September 29, 2026 • 34 mins
Want to visit a beautiful lake in Canada? How about a stunning historic mountain in Greece? Or an island full of adorable monkeys? Well, too bad… you can’t! Enjoy sitting at home while Mango and producer Mary tell you about nine fascinating places you’ll never get to see.
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Speaker 1 (00:14):
You're listening to Part-Time Genius, a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Guess what, Mango?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
What's up, Mary?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I found the most relaxing place on Earth. Just imagine this, okay?
A crystal clear lake in a lush forest miles from
the nearest town. The sun is shining. The birds are singing.
There's no crowds. There's no traffic. Just the soothing beauty
of nature.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
That sounds pretty perfect. And I think I want to
spend a long weekend there.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, well, bad news. You can't do that.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You're such a tease.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Why? Well, so it isn't a campground or a national park.
It is the IISD Experimental Lakes area in a remote
corner of Ontario, Canada on the traditional land of the
Anishinaabe Nation. So back in the 1960s, Canadian researchers became
concerned about algae blooms that were clogging up lakes across
(01:13):
North America. They wanted to know what was causing it.
And of course, they also wanted to know how it
could be controlled.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So a Winnipeg scientist named Wally Johnson came up with
this idea. What if there was a group of pristine
lakes unspoiled by humans that could be used as living laboratories?
The Canadian government was intrigued, and they set aside a
total of 58 lakes plus their watersheds as an experimental
area to do just that. Today, the area is managed
(01:42):
by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. That's what the
IISD stands for. And in addition to algae blooms, it's
used to study the impact of microplastics, acid rain, pharmaceutical runoff,
climate change, and more. And according to the IISD, it
is the only place in the world where where long-term
experiments are conducted on real lakes.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
That is really fascinating, and it makes me want to
go there even more. But I guess having a bunch
of tourists running around, dipping their toes in these lakes
would probably defeat the purpose, right?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, exactly. But there are about 60 IISD scientists who
are stationed there.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Just jet skiing on the water? No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
They're not jet skiing.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
No.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
No. But they do have their own little self-contained community
at the edge of one of the lakes.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
It's really fun.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It includes residential cabins, a workshop, laboratories, of course, for
doing the science, and a dining facility that they call
Hungry Hall, which I love. I think that's what I'm
going to call my kitchen now.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Hungry Hall is great. Hungry Hall.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Now, here's the good news. They do offer a limited
number of guided tours for Canadian students and members of
the public, and only between the months of May and October.
And if you want to do that, If you're eligible
to do that, you are responsible for your own transportation,
which also means getting a special government permit to drive
on the restricted roads that lead to the lakes. And
(03:07):
the directions on the website are pretty great. Go to Winnipeg.
Keep going four hours east. Turn off the highway. Drive
30 kilometers down this long, winding gravel road. And there
you are. I mean, how easy is that, right?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
It's like a treasure hunt. It is. And at the end,
there's these lakes.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But the bottom line is carefully controlling access to these
lakes is essential for this critical scientific research to continue.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Well, as much as I love the idea of staying
at a lakeside resort, I love science even more. So,
you know, I think I'm going to respect that idea.
And for anyone who tuned in to get vacation ideas
today on this show, we are actually talking about nine
places that you cannot go. So unpack your bags, throw
(03:52):
your flip-flops back in the closet, and let's get into it.
So Hey there, podcast listeners. Welcome to Part-Time Genius. I
(04:20):
am Mungay Shatigular. Will Pearson went on vacation. He would
not tell me where because he said a little mystery
is good for friendship. So Today, I'm joined by super
producer Mary. And over there in the booth shredding his
frequent flyer miles, it is a violent and very visible display.
It's our pal and other producer Dylan Fagan. He is
(04:43):
making a point of showing you that he is not
going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah, that is some real commitment right there. I guess
he must have printed it out. Like, I didn't even
know you could get paper frequent flyer miles.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You know, Dylan is very committed to these bits on
the show. So I'm sure he might have even designed
them himself. Anyway, I've been wanting to do this episode
for a while. I put it on the brainstorm list
a long time ago. So I'm really excited that we're
finally getting to do it. And I want to give
everyone a little background that's going to lead into my
next fact. So a few years ago, my company Kaleidoscope
(05:18):
made a podcast called The Good Thief. Mary worked on
that one, too. I'm sure you remember it.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Oh, how could I forget? It was quite an adventure
making that show.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, it was both a great show and quite a process. But,
you know, to sum it up quickly, it is the
true story of Greece's most wanted man. He's this Robin
Hood style bank robber. His name is Vassilis Paliakostas. He
escaped from a maximum security prison like Greece's Alcatraz, essentially,
by helicopter twice. And even though there's like a million
(05:50):
euro bounty on his head, he's been on the run
since 2009. And as part of the reporting, we sent
Kaleidoscope's own Costas Linos and our journalist pal Nick Niarchos
to the secluded mountain where It was rumored that Paliakostas
once hid out. The spoiler is we did not find him,
but we did get the great story.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yeah, no, we did not get a million euros. But
that should not dissuade you from going back and listening
to this show, I think. Because it really, we did
uncover a lot of fascinating stuff that hadn't been widely known.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
The story is like one of those stories that you,
it just feels like an action adventure that's just waiting
to be told, right? Like the scenes are... ridiculous. These
heists from little village banks and the way he distributes
the money, it's just all pretty incredible. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Truly one of the most fascinating stories I think I've
ever come across.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
But because of that, we sent Nick and Kostas on
this trip. And in the process, I became almost obsessed
with this mountain. It's called Mount Athos, and it sits
on the steep peninsula overlooking the Aegean Sea. It is
home to 20 ancient monasteries. And It's actually this autonomous region.
(07:00):
It's governed by the Eastern Orthodox Church, which means it
can actually make up its own rules independent of the
Greek government. The biggest rule... is no women are allowed.
And it even applies to all the domesticated animals in
this place. So like all the goats on Mount Athos
are males. They have to import eggs because all the
(07:21):
chickens are roosters. I mean, it is all so bizarre
to me, but it ties back to the mountain's holy
status in the Orthodox Church. Now, since the 9th century,
monks have lived there and they've dedicated themselves to prayer
and contemplation. They're cut off from the rest of society.
And this ban on women is part of that chosen isolation.
(07:41):
But it's also about the veneration of the Virgin Mary.
She's supposedly the only woman who is welcome on Mount Athos.
So to allow other women is, I guess, considered an insult.
And over the years, a handful of women have managed
to sneak onto Athos. They included a Russian princess, some
undercover journalists. an American teacher and a Greek beauty pageant
(08:03):
winner who disguised herself as a man in order to visit. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Actually, I did not know that part. But of course,
you and any other men listening could just hop on
a ferry and go visit Mount Athos. They don't need
any wigs or fake mustaches, right?
