Episode Details

Learn about how blind people can describe what animals look like, how “Ring Around the Rosie” probably doesn’t reference the Plague, and why scientists used Cladosporium sphaerospermum, a radiosynthetic species of fungus, to build a radiation shield.  Ring Around the Rosie probably doesn't reference the plague by Kelsey Donk Mikkelson, D. (2000, November 17). Is ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ About the Black Plague? Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ring-around-rosie/  Opie, I. A. and Opie, P. (1985). The Singing Game. Oxford University Press. https://archive.org/details/ibald00iona/page/221/mode/2up  Blind People Can Describe What Animals Look Like — But How? by Sonja Hodgen Tantibanchachai, C. (2019). Flamingoes, Elephants and Sharks: How Do Blind Adults Learn About Animal Appearance? News from The Johns Hopkins University. Jhu.Edu; Johns Hopkins University. https://releases.jhu.edu/2019/05/21/flamingoes-elephants-and-sharks-how-do-blind-adults-learn-about-animal-appearance/ Kim, J. S., Elli, G. V., & Bedny, M. (2019). Knowledge of animal appearance among sighted and blind adults. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900952116   We might be able to use fungus as a radiation shield by Cameron Duke Ryan, J. (2020, July 26). Self-replicating Chernobyl mold could protect the ISS from space radiation. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/news/self-replicating-chernobyl-mold-could-protect-the-iss-from-space-radiation/  Shunk, G. K., Gomez, X. R., & Averesch, N. J. H. (2020). A Self-Replicating Radiation-Shield for Human Deep-Space Exploration: Radiotrophic Fungi can Attenuate Ionizing Radiation aboard the International Space Station. BioRxiv. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.16.205534  Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.