven't mentioned is it kills everything, which 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:46.880 is why it's called the Dead Sea. It kills almost everything, 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.920 almost everything. Yes, you're right, Like there's no seaweed in there, 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:52.600 there's no fish in there, and there's no it's scumb 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.760 on the top of it. There's no nothing like when 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:59.839 you walk in the Dead Sea like you are one 0:11:59.880 --> 0:12:03.080 of the only the only other living beings in there. Yeah. 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:07.199 What does it support like tiny a me butter or something. 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:12.280 Bacteria halophilic bacteria which means salt loving um. And they're 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:17.120 considered extreme of files because the the um. The environment 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:20.600 they live in is so inhospitable to any other life 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:22.520 that the fact that there's this type of bacteria that 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:25.480 can live in there is pretty amazing. But they're they're 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:29.320 like akin to the same types of um life that 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:36.440 live near like sulfuric three D degree undersea events. That 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:38.480 that's an extreme of file. We should do an extreme 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:41.920 file podcast. We totally should, and we will. I think 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:44.880 we should. Uh. I have some other little factoids I 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:49.240 drew up, not myself, but I found UM. When we 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.200 said thousands of years, what we really meant was millions 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:56.439 of years. I said, Okay, it's been around for about 0:12:56.440 --> 0:13:00.120 three million years. Uh and uh. In the Bible they 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.040 actually say that the Dead Sea will one day come 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:06.160 alive and be full of marine life. That would be surprising. 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:09.400 I'm not so sure if that's gonna happen considering the 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:14.719 sailing content. UM, unless what they meant was one day 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:17.800 it's going to dry out completely and they will open 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:22.120 a marine park there or something, because that's about the 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.040 only way it's gonna happen. It's really bitter, it's not 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:28.400 gonna taste salty like table salt, and it's kind of stinky. 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:30.520 They used to call it the stinky Sea hundreds of 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:35.240 years ago. Apparently that's what it says. And the Greeks 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:41.640 called it lake uh lake a saphilite as full tight 0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:46.079 teas because asphalt will rise to the surface at times, 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:50.520 the natural asphalt, not roads that were built underneath three 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:54.239 million years ago. And Cleopatra was a big fan. Cleopatra 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.520 and King Herod built the town of Masada as like 0:13:57.600 --> 0:14:00.680 a little dead sea playground for himself, a little resort. 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:05.280 And um, so nothing's living there except people, and it 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:08.160 is dying itself though, And this is when we come 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.199 to I guess a sad portion. Well not yet. You 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.760 mentioned the Bible. Yeah, um, it definitely has ties to 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:17.600 the Bible. Obviously it's in a pretty biblical region. Um. 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:21.000 But it's a It's also well, the River Jordan is 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:25.440 supposedly where John the Baptist baptized Jesus um and uh, 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:29.520 it's also where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Of course, 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:32.560 so um. From ninety seven and nineteen fifty eight, this 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:37.840 amazing goat Herder found a bunch of Hebrew manuscripts the 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:40.760 same guy who invented cheese. No, this is a different 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:42.720 one that was France. What if it was the same 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:48.520 dude Tim that that invented cheese. Um, this guy is 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:50.600 a different one, although I wonder if he's related to 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:54.320 the rope forts of France. Um. Anyway, he found a 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.520 bunch of scrolls of Hebraic scrolls that were written from 0:14:57.560 --> 0:14:59.800 the third century BC to the second century A d 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.160 um and they basically were just like, hey, here's what's 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:06.480 going on in this area right now. Uh, we'll just 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:08.760 write it down and hide them for posterity. And apparently 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:13.760 it's like one of the greatest archaeological finds ever as 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:15.680 far as people are concerned, because it gave a real 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:19.200 peek into this time when Christianity was starting out. And 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:22.320 I've read recently there's a lot of controversy over who 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:26.800 they think wrote the Dead Sea scrolls. Um, And I'm 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:29.160 not sure where they've landed on that, but of course 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:32.920 there's controversy anything that old. It's not gonna have a 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:36.240 little author signature on it, right, So Chuck, Now we 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:38.200 get to the depressing part. I know, I just I 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:40.520 was almost excited, but then I remember what we were 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:44.040 talking about. The Dead Sea is actually dying, uh, meaning 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:49.000 the River Jordan's is being diverted along the way, uh, 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.720 because they need water in that area to support people 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:57.240 in agriculture. Um, just being diverted via damns and things 0:15:57.320 --> 0:15:59.960 like that. To the extent that the Dead Sea is 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:03.760 evaporating more than it's filling up these days, we'll consider this. Um. 