1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,399 Speaker 1: Have you ever stopped to think that maybe the very 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,839 smark of life, you know, within our cells could flicker 3 00:00:07,879 --> 00:00:10,160 back on even after, well. 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 2: After we're gone, Or like that the air itself might 5 00:00:12,919 --> 00:00:17,000 hold echoes of old experiments, things done decades ago, with 6 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,519 consequences we're only now sort of understanding. 7 00:00:19,679 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, So today we're diving into some frankly unsettling stuff, 8 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:29,079 pulling back the curtain on things about our world, our history, 9 00:00:29,519 --> 00:00:31,879 even our own bodies that might make you see things 10 00:00:31,879 --> 00:00:33,600 a little differently. 11 00:00:34,039 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 2: Right, And this isn't about trying to scare anyone, is it. 12 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: No, No, not at all. It's about digging into these 13 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:43,159 maybe hidden layers of reality and just understanding them better. 14 00:00:43,359 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 2: And what's really fascinating is how broad this all is. 15 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,640 We're talking biology that pushes the limits of you know, 16 00:00:48,799 --> 00:00:53,039 life and death, historical events that still impact our health, 17 00:00:53,079 --> 00:00:56,320 our environment, even like surprising facts about the microscopic stuff 18 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,200 all around us and inside us. 19 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, it really shows that knowledge often turns up in 20 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,960 the most unexpected places, doesn't it. Okay, so let's start 21 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,959 with something that really blurs that line between life and death. 22 00:01:07,599 --> 00:01:11,200 Picture this scientists sit Yale in twenty nineteen they take 23 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,079 pig brains hours after the pigs died, and they managed 24 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:19,879 to well restart some cellular activity using the system called. 25 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 2: Brain X four hours post mortem. That's a long time 26 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,280 after any normal definition of death, right. 27 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: And they use this special fluid oxygen rich and all that. 28 00:01:29,799 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, nutrient bath essentially, and they actually saw cells start 29 00:01:33,799 --> 00:01:36,400 metabolizing again. Sunaps is firing. 30 00:01:36,159 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: The pathways between neurons. 31 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 2: Exactly, even immune responses kicking back in. It wasn't a 32 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,560 full brain back online thing, but cellular revival. 33 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: And the part that really got me was that they 34 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,239 had to actively block consciousness using chemicals. 35 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:51,879 Speaker 2: Which is ethically complex, right. 36 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,439 Speaker 1: It forces you to ask what is being alive? Is 37 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,760 it just an on off switch or maybe more like 38 00:01:56,799 --> 00:01:58,760 a dimmer that can be I don't know, turned back 39 00:01:58,799 --> 00:01:59,200 up a bit. 40 00:01:59,359 --> 00:02:01,719 Speaker 2: It really challenged lenge is that simple binary view? And 41 00:02:01,719 --> 00:02:04,599 it raises a huge question, maybe a little unsettling about 42 00:02:05,159 --> 00:02:07,079 reversing these processes. 43 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:11,159 Speaker 1: But potentially hopeful too for medicine. Oh absolutely, maybe understanding 44 00:02:11,199 --> 00:02:14,639 how to treat brain damage, neurological disorders looking at cell 45 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,759 recovery in a totally new way. That's the potential upside. 46 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 2: Okay, so from something contained in a lab. Let's shift 47 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,560 to something way bigger. San Francisco nineteen fifty. Okay, the 48 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,800 US Navy decides to spray bacteria all over the city, 49 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:29,120 like drifting in the. 50 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: Fogs, supposedly harmless bacteria. 51 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 2: Supposedly to test vulnerability to a bio attack. What could 52 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:35,719 possibly go wrong? 53 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,039 Speaker 1: Right, Well, it turns out the bacteria Cerussia marsessens wasn't 54 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:40,520 quite so harmless after all. 55 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:46,439 Speaker 2: No people got sick, eleven hospitalizations with pneumonia like symptoms. 56 00:02:46,039 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: And tragically, one man, Edward Nevin, actually died the bacteria 57 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,319 infected his heart. Belves his doctors had no idea why 58 00:02:53,319 --> 00:02:53,800 at the time. 59 00:02:54,039 --> 00:02:56,719 Speaker 2: And the really disturbing thing is nobody in San Francisco 60 00:02:56,759 --> 00:02:59,879 knew this was happening. No consent, nothing, They. 61 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,479 Speaker 1: Were unwitting subjects in a massive experiment. 