9.25.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Radioized Diary of Science and Nature. Your reader's
Kelly Taylor. I'll have articles on the topics of science
and nature, but first a reminder. RADIOI is a reading
service intended for people who are blind or have other
disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material. From
Popular Mechanics, we have an article entitled there are mystery

(00:24):
rings around five hundred thousand barrels on the seafloor. They
shouldn't be there. This is from September eighteenth. From the
nineteen thirties until the nineteen seventies, multiple government agencies approved
the dumping of hazardous materials, including chemicals such as D

(00:45):
D T and other caustic waste, at fourteen locations off
the coast of California. According to the Los Angeles Times,
the idea at the time was that quote dilution was
the solution to pollution, essentially using the immensity of the
world's oceans to dilute harmful chemicals to a harmless level

(01:07):
of parts per million. The idea did not go according
to plan a disconcerting prospect, with an estimated half a
million barrels still underwater today. Armed with the remotely operated
vehicle Siusbastioni aboard the research vessel Falcore. Scientists from UC
San Diego's scripts Institution of Oceanography took a closer look

(01:31):
at these barrels littering the ocean floor and found something distressing.
There appeared to be a ghostly halo emanating from many
of them, suggesting something was leaking out into the ocean environment.
In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, the author's detail the concerning results
of humanity's broad disregard for oceanic ecosystems. While the researchers

(01:57):
were expecting to find concentrations of DDT D, a pesticide
that serves as the main chemical antagonist of Rachel Carson's
famous book Silent Spring and whose use is now illegal
in the US, they instead discovered that the halos were
created from alkaline caustic waste that form an extremophile environment.

(02:20):
The team says the halos mimic the conditions of areas
such as hydrothermal vents. Quote DDT was not the only
thing that was dumped in this part of the ocean,
and we have only a very fragmented idea of what
else was dumped there? End Quote says Johanna Guttlbin, a
co author of the study. Quote. We only find what

(02:42):
we are looking for, and up to this point we
have mostly been looking for DDT. Nobody was thinking about
alkaline waste before this, and we may have to start
looking for other things as well. Quote. The halos formed
a thick, concrete like crust, which was difficult for the
ROV to collect using coreing devices. Instead, the Sebastian relied

(03:04):
on his robotic arm to tear off pieces for further analysis.
The research shows that when alkaline waste leaked from the barrels,
its reactions with magnesium in the seawater created brucite, the
mineral form of magnesium hydroxide. Where this high pH material

(03:24):
meets seawater at the edges, it forms calcium carbonate, the
chalky outer edge of the halo. Quote. It's shocking that
fifty plus years later you are still seeing these effects,
says Paul Jensen, another co author of the study. We
can't quantify the environmental impact without knowing how many of

(03:46):
these barrels with white halos are out there, but it's
clearly having a localized impact on microbes. Unfortunately, removing these
ecological disasters isn't simple, as disturbing the ocean floor would
likely the eight sediment plumes that spread the contamination further
throughout the water column. The best hope is to study

(04:06):
the DDT poisoned sediments and see what microbes could possibly
break down the chemical and slowly clean up this short
sighted human made disaster. Whether it's DDT caustic waste, microplastics, trash,
or other kinds of refuse. The mindset of viewing the
ocean as the world's dumping ground is one that's sadly

(04:30):
still alive and well to this day. Now another article
from Popular Mechanics involving the ocean, scientists peered beneath the
Dead Sea and found incredible salt giants growing underwater. September
twenty third is a date on this article. A salt

(04:51):
giant might sound like a creation straight from the mind
of J. R. R. Tolkien, but in geology, they are
very real, large scale salt deposits within the Earth. For years,
these deposits have been an area of focus for University
of California Santa Barbara professor eckhart Meberg, who has studied
the fluid dynamics of the Dead Sea, a hypersaline terminal

