November 14, 2025 • 25 mins
Ever wonder how a pumpkin could help clean a toxic field—and why your dog might boost your mood as much as a wedding ring? We unpack both, starting with fresh research from Kobe University that reveals how a small amino acid tag on major latex-like proteins pushes pollutants into plant sap. That single routing decision explains why some gourds move stubborn chemicals like PCBs all the way to their fruits, illuminating both the promise of phytoremediation and the risk if contaminated soils meet our dinner tables. We talk practical implications for agriculture too—how breeders and bioengineers could tune protein binding and secretion to create safer crops while using separate plots for soil cleanup.
Then we turn to the science of happiness with a study that estimates cats and dogs can elevate life satisfaction on par with being married or seeing friends often. The researchers used instrumental variables to tease causation, not just correlation, and the findings match what many of us feel: pets reduce loneliness, add structure, and get us moving. We dig into the nuance—pets offer deep comfort and presence, while people bring complex emotional and intellectual support—and why the best lives layer both.
If this mix of plant science, pet happiness, and real-world tips resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more curious listeners can find us.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:14):
Hello, science enthusiasts.
I'm Jason Zikkowski.
SPEAKER_02 (00:18):
And I'm Chris Zikkowski.
SPEAKER_01 (00:20):
We're the pet parents of Bunsen, Beaker,
Bernoulli, and Ginger, thescience animals on social media.
SPEAKER_02 (00:26):
If you love science and you love pets, you've come
to the right spot.
So put on your safety glassesand hold on to your tail.
SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
This is the Science Podcast.
Hello, everybody, and welcomeback to the Science Podcast.
We hope you're happy and healthyout there.
This is episode 32 of seasonseven.
Chris, we didn't have an episodelast week.
What happened?
What happened?
We've had some pretty big brightdevelopments in our family
lately.
SPEAKER_02 (00:53):
We got a new kitten named Bricks.
That definitely impacted ourability to do the podcast
because we were busy playingwith the kitten and I was pretty
much just taking care of thekitten.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
Yeah.
So we're back on the plan.
I think Bricks is in the roomwith you right now, just
exploring and being a littlekitten around.
SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
He's playing with a zip tie that I found.
SPEAKER_01 (01:21):
That's fun.
All right, let's get to theshow.
In Science News, we're going tobe talking about pollutant
absorbing gourds.
Now, we're not talking aboutgourd the person, like your
stepdad is named Gord.
We're talking about likepumpkins and squash and such.
Halloween was only a coupleweeks ago, so we're still on
(01:43):
brand with that.
And in pet science, a study cameout that reached the conclusion
that a cat or dog may improveyour well-being as much as being
married.
So does that mean you can getrid of me because we have bricks
now, Chris?
SPEAKER_02 (02:00):
No.
Being married to you definitelyelevates my well-being.
SPEAKER_01 (02:04):
Most days, I hope.
SPEAKER_02 (02:06):
Every day, all day.
SPEAKER_01 (02:08):
Okay, let's get to it.
There's no time like ScienceTime.
This week in Science News, let'stalk about how some plants in
our world potentially have asecret weapon against
pollutants.
So this comes to us fromresearchers at Kobe University,
(02:28):
and they found that there werethese pollutant-absorbing
gourds.
As I said in the lead, thesearen't people named gourd,
they're members of the gourdfamily.
Pumpkins, squash, zucchinis,melons, and cucumbers.
And they all have the ability toabsorb pollutants from the soil.
They're stored in their edibleparts, though.
(02:52):
So that's the, I guess that'snot so much the fun fact.
That poses a potential risk tothe people who might eat them.
Now we're going to be talkingabout why and how they this
happens, which I think is reallyinteresting.
That was outlined in the study.
SPEAKER_02 (03:08):
I really like this story because these plants can
be used for environmentalcleanup, like phytoremediation
for when there are heavy metalsor contaminants in the soil.
But the gourds are interestingbecause, unlike most plants,
they accumulate high levels ofthe pollutants.
(03:30):
And the pollutants are chemicalsthat actually don't easily break
down.
The scientists at KobeUniversity were intrigued by why
this pollutant uptake occursonly in the gourd family, as
well as why different varietiesof gourds show different levels
of pollutant buildup.
(03:50):
So there's variation even withinthe gourd family.
SPEAKER_01 (03:54):
So the reason why this happens, and their
research, you could read this inplant physiology and
biochemistry, is the pollutantbinding proteins differ slightly
between plant types.
In high accumulating gourds,proteins are secured in SAP.
And in low accumulating plants,proteins stay inside the cell.
(04:15):
A small change in amino acidsequence acts as a molecular
tag, telling the cell whether toretain the protein or export it
in the SAP.
Now, interestingly, researchersintroduced the high acclimation
protein into tobacco plants, andtobacco doesn't normally store
pollutants, and these modifiedplants began exporting the
(04:36):
protein into their sap.
That confirmed that it wasstarting to tag.
And only secreted proteins canmove through the plant and re
reach these edible parts.
So this may start to explain whysome plants accumulate plutons
while others don't.
Now, I one of the things I foundinteresting, I cut this kind of
like the notes we did, Chris, isthat gourds make sap.
(04:59):
I didn't think that was a thing.
SPEAKER_02 (05:01):
Yeah, that was interesting to me as well.
I was just thinking sap frommaple trees or other types of
trees.
SPEAKER_01 (05:10):
Mm-hmm.
They have xylem sap.
This is funny because I teachyou taught science 10, right?
Xylem and phloem.
Yeah.
So xylem and phloem, they allowwaters and sugars, and simply
put to move around a plant.
And xylem has sap inside it.
