1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, the production 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: to the podcast. I'm Tracy Vie Wilson and I'm Holly Fry. 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: It's time for our behind the scenes many So time 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: and an accidental science week that we're having this week. 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: We didn't plan for it to be science week, but 7 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: it is. It happens that way. It's always funny to 8 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: me because often, um, Tracy and I don't always consult 9 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 1: each other on what we're working on. At this point, 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: we've both done so many that we don't really you know, 11 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: need to check in all that much. But every once 12 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: in a while this happens where we both seem to 13 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 1: be on the same wavelengs and we do slightly related episodes. 14 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: Yeah science time. Yeah. Usually at most they're sort of 15 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: an f y I check in stop of what the 16 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: topic is, or if it's something that one of us 17 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: knows is sort of more difficult subject territory for the other, 18 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: they'll they'll be sort of a hey, just as it are, 19 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: we are we okay to talk about this this week? Yeah? Yeah, 20 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 1: uh So. In my life, I have always struggled and 21 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: continued to struggle with basic arithmetic. But then when I 22 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: got into like more complicated mathematics and then like into 23 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: more mathematically involved physics and chemistry and stuff like that. 24 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: In school, I actually did pretty well and all of that. 25 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: But the work that Shian Chung Wu was doing and experimental, 26 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: you know, subatanic physics, I don't understand. I watched so 27 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: many explanatory videos on uh beta decay. Basically I get 28 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: on a basic level, but I watched so many videos 29 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: that were about her experiment and about what parody is, 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: and about a lot of the more general state of 31 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: the field of experimental physics at the time, and I'd 32 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: be like, Okay, I don't don't feel like I understand 33 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: what this means. It's it's weird. I felt like I 34 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: was pretty good and as a physics student until I 35 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 1: got to this episode. Um, the thought in my head 36 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: is so weird. I'm reluctant to say it, but I'm 37 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: gonna uh, I feel like I'm gonna sound like a 38 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: crazy person. Come with me. I feel like this is 39 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: one of those places we're having studied Samuel Beckett really 40 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: helps me. Huh. Here's why, because there is a level 41 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: of just acceptance with Beckett like you have to understand 42 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: that you don't always grasp all of what it is, 43 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: and you just accept it, and then you're in the 44 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: material and it sort of starts to make its own 45 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: weird logical sense. And I feel like that same thing. 46 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: I am a little bit better now at applying to 47 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: things like physics that are difficult concepts and it kind 48 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: of makes a weird sense to me. Does that make sense? Yes, 49 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: where I'm like, oh, yes, of course the mirror image 50 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: of parody makes absolutely of course that makes sense. But 51 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: if anybody ever had to really get a scientific explanation, 52 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: I would be like, let's consult the book. Yeah, yeah, 53 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: there there was a whole lot of physics. Headshaking. I 54 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: also really appreciated the fact that there is a biography 55 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: of San Chung Wu and it was actually written in 56 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: China in Chinese and translated into English. And one of 57 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: the things that folks who read a lot of literature 58 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: that is outside of where they grew up in the 59 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: language they speak, one of the things that people notice 60 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: is the way different cultures address language and address the 61 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: craft of how you put a story together, Like there 62 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: can be differences, um, and it was really interesting to 63 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: me to read this biography which was written in Chinese 64 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: translated into English, that like the structure of it was 65 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: a little different from what I am used to. There 66 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: was like more repeating of previous material at the beginning 67 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: of a chapter, which I just found to be fascinating 68 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: and was like it was it led me down a 69 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: whole rabbit hole of like, is this more a more 70 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: common way of structuring a story in China and in 71 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: Chinese or is that this like this one particular writer's style, 72 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 1: And so now I'm very curious. I wonder too. I 73 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: do not speak Chinese, but my understanding is that there 74 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: are not conjugations of verb tense in Chinese, so it's 75 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 1: not like a verb conveys future or past. It's all 76 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: sort of now. So I suspect in translation that might 77 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: lead to some of that repetition um where it seems 78 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: like it's the same thing coming up again and again, 79 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: but in fact it probably through nuance, was conveyed as 80 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: being framed in different ways on the timeline would be 81 00:04:55,279 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 1: my guests. Yeah, okay, that's fascinating too. Uh. That kind 82 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: of reminds me of how occasionally when I will need 83 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: to run some like French through Google Translate that gets 84 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 1: really confused about the gender of anything because you know 85 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: all the all the nouns. There's law and the law, 86 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: and when you when you speak French, you will understand 87 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: that you were talking about her dog. But suddenly Google 88 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: Translate will be like his dog, and I'm like, no, 89 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: you're just confused to Google Translate anyway. Neither of us, 90 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: as Chinese speakers is very amazing and pronouncing Chinese words, No, 91 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: they're very, very difficult for me. And as I said loud, 92 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: last week's casual Friday or not last week's, but several back, 93 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: I think I tend to speak everything with a French accent, 94 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 1: which is a garbage way to do it, and I'm 95 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: trying to cure myself of that very very bad habit. Yeah, 96 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: our our, our pronunciations on this one did come from 97 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: Mandarin Chinese speakers, and then we did our best to 98 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: try to render that accurately. So fingers crossed that we did, okay, 99 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: and apologies if we did not. So So, Tracy, I 100 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: have to confess that in recent years I have felt 101 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: a large degree of guilt over every time that I 102 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: ever inhaled helium to make my voice sound silly now 103 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: knowing that it is a finite resource that we kind 104 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 1: of live on a precipice of running out of all 105 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: the time. I don't think I've come to that point. 