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Yeah, I mean, that is true. Male visitors can actually
stay overnight in one of the monasteries, which is what
Nick and Kostas did. And these stone sanctuaries are full
of art and holy relics. It's supposed to be like
Really untouched and beautiful, the land there. But you can't
expect luxury because you're actually woken up early to share
simple meals and communal activities with the monks. You're expected
(08:41):
to spend your days in quiet contemplation. But as it
turns out, you can get permission to interview some monks
on the record about escaped bank robbers who have retreated
to this area.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Allegedly.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Well, it's definitely a place on my bucket list. But
since so many of my friends, family members, and of course,
listeners can't go, We're going to put a clip of
the monastery bells that Nick and Costas recorded for us.
If you take a listen, we can all pretend we
are there together.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Well, our next forbidden place is an island that's off
limits to everyone, regardless of gender. And for good reason,
setting foot there could be fatal. The name may give
you a clue. It is called Snake Island.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Any guesses?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Any guesses what the problem here is?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
No idea. Spiders.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
It is overrun with spiders. No, Snake Island sits off
the coast of Brazil, and it is completely overrun with
venomous snakes, specifically golden lanceheads, a type of pit viper
that is both uniquely dangerous and unique to this island. Now,
snakes are not the best at filling out census forms.
(10:01):
but experts estimate there are between 2,000 and 4,000 lanceheads
on Snake Island, which is less than a quarter square mile.
So the sheer density of snakes here is really extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
What makes these snakes so deadly, and why don't they
live anywhere else?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
So this is interesting because the answer to both of
those questions comes down to the same thing, which is
how Snake Island was formed. Originally, it was connected to
the landmass we call Brazil, but 11,000 years ago, the
sea levels rose and cut it off. So that quirk
of geographic fate left the snakes on the island stranded
(10:41):
and sent them down a completely different evolutionary path from
their mainland relatives. In order to survive, island snakes hunted seabirds,
which meant they had to develop super potent venom that
was capable of killing a bird before it could fly away.
It's so fast acting, it can kill a human in
less than an hour.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
I'm almost afraid to ask, like, did people just learn
the hard way? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
There are local legends about fishermen who got lost and
accidentally landed on Snake Island only to wash up later
in their boats, dead and covered in snake bites.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Oh, no.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Yeah, and this part is the thing that has actually
haunted me since I first did this research. For a
while back in the 1910s, there was a manned lighthouse
on the island, and a guy lived there with his family. What?
It is said that that last lighthouse keeper and his
entire family were all killed by the snakes.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
It sounds like such a bad ghost story, right?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Or a great ghost story.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
It's insane. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So as a result of all of this, it goes
without saying, visitors are forbidden. But there are two exceptions.
The Brazilian Navy makes an annual visit to maintain the lighthouse,
which is still there. It's just automated now. And scientists
are allowed on the island to conduct research if they
get permission from the Brazilian government. However, it is strongly
recommended that they travel with an emergency medicine team and,
(12:04):
of course, anti-venom serum.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
It feels like a Slytherin hangout. Like to me, it
feels like there's probably like a hidden lab or a clubhouse.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I mean, for all we know, the snakes are actually plotting.
I mean, they could be both venomous and devious. That actually,
I don't know. Maybe if anyone goes to this island,
they should look into that.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Okay, well, my next fact also involves an off-limits island
that's full of wild animals, but they are more cute
than deadly. I'm talking about Morgan Island just off the
coast of South Carolina. It is home to over 3,000
rhesus monkeys, which are not native to the Southeast United States.
They were delivered there in the 1970s from the Caribbean
(12:49):
Primate Research Center, and this is in Puerto Rico. Actually,
rhesus monkeys aren't native to Puerto Rico either. That research
center colony was established in the 1930s with animals imported
from Lucknow, India.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
That's pretty interesting. But we are talking about places you
can't go. And as far as I know, there's no
reason why humans can't interact with monkeys, right? I mean,
we do it all the time.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Yeah. I mean, we can hang out with monkeys, just
not these monkeys. Because in 1977... India banned the export
of rhesus monkeys. So if you use them in research studies,
which a lot of scientists do, you needed another source.
And that's what Morgan Island was designed to be, a
self-replenishing lab monkey factory. Now, today, the island is owned
(13:32):
and managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
But the monkeys themselves are owned by the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Visitors are banned to protect
the colony from illness and disturbance. And while the monkeys
spend their days, you know, just monkeying around, this happens
to be serious business. The whole island is monitored by
(13:53):
surveillance cameras, which makes me think that somewhere in the
basement of some government building, there's a person whose job
it is just to watch the monkey cams.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Oh, I hope you're right. That is a dream job,
isn't it?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
It feels like it would be fun.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Imagine, it's like, what did you do at work today? Well,
I watched some monkeys hanging out. That sounds like fun,
but you know what job is a lot more stressful?
Cave art restorer.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Is that an actual job?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Oh, it is. And it's very challenging. So our next
forbidden place is a site called Lascaux in southwestern France.
It's a series of interconnected limestone caves, the interior walls
of which are covered with prehistoric artworks dating all the
way back to the Paleolithic era. The Lascaux Caves were discovered,
(14:39):
or I guess I should say rediscovered, in 1940. Some
teenagers were out walking their dog when they noticed a
tree that had fallen down, exposing a big hole in
the ground. So they climbed in, followed a shaftway into
a cave, and caught a glimpse of these elaborate paintings.
They climbed back out, went home, and promptly notified their teacher,
(14:59):
which is so sweet to me.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That is very sweet. I know.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
What would you and your friends have done if you'd
stumbled into a prehistoric art cave when you were teens?
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I was so dorky that we would have turned into
a clubhouse to read comics and project movies on the wall, maybe.
Or I mean, I guess in my later high school years,
I played in a lot of bands. So like maybe
one of my high school bands would have met up
there and jammed there.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, I think that's exactly what I would have done
as well. I think band is a very generous term
for what my friends and I were doing with guitars.
But I think we would have been definitely drawn to
the recording potential. You know, and luckily, these kids back
in 1940, They didn't muck this up with amplifiers. They
just went and notified the authorities. And as a result,
(15:44):
you know, we have this incredible discovery, these caves that
hold some of the oldest known art in human history.
And the works themselves are absolutely stunning. There are thousands
of images made with mineral pigments and engraving. They depict
animals and people as well as symbols that may have meaning.
We can't decipher or maybe they're just decorative. We don't know.
(16:06):
Some of the images do seem to follow a sequence,
like it's a narrative, but obviously we lack context for
what life was like tens of thousands of years ago,
so accurate interpretation is pretty much impossible. But we can
still admire the incredible skill of these long deceased anonymous
artists and wonder about the mystery.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I mean, I've been to like the Ajanta Allura caves
in India and I've seen like cave paintings and things
like that before. But the fact that you said I
can't go there makes it so much more appealing to me.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
I know that's kind of the thing with a lot
of places in this episode. Here's the thing. The Lescaut
Caves were open to the public, starting shortly after World
War II. The family that owned the land they were
on even built steps down in so visitors could get
there easier. And it became huge. People flocked to Lescaut.