62 00:03:02,599 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, it took years for the truth to come out, 63 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,360 and we still don't fully know the long term impact 64 00:03:07,439 --> 00:03:10,159 on the micobial balance in the Bay Area. It really 65 00:03:10,159 --> 00:03:12,960 makes you think about ethical boundaries, doesn't it, Especially back 66 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,759 then research ethics weren't always robust. 67 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: It's a stark reminder for sure, transparency, consent all crucial. 68 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,319 Speaker 2: Absolutely, which kind of leads into another difficult one from 69 00:03:24,319 --> 00:03:26,360 that same era, Project Sunshine. 70 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:32,439 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, this one's tough US Atomic Energy Commission nineteen fifties. 71 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 2: Again, and they were secretly collecting well, the bones of 72 00:03:37,039 --> 00:03:37,840 deceased infants. 73 00:03:38,039 --> 00:03:40,879 Speaker 1: It sounds horrific and often without telling the families. 74 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,919 Speaker 2: Right, that's right, no information, no consent. The goal was 75 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:45,599 to measure strong teum ninety levels. 76 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,879 Speaker 1: That's the radioactive stuff from nuclear testing exactly. 77 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 2: It accumulates more readily and younger growing bones, so infants 78 00:03:52,599 --> 00:03:56,080 were seen as unfortunately ideal indicators of fallout levels. 79 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,439 Speaker 1: So they took samples from around fifteen hundred infants globally. 80 00:04:00,039 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 2: Around that number. Yes, a huge secret operation. Ye, just 81 00:04:03,159 --> 00:04:04,960 imagine the violation for those families. 82 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: It only came out in nineteen ninety five when documents 83 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,639 were declassified. It was just chilling how science can sometimes 84 00:04:10,639 --> 00:04:12,039 steamroll basic decency. 85 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 2: The public reaction was understandably huge outrage. President Clinton ordered 86 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,399 an investigation, and it did lead to stricter rules about 87 00:04:20,439 --> 00:04:24,800 informed consent and research. A necessary change born from tragedy. 88 00:04:24,879 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: Okay, let's shift gears a bit away from human experiments 89 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,720 to something ancient bacteria found in a cave in New Mexico. 90 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 2: Right, a cave sealed off for millions of years. 91 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:41,639 Speaker 1: And this bacteria penabacillus it's never encountered modern medicine obviously Nope. 92 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 2: Yet it's naturally resistant to get this twenty six different antibiotics. 93 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,399 Speaker 1: Twenty six including some of our last resort drugs. 94 00:04:50,639 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 2: That's the astonishing part. It evolved these defenses millions of 95 00:04:53,879 --> 00:04:57,560 years ago, completely independent of human antibiotic use. It even 96 00:04:57,639 --> 00:05:00,000 has resistance gene scientists had never seen before. 97 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: So nature was already playing the antibiotic resistance game long 98 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:05,319 before we showed up with penicillin. 99 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:07,519 Speaker 2: Pretty much, it's been humbling, isn't it? And maybe a 100 00:05:07,519 --> 00:05:09,680 little alarming when you think about the superbug problem. 101 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:12,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, how do we keep up if bacteria have had 102 00:05:12,199 --> 00:05:13,560 this head start for eons? 103 00:05:13,879 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 2: Well, maybe by studying these ancient mechanisms, we can find 104 00:05:17,079 --> 00:05:20,480 new ways to fight back, new targets, new strategies. It 105 00:05:20,519 --> 00:05:24,839 shows why exploring even weird environments like deep caves is important. 106 00:05:24,959 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: That makes sense, Okay, thinking about hidden dangers. Most people 107 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:34,600 know Chernobyl, maybe Fukushima, but what about kishtom Ah. 108 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 2: Yes, the nineteen fifty seven disaster in the Soviet Union, 109 00:05:38,879 --> 00:05:41,439 much less known, largely because of the secrecy. 110 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: It happened at a secret plutonium plant, right it did. 111 00:05:44,519 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 2: A storage tank for radioactive waste exploded massively. Yeh. And 112 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:51,000 it contaminated a huge area, dozens. 113 00:05:50,759 --> 00:05:53,399 Speaker 1: Of villages, and the government just kept quiet for a while. 