That's mostly water that movesthrough the xylem.
And the phloem has sap.
(05:31):
So that's sugars and theproteins.
So when I think of sap, I thinkof like the sticky stuff that's
on the outside of spruce trees,and you get it on your clothes
and your hands, and it's gross.
But all vascular plants doproduce sap.
An interesting fun fact there.
SPEAKER_02 (05:46):
That was such a cool fun fact.
But the study also hasimplications for agriculture.
So a larger field.
By the ability to understand theprotein's rules, we could uh
look at genetic modification ofcrops and potentially control
pollutant uptake.
(06:08):
Also, there could be thedevelopment of safer vegetables
with minimal contaminationinside of them.
Scientists could alter theprotein's ability to bind the
pollutants, or it's secretioninto plant sap to limit the
transport of harmful chemicals.
SPEAKER_01 (06:28):
Yeah, it's fascinating that these proteins,
and they are they're called MLMLPs, not MLBs.
The baseball's over, sadly, theblue jays lost.
MLPs stand for map major latexlike proteins.
They help bind some really nastypollutants like PCBs and
hydrocarbons.
(06:49):
Understanding more about howthat happens, and obviously you
don't want to eat a pumpkin ifit's full of PCBs.
That would be nasty.
It's interesting how the xylemsap proteins suck up pollutants,
but I think it's alsointeresting in the future about
how you could mitigate peopleeating the pollutants if they
snack on a gourd.
SPEAKER_02 (07:10):
But it also has implications for green
technology to take care of soildecontamination and then that
ecological restoration that Italked about with at the
beginning.
SPEAKER_01 (07:22):
This is not the only pollutant-sucking up plant
that's in the news.
Uh, I was waffling on doing awhole episode or story on this
weird fungi that's growing onthe reactor in Chernobyl.
I just don't know enough aboutit, but I do want to mention
that is a type of radiotropism.
So these fungi have evolved orthey grow towards sources of
(07:49):
radiation, ionizing radiation.
And they're actually, yeah,they're growing on the side of
the sarcophagus in Chernobyl.
That's another plant or organismthat's sucking up pollution.
Cool.
SPEAKER_02 (08:03):
That is super cool as well.
SPEAKER_01 (08:07):
Sadly, I think this may be the more plants that's
the more plants suck that suckup pollution and radiation.
I think we're gonna be windingup with a plants versus zombies
situation here pretty quick.
(08:27):
All right, that's science newsfor this week.
This week in pet science, let'stalk about pets being as
powerful as marriage orfriendship.
Now, this study comes fromsocial indicators research.
It was published back in March,and the long and short of it is
that owning a cat or dog canimprove your well-being as much
(08:51):
as being married or havingsocial contact regularly with
friends and family.
What do you think about that,Chris?
SPEAKER_02 (09:02):
Jason, I think that owning a cat or a dog has
definitely owning our cats anddogs has definitely improved my
well-being because it's somesomething else to take care of
and it's something that lovesyou unconditionally.
And spending the last weekendand a few days, because we did
have our Remembrance Day fallbreak with Bricks, bonding with
(09:24):
him is time that I would notwant to trade for anything.
So, like he and I have beenhanging out, and I've it's very
calming, and he's just such agood boy, and then I hang out
with the dogs and I feel thesame way.
I think it's really important,and I I really enjoyed this
article, this research.
SPEAKER_01 (09:44):
So the research estimated that having a cat or
dog is equivalent to a$90,000increase in your annual life
satisfaction.
It's tough to put a number onhow satisfied you are with life.
So it's a common economicmeasure to quantify happiness or
(10:07):
well-being.
And you and I, we don't, we'repretty simple, like we don't
have expensive tastes.
I think I've told you before,like, I am so happy to come home
to the dogs.
Like, I don't need anything elsein my life.
That has increased my lifesatisfaction exponentially.
(10:28):
I have no want for any fancy caror anything like that.
I'm just content.
I'm very content.
So I of course I love thatyou're my wife, but I do agree
that cats and dogs can give youa massive boost to how happy you
are.
But we should probably talkabout the study, right?
SPEAKER_02 (10:47):
Mm-hmm.
So the study, the scientistsanalyzed data from 2,500 British
households that were actuallyparticipating in a different
long-term social survey.
And the analysis aimed toidentify a causal relationship.
So not just having a correlationbetween pet ownership and life
(11:09):
satisfaction.
So they applied a techniquecalled the instrumental
variables approach, which helpsaccount for hidden factors that
could bias their results.
So it was interesting becausethis method introduced a third
variable that's related to petownership.
SPEAKER_01 (11:29):
But you So you are you happy because you're
healthier?
Are you truly happier becauseyou have a pet?
And then they also incorporatedpersonality data to help control
for natural, optimistic peopleor traits that might influence
well-being, like those sunny,happy people that nothing ever
gets them down.
(11:50):
I don't know where I fall onthat spectrum.
Most things don't seem to botherme, but I don't think I walk
around like a beam of sunshine.
SPEAKER_02 (11:58):
So the context of the study looked at the science
of pets and happiness.
So the emotional and physicalhealth benefits of dog
ownership, like you said,increased exercise and reduced
loneliness are already welldocumented in the studies.
In fact, we've broken down otherstudies that have looked at
that.
(12:19):
However, science are stilldebating the overall impact of
pet ownership on well-being,since they did see some
variability with the resultsacross the different studies.
SPEAKER_01 (12:32):
The author of the study said she was surprised how
large the well-being boostappeared in the data from the
study.
And on reflection, many peopledescribe their pets as their
friend or their family.