106 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: But when we had that conversation at the top of 107 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: the episode about how I was the person that had 108 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: to go get the little helium tank and balloons for 109 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: my brother's wedding, like it was the smallest tank that 110 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: was available at at the you know, party supply store. 111 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,039 Speaker 1: But I did start feeling kind of guilty by the 112 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: end that what I wound up doing with it was 113 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: when I moved and I was like, I still have 114 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: this little helium tank. I basically brought it to the 115 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 1: house stuff works video department, and who knows, who knows 116 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: whether it made its way into some kind of video 117 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: use after that point. Probably they're a resourceful group. They 118 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: are very resourceful. Yeah, I also just uh, I know, 119 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: I I messaged you about it while I was working 120 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: on it. But I was so pleased that this had 121 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: an instance in this episode of scientists who could have 122 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: gotten into an argument over who should get credit for 123 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: their work, but instead became best friends. To me, that's 124 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: the others well, and uh like, to some extent, I 125 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: get it when there are big scientific disputes, because I mean, 126 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: sometimes those kind of discoveries really make or break somebody's career, 127 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: so I understand. But at the same time, those they 128 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: can become so acrimonious. Yeah, it's uh. We talked about 129 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: this a little bit in our our sul Hurts episode 130 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: as well, Like, there's there's that part of me that 131 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: just just sad because I'm a little bit of an 132 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: idealist and I want the pursuit of knowledge to be 133 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: this pure and beautiful thing in every by to work 134 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: together and cheer each other. But as you said, there 135 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: are high stakes in terms of people's livelihoods, and it 136 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: does make sense that there would be moments of disparity 137 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: between people. I don't know how to fix that. I 138 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: don't I don't know how to fix the human condition, 139 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: but I'm I'm pleased that in this one instance, related 140 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: to observing the sun without the need for an eclipse 141 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: and figuring out how to use a spectroscope for any 142 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: time viewing it resulted in a nearly four decade close friendship. Um. 143 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,559 Speaker 1: I really appreciated that by total coincidence, we did this 144 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: episode after our earlier episode of the week because when 145 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: I was working on Chan Chung Wu, I really was 146 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: like my I felt like the understanding of what she 147 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: was talking about was on the other side of a 148 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 1: wall in my mind that I was banging my head against. 149 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: And then we got to come over to Helium, which 150 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: included like all my favorite types of things from when 151 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: I took physics and astronomy, and I was like, hey, yeah, 152 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: my brain, my brain can still do science. It just 153 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: can't do uh some beta decay parody in subatomic physics situation. Yes, 154 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: elemental signatures in the visible light spectrum is a good 155 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: stuff and it it As I said in the episode, 156 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: it's one of those things that I still I can 157 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,079 Speaker 1: I can wrap my brain around what's happening, but I'm 158 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: still wowed when when astronomers and astrophysicists today look at 159 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: at a new thing that we've discovered out in the 160 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: the vast expanse of space and they're like, oh, we 161 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:36,599 Speaker 1: think it's made of this and this, and I was 162 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: like wow, um, because I love it and I love science. 163 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 1: I always feel like a little bit, you know, my 164 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,199 Speaker 1: science grasp is um hit or miss I find, but 165 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: I still love it so deeply, and I love that 166 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: the there are people who use their incredible intellect for 167 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,439 Speaker 1: the betterment of our understanding of our place in the universe. 168 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: To me, that's like one of the noblest pursuits for sure. 169 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 1: And if there are folks that are like man, what 170 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: is why is it so much science? I don't know 171 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: what you're working on for next time, but next time 172 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: what I'm working on is very far away from what 173 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: we are talking about this week. Yeah, same, same, I 174 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: always want to talk about science, but I know I 175 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: do it a lot. I almost had a moment one 176 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: of the people while I was researching this episode. There 177 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: was a person that came up uh, and then it 178 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: became about photographing the moon, and I was like, no, no, no, 179 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: get away, You've done so yeah. Um. I responded to 180 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: a couple of listener suggestion emails that we got over 181 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,560 Speaker 1: the past week with with basically, yeah, that is actually 182 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: on my short list for a thing, but it has 183 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 1: so many overlapping UH themes with stuff we've just done 184 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: that I'm trying to save it for a little bit later. 185 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,079 Speaker 1: That doesn't always work out. We still have runs of 186 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: a similar theme on the show, but you know, we try. Yeah, 187 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: it happens. It happens. And then, as we said, this 188 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: was completely coincidental that we both picked science this time. Yeah, 189 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 1: sometimes that's just how it goes. Uh, we're on whatever, 190 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 1: We're both in the science zone for whatever reason. Stuffy 191 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: Missed Industry Class is a production of I Heart Radios 192 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, 193 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 194 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.