(05:16):
lake that just so happens to be the saltiest body
of water on Earth. In twenty nineteen, Myberg and his
team discovered the mechanism driving the underwater phenomenon known as
salt snow, which slowly funnels salt down to the lake bed.
Six years later, Myburg and co author Nadav Lynsky from

(05:38):
the Geological Survey of Israel detail the process of salt
giants forming below the Dead Sea and argue that this
body of water may be the only place to study
the formation of these particular geological structures. The study containing
these claims is published in the journal Annual Review of
Fluid Dynamics. Quote. These large deposits in the Earth's crust

(06:03):
can be many many kilometers horizontally, and they can be
more than a kilometer thick in the vertical direction. My
Berg says, how were they generated? The Dead Sea is
really the only place in the world where we can
study the mechanism of these things today. Being a terminal
lake means that water only has one way of escaping

(06:24):
the Dead Sea, evaporation, which tends to leave behind lots
of salt in the process. The damming of the Jordan
River has also both sped up the water level decline
in the lake and completely mixed up its chemistry. As
the author's note. In the nineteen eighties, the Dead Sea
was considered meromictic. This means that the lake was stably stratified,

(06:48):
with less dense, warmer water at the top and cooler,
more saline water at the bottom. But the diversion of
the Jordan threw off the balance of evaporation versus freshwater inflow,
causing surface salinity to rise. Now, the Dead Sea is
considered a holomictic, meaning that the lake experiences annual overturns

(07:10):
among layers, primarily in the winter months. This backdrop, in
addition to other behaviors such as internal currents and surface waves,
is slowly forming salt giants, strangely mimicking the geologic past
of a nearby aquatic neighbor. Quote. There was always some
inflow from the North Atlantic into the Mediterranean through the

(07:32):
Strait of Gibraltar, my Berg says, but when tectonic motion
closed off the Strait of Gibraltar, there couldn't be any
water inflow from the North Atlantic. This is known in
the Messinian Salinity Crisis, which occurred around five point ninety
six to five point three three million years ago. During

(07:54):
the time, similar to today's Dead Sea, the Mediterranean was cut
off from water inflow from the North Atlantic and eventually
dried up. However, the Strait of Gibraltar eventually reopen during
the Sanclian flood. Studying these salt giants won't just provide
a glimpse into the Mediterranean's pass it will help scientists

(08:15):
better understand the erosion of arid coastlines as sea levels
continue to rise due to climate change. Don't let its
name fool you. The Dead Sea is alive and well
when it comes to scientific exploration. Here's an article from
Popular Science. Why your dog gets so excited to see you?

(08:38):
September twenty third. You've been away for two weeks on
a European vacation, and the moment your dog sitter brings
a little wanty to the door, your fur baby starts
running in circles, squealing and wagging his tail like a
helicopter rotor. Your dog is in the throes of what's
called frenetic random activity periods FRS, otherwise known as zumis.

(09:04):
This release of pent up energy is often a form
of happiness, and in this case, it's off the charts.
Monty obviously loves you, but seriously, is he okay? According
to Alison Gerkin, a board certified veterinary behaviorist at the
SPCA in San Francisco, there are numerous factors that cause
your dog gets so excited, and it involves everything from

(09:26):
relationship development and neurobiology to emotions and learning. Studies show
that dogs form attachment bonds quote. Those attachment bonds can
look a lot like the attachment bonds that human infants
developed with caregivers, says Gerkin. It's one of the many
reasons we often refer to our dogs as our babies.

(09:50):
In the late nineteen sixties, American Canadian psychologist Mary Ainsworth
developed the Strange Situation procedure, a controlled study that measures
an infant's attachment with their caregiver. Researchers later apply the
procedure to domesticated dogs and their pet parents, examining how
dogs react around their owners as opposed to a stranger. Quote.