So it makes sense that theirpresence would be valued as
similar as a human friend or ahuman family member.
SPEAKER_02 (12:58):
But there is a word of caution with that, Jason.
SPEAKER_01 (13:00):
Right, right.
Yes, that's right.
SPEAKER_02 (13:02):
Them as though they are identical to human friends
or family.
Because while pets can providesocial and emotional support,
they are not equivalent tohaving a relationship with
another human.
Both of these relationships witha pet and or with a human
contribute to well-being, butthey are very distinct.
(13:25):
Pets provide companionship,comfort, and that non-judgmental
presence, whereas humans theyprovide that complex emotional,
intellectual, and social supportthat animals actually can't
fully replicate.
SPEAKER_01 (13:39):
You know, I love talking to you because I can
have intellectual conversationsabout my day, and you can give
me solutions.
I can definitely talk to thedogs and now bricks about my
day, but they're not going tooffer me any solutions.
They're just going to be reallygood listeners.
Sometimes you need that, but youdo need both in your life.
(14:01):
So don't shun one for the other.
SPEAKER_02 (14:06):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (14:09):
Because we have three dogs and a cat, what's
90,000 times four?
Is that why I'm just feeling amuch more sunnier outlook?
Is that why?
SPEAKER_02 (14:20):
I think so.
SPEAKER_01 (14:21):
Just about a half a million dollars more wealthy
because of these pets.
Maybe.
SPEAKER_00 (14:29):
Maybe.
SPEAKER_01 (14:30):
All right, that's pet science for this week.
SPEAKER_00 (14:32):
Okay, it is time for story time with me, Adam.
We haven't done story time in awhile.
So What is this?
SPEAKER_01 (14:40):
Have we traveled back in time?
What is happening here?
SPEAKER_00 (14:43):
If you don't know what story time is when we talk
about stories that havehappened, usually within the
last one or two weeks, but it'sbeen a lot longer than one or
two weeks since I've been on thepodcast last.
So we're just gonna talk aboutsome stories that have happened.
Yeah, it's been a really longtime since we've done story
time.
I guess I'll talk about mystory.
(15:03):
I have a story about moving into Edmonton, like moving to
Edmonton.
So I moved away from home forschool, and now I'm in Edmonton,
which is a bigger city thanwhere the family lives.
So I moved there and I tookginger with me.
(15:24):
Now, some people are okay withme taking ginger, and other
people are not so okay with metaking ginger, but I have
ginger, and Ben, my roommate, hehas a cat.
Her name is Took.
You've probably seen Took onsome videos.
She's the cat with the blackfur.
And then Ben's partner, whomoved in later, also has a cat
(15:46):
named Poe.
So we have three cats in a tinyapartment.
We have Poe, Ginger, and Took.
So I was really worried that allof these cats weren't gonna get
along together very well.
But all of the cats are supergood.
So they're getting along prettygood.
There's a few little fights thathappen, but they have fun.
(16:08):
I think they're having fun.
I hope they're having fun.
But yeah, I was mainly worriedabout Took because she was she's
she takes a little bit of timeto get used to people.
So I was worried that she wasalso gonna take a bit of time to
get used to the other cats,which did happen, and I was a
little worried that she wouldnever get used to the other
cats, but she did, and she likesthem.
(16:30):
And she plays with ginger, andginger plays with Tuke, and then
Took plays with Poe, and Gingerplays with Poe, and they all
play with each other.
And they like playing with theselittle with this little I have
this little it's like a wandwith string on it, and you play
with them, and they're so cute.
They're so cute.
They're the cutest cats ever.
Yep.
I my story doesn't really have apoint or anything like eventful
(16:52):
that happened, other than movingaway and moving in with three
cats and four people in a tinyapartment, because Annalise is
also with us.
But yeah, three cats, andthey're all getting along, which
is very good.
And Ginger's doing good.
Ginger's doing well with themove, and she's happy, and Tuke
is happy, and Poe is happy.
Poe is a very purry guy.
He purrs very loudly.
(17:13):
He purrs very loudly when hesees something that you have
that he wants, like cheese ormilk.
He really likes cheese and milk.
And then also he meows veryloudly.
So if you don't pick him up whenyou're cooking, he'll just sit
there and meow until you pickhim up.
But yeah, that's pretty much mystory is moving in with uh with
with Ben and Annalise and uhBen's partner Shay, and all
(17:36):
these cats getting along verywell.
Um, but yeah, uh Dad, do youhave a story?
SPEAKER_01 (17:42):
Let Chris tell the really big story that has taken
social media by storm.
My story is about just how goodof a week uh Bernoulli has had.
Like Beaker is the goodest girl,Bunsen is always a good dog, but
this week Bernoulli has justbeen like the best dog ever
(18:03):
since we've been working withMarla on building a course, a
dog training course.
We've been picking up tips andtricks from her as we built the
course.
And we've worked with Bernoullion his recall.
So his recall is so good whenwe're out on the walk.
Um, and Beaker sometimes getsdistracted and digs, which is
fine.
I just go collect her.
(18:25):
Like her recall is not perfect,it's pretty good.
And Bernoulli gets frustratedwith her, so he goes and tries
to find her.
And Bernoulli has the spin movethat he does, he starts spinning
and it makes Beaker insane.
Like she loses his her mind onhim and he just keeps spinning
faster because I think he makesit makes him happy or something
that he's bugging her.
(18:47):
But, anyways, Bernoulli has hada really good week.
He's been a really good dog.
He's still a little mischievous,he still steals things like
pieces of paper and socks andthings like that.
But the big thing is how good hehas been with our new animal
that joined our family.
But I'm not gonna spoil thatbecause I think that's more of
Chris's story to tell.