And over the years, all that traffic brought in fungus, lichen, microbes,
(17:03):
and all of these things that began to infiltrate the
painted walls. On top of that, the tourists' breath raised
carbon dioxide levels in the caves and And that further
damaged the pigment.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
So in 1963, the French government made the decision to
close the caves to everyone except scientists and preservationists so
they could begin restoration work. But almost everything they've done
since then has caused more problems. Like for a while,
people who were working in the caves used a formaldehyde
disinfectant on their shoes before going in. But then it
(17:38):
turned out that was killing off these beneficial organisms that
kept fungus in check. At one point, they installed an
air conditioning system to try to control the humidity. That
led to a white fungus outbreak.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
That's so awful.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I know. I mean, if there's one takeaway here, it's
that fungus is really bad for cave paintings. But anyway,
I found this great quote in the Washington Post. One
of the cave restoration administrators said, every time we try
to resolve one problem, we create another, which really just
kind of sums up the whole situation.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
So obviously that's disastrous and unfortunate, but are we at
risk of losing this art completely?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Yeah, that is a risk. But the French authorities and
the scientific community are not giving up. They've limited human
presence in the caves to just 800 hours per year
under very tightly controlled conditions. And that's only for people
who are doing essential maintenance and research. If you do
want to get a sense of what it is like
inside the Lescaut caves, you can visit a replica cave
(18:40):
that was built nearby. So tourists can still go and
admire the art without damaging the actual art. It's so ingenious.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Yeah, but it's also like, you know, there's an Eiffel
Tower in Las Vegas. Do you really need to go
to Paris?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Oh, man, the French are going to get really mad
because you said that.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, we have to take a quick break. But when
we come back, I'm going to tell you about another
tourist destination, one that is almost completely off limits to tourists.
Stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Welcome back to Part-Time Genius. Today, we are counting down
nine places you can't visit. And Mango, you left us
with a riddle of sorts, a tourist destination without tourists.
What on earth is that? Or where on earth is that?
I guess I should say.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
So when you think of tourism in the U.S., one
of the first places that probably comes to mind is Hawaii, right?
Millions of people go there every year. You can visit
a dormant volcano. on Maui or relax on Oahu's beautiful beaches.
But you can't vacation on Niihau, a small island at
the western end of the archipelago. And that's because it's
(20:02):
been privately owned by the same family for over 150 years.
and they have strictly limited access by outsiders, even residents
of other Hawaiian islands. To understand why, you have to
go back to 1864, and that's when a Scottish woman
named Elizabeth Sinclair bought the island from the king of
Hawaii for $ 10, 000 worth of gold. The king asked her
(20:24):
to promise that she would always protect the local ways
of life, and she agreed. And as the island has
been passed down through generations of her family, they've actually
kept that promise. Now, forget hotels and resorts, Niihau doesn't
even have paved roads. But most importantly, the native Hawaiian
language lives on here. It's taught at the island's only school,
(20:44):
and while some locals have also learned English... it's still
the language of daily life, which is pretty awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, that's really cool. So how many people are there
on this off-limits island?
Speaker 1 (20:55):
So the estimates vary, but probably around 70. And to
be clear, you and I can't move to Niihau, but
its residents are free to come and go as they wish.
The current owners of the island are the Robinson family.
They are direct descendants of Elizabeth Sinclair. And from what
I've read, people in Niihau really appreciate what they've done
to preserve the island's ecology. That includes important populations of
(21:17):
Hawaiian monk seals and the native culture. But that's not
to say the Robinsons have left things exactly as they
were in 1860. The family made deals with the federal
government to use the island for missile tests and training.
And while there are no military personnel stationed there, they
do have radar installations. The money from these leases makes
(21:37):
up the bulk of the island's economy. But recently, the
Robinsons have opened up some very limited tourism opportunities as
a way to bring more income to the island. In
addition to helicopter rides over Ni Hao, they run day-long
safaris where you can hunt Polynesian boar and feral sheep.
But these trips are really tightly controlled, and they're designed
(21:58):
to avoid settlements and contact with the locals.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Okay, our next destination is also an island, but it
is off-limits for a very different reason. It's known as
the Alcatraz of Viruses.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Yeah, does not make me want to put on sandals
and a bright shirt and go hang out there. So
this is Reims. It's a small island in the Baltic
Sea off the northern coast of Germany. And there, dozens
of animals have been deliberately infected with some of the
world's most dangerous viruses, including African swine fever, rabies, even Ebola.
(22:30):
There's also a biobank containing over 600 distinct virus strains
from wild and domesticated animals. And this is all part
of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute that occupies the island.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
I love that you mentioned Sandals because it immediately made
me think of like, oh, Sandals Virus Island, which feels
like a resort I do not want to go to,
along with Snake Island.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Yeah, no.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
They're both ways. I'm so glad I can't go. Sure.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
But, you know, the snakes run Snake Island, as we established.
They run it. They're plotting their their who knows they're
going to overthrow civilization. The good news is Reams is
very much under the control of scientists who have dedicated
their lives to studying viruses and developing vaccines. As we've
all learned from covid, right, a virus in a Petri
(23:19):
dish is not the same as a virus in a
living host. In the wild, viruses evolve and mutate, and
knowing how that happens is the key to preventing outbreaks.
So that's exactly what the folks at Reams are trying
to do. And this all began with a guy named
Friedrich Loeffler. He founded the Institute back in 1910. He
actually started by studying bacteria. Among other things, he identified
(23:41):
the bacterium that causes diphtheria. But he was also interested
in parasitic and viral illnesses. And early on, his mission
at the Institute was to understand foot and mouth disease,
or FMD. That's a super contagious viral disease that affects
animals with cloven hooves. So your pigs, your cows, sheep, goats.
(24:02):
Loeffler managed to identify the virus that caused it, and
in doing so, kind of helped usher in the modern
science of virology, which is awesome. There was just one problem.
During his FMD experiments, there was a series of outbreaks
in animals around the city where he worked. And the
local officials were like, hey, if you're going to be
(24:23):
working with highly infectious viruses, could you maybe take it
over to that uninhabited island where you can keep things contained?
And so that is what he did. Even though the
institute's research was interrupted by both world wars, its work
has continued, ultimately leading to a vaccine for FMD and
more recently, breakthrough sequencing of new bird flu strains.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
That is great, but I'm curious how secure this place is,
especially with AI, if it's used in labs, it feels
like a disaster waiting to happen.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
I had the exact same thoughts, so I looked into
it and it turns out there is a whole world
of bio-risk management protocols that I never knew existed. It's
surprisingly interesting, actually, and very thorough, which should help put
your mind at ease. At REAMS, there are varying levels
of safety requirements. The highest risk level involves a laundry
(25:17):
list of steps and checks that all workers have to follow,
including entering and exiting work areas through airlocks, wearing full
hazmat suits with filtered air supply, There's a building-wide HEPA
filtration system. They have their own wastewater sterilization plant, so
the wastewater isn't getting diverted elsewhere. And when employees are
in active work areas, they have to maintain radio contact
(25:40):
with emergency support personnel on the outside just in case.
And then finally, before they take off the hazmat suits
to leave, they have to take a full disinfectant shower.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
That is crazy. So from the German virus island, I
feel like we've got to zoom across the world to
a place that is locked down for political instead of
scientific reasons. And that is the frontier closed area in
Hong Kong.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I like how they put closed right in the name.