114 00:05:53,519 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 2: Yes, evacuations didn't even start for over a week. People 115 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:58,879 were living in this contaminated zone with no idea what 116 00:05:58,920 --> 00:05:59,360 had happened. 117 00:05:59,399 --> 00:06:01,759 Speaker 1: Can you imagine? The long term health effects must have 118 00:06:01,759 --> 00:06:02,480 been devastating. 119 00:06:02,519 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 2: They were increased cancers, genetic damage, and for decades the 120 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,800 people affected didn't know the real cause. The Soviet government 121 00:06:09,879 --> 00:06:12,040 denied the whole incident until nineteen eighty nine. 122 00:06:12,199 --> 00:06:15,959 Speaker 1: Wow, that lack of transparency just compounded the suffering, didn't. 123 00:06:15,759 --> 00:06:19,759 Speaker 2: It Absolutely a terrible example of secrecy amplifying a disaster's impact. 124 00:06:20,079 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: Okay, let's lighten the moods slightly though. Maybe this next 125 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,399 one is just weird butterflies. 126 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 2: Okay, delicate pretty butterflies. 127 00:06:27,759 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: Well, yes, but turns out their diet isn't just nectar. 128 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,360 Some of them practice something called mud puddling. Mud puddling, Yeah, 129 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:42,079 they gather on mud puddles, but also on things like uh, blood, sweat, 130 00:06:42,639 --> 00:06:43,399 even urine. 131 00:06:43,519 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 2: Wait, butterflies drinking blood and urine. That's unexpected, right. 132 00:06:47,759 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 1: It sounds gross to us, but it's how they get 133 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:54,319 essential minerals, sodium, salts, amino acid. Stuff that's low in nectar. 134 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,639 Blood is actually pretty rich in that stuff. 135 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:00,199 Speaker 2: So it's a survival strategy getting necessary nutrients from unlike. 136 00:07:00,759 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 1: Exactly still kind of ruins the image of them gently 137 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:04,879 sipping from flowers though. 138 00:07:04,759 --> 00:07:07,759 Speaker 2: A little bit. But don't worry. They can't actually bite 139 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:09,439 or pierce human skin to get it. 140 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,319 Speaker 1: Good. That's a relief. 141 00:07:11,519 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 2: Nature's resourceful, I guess definitely, even if it seems weird. 142 00:07:15,439 --> 00:07:18,199 Speaker 1: Speaking of things that might seem weird once you know, Yeah, 143 00:07:18,279 --> 00:07:20,920 how much thought do you give to like food defects? 144 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,040 What the FDA actually allows in our food? 145 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,519 Speaker 2: Ah, the defect action level? Yeah, yeah, it's eye opening. 146 00:07:26,839 --> 00:07:30,879 Speaker 1: It really is. Like peanut butter legally it can contain 147 00:07:30,959 --> 00:07:35,279 up to thirty insect fragments per one hundergrams. 148 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:36,959 Speaker 2: And uh, I think one rodent hair. 149 00:07:36,839 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: One rodent hair. Yeah, and chocolate up to sixty insect 150 00:07:40,199 --> 00:07:41,519 fragments in the same amount. 151 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,759 Speaker 2: Even something like tomato juice can have allowable levels of 152 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,600 fly eggs or larvae. 153 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,399 Speaker 1: It's enough to make you pause before taking a bite, 154 00:07:48,439 --> 00:07:48,839 isn't it. 155 00:07:49,199 --> 00:07:52,399 Speaker 2: The FDA says these levels are unavoidable in large scale 156 00:07:52,439 --> 00:07:55,480 production and don't pose a health risk. Trying to get 157 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,600 zero defects would apparently make food way too expensive. 158 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,439 Speaker 1: And okay, maybe it is most harmless extra protein, but 159 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,800 just knowing you're probably eating bits of bugs and well worse, 160 00:08:05,519 --> 00:08:06,240 it's unsettling. 161 00:08:06,319 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 2: Definitely highlights the realities of our industrial food system. Compromises 162 00:08:09,839 --> 00:08:10,680 are made. 163 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:14,839 Speaker 1: For sure. Okay. Now for something truly medically bizarre. Lazarus syndrome. 164 00:08:14,959 --> 00:08:19,519 Speaker 2: Ah, yes, the spontaneous return of circulation after someone's been declared. 165 00:08:19,199 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: Dead, exactly after CPR is stopped, everything ceased, and then 166 00:08:22,839 --> 00:08:26,079 the heart just starts again. It sounds impossible. 167 00:08:26,199 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 2: It's incredibly rare, but it is documented. I think there 168 00:08:28,519 --> 00:08:30,839 was something like thirty two cases noted between the early 169 00:08:30,879 --> 00:08:31,959 eighties and two thousand and eight. 170 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:33,879 Speaker 1: Do doctors even know why it happens? 