(19:08):
And that's my story.
Bernoulli's been a very goodboy, but the other dogs have
been good dogs too.
SPEAKER_00 (19:13):
Sometimes we would have a special guest on
Storytime, but we haven't donestorytime in the longest time.
So we do have a special guestthis time as well.
Annalise.
Annalise, do you have a story?
SPEAKER_03 (19:25):
Adam's laughing at me right now, but we have many
of story when, especially movingto Edmonton and everything.
One of the cutest stories for meis Ginger has become.
I think she misses Chris.
And so I've become Chris.
Or even Jason too, becauseGinger used to sleep with Jason
(19:46):
a bunch, but now she'll come.
If I'm laying flat on my backwhen I'm sleeping, she'll come
and sleep on my back.
And as much as I love her, itgets very uncomfortable.
And then also with the newkitten Poe, he'll do the exact
same thing.
So I have two cats on me whenI'm sleeping, and it's
(20:11):
uncomfortable, but it's verycute, and I feel very loved, and
it's awesome.
So that's my story.
SPEAKER_00 (20:16):
Annalise reminded me, I have a bit of a bonus
story.
All of the cats have found avery effective way of waking us
up in the morning to be fed.
So ginger will scratch the sideof the bed, like right next to
my head, and then Poe will jumponto Annalise and start purring.
Toque is the only cat whodoesn't really do anything to
(20:37):
wake us up.
She just sits there and hopesthat she gets fed.
And then Ginger, after all ofthat, will come and walk on our
faces, like on top of our heads.
And Ginger has taught Took howto beg for food.
So Took before would get fed andthen just do her thing.
But Ginger tries to teach orlike tries to trick us into
(20:58):
giving her more food.
And she's taught the other catsto do that too.
So I'll feed the cats, and thenBen will maybe go out for a run
in the morning and then comeback.
And Ginger and Took will go andpretend like they've never been
fed before and start meowing athim.
And so he'll be like, Oh, havethe cats been fed?
So now every morning we have totext our roommate's group chat
(21:18):
every time we feed the cats,where it's like, oh, we fed the
cats.
And then at night, when we feedthem again, we have to text
them, oh, I've fed the cats.
So then our roommates don't gettricked.
So two little bonus stories.
Mom has the big story, so I'lllet her tell her story last.
Mom, do you have a story?
SPEAKER_02 (21:33):
I sure do.
I am so fortunate to share thestory of how we got the most
amazing rescue kitten on theplanet.
We were looking for a new furryfriend to join our family
because, of course, Adam talkedabout taking ginger.
And we weren't looking for areplacement cat.
(21:54):
Absolutely not.
But we were looking for a littlefur, fur kitten to love, a new
fur baby to love.
And it had to be the perfectkitten or cat.
We had looked in some of the petstores in town.
They have affiliations with therescues and cat after cat was
(22:14):
coming in.
And Jason was like, This one'scute, this one's good, this
one's good.
What do you think of this one?
And of course, I was like, No,it has to be the perfect cat,
Jason.
And we I saw on Facebook aposting for paws and claws, and
they had some kittens that hadjust come into their care, and
(22:34):
they said they would be ready togo at a certain time.
And I put in an application.
And we were so fortunate to meetBricks early on a weeknight, and
then I picked him up on Fridayon November 7th.
And it's just been such awhirlwind of delight having this
(22:57):
little kitten who is thesweetest cat I think I've ever
met.
I am really bonded to him.
He like sleeps on my chest and Icarry him, I carry him around
the entire house.
And yeah, I just adorable.
He is so adorable.
I just can't say enough positivethings about him.
(23:19):
And of course, he is a tinykitten, which we have never had
a kitten before.
Jason's, I don't know how tokitten.
And I said, Me either.
He's what?
Yeah.
So we're a little bit usingGoogle and like what do we do?
But we have ideas about how tokeep them safe and watch him
grow.
And we're just so excited andgrateful to have this
(23:43):
opportunity to take care ofbricks as a member of our
family.
And that's my story.
SPEAKER_01 (23:48):
And that ties into Bernoulli being a good boy
because he's been infatuatedwith bricks.
He wants to hang out withbricks, he licks him gently, he
follows him around.
But as Chris said, Bricks isabout the size of Bernoulli's
nose.
Yeah.
So we have to be very careful,right?
If Bernoulli paws at him, hecould hurt bricks.
(24:09):
So we're just we're alwayswatching any interaction.
Even though Bernoulli couldnever on purpose hurt bricks.
It would be an accident.
SPEAKER_02 (24:17):
Yeah.
We want to mitigate anypotential for accidents for
sure.
SPEAKER_00 (24:21):
Yeah.
So the cat pooped in here and itsmells really bad.
Alright, I think that's it forstory time.
Thank you so much for listeningto my section of the podcast.
It's a very special section ofthe podcast because we haven't
done it in a while.
I hope to see y'all again later,hopefully for another version of
(24:42):
my section of the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (24:43):
Alright, bye-bye.
That's it for this week's show.
Thanks for coming back weekafter week to listen to the
Science Podcast.
And a shout out to all the topdogs.
That's the top tier of ourPatreon community, The Pop Pack.
You can sign up in our shownotes.
Alright, Chris, let's hear thosenames that are part of the Top
Dogs.