There's no room for doubt.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
It is very straightforward. And If it's okay with you,
I'm going to skip trying to pronounce it in Chinese.
Just know that the official name does in fact translate
to closed area. So a little background here. From 1841
to 1997, the British controlled Hong Kong. And after World
War II, there was an uptick in refugees fleeing from
mainland China. So in 1951, the British governor of Hong
(26:35):
Kong established the Frontier Closed Area or FCA. It's this
35-kilometer strip of land along the northern edge of the
New Territories where it meets the Chinese border. This area
was marked off by a fence and boundary roads with
police checkpoints and rules were established so that no one
could enter or exit without a special permit.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Okay, so like a no-man's land.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Right, except... people were living there. The closed area encompassed
several existing villages, as well as parts of historic Chongying Street,
a popular shopping area. So all of a sudden, residents
had to carry permits to travel to and from their
own homes, which sounds so frustrating. It's hard enough to
remember your wallet and keys when you go out, so
(27:17):
carrying this permit as well feels like a huge annoyance. Anyway,
in 1997, Hong Kong was handed back over to China.
And a few years later, the Chinese government began making
plans to shrink the FCA. Because there were fewer people
trying to sneak over the border, they decided to make
life a little easier for the folks who lived and
worked in the zone. And this reduction was done in
(27:37):
stages over several years. Obviously, this was good news for
everyone in villages that are now free from travel restriction.
But when the smaller zone went into effect, Hong Kong
police still advised caution. In a few places, the redrawn
lines run near some popular hiking areas. And if you
do happen to wander off trail, you could accidentally cross
(27:58):
into the FCA, which would make you subject to a
$ 5, 000 fine and two years in prison.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
That is a steep price to pay for getting lost.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, but they do not make exceptions for being bad
with maps. So if you hike in Hong Kong, please,
please pay attention.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Good advice. Okay. Our final forbidden place of the day
is also the youngest. It's Surtsey Island, which didn't exist
until 1963 when an underwater volcano blew it above the
surface of the North Atlantic, 11 miles off the coast
of Iceland.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Incredible. Yeah. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
And apparently there were some like fishing boats that started
to see this happen from a few miles away. Can
you imagine like just being out fishing and all of
a sudden, boom, there's an island?
Speaker 1 (28:44):
It feels like a scene from a sci-fi movie or something.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Yeah, a lot of sci-fi in this episode. We're trying
to tell you the truth about the world, and you
keep saying it's sci-fi.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Well, appropriately enough, Surtsey was named after Surtur, an ancient
Norse fire giant. And actually, that initial eruption continued for
several years, which meant the island kept changing as lava
flowed up and hardened into rock. which is very amazing
from a geology point of view, but it was a
big deal for biologists and botanists as well because they
(29:17):
realized that this new island presented a unique opportunity to
see how life evolves on a completely sterile piece of land.
So to prevent any contamination, travel to Surtsey was restricted
from the very beginning. Only a few scientists were allowed
to go there to make observations. And eventually they detected
(29:38):
the first sign of life Want to guess what it was?
Speaker 1 (29:40):
A rat?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Nope. Much smaller. A common housefly.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Of course it was.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Of course. And then seagulls showed up next. And in 1965,
the first land plant was discovered, a flowering member of
the mustard family called Sea Rocket. Fast forward a couple decades,
and by the late 1980s, researchers had cataloged 25 different
plants growing on Surtsey, including tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I love this. I love that life is just like
emerging and taking up space here. So tell me about
the tomatoes. Like, how did this happen?
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Well, the best guess is that the seeds were carried
via ocean currents from nearby islands or the coast of Iceland.
but also by wind and birds. And yeah, it's like
you're saying, it's like Jurassic Park said, nature finds a way.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Right, of course. But now that Surtsey has plants and animals,
can people visit? Or I guess not, otherwise we wouldn't
be talking about it.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
It's right there in the title of the episode. Nine
places you can't go. It's not eight places you can't go,
and then one place that, surprise, you actually can go. No,
there is no public access to Surtsey, and the Icelandic
government prohibits landing on the island. Only a very small
number of scientists, I mean, I'm talking like fewer than
a dozen, are able to visit each year to conduct
(30:57):
their research. You can see the island from a distance
if you take a boat tour in the summer in
that area, and apparently it's visible from Iceland itself on
clear days. But there's a wrinkle in this story. Surtsey
is starting to erode. because of harsh weather and waves
in the North Atlantic. It's already shrunk from its original
2.7 square kilometers to 1.3 square kilometers. And in a
(31:23):
few centuries, it could disappear completely.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
That's so sad. It's like this, just that it appears,
has tomato plants, and then will fade back into the water.
That's kind of sad. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
But, you know, we do have, I mean, it's a
long process. We do have some time or I guess
I should say a dozen Icelandic scientists have some time
to visit.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Yeah. I mean, if there's one thing I learned from
this episode, it's that if you're a scientist, there are
a lot of forbidden places you can get to. That's true.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
That is a big perk of the job, apparently.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
So I guess in light of that, I think we
should give today's trophy to the intrepid scientists who go
where no one else can go, especially those ones who
work on Snake Island. What do you say? Excellent. Yes.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Congratulations, scientists. Thank you for all your hard work and
please stay safe out there.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Well, that does it for today's episode. Give us a
call with your questions or stories for the show. Our
number is 302-405-5925. You can also send us an email
at highgeniuses at gmail.com.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
That is right. And I want to take a moment
to shout out Samson and Dawn, two listeners who both
wrote in recently to say they love the show. They
also had a few suggestions, Mango, which I'm going to
put on the agenda for next week's production meeting so
we can talk about it.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
And while we're at it, I do want to apologize
to Elba Gloria, whose voice message we featured last month
in the episode nine weird championships you can win. I
accidentally left off part of her name when I wrote
it down. We referred to her as just Elba, which
she let me know is actually her aunt. So, Elba, Gloria,
I'm really sorry about that mix-up, but thank you for
writing in, and we all hope you're having fun in
(32:58):
your new boat.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Thank you, Elba, Gloria. We do love the notes and
voicemails and messages from all of you. And as a
reminder to everyone that the places we talked about today
are forbidden, but you do have permission. to leave us
a nice rating or review on your favorite podcast app.
It is totally allowed and we love it. We will
be back next week with another new episode. And in
(33:21):
the meantime, from Will, Dylan, Gabe, Mary, and myself, thank
you so much for listening. Part-time Genius is a production
of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. It is hosted by my good pal,
(33:44):
Will Pearson, who I've known for almost three decades now.
That is insane to me. I'm the other co-host, Mange Shatikular, a.k.a. Mango.
Our producer is Mary Phillips Sandy. She's actually a super producer.
I'm going to fix that in post. Our writer is
Gabe Luzier, who I've also known for like a decade
at this point, maybe more. Dylan Fagan is in the booth.
(34:08):
He is always dressed up, always cheering us on, and
always ready to hit record and then mix the show after.
He does a great job. I also want to shout
out the executive producers from iHeart, my good pals Katrina
Norvell and Allie Perry. We have social media support from
Calypso Rallis. If you like our videos, that is all
Calypso's handiwork. For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit
(34:32):
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or tune in wherever you
listen to your favorite shows. That's it from us here
at Part-Time Genius. Thank you so much for listening.