171 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,039 Speaker 2: Their theories One main idea is about built up pressure 172 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:40,240 in the chest from CPR. When that pressure is released 173 00:08:40,279 --> 00:08:43,440 after stopping, Maybe it triggers a delayed electrical jolt or 174 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,320 something in the heart, but it's still largely a mystery, and. 175 00:08:46,279 --> 00:08:48,919 Speaker 1: It's why doctors now often wait and monitor for a 176 00:08:48,919 --> 00:08:52,240 bit after declaring death, right just in case exactly, Yeah, it's. 177 00:08:52,159 --> 00:08:54,799 Speaker 2: A standard precaution. Now shows how complex the body is 178 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,639 and maybe how little we fully understand the exact point 179 00:08:57,639 --> 00:08:58,039 of death. 180 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: Wild Okay, shifting from the audio to the environment again. 181 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,240 Rainwater you'd think it's pure, right, especially falling from the. 182 00:09:05,159 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 2: Sky, you would think, But a twenty twenty two study 183 00:09:08,159 --> 00:09:12,399 came to a pretty shocking conclusion. Rainwater globally is now 184 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,960 considered unsafe to drink by EPA. 185 00:09:14,639 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: Standards, globally, like everywhere. 186 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,639 Speaker 2: Everywhere, even in remote places like Antarctica or the Tibetan Plateau. 187 00:09:21,759 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: How is that even possible? 188 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 2: The fas per and polyfloromolcile substances often called forever chemicals. 189 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:32,039 Speaker 1: Ah, the stuff in nonstick pans, waterproof clothes. 190 00:09:31,919 --> 00:09:35,399 Speaker 2: Firefighting foam. Yeah, they have these super strong chemical bonds, 191 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,600 so they just don't break down easily in the environment. 192 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:38,799 They persist, and now. 193 00:09:38,639 --> 00:09:42,519 Speaker 1: They're literally in the rain falling everywhere. That's concerning very. 194 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,519 Speaker 2: They get into the global water cycle and the long 195 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,600 term health effects are still being studied, but there are 196 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:54,879 links to immune issues liver problems, maybe some cancers. It's 197 00:09:54,879 --> 00:09:56,519 a huge contamination issue. 198 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: And it's not just the rain. Is it microplastics? 199 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:03,039 Speaker 2: Right? Their study also from twenty twenty two, found microplastic 200 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,080 particles in the blood of almost eighty percent of healthy 201 00:10:06,159 --> 00:10:07,799 volunteers eighty percent. 202 00:10:07,919 --> 00:10:11,519 Speaker 1: So we're not just surrounded by plastic. It's actually inside us, 203 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:13,320 circulating in our blood, it seems. 204 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 2: So these are tiny particles, small enough to travel around 205 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,960 the body. They've even found them in human placentas and 206 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:19,879 lung tissue. 207 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,919 Speaker 1: We're literally carrying plastic within us. What does that even 208 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:24,559 mean for our health long term? 209 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 2: That's the big question, isn't it We just don't know yet, 210 00:10:27,159 --> 00:10:31,000 could cause inflammation, immune reactions. It's a major area of 211 00:10:31,039 --> 00:10:34,000 research now, but the reality is it's already happening. 212 00:10:34,159 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: That's kind of terrifying. Okay, tech related unease now pacemakers. 213 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:39,720 Speaker 2: Life saving devices exactly. 214 00:10:40,039 --> 00:10:43,799 Speaker 1: But in twenty seventeen, the FDA revealed a huge software 215 00:10:43,879 --> 00:10:46,919 vulnerability affecting hundreds of thousands of them. 216 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, about four hundred and sixty five thousand devices were recalled. 217 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,080 I think the issue was that they could potentially be 218 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:54,879 hacked remotely. 219 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: Hacked, like someone could control someone else's pacemaker. 220 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 2: Theoretically, yes, the vulnerability allow someone to say, drain the 221 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,080 battery faster, or even mess with the heartbeat pacing. 222 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 1: That is straight out of a nightmare scenario. Did it 223 00:11:07,639 --> 00:11:08,399 actually happen? 224 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 2: Thankfully, no confirmed cases of malicious attacks, but the potential 225 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,279 was there. It was a massive wake up call for 226 00:11:15,399 --> 00:11:16,919 medical device cybersecurity. 227 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,679 Speaker 1: You think, when technology is literally keeping you alive, security 228 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:24,639 becomes pretty paramount, absolutely critical. Okay, another unsettling thought, lost 229 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:25,559 nuclear weapons. 