SPEAKER_02 (25:02):
Amelia Fetting, Re Oda, Carol Haino, Jennifer
Challen, Linnea Janet, KarenCronister, Vicky Oteiro, Christy
Walker, Sarah Brown, Wendy,Diane, Mason and Luke, Helen
Chin, Elizabeth Bourgeois,Marianne McNally, Katherine
Jordan, Shelly Smith, LauraStephenson, Tracy Leinbaugh,
(25:24):
Anne Uchida, Heather Burbach,Kelly, Tracy Halbert, Ben
Rather, Debbie Anderson, SandyBrimer, Mary Rader, Bianca Hyde,
Andrew Lynn, Brenda Clark,Brianne Haas, Peggy McKeel,
Holly Birch, Kathy Zirker, SusanWagner, and Liz Button.
SPEAKER_01 (25:43):
For science, empathy, and cuteness.
Hello, science enthusiasts.
I'm Jason Zikkowski.
SPEAKER_02 (00:18):
And I'm Chris Zikkowski.
SPEAKER_01 (00:20):
We're the pet parents of Bunsen, Beaker,
Bernoulli, and Ginger, thescience animals on social media.
SPEAKER_02 (00:26):
If you love science and you love pets, you've come
to the right spot.
So put on your safety glassesand hold on to your tail.
SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
This is the Science Podcast.
Hello, everybody, and welcomeback to the Science Podcast.
We hope you're happy and healthyout there.
This is episode 32 of seasonseven.
Chris, we didn't have an episodelast week.
What happened?
What happened?
We've had some pretty big brightdevelopments in our family
lately.
SPEAKER_02 (00:53):
We got a new kitten named Bricks.
That definitely impacted ourability to do the podcast
because we were busy playingwith the kitten and I was pretty
much just taking care of thekitten.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
Yeah.
So we're back on the plan.
I think Bricks is in the roomwith you right now, just
exploring and being a littlekitten around.
SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
He's playing with a zip tie that I found.
SPEAKER_01 (01:21):
That's fun.
All right, let's get to theshow.
In Science News, we're going tobe talking about pollutant
absorbing gourds.
Now, we're not talking aboutgourd the person, like your
stepdad is named Gord.
We're talking about likepumpkins and squash and such.
Halloween was only a coupleweeks ago, so we're still on
(01:43):
brand with that.
And in pet science, a study cameout that reached the conclusion
that a cat or dog may improveyour well-being as much as being
married.
So does that mean you can getrid of me because we have bricks
now, Chris?
SPEAKER_02 (02:00):
No.
Being married to you definitelyelevates my well-being.
SPEAKER_01 (02:04):
Most days, I hope.
SPEAKER_02 (02:06):
Every day, all day.
SPEAKER_01 (02:08):
Okay, let's get to it.
There's no time like ScienceTime.
This week in Science News, let'stalk about how some plants in
our world potentially have asecret weapon against
pollutants.
So this comes to us fromresearchers at Kobe University,
(02:28):
and they found that there werethese pollutant-absorbing
gourds.
As I said in the lead, thesearen't people named gourd,
they're members of the gourdfamily.
Pumpkins, squash, zucchinis,melons, and cucumbers.
And they all have the ability toabsorb pollutants from the soil.
They're stored in their edibleparts, though.
(02:52):
So that's the, I guess that'snot so much the fun fact.
That poses a potential risk tothe people who might eat them.
Now we're going to be talkingabout why and how they this
happens, which I think is reallyinteresting.
That was outlined in the study.
SPEAKER_02 (03:08):
I really like this story because these plants can
be used for environmentalcleanup, like phytoremediation
for when there are heavy metalsor contaminants in the soil.
But the gourds are interestingbecause, unlike most plants,
they accumulate high levels ofthe pollutants.
(03:30):
And the pollutants are chemicalsthat actually don't easily break
down.
The scientists at KobeUniversity were intrigued by why
this pollutant uptake occursonly in the gourd family, as
well as why different varietiesof gourds show different levels
of pollutant buildup.
(03:50):
So there's variation even withinthe gourd family.
SPEAKER_01 (03:54):
So the reason why this happens, and their
research, you could read this inplant physiology and
biochemistry, is the pollutantbinding proteins differ slightly
between plant types.
In high accumulating gourds,proteins are secured in SAP.
And in low accumulating plants,proteins stay inside the cell.
(04:15):
A small change in amino acidsequence acts as a molecular
tag, telling the cell whether toretain the protein or export it
in the SAP.
Now, interestingly, researchersintroduced the high acclimation
protein into tobacco plants, andtobacco doesn't normally store
pollutants, and these modifiedplants began exporting the
(04:36):
protein into their sap.
That confirmed that it wasstarting to tag.
And only secreted proteins canmove through the plant and re
reach these edible parts.
So this may start to explain whysome plants accumulate plutons
while others don't.
Now, I one of the things I foundinteresting, I cut this kind of
like the notes we did, Chris, isthat gourds make sap.
(04:59):
I didn't think that was a thing.
SPEAKER_02 (05:01):
Yeah, that was interesting to me as well.
I was just thinking sap frommaple trees or other types of
trees.
SPEAKER_01 (05:10):
Mm-hmm.
They have xylem sap.
This is funny because I teachyou taught science 10, right?
Xylem and phloem.
Yeah.
So xylem and phloem, they allowwaters and sugars, and simply
put to move around a plant.
And xylem has sap inside it.
That's mostly water that movesthrough the xylem.
And the phloem has sap.
(05:31):
So that's sugars and theproteins.
So when I think of sap, I thinkof like the sticky stuff that's
on the outside of spruce trees,and you get it on your clothes
and your hands, and it's gross.
But all vascular plants doproduce sap.
An interesting fun fact there.
SPEAKER_02 (05:46):
That was such a cool fun fact.
But the study also hasimplications for agriculture.
So a larger field.
By the ability to understand theprotein's rules, we could uh
look at genetic modification ofcrops and potentially control
pollutant uptake.