You're listening to Part-Time Genius, a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Guess what, Mango?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
What's up, Mary?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I found the most relaxing place on Earth. Just imagine this, okay?
A crystal clear lake in a lush forest miles from
the nearest town. The sun is shining. The birds are singing.
There's no crowds. There's no traffic. Just the soothing beauty
of nature.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
That sounds pretty perfect. And I think I want to
spend a long weekend there.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, well, bad news. You can't do that.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You're such a tease.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Why? Well, so it isn't a campground or a national park.
It is the IISD Experimental Lakes area in a remote
corner of Ontario, Canada on the traditional land of the
Anishinaabe Nation. So back in the 1960s, Canadian researchers became
concerned about algae blooms that were clogging up lakes across
(01:13):
North America. They wanted to know what was causing it.
And of course, they also wanted to know how it
could be controlled.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So a Winnipeg scientist named Wally Johnson came up with
this idea. What if there was a group of pristine
lakes unspoiled by humans that could be used as living laboratories?
The Canadian government was intrigued, and they set aside a
total of 58 lakes plus their watersheds as an experimental
area to do just that. Today, the area is managed
(01:42):
by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. That's what the
IISD stands for. And in addition to algae blooms, it's
used to study the impact of microplastics, acid rain, pharmaceutical runoff,
climate change, and more. And according to the IISD, it
is the only place in the world where where long-term
experiments are conducted on real lakes.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
That is really fascinating, and it makes me want to
go there even more. But I guess having a bunch
of tourists running around, dipping their toes in these lakes
would probably defeat the purpose, right?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, exactly. But there are about 60 IISD scientists who
are stationed there.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Just jet skiing on the water? No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
They're not jet skiing.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
No.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
No. But they do have their own little self-contained community
at the edge of one of the lakes.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
It's really fun.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It includes residential cabins, a workshop, laboratories, of course, for
doing the science, and a dining facility that they call
Hungry Hall, which I love. I think that's what I'm
going to call my kitchen now.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Hungry Hall is great. Hungry Hall.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Now, here's the good news. They do offer a limited
number of guided tours for Canadian students and members of
the public, and only between the months of May and October.
And if you want to do that, If you're eligible
to do that, you are responsible for your own transportation,
which also means getting a special government permit to drive
on the restricted roads that lead to the lakes. And
(03:07):
the directions on the website are pretty great. Go to Winnipeg.
Keep going four hours east. Turn off the highway. Drive
30 kilometers down this long, winding gravel road. And there
you are. I mean, how easy is that, right?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
It's like a treasure hunt. It is. And at the end,
there's these lakes.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But the bottom line is carefully controlling access to these
lakes is essential for this critical scientific research to continue.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Well, as much as I love the idea of staying
at a lakeside resort, I love science even more. So,
you know, I think I'm going to respect that idea.
And for anyone who tuned in to get vacation ideas
today on this show, we are actually talking about nine
places that you cannot go. So unpack your bags, throw
(03:52):
your flip-flops back in the closet, and let's get into it.
So Hey there, podcast listeners. Welcome to Part-Time Genius. I
(04:20):
am Mungay Shatigular. Will Pearson went on vacation. He would
not tell me where because he said a little mystery
is good for friendship. So Today, I'm joined by super
producer Mary. And over there in the booth shredding his
frequent flyer miles, it is a violent and very visible display.
It's our pal and other producer Dylan Fagan. He is
(04:43):
making a point of showing you that he is not
going anywhere.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah, that is some real commitment right there. I guess
he must have printed it out. Like, I didn't even
know you could get paper frequent flyer miles.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You know, Dylan is very committed to these bits on
the show. So I'm sure he might have even designed
them himself. Anyway, I've been wanting to do this episode
for a while. I put it on the brainstorm list
a long time ago. So I'm really excited that we're
finally getting to do it. And I want to give
everyone a little background that's going to lead into my
next fact. So a few years ago, my company Kaleidoscope
(05:18):
made a podcast called The Good Thief. Mary worked on
that one, too. I'm sure you remember it.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Oh, how could I forget? It was quite an adventure
making that show.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, it was both a great show and quite a process. But,
you know, to sum it up quickly, it is the
true story of Greece's most wanted man. He's this Robin
Hood style bank robber. His name is Vassilis Paliakostas. He
escaped from a maximum security prison like Greece's Alcatraz, essentially,
by helicopter twice. And even though there's like a million
(05:50):
euro bounty on his head, he's been on the run
since 2009. And as part of the reporting, we sent
Kaleidoscope's own Costas Linos and our journalist pal Nick Niarchos
to the secluded mountain where It was rumored that Paliakostas
once hid out. The spoiler is we did not find him,
but we did get the great story.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yeah, no, we did not get a million euros. But
that should not dissuade you from going back and listening
to this show, I think. Because it really, we did
uncover a lot of fascinating stuff that hadn't been widely known.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
The story is like one of those stories that you,
it just feels like an action adventure that's just waiting
to be told, right? Like the scenes are... ridiculous. These
heists from little village banks and the way he distributes
the money, it's just all pretty incredible. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Truly one of the most fascinating stories I think I've
ever come across.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
But because of that, we sent Nick and Kostas on
this trip. And in the process, I became almost obsessed
with this mountain. It's called Mount Athos, and it sits
on the steep peninsula overlooking the Aegean Sea. It is
home to 20 ancient monasteries. And It's actually this autonomous region.
(07:00):
It's governed by the Eastern Orthodox Church, which means it
can actually make up its own rules independent of the
Greek government. The biggest rule... is no women are allowed.
And it even applies to all the domesticated animals in
this place. So like all the goats on Mount Athos
are males. They have to import eggs because all the
(07:21):
chickens are roosters. I mean, it is all so bizarre
to me, but it ties back to the mountain's holy
status in the Orthodox Church. Now, since the 9th century,
monks have lived there and they've dedicated themselves to prayer
and contemplation. They're cut off from the rest of society.
And this ban on women is part of that chosen isolation.
(07:41):
But it's also about the veneration of the Virgin Mary.
She's supposedly the only woman who is welcome on Mount Athos.
So to allow other women is, I guess, considered an insult.
And over the years, a handful of women have managed
to sneak onto Athos. They included a Russian princess, some
undercover journalists. an American teacher and a Greek beauty pageant
(08:03):
winner who disguised herself as a man in order to visit. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Actually, I did not know that part. But of course,
you and any other men listening could just hop on
a ferry and go visit Mount Athos. They don't need
any wigs or fake mustaches, right?
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Yeah, I mean, that is true. Male visitors can actually
stay overnight in one of the monasteries, which is what
Nick and Kostas did. And these stone sanctuaries are full
of art and holy relics. It's supposed to be like
Really untouched and beautiful, the land there. But you can't
expect luxury because you're actually woken up early to share
simple meals and communal activities with the monks. You're expected
(08:41):
to spend your days in quiet contemplation. But as it
turns out, you can get permission to interview some monks
on the record about escaped bank robbers who have retreated
to this area.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Allegedly.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Well, it's definitely a place on my bucket list. But
since so many of my friends, family members, and of course,
listeners can't go, We're going to put a clip of
the monastery bells that Nick and Costas recorded for us.