230 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:26,559 Speaker 2: Oh yeah. 231 00:11:26,759 --> 00:11:28,759 Speaker 1: Nineteen fifty eight, off the coast of Georgia and near 232 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,919 Tybee Island, a US bomber collides with a fighter jet 233 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,159 during training. To land safely, they had to jettison their cargo, 234 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,600 which included a seven six hundred pound nuclear bomb. 235 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,559 Speaker 2: And they just dropped it in the ocean yep. 236 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:42,159 Speaker 1: Into the water near Tybee Island. 237 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 2: The Navy searched but never found it, never found. It's 238 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:46,399 still out there somewhere now. 239 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,399 Speaker 1: The official story is that the nuclear core wasn't installed, 240 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:52,519 so it can't detonate like a full nuclear explosion. 241 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 2: Still a multi thousand pound bomb with nuclear material sitting 242 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,279 on the seabed, and apparently it's not the only one 243 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,440 the US military has lost and never recovered. 244 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: Reports suggest at least three are still unaccounted for, which 245 00:12:06,879 --> 00:12:12,480 is not ideal. Even unarmed, the risk of disturbance, contamination, 246 00:12:12,799 --> 00:12:15,120 or falling into the wrong hands isn't zero. 247 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 2: Not exactly comforting. Speaking of large scale risks, volcanic supereruptions. 248 00:12:20,279 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: Okay, now we're talking geological scale disaster. 249 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, your research suggests we might actually be statistically speaking overdue. 250 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: For one, they seem to happen roughly every twenty thousand 251 00:12:30,159 --> 00:12:32,519 years or so based on the geological record, and. 252 00:12:32,519 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 2: The last known one was about twenty six thousand years 253 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:36,559 ago in New Zealand. 254 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: So yeah, mathematically we're in the window. Potentially, these things 255 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,879 build pressure for millions of years, and. 256 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:47,399 Speaker 2: When they go it's catastrophic, right, Pyroclastic flows ash covering continents, 257 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:52,240 global climate impacts, devastating on an almost unimaginable scale. It's 258 00:12:52,279 --> 00:12:56,120 a reminder of the immense natural forces at play on 259 00:12:56,159 --> 00:12:56,720 our planet. 260 00:12:56,919 --> 00:12:59,759 Speaker 1: A humbling thought, for sure. Let's bring it back down 261 00:12:59,799 --> 00:13:04,240 to something maybe more every day, but still a bit weird. Kids. 262 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 2: Candy, Oh what's weird about candy besides the sugar? 263 00:13:07,879 --> 00:13:10,919 Speaker 1: Well, have you ever looked for TDHQ on the ingredients list. 264 00:13:10,799 --> 00:13:16,120 Speaker 2: PBHQ tertiary beauti hydrocrenone, the preservatives. 265 00:13:15,519 --> 00:13:19,279 Speaker 1: That's the one. It stops fats going rancid, keeps colors bright. Chemically, 266 00:13:19,279 --> 00:13:21,960 it's actually kind of similar to butane, like lighter fluid. 267 00:13:22,039 --> 00:13:23,919 Speaker 2: Okay, that sounds a bit off. 268 00:13:23,879 --> 00:13:26,159 Speaker 1: And some lab studies on animals have linked it to 269 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:30,120 things like behavioral issues, immune problems, even cancer risk. 270 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 2: And it's in a lot of stuff aimed at kids, 271 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:36,080 not just Halloween candy, but crackers, frozen snacks. 272 00:13:35,799 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, quite a few processed foods. The FDA sets limits 273 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,120 and says it's safe at those levels, but seeing those studies, 274 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:44,960 it makes you wonder about cumulative exposure, especially for kids. 275 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,759 Speaker 2: It does raise questions, doesn't it. Even if regulated, The 276 00:13:47,759 --> 00:13:50,200 widespread use is something to consider definitely. 277 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,399 Speaker 1: Now for something really heavy modern slavery. 278 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 2: It's hard to believe, but it's true. 279 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:58,320 Speaker 1: More people are enslaved today than at any other time 280 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,600 in history. The figure is something like over fifteen million 281 00:14:01,639 --> 00:14:04,000 people just enforced labor situations, and. 282 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 2: If you include forced marriage, the number jumps way higher 283 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:08,639 into the tens of millions. 