(10:15):
Results showed that dogs do recognize their pet parent and
they behave really differently with that pet parent. Upon reunion.
This includes a lot more affiliative behaviors, says Gerkin, like
nudging or nuzzling, basically the same kinds of friendly and
positive interactions that facilitate human connections. While the short term

(10:38):
memory of dogs tends to be limited, their long term
memory is impressive, as are the kinds of memories they have.
Dogs possess both associate memory, which is the ability to
learn and remember the relationships between two unrelated things, such
as how you're scent equates to playtime and snuggles, and

(10:59):
something akin to episodic memory. This type of memory calls
up specific events and experiences, such as remembering the previous
hiding spot of a tasty treat. Dogs can also distinguish
between good and bad behaviors, which learn through processes like
classical condition conditioning and operant conditioning. With the former, dogs

(11:22):
can start associating positive meanings to neutral stimuli. The jingling
of a collar might mean it's time to go for
a walk, or the sound of keys in a door
can signal mom is home. In the case of the latter,
a dog will perform a voluntary behavior, such as running
in circles or bringing their pet parent a toy and

(11:44):
receive encouraging reactions. For instance, oh, Monty, you're such a
sweet boy. Quote. The dog now knows that these operant
behaviors they're displaying are rewarding, says Gerkin, so next time
they'll do it again based on the memories they have
of people. Dogs then react to a series of cues,

(12:04):
says Gurkin. These cues predict how your furry friend will
react when it's reunited with what it considers its safe haven,
which can really build the emotional process around reunions. In
twenty twelve, Emory University neuroscientist doctor Gregory Burns began the
Dog Project, a research project that uses function magnetic resonance

(12:28):
images fMRIs to measure which areas of a dog's brain
light up when it's reunited with its caregiver versus a stranger.
Don't worry, no dogs were harmed in the study, According
to National Geographic Quote. The researchers found that the dogs
caudate nucleus, an area of the brain associated with positive expectations,

(12:51):
was most activated by the scent of the familiar person quote.
Gerkins says, quote, the first thing that a dog does
is smell you. After they smell you, they most likely
hear you. We've learned that dogs can distinguish the voices
of their pet parents, and not just voices, but also
specific words like walk or treat. There are also studies

(13:16):
that show dogs can distinguish between familiar faces and unfamiliar faces,
though their vision isn't as strong as their smell or
their hearing. Your dog probably goes through all of this
and it triggers the memory of how you make them
feel and your long history of reinforcing positive experiences. Once
this happens, happy zoomies inevitably ensue will turn out a

(13:42):
popular science again. And we have an article that is
headlined the pros and cons of not raking leaves. It's
from September twenty first. Many people adore autumn. What's not
to like. There's the shift to cooler weather and the
opportunity to pull out your favorite hoodiat and enjoy the
colorful symphony of fall leaves. However, many do not look

(14:07):
forward to raking leaves. Believe it or not, you do
have a choice when it comes to whether or not
to rake leaves. Much of that choice is based on
esthetics or whether you have a homeowner's association. If you
are considering just letting them stay put. Here are some
pros and cons of not raking leaves. The prose reducing waste.

(14:33):
For many homeowners, bagging leaves and placing them in the
trash for weekly pickup is a common practice, but this
approach has significant environmental drawbacks. In landfills, leaves are often
deprived of oxygen and decompose anaerobically, releasing methane, a potent
greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Additionally, using plastic bags

(14:56):
to dispose of leaves increases plastic waste, which persists in
the environment and exacerbates pollution. By contrast, allowing leaves to
decompose naturally enriches the soil with valuable nutrients, supporting healthier
plants and ecosystems. Nutrient cycling. The best natural soil is

(15:19):
found beneath the layers of fallen leaves under deciduous trees.
As the leaves decompose, they transform into organic matter, enriching
the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, essential nutrients for
supporting diverse plant and animal life. This process, known as
nutrient cycling, involves transferring energy and matter between living organisms

(15:43):
and non living environmental components. Nutrient cycling reduces the need
for chemical fertilizers and gradually creates a lush, resilient garden bed. Furthermore,
decomposed leaves improve soil structure by enhancing moisture retention and
promoting beneficial microbial activity. Wildlife benefits an entire ecosystem thrives