(06:08):
Also, there could be thedevelopment of safer vegetables
with minimal contaminationinside of them.
Scientists could alter theprotein's ability to bind the
pollutants, or it's secretioninto plant sap to limit the
transport of harmful chemicals.
SPEAKER_01 (06:28):
Yeah, it's fascinating that these proteins,
and they are they're called MLMLPs, not MLBs.
The baseball's over, sadly, theblue jays lost.
MLPs stand for map major latexlike proteins.
They help bind some really nastypollutants like PCBs and
hydrocarbons.
(06:49):
Understanding more about howthat happens, and obviously you
don't want to eat a pumpkin ifit's full of PCBs.
That would be nasty.
It's interesting how the xylemsap proteins suck up pollutants,
but I think it's alsointeresting in the future about
how you could mitigate peopleeating the pollutants if they
snack on a gourd.
SPEAKER_02 (07:10):
But it also has implications for green
technology to take care of soildecontamination and then that
ecological restoration that Italked about with at the
beginning.
SPEAKER_01 (07:22):
This is not the only pollutant-sucking up plant
that's in the news.
Uh, I was waffling on doing awhole episode or story on this
weird fungi that's growing onthe reactor in Chernobyl.
I just don't know enough aboutit, but I do want to mention
that is a type of radiotropism.
So these fungi have evolved orthey grow towards sources of
(07:49):
radiation, ionizing radiation.
And they're actually, yeah,they're growing on the side of
the sarcophagus in Chernobyl.
That's another plant or organismthat's sucking up pollution.
Cool.
SPEAKER_02 (08:03):
That is super cool as well.
SPEAKER_01 (08:07):
Sadly, I think this may be the more plants that's
the more plants suck that suckup pollution and radiation.
I think we're gonna be windingup with a plants versus zombies
situation here pretty quick.
(08:27):
All right, that's science newsfor this week.
This week in pet science, let'stalk about pets being as
powerful as marriage orfriendship.
Now, this study comes fromsocial indicators research.
It was published back in March,and the long and short of it is
that owning a cat or dog canimprove your well-being as much
(08:51):
as being married or havingsocial contact regularly with
friends and family.
What do you think about that,Chris?
SPEAKER_02 (09:02):
Jason, I think that owning a cat or a dog has
definitely owning our cats anddogs has definitely improved my
well-being because it's somesomething else to take care of
and it's something that lovesyou unconditionally.
And spending the last weekendand a few days, because we did
have our Remembrance Day fallbreak with Bricks, bonding with
(09:24):
him is time that I would notwant to trade for anything.
So, like he and I have beenhanging out, and I've it's very
calming, and he's just such agood boy, and then I hang out
with the dogs and I feel thesame way.
I think it's really important,and I I really enjoyed this
article, this research.
SPEAKER_01 (09:44):
So the research estimated that having a cat or
dog is equivalent to a$90,000increase in your annual life
satisfaction.
It's tough to put a number onhow satisfied you are with life.
So it's a common economicmeasure to quantify happiness or
(10:07):
well-being.
And you and I, we don't, we'repretty simple, like we don't
have expensive tastes.
I think I've told you before,like, I am so happy to come home
to the dogs.
Like, I don't need anything elsein my life.
That has increased my lifesatisfaction exponentially.
(10:28):
I have no want for any fancy caror anything like that.
I'm just content.
I'm very content.
So I of course I love thatyou're my wife, but I do agree
that cats and dogs can give youa massive boost to how happy you
are.
But we should probably talkabout the study, right?
SPEAKER_02 (10:47):
Mm-hmm.
So the study, the scientistsanalyzed data from 2,500 British
households that were actuallyparticipating in a different
long-term social survey.
And the analysis aimed toidentify a causal relationship.
So not just having a correlationbetween pet ownership and life
(11:09):
satisfaction.
So they applied a techniquecalled the instrumental
variables approach, which helpsaccount for hidden factors that
could bias their results.
So it was interesting becausethis method introduced a third
variable that's related to petownership.
SPEAKER_01 (11:29):
But you So you are you happy because you're
healthier?
Are you truly happier becauseyou have a pet?
And then they also incorporatedpersonality data to help control
for natural, optimistic peopleor traits that might influence
well-being, like those sunny,happy people that nothing ever
gets them down.
(11:50):
I don't know where I fall onthat spectrum.
Most things don't seem to botherme, but I don't think I walk
around like a beam of sunshine.
SPEAKER_02 (11:58):
So the context of the study looked at the science
of pets and happiness.
So the emotional and physicalhealth benefits of dog
ownership, like you said,increased exercise and reduced
loneliness are already welldocumented in the studies.
In fact, we've broken down otherstudies that have looked at
that.
(12:19):
However, science are stilldebating the overall impact of
pet ownership on well-being,since they did see some
variability with the resultsacross the different studies.
SPEAKER_01 (12:32):
The author of the study said she was surprised how
large the well-being boostappeared in the data from the
study.
And on reflection, many peopledescribe their pets as their
friend or their family.
So it makes sense that theirpresence would be valued as
similar as a human friend or ahuman family member.
SPEAKER_02 (12:58):
But there is a word of caution with that, Jason.
SPEAKER_01 (13:00):
Right, right.
Yes, that's right.
SPEAKER_02 (13:02):
Them as though they are identical to human friends
or family.
Because while pets can providesocial and emotional support,
they are not equivalent tohaving a relationship with
another human.
Both of these relationships witha pet and or with a human
contribute to well-being, butthey are very distinct.