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:06.960 In the fifties, the Dead Sea used to get like 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:11.280 one point three billion cubic meters of fresh water a day. 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:16.240 Now it's fifty million. Yeah, that's a sharp drop. Fifty 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:19.520 million compared to one point three billions. That's a lot 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.360 of a drop off. So yeah, it's starting to dry 0:16:23.480 --> 0:16:28.480 up really really fast. Yeah, and luckily, um, well we'll 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:31.880 see what happens. But luckily there are people and organizations 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:36.880 that are on this big time because of the you know, 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:40.640 not only the cultural significance, but the Dead Sea, despite 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.520 it being dead in the water, supports like a really 0:16:43.640 --> 0:16:46.840 vast ecosystem around it. And if the Dead Sea went away, 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:49.520 that would not be good for this ecosystem. Yeah. But again, 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:52.000 it's a it's a tough that's a tough one. I mean, 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:55.640 like people people neither drinking water. Yeah, Like we've done 0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:58.360 a podcast on how long can you survive without food 0:16:58.400 --> 0:16:59.880 and water? And you can go a long time with 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:02.120 out food, but water gets you in a couple of days, 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:05.639 you know. Um, So that's a tough one. And a 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:09.320 lot of people have said, hey, you know what, let's 0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:13.280 just build a canal the red seas over there, the 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:15.280 dead seas right here. All we needs like a hundred 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:18.280 and thirty five miles a canal and we'll just flood 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:21.119 the dead sea with red sea. And people want, no, no, 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:24.560 hold on, let's come with something else because the dead 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:28.520 seas um salt content, mineral content would be disrupted at 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:31.200 that point and just wouldn't be what it is. Yeah, 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:33.119 it almost sounds like they're like, well, we'll just let 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:35.280 it die. Well, like we'd rather it die than become 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:38.320 less salty. Yeah, just another inland sea. Like look at 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:40.160 all those people out there float and read their newspaper, 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:42.280 and all of a sudden they dropped the moment that 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:45.000 what are we gonna do that? So what does the 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:49.240 canal slash pipeline? The projects called the Two Seas Canal, 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:55.040 and it is fairly controversial on uh several fronts Um. 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:58.240 One is that it's gonna cost about five billion dollars, 0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:02.280 which is not cheap. Uh um it would include a 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:08.120 desalination plant to generate fresh water. And the good news 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:11.200 it would be, you know, it would be a symbol 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:16.200 of cooperation between these often warren warring countries that surround it. 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:19.600 So that would be good. But a lot of environmentalists 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:22.760 are saying that, you know, it's a threatened lake. In 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:24.760 two thousand and six, it was the threatened Lake of 0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:27.320 the year. They didn't know they had such a designation. 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:28.879 But I guess it's good they do well. The Global 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:34.280 Nature funded Yeah, and they're one of their project directors said, 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:37.119 we call it the threatened Lake of the Year in 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:39.200 two thousand six, and we could easily do it again 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:41.639 for two thousand ten. Like, don't even don't even make 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:45.680 us right, right. I guess they didn't know because it's 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.800 two thousand twelve. Yeah, um, But they are proposing some 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:54.320 alternative alternatives. They're saying that the spokesperson for what is it, 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:57.400 Friends of the Middle East, Yeah, Front of the Earth 0:18:57.520 --> 0:18:58.960 in the Middle East, Friends of the Earth in the 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:01.480 Middle East. Um, the Israeli branches saying, you know what, 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:04.920 we can actually return um a lot of water to 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:09.320 the river Jordan's through conservation and less agricultural use. So well, 0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:11.720 that's the that's the case everywhere. I mean, remember we've 0:19:11.760 --> 0:19:16.600 talked about this before, like of agricultural water uses, um 0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:21.240 uh yeah, it goes to evaporation or runoff, like just 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:25.879 it's so inefficient. Agricultural water use is so inefficient. And 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.760 then like even like here in our dear town of Atlanta, 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:32.239 like we have the leakiest sewer system in the um 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:35.880 developed the world, and we lose tons of water every 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:38.080 day to it, and it's just like, well it's lost, 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:41.760 you know. Yeah. So a lot of environmentalists are saying 0:19:41.920 --> 0:19:46.880 some huge engineering solution is not always the best solution. 