(16:08):
beneath leaf litter. The leaf layer provides essential habitat and
shelter for a wide range of wildlife. Insects such as beetles, spiders,
and moth larvae use the leaf layer as a protective
environment for feeding, breeding, and overwintering. Decomposing leaves also attract
earthworms and other soil organisms, which play a vital role

(16:29):
in nutrient recycling. Small mammals such as mice and chipmunks
rely on leaf litter for camouflage from predators and as
a warm, insulated nesting layer during colder months. Amphibians like
frogs and salamanders are drawn to the damp, shaded conditions
of leaf piles, which help them retain moisture and avoid desiccation. Additionally,

(16:52):
some birds forage in the leaf litter, searching for insects
and seeds to sustain them, saving time and effort. Leaving
leaves where they fall can save time, effort, and money.
Raking and bagging leaves is often labor intensive and time consuming,
particularly on larger properties. Nearly forty thousand injuries related to

(17:16):
leaf raking are reported each year in the United States.
Allowing leaves to decompose naturally or repurposing them as mulch lets,
homeowners reclaim valuable time and avoid the physical strain of raking.
For those who hire long care or leaf removal services,
skipping raking can result in significant cost savings. Reducing or

(17:37):
eliminating these services lowers expenses while maintaining a healthy, thriving yard.
The cons of not raking leaves law and health risks,
while leaving leaves where they fall has many benefits. A
thick layer on the lawn can cause harm. Leaves can

(17:57):
smother grass, blocking sunlight and restricting air circulation, both essential
for healthy growth. They also create a damp environment that
fosters fungal diseases, which can damage your lawn over time.
Esthetic considerations. Unraked leaves can give a property an untidy appearance,

(18:18):
reducing its visual appeal. This is especially important for maintaining
good neighborhood relations, as a messy lawn may be seen
as neglectful. Additionally, leaving leaves on the lawn may violate
community rules if you belong to an hoa pest issues.
While leafletter supports a thriving ecosystem, it can also attract

(18:39):
undesirable insects and mammals. Leaves left on the ground may
harbor pests such as rodents and insects, which can harm
garden plants or invade your home. Best practices for leaf management.
Although there are pros and cons to raking leaves, the
good news is that there is a suitable compromise that

(19:01):
can benefit wildlife, your garden and maintain a healthy lawn
and avoid looks from the neighbors. The key to a
healthy balance is leaf management mulch. Mulching leaves is an
eco friendly way to harness the benefits of nutrient cycling
while avoiding the labor intensive task of bagging and hauling leaves.

(19:21):
A quick and effective method is to mow over the
leaves with your lawn mower. Start by removing any large
sticks or twigs, then use a rake to spread the
leaves evenly across the grass. Push your mower over the
leaves as if you were mowing the lawn. This process
breaks the leaves into small pieces that can decompose quickly,
releasing nutrients back into the soil. To use on garden beds,

(19:45):
spread an even layer of shredded leaves directly onto the soil.
When using leaf mulch on lawns, avoid piling it too thickly,
as this can block sunlight and smother the grass. For
added efficiency, consider using tools like a leaf leaf shredder
or a leaf vacuum with a multure attachment, which can
speed up the process. It is especially helpful if you

(20:07):
deal with a large volume of leaves every year. By
repurposing your leaves as mulch, you not only nurture your landscape,
but also save time and effort compared to traditional disposal methods.
Selective raking. Another effective way to manage leaves is to
leave no pun intended them in low traffic or natural areas,

(20:31):
such as under trees or along the edges of the yard,
where they can decompose naturally and create habitats for beneficial
insects and wildlife. Concentrate your raking efforts on strategic spots
like pathways, patios, driveways in other areas where leaves could
become slippery or obstruct access. This balanced approach reduces effort

