Traffic lights, a hair relaxant, gas masks, the zig-zag stitch on sewing machines…all of these important inventions have one thing in common, Garrett A. Morgan. Give this episode about a prominent Black innovator and inventor a listen!
Who knew a tiny animal could contain such a multitude of cool facts? For our 150th episode we dive into the life of the shrew. It’s a phenomenal creature with a 1500 heart beat per minute metabolism who is always up for a fight to the death. BUT WAIT…there’s so much more!
Show Notes:
The shrew (image by Rhae on Pixabay)
Shrew Train! Thank you Richard Attenborough (we love you) Skip to 2:33 for the mama shrew and babies train.
Shrews in action: Attacking a snake (1 minute mark) and epic shrew battle (2 minutes in)
Originating in India, the western version of the red bandana began in 1800s England with the use of snuff. Over the years the pattern has changed slightly, but that red bandana has become ubiquitous.
image: AnnaliseArt from PixabayEven goats like a little bandana fashionš¤£Bandanas in India (image from kingmaphotos from Pixabay)
We catch you up with an update on fluorescing animals and then jump right into new research on Longfin Damsel fish that use Mysid shrimp to farm algae.
Stegastes nigricans, photo by Andrew GreenMysid shrimp image: Melev’s Reef
In WWI and WWII women were super sneaky and ingenious using their yarn and knitting needles to covertly transport coded messages. That’s right, today we’re talking about steganography.
Brunetto Latini’s Li Livres dou Tresor via British Library
There are over 70 examples of knights fighting snails in illuminated manuscripts from the 1300s. But why? First meme? A silly inside joke? A weird allegory? Listen to the episode and check out our link in the show notes. Or better yet, just Google Snail Knights!