(13:25):
Pets provide companionship,comfort, and that non-judgmental
presence, whereas humans theyprovide that complex emotional,
intellectual, and social supportthat animals actually can't
fully replicate.
SPEAKER_01 (13:39):
You know, I love talking to you because I can
have intellectual conversationsabout my day, and you can give
me solutions.
I can definitely talk to thedogs and now bricks about my
day, but they're not going tooffer me any solutions.
They're just going to be reallygood listeners.
Sometimes you need that, but youdo need both in your life.
(14:01):
So don't shun one for the other.
SPEAKER_02 (14:06):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (14:09):
Because we have three dogs and a cat, what's
90,000 times four?
Is that why I'm just feeling amuch more sunnier outlook?
Is that why?
SPEAKER_02 (14:20):
I think so.
SPEAKER_01 (14:21):
Just about a half a million dollars more wealthy
because of these pets.
Maybe.
SPEAKER_00 (14:29):
Maybe.
SPEAKER_01 (14:30):
All right, that's pet science for this week.
SPEAKER_00 (14:32):
Okay, it is time for story time with me, Adam.
We haven't done story time in awhile.
So What is this?
SPEAKER_01 (14:40):
Have we traveled back in time?
What is happening here?
SPEAKER_00 (14:43):
If you don't know what story time is when we talk
about stories that havehappened, usually within the
last one or two weeks, but it'sbeen a lot longer than one or
two weeks since I've been on thepodcast last.
So we're just gonna talk aboutsome stories that have happened.
Yeah, it's been a really longtime since we've done story
time.
I guess I'll talk about mystory.
(15:03):
I have a story about moving into Edmonton, like moving to
Edmonton.
So I moved away from home forschool, and now I'm in Edmonton,
which is a bigger city thanwhere the family lives.
So I moved there and I tookginger with me.
(15:24):
Now, some people are okay withme taking ginger, and other
people are not so okay with metaking ginger, but I have
ginger, and Ben, my roommate, hehas a cat.
Her name is Took.
You've probably seen Took onsome videos.
She's the cat with the blackfur.
And then Ben's partner, whomoved in later, also has a cat
(15:46):
named Poe.
So we have three cats in a tinyapartment.
We have Poe, Ginger, and Took.
So I was really worried that allof these cats weren't gonna get
along together very well.
But all of the cats are supergood.
So they're getting along prettygood.
There's a few little fights thathappen, but they have fun.
(16:08):
I think they're having fun.
I hope they're having fun.
But yeah, I was mainly worriedabout Took because she was she's
she takes a little bit of timeto get used to people.
So I was worried that she wasalso gonna take a bit of time to
get used to the other cats,which did happen, and I was a
little worried that she wouldnever get used to the other
cats, but she did, and she likesthem.
(16:30):
And she plays with ginger, andginger plays with Tuke, and then
Took plays with Poe, and Gingerplays with Poe, and they all
play with each other.
And they like playing with theselittle with this little I have
this little it's like a wandwith string on it, and you play
with them, and they're so cute.
They're so cute.
They're the cutest cats ever.
Yep.
I my story doesn't really have apoint or anything like eventful
(16:52):
that happened, other than movingaway and moving in with three
cats and four people in a tinyapartment, because Annalise is
also with us.
But yeah, three cats, andthey're all getting along, which
is very good.
And Ginger's doing good.
Ginger's doing well with themove, and she's happy, and Tuke
is happy, and Poe is happy.
Poe is a very purry guy.
He purrs very loudly.
(17:13):
He purrs very loudly when hesees something that you have
that he wants, like cheese ormilk.
He really likes cheese and milk.
And then also he meows veryloudly.
So if you don't pick him up whenyou're cooking, he'll just sit
there and meow until you pickhim up.
But yeah, that's pretty much mystory is moving in with uh with
with Ben and Annalise and uhBen's partner Shay, and all
(17:36):
these cats getting along verywell.
Um, but yeah, uh Dad, do youhave a story?
SPEAKER_01 (17:42):
Let Chris tell the really big story that has taken
social media by storm.
My story is about just how goodof a week uh Bernoulli has had.
Like Beaker is the goodest girl,Bunsen is always a good dog, but
this week Bernoulli has justbeen like the best dog ever
(18:03):
since we've been working withMarla on building a course, a
dog training course.
We've been picking up tips andtricks from her as we built the
course.
And we've worked with Bernoullion his recall.
So his recall is so good whenwe're out on the walk.
Um, and Beaker sometimes getsdistracted and digs, which is
fine.
I just go collect her.
(18:25):
Like her recall is not perfect,it's pretty good.
And Bernoulli gets frustratedwith her, so he goes and tries
to find her.
And Bernoulli has the spin movethat he does, he starts spinning
and it makes Beaker insane.
Like she loses his her mind onhim and he just keeps spinning
faster because I think he makesit makes him happy or something
that he's bugging her.
(18:47):
But, anyways, Bernoulli has hada really good week.
He's been a really good dog.
He's still a little mischievous,he still steals things like
pieces of paper and socks andthings like that.
But the big thing is how good hehas been with our new animal
that joined our family.
But I'm not gonna spoil thatbecause I think that's more of
Chris's story to tell.
(19:08):
And that's my story.
Bernoulli's been a very goodboy, but the other dogs have
been good dogs too.
SPEAKER_00 (19:13):
Sometimes we would have a special guest on
Storytime, but we haven't donestorytime in the longest time.
So we do have a special guestthis time as well.
Annalise.
Annalise, do you have a story?
SPEAKER_03 (19:25):
Adam's laughing at me right now, but we have many
of story when, especially movingto Edmonton and everything.
One of the cutest stories for meis Ginger has become.