If you take a listen, we can all pretend we
are there together.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Well, our next forbidden place is an island that's off
limits to everyone, regardless of gender. And for good reason,
setting foot there could be fatal. The name may give
you a clue. It is called Snake Island.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Any guesses?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Any guesses what the problem here is?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
No idea. Spiders.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
It is overrun with spiders. No, Snake Island sits off
the coast of Brazil, and it is completely overrun with
venomous snakes, specifically golden lanceheads, a type of pit viper
that is both uniquely dangerous and unique to this island. Now,
snakes are not the best at filling out census forms.
(10:01):
but experts estimate there are between 2,000 and 4,000 lanceheads
on Snake Island, which is less than a quarter square mile.
So the sheer density of snakes here is really extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
What makes these snakes so deadly, and why don't they
live anywhere else?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
So this is interesting because the answer to both of
those questions comes down to the same thing, which is
how Snake Island was formed. Originally, it was connected to
the landmass we call Brazil, but 11,000 years ago, the
sea levels rose and cut it off. So that quirk
of geographic fate left the snakes on the island stranded
(10:41):
and sent them down a completely different evolutionary path from
their mainland relatives. In order to survive, island snakes hunted seabirds,
which meant they had to develop super potent venom that
was capable of killing a bird before it could fly away.
It's so fast acting, it can kill a human in
less than an hour.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
I'm almost afraid to ask, like, did people just learn
the hard way? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
There are local legends about fishermen who got lost and
accidentally landed on Snake Island only to wash up later
in their boats, dead and covered in snake bites.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Oh, no.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Yeah, and this part is the thing that has actually
haunted me since I first did this research. For a
while back in the 1910s, there was a manned lighthouse
on the island, and a guy lived there with his family. What?
It is said that that last lighthouse keeper and his
entire family were all killed by the snakes.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
It sounds like such a bad ghost story, right?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Or a great ghost story.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
It's insane. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So as a result of all of this, it goes
without saying, visitors are forbidden. But there are two exceptions.
The Brazilian Navy makes an annual visit to maintain the lighthouse,
which is still there. It's just automated now. And scientists
are allowed on the island to conduct research if they
get permission from the Brazilian government. However, it is strongly
recommended that they travel with an emergency medicine team and,
(12:04):
of course, anti-venom serum.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
It feels like a Slytherin hangout. Like to me, it
feels like there's probably like a hidden lab or a clubhouse.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I mean, for all we know, the snakes are actually plotting.
I mean, they could be both venomous and devious. That actually,
I don't know. Maybe if anyone goes to this island,
they should look into that.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Okay, well, my next fact also involves an off-limits island
that's full of wild animals, but they are more cute
than deadly. I'm talking about Morgan Island just off the
coast of South Carolina. It is home to over 3,000
rhesus monkeys, which are not native to the Southeast United States.
They were delivered there in the 1970s from the Caribbean
(12:49):
Primate Research Center, and this is in Puerto Rico. Actually,
rhesus monkeys aren't native to Puerto Rico either. That research
center colony was established in the 1930s with animals imported
from Lucknow, India.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
That's pretty interesting. But we are talking about places you
can't go. And as far as I know, there's no
reason why humans can't interact with monkeys, right? I mean,
we do it all the time.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Yeah. I mean, we can hang out with monkeys, just
not these monkeys. Because in 1977... India banned the export
of rhesus monkeys. So if you use them in research studies,
which a lot of scientists do, you needed another source.
And that's what Morgan Island was designed to be, a
self-replenishing lab monkey factory. Now, today, the island is owned
(13:32):
and managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
But the monkeys themselves are owned by the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Visitors are banned to protect
the colony from illness and disturbance. And while the monkeys
spend their days, you know, just monkeying around, this happens
to be serious business. The whole island is monitored by
(13:53):
surveillance cameras, which makes me think that somewhere in the
basement of some government building, there's a person whose job
it is just to watch the monkey cams.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Oh, I hope you're right. That is a dream job,
isn't it?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
It feels like it would be fun.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Imagine, it's like, what did you do at work today? Well,
I watched some monkeys hanging out. That sounds like fun,
but you know what job is a lot more stressful?
Cave art restorer.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Is that an actual job?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Oh, it is. And it's very challenging. So our next
forbidden place is a site called Lascaux in southwestern France.
It's a series of interconnected limestone caves, the interior walls
of which are covered with prehistoric artworks dating all the
way back to the Paleolithic era. The Lascaux Caves were discovered,
(14:39):
or I guess I should say rediscovered, in 1940. Some
teenagers were out walking their dog when they noticed a
tree that had fallen down, exposing a big hole in
the ground. So they climbed in, followed a shaftway into
a cave, and caught a glimpse of these elaborate paintings.
They climbed back out, went home, and promptly notified their teacher,
(14:59):
which is so sweet to me.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
That is very sweet. I know.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
What would you and your friends have done if you'd
stumbled into a prehistoric art cave when you were teens?
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I was so dorky that we would have turned into
a clubhouse to read comics and project movies on the wall, maybe.
Or I mean, I guess in my later high school years,
I played in a lot of bands. So like maybe
one of my high school bands would have met up
there and jammed there.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, I think that's exactly what I would have done
as well. I think band is a very generous term
for what my friends and I were doing with guitars.
But I think we would have been definitely drawn to
the recording potential. You know, and luckily, these kids back
in 1940, They didn't muck this up with amplifiers. They
just went and notified the authorities. And as a result,
(15:44):
you know, we have this incredible discovery, these caves that
hold some of the oldest known art in human history.
And the works themselves are absolutely stunning. There are thousands
of images made with mineral pigments and engraving. They depict
animals and people as well as symbols that may have meaning.
We can't decipher or maybe they're just decorative. We don't know.
(16:06):
Some of the images do seem to follow a sequence,
like it's a narrative, but obviously we lack context for
what life was like tens of thousands of years ago,
so accurate interpretation is pretty much impossible. But we can
still admire the incredible skill of these long deceased anonymous
artists and wonder about the mystery.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I mean, I've been to like the Ajanta Allura caves
in India and I've seen like cave paintings and things
like that before. But the fact that you said I
can't go there makes it so much more appealing to me.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
I know that's kind of the thing with a lot
of places in this episode. Here's the thing. The Lescaut
Caves were open to the public, starting shortly after World
War II. The family that owned the land they were
on even built steps down in so visitors could get
there easier. And it became huge. People flocked to Lescaut.