284 00:14:09,279 --> 00:14:13,840 Speaker 1: Globally, it's happening everywhere often hidden. Women, children, migrants are 285 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:15,159 especially vulnerable. 286 00:14:15,399 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 2: It's a horrific reality of the twenty first century, a 287 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,000 stark reminder that basic human rights are still denied on 288 00:14:21,039 --> 00:14:21,879 a massive scale. 289 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:24,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, needs so much more awareness and action. 290 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 2: Absolutely understanding the driver's poverty conflict inequality is key to 291 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:30,519 fighting it. 292 00:14:30,639 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: Okay, switching DearS again to something medically strange and a 293 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,120 bit grim. Your pinky toe. 294 00:14:36,919 --> 00:14:38,279 Speaker 2: My pinky toe, what about it? 295 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: Did you know? It can, in some cases just fall 296 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:42,039 off on its own auto amputation? 297 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 2: It can? What how? 298 00:14:43,639 --> 00:14:47,399 Speaker 1: It happens with severe conditions like uncontrolled diabetes or peripheral 299 00:14:47,519 --> 00:14:50,600 artery disease, leading to something called dry gang. 300 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:51,919 Speaker 2: Green Okay, gang green I've heard of. 301 00:14:52,159 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: So the blood supply gets cut off completely, the tissue dies, 302 00:14:55,519 --> 00:14:59,440 dries out, mummifies basically, and eventually the dead part can 303 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,240 just naturally separate and detach from the healthy tissue. 304 00:15:02,399 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 2: So it just shrivels and falls off. 305 00:15:04,679 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: Pretty much gruesome, but it shows what happens when circulation 306 00:15:07,639 --> 00:15:11,799 fails completely. Definitely motivation to manage conditions like diabetes. 307 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 2: Wow. Yeah, that's vivid and a series consequence right. 308 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,559 Speaker 1: Okay, back to public spaces restrooms, we know flushing with 309 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,279 the lid up, sprays. 310 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:23,679 Speaker 2: Germs, the lovely toilet plume. 311 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: Yes, well, those powerful hot air hand dryers, they might 312 00:15:28,039 --> 00:15:29,159 be making things worse. 313 00:15:29,279 --> 00:15:31,159 Speaker 2: How so they dry your hands, don't they? 314 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,799 Speaker 1: They do, But studies show they can suck in that 315 00:15:33,879 --> 00:15:38,240 contaminated restroom air, including the toilet plume particles. Oh no, 316 00:15:38,759 --> 00:15:40,720 heat it up and then blast it right back onto 317 00:15:40,759 --> 00:15:41,559 your clean hands. 318 00:15:41,639 --> 00:15:44,519 Speaker 2: So you're basically blow drying bacteria into your hands in 319 00:15:44,519 --> 00:15:45,159 some cases. 320 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, studies found higher bacterial counts after using them compared 321 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:49,600 to paper towels. 322 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 2: That's completely counterintuitive, So paper towels are actually. 323 00:15:52,759 --> 00:15:56,159 Speaker 1: Better often, yes, from a hygiene perspective. In that environment 324 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:58,120 makes you think twice about hitting that. 325 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 2: Button, definitely does, Okay. One for the guys listening perhaps 326 00:16:01,879 --> 00:16:02,720 have been uncomfortable. 327 00:16:03,039 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: Testicular torsion right, the twisting of the testicle cutting off 328 00:16:06,879 --> 00:16:09,480 blood flow, painful and dangerous. 329 00:16:09,879 --> 00:16:12,799 Speaker 2: Most people assume it happens during sports or something active. 330 00:16:13,399 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, but it can actually happen while. 331 00:16:15,279 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 2: You're asleep, seriously, in your sleep. 332 00:16:18,039 --> 00:16:21,759 Speaker 1: Yep, especially common in teens and young adults. The triggers 333 00:16:21,759 --> 00:16:26,039 aren't always clear. Maybe muscle movements during sleep, temperature changes, 334 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:27,679 but it happens. 335 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,519 Speaker 2: And it's medical emergency right needs immedia treatment. 336 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: Absolutely. Time is critical to save the testicle. So even 337 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,799 sleep isn't always safe from sudden medical issues. 338 00:16:36,879 --> 00:16:39,799 Speaker 2: Another reminder to listen to your body, even if it 339 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:40,840 wakes you up suddenly. 340 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,519 Speaker 1: Exactly. Okay, think about just walking around outside in a city. 341 00:16:44,679 --> 00:16:46,080 How often do you think you're on camera? 342 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:50,759 Speaker 2: Oh, constantly? Probably security cameras everywhere, doorbell cameras, people's phones. 