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:48.679 I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'd love 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:50.879 to see the Dead Sea saved, but also want the 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:54.320 people in the Middle East to grow crops. Well yeah, 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:58.359 you know and live agreed. Uh. So, I guess right now, 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:01.159 as it stands, um, no one's quite figured out what 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:04.239 to do. Yeah. I think this year actually, um, they 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:07.520 have sunk quite a few million dollars into a pretty 0:20:07.560 --> 0:20:12.760 vast study UM on this canal pipeline project and seeing 0:20:12.800 --> 0:20:15.400 if it's the best alternative. Cool. So I guess we'll 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:18.439 find out maybe later this year what they're gonna do well, 0:20:18.520 --> 0:20:20.920 I would say, get you to the Dead Sea A 0:20:21.240 --> 0:20:26.640 S A P. Because if nobody does anything, cut off date, yeah, 0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:28.920 and it's just gonna get sadder and sadder. If there's 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:31.280 like if it's like the size of a swimming pool 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:33.920 eventually and there's like two dudes floating in it, yeah, 0:20:34.160 --> 0:20:37.639 that would be sad. Um. Okay, well, that's it for 0:20:37.680 --> 0:20:40.480 the Dead Sea, right, we got to explain everything. That's 0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:43.760 it for the Dead Sea. Potentially, let's it for us 0:20:43.800 --> 0:20:46.920 in the Dead Sea. Um. If you want to learn 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:49.159 more about the Dead Sea, you can type dead and 0:20:49.440 --> 0:20:52.360 see into the search part how stuff works dot com? 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:56.879 And uh does that bring up? What does that bring up? Man? Uh? 0:20:57.000 --> 0:20:59.080 We got a few quick things to plug and then 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:02.119 we will get to listen. Okay, like what all right? 0:21:02.200 --> 0:21:07.760 So now listen to maim Yuh Josh, I'm gonna call 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:12.960 this uh Antarctic reply. And it's not about penguins and 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:15.320 polar bears, although she did put that in there, but 0:21:15.359 --> 0:21:18.840 I raised that part. Um. Shannon actually lived there for 0:21:19.000 --> 0:21:22.359 three summers. I was a technician at a terrestrial Arctic 0:21:22.480 --> 0:21:25.480 base in Alaska, and several of my coworkers spent in 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:29.600 the northern Hemisphere working on Antarctica. Actually she was Alaska, 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:34.920 set back the arttic. Yes, that's north, that's right. The 0:21:35.000 --> 0:21:37.800 Antarctic is south, that's right. We know that she had 0:21:37.840 --> 0:21:43.200 friends that worked in Antarctica. On Antarctica. Man, it's so 0:21:43.320 --> 0:21:46.760 picky people, that's so pick uh. From that experience, I 0:21:46.840 --> 0:21:49.639 can personally tell you that while life at the polls 0:21:49.840 --> 0:21:55.520 is basic, it is far from primitive. Antarctica has stores, bars, saunas, 0:21:55.920 --> 0:21:58.160 and even a pair of a t m s. While 0:21:58.240 --> 0:22:01.680 many of these amenities are not liable to tourists, doesn't 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:04.440 change the fact that Antarctic bases are designed for comfortable, 0:22:04.840 --> 0:22:08.080 long term habitation. Also, there is actually a fair amount 0:22:08.119 --> 0:22:10.840 to do there. Every community has trails for walking, skiing, 0:22:11.000 --> 0:22:15.160 or snowshoeing. Uh. The larger base just basically the three 0:22:15.240 --> 0:22:18.040 kinds of walking. We have three kinds of walking to 0:22:18.119 --> 0:22:22.879 do here in the snow. The large bases have exercise areas. 0:22:23.560 --> 0:22:28.760 Scientists host lectures, holiday celebrations, and game tournaments. I imagine 0:22:28.800 --> 0:22:32.600 they probably play this is the little slide game, shuffle board, 0:22:33.160 --> 0:22:40.159 the shuffleboard on ice uh, hockey, yeah, curling, curling, thank you. 0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:44.680 The permanent bases have libraries and Honestly, there's always someone 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:47.520 who has an interesting story to tell. The temporary basis. 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:49.760 When they abandon them, they just set the library on fire. 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:54.040 I think so. Um. There, then, the most important part 0:22:54.080 --> 0:22:57.359 of polar life is the food. And this doesn't surprise Usually, 0:22:57.359 --> 0:22:59.080 when you're stuck like that, you take your food pretty 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:01.000 seriously because it's like the one thing that you can have. 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:07.040 That's what she says. Actually, no food is the lifeblood 0:23:07.080 --> 0:23:09.639 of any Antarctic camp or base, and the staff does 0:23:09.680 --> 0:23:11.880 our best to make sure that every meal is plentiful 0:23:11.920 --> 0:23:15.119 and delicious. UM. On the medical front, at least on 0:23:15.160 --> 0:23:17.240 the American side of things, it's not nearly as basic 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:21.000 as you described. Um. In fact, many Antarctic communities have 0:23:21.119 --> 0:23:24.879 medical support that is comprehensive and available at towns the 0:23:24.960 --> 0:23:28.000 same size, uh that that is available at towns of 0:23:28.080 --> 0:23:31.000 the same size in Canada or Alaska. The bases have 0:23:31.080 --> 0:23:33.280 equipment to do emergency surgery if needed, and they have 0:23:33.520 --> 0:23:37.520 ic us capable of treating everything from burns to hypothermia. 0:23:37.960 --> 0:23:40.399