I think she misses Chris.
And so I've become Chris.
Or even Jason too, becauseGinger used to sleep with Jason
(19:46):
a bunch, but now she'll come.
If I'm laying flat on my backwhen I'm sleeping, she'll come
and sleep on my back.
And as much as I love her, itgets very uncomfortable.
And then also with the newkitten Poe, he'll do the exact
same thing.
So I have two cats on me whenI'm sleeping, and it's
(20:11):
uncomfortable, but it's verycute, and I feel very loved, and
it's awesome.
So that's my story.
SPEAKER_00 (20:16):
Annalise reminded me, I have a bit of a bonus
story.
All of the cats have found avery effective way of waking us
up in the morning to be fed.
So ginger will scratch the sideof the bed, like right next to
my head, and then Poe will jumponto Annalise and start purring.
Toque is the only cat whodoesn't really do anything to
(20:37):
wake us up.
She just sits there and hopesthat she gets fed.
And then Ginger, after all ofthat, will come and walk on our
faces, like on top of our heads.
And Ginger has taught Took howto beg for food.
So Took before would get fed andthen just do her thing.
But Ginger tries to teach orlike tries to trick us into
(20:58):
giving her more food.
And she's taught the other catsto do that too.
So I'll feed the cats, and thenBen will maybe go out for a run
in the morning and then comeback.
And Ginger and Took will go andpretend like they've never been
fed before and start meowing athim.
And so he'll be like, Oh, havethe cats been fed?
So now every morning we have totext our roommate's group chat
(21:18):
every time we feed the cats,where it's like, oh, we fed the
cats.
And then at night, when we feedthem again, we have to text
them, oh, I've fed the cats.
So then our roommates don't gettricked.
So two little bonus stories.
Mom has the big story, so I'lllet her tell her story last.
Mom, do you have a story?
SPEAKER_02 (21:33):
I sure do.
I am so fortunate to share thestory of how we got the most
amazing rescue kitten on theplanet.
We were looking for a new furryfriend to join our family
because, of course, Adam talkedabout taking ginger.
And we weren't looking for areplacement cat.
(21:54):
Absolutely not.
But we were looking for a littlefur, fur kitten to love, a new
fur baby to love.
And it had to be the perfectkitten or cat.
We had looked in some of the petstores in town.
They have affiliations with therescues and cat after cat was
(22:14):
coming in.
And Jason was like, This one'scute, this one's good, this
one's good.
What do you think of this one?
And of course, I was like, No,it has to be the perfect cat,
Jason.
And we I saw on Facebook aposting for paws and claws, and
they had some kittens that hadjust come into their care, and
(22:34):
they said they would be ready togo at a certain time.
And I put in an application.
And we were so fortunate to meetBricks early on a weeknight, and
then I picked him up on Fridayon November 7th.
And it's just been such awhirlwind of delight having this
(22:57):
little kitten who is thesweetest cat I think I've ever
met.
I am really bonded to him.
He like sleeps on my chest and Icarry him, I carry him around
the entire house.
And yeah, I just adorable.
He is so adorable.
I just can't say enough positivethings about him.
(23:19):
And of course, he is a tinykitten, which we have never had
a kitten before.
Jason's, I don't know how tokitten.
And I said, Me either.
He's what?
Yeah.
So we're a little bit usingGoogle and like what do we do?
But we have ideas about how tokeep them safe and watch him
grow.
And we're just so excited andgrateful to have this
(23:43):
opportunity to take care ofbricks as a member of our
family.
And that's my story.
SPEAKER_01 (23:48):
And that ties into Bernoulli being a good boy
because he's been infatuatedwith bricks.
He wants to hang out withbricks, he licks him gently, he
follows him around.
But as Chris said, Bricks isabout the size of Bernoulli's
nose.
Yeah.
So we have to be very careful,right?
If Bernoulli paws at him, hecould hurt bricks.
(24:09):
So we're just we're alwayswatching any interaction.
Even though Bernoulli couldnever on purpose hurt bricks.
It would be an accident.
SPEAKER_02 (24:17):
Yeah.
We want to mitigate anypotential for accidents for
sure.
SPEAKER_00 (24:21):
Yeah.
So the cat pooped in here and itsmells really bad.
Alright, I think that's it forstory time.
Thank you so much for listeningto my section of the podcast.
It's a very special section ofthe podcast because we haven't
done it in a while.
I hope to see y'all again later,hopefully for another version of
(24:42):
my section of the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (24:43):
Alright, bye-bye.
That's it for this week's show.
Thanks for coming back weekafter week to listen to the
Science Podcast.
And a shout out to all the topdogs.
That's the top tier of ourPatreon community, The Pop Pack.
You can sign up in our shownotes.
Alright, Chris, let's hear thosenames that are part of the Top
Dogs.
SPEAKER_02 (25:02):
Amelia Fetting, Re Oda, Carol Haino, Jennifer
Challen, Linnea Janet, KarenCronister, Vicky Oteiro, Christy
Walker, Sarah Brown, Wendy,Diane, Mason and Luke, Helen
Chin, Elizabeth Bourgeois,Marianne McNally, Katherine
Jordan, Shelly Smith, LauraStephenson, Tracy Leinbaugh,
(25:24):
Anne Uchida, Heather Burbach,Kelly, Tracy Halbert, Ben
Rather, Debbie Anderson, SandyBrimer, Mary Rader, Bianca Hyde,
Andrew Lynn, Brenda Clark,Brianne Haas, Peggy McKeel,
Holly Birch, Kathy Zirker, SusanWagner, and Liz Button.
SPEAKER_01 (25:43):
For science, empathy, and cuteness.
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