343 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: Estimates say in major cities, the average person might be 344 00:16:53,879 --> 00:16:58,039 caught on CCTV like seventy times a day, maybe more. 345 00:16:58,519 --> 00:17:01,639 Speaker 2: And that's not even counting online traffic cams. Yeah, we're 346 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:02,919 just constantly monitored. 347 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,160 Speaker 1: Privacy feels like it's evaporating, doesn't it. We live under 348 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:08,319 this invisible, constant surveillance. 349 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:13,440 Speaker 2: It raises huge questions about security versus freedom, data use, 350 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:17,480 potential misuse. It's a massive societal issue for sure. 351 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:21,400 Speaker 1: And while we're being watched, we're also communicating in a 352 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:22,720 way we don't even realize. 353 00:17:23,279 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 2: Through smell, you mean, like pheromones sort of. 354 00:17:26,519 --> 00:17:30,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, research shows we're constantly subconsciously sniffing each other, picking 355 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:32,519 up chemical signals in sweat. 356 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 2: Really, what kind of signals? 357 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: Emotional states fear, stress, happiness. Apparently our bodies react to 358 00:17:40,039 --> 00:17:43,400 these sense without us even knowing, Like smelling fear sweat 359 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:44,480 can make us more alert. 360 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 2: So there's this whole hidden layer of communication going on 361 00:17:47,839 --> 00:17:50,799 based on smell influencing how we react to each other. 362 00:17:51,079 --> 00:17:54,079 Speaker 1: Seems like it a silent language of body odor shaping 363 00:17:54,079 --> 00:17:56,119 our interactions. Pretty fascinating, it really is. 364 00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 2: Shows how much goes on beneath the surface of conscious awareness. 365 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:03,559 Speaker 1: Okay, here's a really stark statistic, missing persons. Millions go 366 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,039 missing globally each year. 367 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:06,119 Speaker 2: It's a huge number. 368 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:09,599 Speaker 1: In the US alone, it's over six hundred thousand reports 369 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:12,880 filed annually. Now, most adults are found, thankfully, but not 370 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:16,759 all No, about one percent of adults remain missing forever, 371 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,519 and for kids it's tragically higher, around two point two percent. 372 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,519 Speaker 2: Those numbers represent so much uncertainty and heartbreak for families. 373 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:30,119 The reasons are complex accidents, crime, voluntary disappearance, mental health. 374 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: It's just a reminder of how vulnerable people can be 375 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:33,759 and the pain of not knowing. 376 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 2: Definitely and shifting to another unseen experience. 377 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,640 Speaker 1: Auditory hallucinations in kids, hearing voices or sounds that aren't 378 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:42,519 there exactly. 379 00:18:42,759 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 2: Research suggests it's actually relatively common in children and teens, 380 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:48,799 maybe five to sixteen percent experience it at some point. 381 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,200 Speaker 1: That seems high. Is it always serious? 382 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,599 Speaker 2: Not necessarily. It can be temporary related distress or just 383 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:57,960 a develop metal phase. But if it's persistent and distressing, 384 00:18:58,319 --> 00:19:00,319 it can be a sign of underlying mental health issues. 385 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:02,559 So it's important to be aware and seek help if needed. 386 00:19:02,759 --> 00:19:06,519 Speaker 1: Right, differentiating between typical development and potential problems is key. 387 00:19:06,599 --> 00:19:09,160 Speaker 2: Okay, how about a virus from algae living in your throat? 388 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 1: What now? 389 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, ATCV one. It's normally found in green algae, but 390 00:19:13,599 --> 00:19:16,240 scientists found it in the throats of about forty percent 391 00:19:16,279 --> 00:19:19,160 of healthy humans they tested, and these people weren't sick. 392 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:24,039 Speaker 1: Nope, no typical illness symptoms. But here's the twist. They 393 00:19:24,079 --> 00:19:27,440 found a correlation between having the virus and scoring slightly 394 00:19:27,519 --> 00:19:31,160 lower on tests of attention and visual processing. 395 00:19:30,759 --> 00:19:35,319 Speaker 2: So an algae virus might be subtly affecting cognition potentially. 