And over the years, all that traffic brought in fungus, lichen, microbes,
(17:03):
and all of these things that began to infiltrate the
painted walls. On top of that, the tourists' breath raised
carbon dioxide levels in the caves and And that further
damaged the pigment.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
So in 1963, the French government made the decision to
close the caves to everyone except scientists and preservationists so
they could begin restoration work. But almost everything they've done
since then has caused more problems. Like for a while,
people who were working in the caves used a formaldehyde
disinfectant on their shoes before going in. But then it
(17:38):
turned out that was killing off these beneficial organisms that
kept fungus in check. At one point, they installed an
air conditioning system to try to control the humidity. That
led to a white fungus outbreak.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
That's so awful.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I know. I mean, if there's one takeaway here, it's
that fungus is really bad for cave paintings. But anyway,
I found this great quote in the Washington Post. One
of the cave restoration administrators said, every time we try
to resolve one problem, we create another, which really just
kind of sums up the whole situation.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
So obviously that's disastrous and unfortunate, but are we at
risk of losing this art completely?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Yeah, that is a risk. But the French authorities and
the scientific community are not giving up. They've limited human
presence in the caves to just 800 hours per year
under very tightly controlled conditions. And that's only for people
who are doing essential maintenance and research. If you do
want to get a sense of what it is like
inside the Lescaut caves, you can visit a replica cave
(18:40):
that was built nearby. So tourists can still go and
admire the art without damaging the actual art. It's so ingenious.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Yeah, but it's also like, you know, there's an Eiffel
Tower in Las Vegas. Do you really need to go
to Paris?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Oh, man, the French are going to get really mad
because you said that.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, we have to take a quick break. But when
we come back, I'm going to tell you about another
tourist destination, one that is almost completely off limits to tourists.
Stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Welcome back to Part-Time Genius. Today, we are counting down
nine places you can't visit. And Mango, you left us
with a riddle of sorts, a tourist destination without tourists.
What on earth is that? Or where on earth is that?
I guess I should say.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
So when you think of tourism in the U.S., one
of the first places that probably comes to mind is Hawaii, right?
Millions of people go there every year. You can visit
a dormant volcano. on Maui or relax on Oahu's beautiful beaches.
But you can't vacation on Niihau, a small island at
the western end of the archipelago. And that's because it's
(20:02):
been privately owned by the same family for over 150 years.
and they have strictly limited access by outsiders, even residents
of other Hawaiian islands. To understand why, you have to
go back to 1864, and that's when a Scottish woman
named Elizabeth Sinclair bought the island from the king of
Hawaii for $ 10, 000 worth of gold. The king asked her
(20:24):
to promise that she would always protect the local ways
of life, and she agreed. And as the island has
been passed down through generations of her family, they've actually
kept that promise. Now, forget hotels and resorts, Niihau doesn't
even have paved roads. But most importantly, the native Hawaiian
language lives on here. It's taught at the island's only school,
(20:44):
and while some locals have also learned English... it's still
the language of daily life, which is pretty awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, that's really cool. So how many people are there
on this off-limits island?
Speaker 1 (20:55):
So the estimates vary, but probably around 70. And to
be clear, you and I can't move to Niihau, but
its residents are free to come and go as they wish.
The current owners of the island are the Robinson family.
They are direct descendants of Elizabeth Sinclair. And from what
I've read, people in Niihau really appreciate what they've done
to preserve the island's ecology. That includes important populations of
(21:17):
Hawaiian monk seals and the native culture. But that's not
to say the Robinsons have left things exactly as they
were in 1860. The family made deals with the federal
government to use the island for missile tests and training.
And while there are no military personnel stationed there, they
do have radar installations. The money from these leases makes
(21:37):
up the bulk of the island's economy. But recently, the
Robinsons have opened up some very limited tourism opportunities as
a way to bring more income to the island. In
addition to helicopter rides over Ni Hao, they run day-long
safaris where you can hunt Polynesian boar and feral sheep.
But these trips are really tightly controlled, and they're designed
(21:58):
to avoid settlements and contact with the locals.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Okay, our next destination is also an island, but it
is off-limits for a very different reason. It's known as
the Alcatraz of Viruses.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Yeah, does not make me want to put on sandals
and a bright shirt and go hang out there. So
this is Reims. It's a small island in the Baltic
Sea off the northern coast of Germany. And there, dozens
of animals have been deliberately infected with some of the
world's most dangerous viruses, including African swine fever, rabies, even Ebola.
(22:30):
There's also a biobank containing over 600 distinct virus strains
from wild and domesticated animals. And this is all part
of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute that occupies the island.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
I love that you mentioned Sandals because it immediately made
me think of like, oh, Sandals Virus Island, which feels
like a resort I do not want to go to,
along with Snake Island.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Yeah, no.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
They're both ways. I'm so glad I can't go. Sure.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
But, you know, the snakes run Snake Island, as we established.
They run it. They're plotting their their who knows they're
going to overthrow civilization. The good news is Reams is
very much under the control of scientists who have dedicated
their lives to studying viruses and developing vaccines. As we've
all learned from covid, right, a virus in a Petri
(23:19):
dish is not the same as a virus in a
living host. In the wild, viruses evolve and mutate, and
knowing how that happens is the key to preventing outbreaks.
So that's exactly what the folks at Reams are trying
to do. And this all began with a guy named
Friedrich Loeffler. He founded the Institute back in 1910. He
actually started by studying bacteria. Among other things, he identified
(23:41):
the bacterium that causes diphtheria. But he was also interested
in parasitic and viral illnesses. And early on, his mission
at the Institute was to understand foot and mouth disease,
or FMD. That's a super contagious viral disease that affects
animals with cloven hooves. So your pigs, your cows, sheep, goats.
(24:02):
Loeffler managed to identify the virus that caused it, and
in doing so, kind of helped usher in the modern
science of virology, which is awesome. There was just one problem.
During his FMD experiments, there was a series of outbreaks
in animals around the city where he worked. And the
local officials were like, hey, if you're going to be
(24:23):
working with highly infectious viruses, could you maybe take it
over to that uninhabited island where you can keep things contained?
And so that is what he did. Even though the
institute's research was interrupted by both world wars, its work
has continued, ultimately leading to a vaccine for FMD and
more recently, breakthrough sequencing of new bird flu strains.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
That is great, but I'm curious how secure this place is,
especially with AI, if it's used in labs, it feels
like a disaster waiting to happen.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
I had the exact same thoughts, so I looked into
it and it turns out there is a whole world
of bio-risk management protocols that I never knew existed. It's
surprisingly interesting, actually, and very thorough, which should help put
your mind at ease. At REAMS, there are varying levels
of safety requirements. The highest risk level involves a laundry
(25:17):
list of steps and checks that all workers have to follow,
including entering and exiting work areas through airlocks, wearing full
hazmat suits with filtered air supply, There's a building-wide HEPA
filtration system. They have their own wastewater sterilization plant, so
the wastewater isn't getting diverted elsewhere. And when employees are
in active work areas, they have to maintain radio contact
(25:40):
with emergency support personnel on the outside just in case.
And then finally, before they take off the hazmat suits
to leave, they have to take a full disinfectant shower.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
That is crazy. So from the German virus island, I
feel like we've got to zoom across the world to
a place that is locked down for political instead of
scientific reasons. And that is the frontier closed area in
Hong Kong.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
I like how they put closed right in the name.
There's no room for doubt.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
It is very straightforward. And If it's okay with you,
I'm going to skip trying to pronounce it in Chinese.
