4/2/2019
Episode 22: That Sh*t Cray
“More intellectual than I expected.” Our listeners should expect nothing less from an episode of Facts Machine all about poop! Would you believe that in this episode we discuss the natural philosophy of Aristotle, the finer points of long-term space exploration, AND cutting-edge (or should we say, “surface-level”) biomimicry in engineering? Just to be clear, though, this is definitely an episode about poop. There will be jokes.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Anchor | Radio Public
This episode was written and hosted by Emily Costa, Rob Frawley, and Noah Guiberson. The episode was produced and our theme was composed by Anthony Antonelli. Our logo was designed by Mike Zolla.
Thumbnail photo: A painting of Plato and Aristotle by Raphael, surprisingly devoid of sewer and pizza grease stains. (Wikimedia Commons)
Bonus resources/content:
The full text of Aristotle’s Masterpiece on iTunes for your reading pleasure.
Aristotle’s Masterpiece offers centuries-old advice about sex and childbirth, as well as gender reveal party ideas that you definitely won’t find on Pinterest.
To compare your mundane, Earth-based life experiences to those of Scott Kelly’s (almost) year in space:
A mere 684 sunrises and sunsets? Lame. (from nasa.gov/oneyear)
The projected population growth of the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts per American Sewerage Practice (a bona fide toilet read). For context, the population of New Bedford in 2017 was actually 95,120.
Speaking of reading on the toilet, per a 2009 study toilet readers are less likely to develop constipation and hemorrhoids than non-toilet readers. While this might encourage bookish BMs, you won’t find support for the habit from novelist Henry Miller, who wrote in his essay Reading in the Toilet:
“[it is better] not to meditate on literature at all but simply to keep your mind, as well as your bowels, open.”
Source: time.com/5233044/toilet-phone-reading-germs-smartphone-addiction-bathroom/
Spare links:
mteverestbiogasproject.org/ - for everything you ever wanted to know about converting hiker poop to energy (and a space to donate if you’re so inclined).
www.wnycstudios.org/story/poop-train - Radiolab’s deep dive into the NYC poop train and heretofore untapped storyline for a sequel to the 2013 action film Snowpiercer. #Snowpiercer2 #Snowpooper
www.biobus.org/ - an organization that introduces kids to science in a manner not dissimilar to the Magic School Bus. If you’re a scientist in NYC and interested in science outreach, check out their opportunities to volunteer. Also, Rob works here!
www.geneco.uk.com/Case_study_bio_bus/ - the company behind “the UK’s first poo-powered bus”. (Rob does not work here)