396 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: Follow Up studies in mice suggested it could directly impact 397 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:42,759 brain function. The idea that common microbes could be tweaking 398 00:19:42,759 --> 00:19:45,319 our brains without us knowing it's wild. 399 00:19:45,519 --> 00:19:48,079 Speaker 2: It really highlights the complexity of the microbiome. Right, ye, 400 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:51,440 all those tiny organisms living on and in us and 401 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:53,960 how they might influence everything, even our thoughts. 402 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,559 Speaker 1: Definitely Okay, something else potentially hiding inside us brain aneurysms, the. 403 00:19:58,519 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 2: Weak spots and blood vessels in the brain. 404 00:20:00,519 --> 00:20:03,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, and the statistic is startling. About one in fifty 405 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:04,680 people has one. 406 00:20:04,799 --> 00:20:06,160 Speaker 2: That is surprisingly common. 407 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: Most people have no idea, and most aneurysms thankfully never 408 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,160 cause problems. They stay small, don't rupture. But if they 409 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:17,119 do rupture a brain bleed, uh, a stroke, potentially fatal. 410 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,079 So millions walk around with this tiny potential time bomb 411 00:20:21,079 --> 00:20:21,519 in their head. 412 00:20:21,759 --> 00:20:25,519 Speaker 2: It's usually asymptomatic until it ruptures, which is the scary part. 413 00:20:26,279 --> 00:20:31,279 Detection has improved, but screening everyone isn't really feasible given 414 00:20:31,319 --> 00:20:33,599 the relatively low rupture risk for most. 415 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,880 Speaker 1: Still unsettling to think about. And finally, let's talk intrusive thoughts. 416 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:42,880 Speaker 2: Ah. Yes, those random, unwonted, often disturbing thoughts that just 417 00:20:43,039 --> 00:20:43,920 pop into your head. 418 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 1: What if I just exactly the kind that make you think, 419 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,359 where did that come from? Am I a terrible person? 420 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 2: The key thing to know is they are incredibly common. 421 00:20:53,319 --> 00:20:56,480 Estimates say, nineteen out of twenty people experience. 422 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,400 Speaker 1: Them nineteen out of twenty, So basically everyone pretty much. 423 00:21:00,079 --> 00:21:02,319 Speaker 2: Having a weird or bad thought doesn't mean anything about 424 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:06,519 your character and tensions. It's just brain noise, a normal 425 00:21:06,519 --> 00:21:07,759 glitch in the system. 426 00:21:07,519 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: That's actually really reassuring to hear. It's not the thought itself, 427 00:21:10,279 --> 00:21:12,079 it's whether you dwell on it or act on it. 428 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 2: Precisely. They only become a problem if they're constant, cause 429 00:21:15,759 --> 00:21:18,920 huge distress or interfere with life. Then it might be 430 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:23,839 something like OCD that needs attention, But the thoughts themselves normal. 431 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: Well, that was quite a journey through some pretty unforgettable information, 432 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:28,759 wasn't it. 433 00:21:28,759 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 2: It really was. From pig brains to brain thoughts, microplastics 434 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:35,960 to supervolcanoes. It covers a lot of ground. 435 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a lot to take in, from the nature 436 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:43,599 of life itself to hidden contaminants weird biology. It definitely 437 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:44,279 makes you think. 438 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:48,279 Speaker 2: It really highlights how complex and frankly strange the world is, 439 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:51,240 both world around us and the world inside us. So 440 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:53,240 many layers we don't usually consider. 441 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: So thinking about all those reviving cells after death, plastic 442 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,920 in our blood forever, chemicals and rain, maybe being over 443 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,240 due for a supereruption. What does it even mean to 444 00:22:03,279 --> 00:22:06,720 be aware or safe in the modern world. It feels 445 00:22:06,759 --> 00:22:09,599 like there are so many unseen forces and hidden realities. 446 00:22:09,759 --> 00:22:12,519 Speaker 2: That's a profound question, isn't it. Maybe it means embracing 447 00:22:12,599 --> 00:22:16,440 that complexity, staying curious, questioning things and accepting that there's 448 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,960 always more going on than meets the eye, and perhaps 449 00:22:19,039 --> 00:22:22,440 understanding our own biology, even the unsettling parts, gives us 450 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:23,920 a bit more agency. 451 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:27,039 Speaker 1: A good perspective, whether you're now side eyeing butterflies or 452 00:22:27,079 --> 00:22:30,200 pondering geological time. Hopefully this deep dive has given you 453 00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:33,279 well something to think about, a different lens. 454 00:22:33,319 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 2: Maybe, until next time, we explore the unexpected.