Just know that the official name does in fact translate
to closed area. So a little background here. From 1841
to 1997, the British controlled Hong Kong. And after World
War II, there was an uptick in refugees fleeing from
mainland China. So in 1951, the British governor of Hong
(26:35):
Kong established the Frontier Closed Area or FCA. It's this
35-kilometer strip of land along the northern edge of the
New Territories where it meets the Chinese border. This area
was marked off by a fence and boundary roads with
police checkpoints and rules were established so that no one
could enter or exit without a special permit.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Okay, so like a no-man's land.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Right, except... people were living there. The closed area encompassed
several existing villages, as well as parts of historic Chongying Street,
a popular shopping area. So all of a sudden, residents
had to carry permits to travel to and from their
own homes, which sounds so frustrating. It's hard enough to
remember your wallet and keys when you go out, so
(27:17):
carrying this permit as well feels like a huge annoyance. Anyway,
in 1997, Hong Kong was handed back over to China.
And a few years later, the Chinese government began making
plans to shrink the FCA. Because there were fewer people
trying to sneak over the border, they decided to make
life a little easier for the folks who lived and
worked in the zone. And this reduction was done in
(27:37):
stages over several years. Obviously, this was good news for
everyone in villages that are now free from travel restriction.
But when the smaller zone went into effect, Hong Kong
police still advised caution. In a few places, the redrawn
lines run near some popular hiking areas. And if you
do happen to wander off trail, you could accidentally cross
(27:58):
into the FCA, which would make you subject to a
$ 5, 000 fine and two years in prison.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
That is a steep price to pay for getting lost.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, but they do not make exceptions for being bad
with maps. So if you hike in Hong Kong, please,
please pay attention.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Good advice. Okay. Our final forbidden place of the day
is also the youngest. It's Surtsey Island, which didn't exist
until 1963 when an underwater volcano blew it above the
surface of the North Atlantic, 11 miles off the coast
of Iceland.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Incredible. Yeah. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
And apparently there were some like fishing boats that started
to see this happen from a few miles away. Can
you imagine like just being out fishing and all of
a sudden, boom, there's an island?
Speaker 1 (28:44):
It feels like a scene from a sci-fi movie or something.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Yeah, a lot of sci-fi in this episode. We're trying
to tell you the truth about the world, and you
keep saying it's sci-fi.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Well, appropriately enough, Surtsey was named after Surtur, an ancient
Norse fire giant. And actually, that initial eruption continued for
several years, which meant the island kept changing as lava
flowed up and hardened into rock. which is very amazing
from a geology point of view, but it was a
big deal for biologists and botanists as well because they
(29:17):
realized that this new island presented a unique opportunity to
see how life evolves on a completely sterile piece of land.
So to prevent any contamination, travel to Surtsey was restricted
from the very beginning. Only a few scientists were allowed
to go there to make observations. And eventually they detected
(29:38):
the first sign of life Want to guess what it was?
Speaker 1 (29:40):
A rat?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Nope. Much smaller. A common housefly.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Of course it was.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Of course. And then seagulls showed up next. And in 1965,
the first land plant was discovered, a flowering member of
the mustard family called Sea Rocket. Fast forward a couple decades,
and by the late 1980s, researchers had cataloged 25 different
plants growing on Surtsey, including tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I love this. I love that life is just like
emerging and taking up space here. So tell me about
the tomatoes. Like, how did this happen?
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Well, the best guess is that the seeds were carried
via ocean currents from nearby islands or the coast of Iceland.
but also by wind and birds. And yeah, it's like
you're saying, it's like Jurassic Park said, nature finds a way.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Right, of course. But now that Surtsey has plants and animals,
can people visit? Or I guess not, otherwise we wouldn't
be talking about it.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
It's right there in the title of the episode. Nine
places you can't go. It's not eight places you can't go,
and then one place that, surprise, you actually can go. No,
there is no public access to Surtsey, and the Icelandic
government prohibits landing on the island. Only a very small
number of scientists, I mean, I'm talking like fewer than
a dozen, are able to visit each year to conduct
(30:57):
their research. You can see the island from a distance
if you take a boat tour in the summer in
that area, and apparently it's visible from Iceland itself on
clear days. But there's a wrinkle in this story. Surtsey
is starting to erode. because of harsh weather and waves
in the North Atlantic. It's already shrunk from its original
2.7 square kilometers to 1.3 square kilometers. And in a
(31:23):
few centuries, it could disappear completely.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
That's so sad. It's like this, just that it appears,
has tomato plants, and then will fade back into the water.
That's kind of sad. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
But, you know, we do have, I mean, it's a
long process. We do have some time or I guess
I should say a dozen Icelandic scientists have some time
to visit.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Yeah. I mean, if there's one thing I learned from
this episode, it's that if you're a scientist, there are
a lot of forbidden places you can get to. That's true.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
That is a big perk of the job, apparently.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
So I guess in light of that, I think we
should give today's trophy to the intrepid scientists who go
where no one else can go, especially those ones who
work on Snake Island. What do you say? Excellent. Yes.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Congratulations, scientists. Thank you for all your hard work and
please stay safe out there.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Well, that does it for today's episode. Give us a
call with your questions or stories for the show. Our
number is 302-405-5925. You can also send us an email
at highgeniuses at gmail.com.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
That is right. And I want to take a moment
to shout out Samson and Dawn, two listeners who both
wrote in recently to say they love the show. They
also had a few suggestions, Mango, which I'm going to
put on the agenda for next week's production meeting so
we can talk about it.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
And while we're at it, I do want to apologize
to Elba Gloria, whose voice message we featured last month
in the episode nine weird championships you can win. I
accidentally left off part of her name when I wrote
it down. We referred to her as just Elba, which
she let me know is actually her aunt. So, Elba, Gloria,
I'm really sorry about that mix-up, but thank you for
writing in, and we all hope you're having fun in
(32:58):
your new boat.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Thank you, Elba, Gloria. We do love the notes and
voicemails and messages from all of you. And as a
reminder to everyone that the places we talked about today
are forbidden, but you do have permission. to leave us
a nice rating or review on your favorite podcast app.
It is totally allowed and we love it. We will
be back next week with another new episode. And in
(33:21):
the meantime, from Will, Dylan, Gabe, Mary, and myself, thank
you so much for listening. Part-time Genius is a production
of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. It is hosted by my good pal,
(33:44):
Will Pearson, who I've known for almost three decades now.
That is insane to me. I'm the other co-host, Mange Shatikular, a.k.a. Mango.
Our producer is Mary Phillips Sandy. She's actually a super producer.
I'm going to fix that in post. Our writer is
Gabe Luzier, who I've also known for like a decade
at this point, maybe more. Dylan Fagan is in the booth.
(34:08):
He is always dressed up, always cheering us on, and
always ready to hit record and then mix the show after.
He does a great job. I also want to shout
out the executive producers from iHeart, my good pals Katrina
Norvell and Allie Perry. We have social media support from
Calypso Rallis. If you like our videos, that is all
Calypso's handiwork. For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit
(34:32):
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or tune in wherever you
listen to your favorite shows. That's it from us here
at Part-Time Genius. Thank you so much for listening.
Part-Time Genius News
Hosts And Creators
Will Pearson
Mangesh Hattikudur
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