(20:52):
while promoting both safety and ecological benefits. Community composting programs.
If you have more leaves than you can handle, or
they don't fit the aesthetic of your landscape, considered participating
in local composting programs. Many communities offer leaf collection services
or drop off locations, ensuring that your yard waste is

(21:13):
transformed into nutrient rich composts instead of filling up landfills. Alternatively,
connect with a gardener. Many gardeners love leaves and actively
seek them out for use in their gardens. A great
way to find that leaf loving gardeners is through your
local master gardener program. Be sure to check with your
local municipality or waste management service or composting options in

(21:36):
your area. Joining a local composting initiative benefits the environment,
fosters community engagement, and promotes sustainable practices. Continuing in popular science,
we have this article from September twentieth and it's headlined
the science behind what we eat for breakfast Picture of breaakfast.

(22:01):
If you live in the United States, there's a good
chance you were picturing some combination of eggs, bacon, cereal,
and or pancakes. Of course, we also know that a
classic British British breakfast consists of beans and fried bread,
two savory foods most Americans don't associate with their first
meal of the day. Is there a science behind what
we think of some foods as breakfast and others as not?

(22:25):
The answer is not really. It's a good example of
a category that feels objective but is actually cultural. We
eat certain foods for breakfast because we think of them
as breakfast foods, and we think of them as breakfast
foods because we tend to eat them for breakfast. Breakfast
isn't a scientific category. I grew up in Canada, and

(22:46):
the country most culturally similar to America. I still remember
the first time, as a kid that I saw donuts
offered as a hotel breakfast food during a road trip
south of the border. It blew my mind. I thought
of donuts as a mid morning treat, not a breakfast one,
and had no idea those categories could be blurred and
cultures all around the world have different categories of what

(23:09):
is and isn't breakfast food. The Wikipedia page for Breakfast
by Country has a fascinating breakdown of this. In Japan,
it's common to eat things like rice, grilled salmon, and
vegetables for breakfast, whereas in parts of Latin America, rice
and beans are commonly included. That's all to say that

(23:31):
the specific foods people eat for breakfast or a product
of the culture they live in. And it turns out
the culture you live in can be intentionally shaped. Orange juice, bacon,
and eggs the all American breakfast throughout history, or is it?
At least one part of that combination dates back to
a specific advertising campaign. Edward Burneze, the nephew of Sigmund Freud,

(23:57):
is arguably the reason we think of bacon as a
breakfast food today. As the economist June Zacone at Hofstra
University outlined in a paper, Americans used to eat lighter breakfast,
some coffee and a roll. For example, Burne's, working for
the Beechnut Packing Company in the nineteen twenties, wanted to
increase demand for bacon. He quote decided that doctors were

(24:21):
most likely to convince Americans about food. According to the paper,
he conducted a survey of doctors that quote found doctors
recommend a hearty breakfast quote. He used this survey, which
didn't mention bacon and was not exactly scientific, as the
basis for a series of ads claiming bacon and eggs

(24:41):
is the true all American breakfasts. It worked, and this
is hardly ancient history. Burne's lived long enough that there's
even a video where he outlines the scheme. He worked
in pr for decades after this, where he came up
with diabolical campaigns like the one that linked Lucky Strike
cigarettes with feminism. Orange juice became a breakfast beverage because

(25:07):
there was a surplus of oranges in the nineteen forties. Growers,
rather than reducing production, decided to find new ways to
market their product, and positioning it as a breakfast beverage
worked well. This resulted in ads suggesting that drinking massive
amounts of orange juice for breakfast was healthy. This video

(25:28):
by Phil Edwards offers a great overview of some of
the history of orange juice and places in pop culture
if you're interested. The most important meal of the day.
Marketing's influence on breakfast goes even further. The idea that
breakfast is the most important meal of the day also
has its origins more in marketing than science. The exact

(25:51):
phrase quote breakfast is the most important meal of the day,
became popularized by a nineteen forty four campaign for Great
Nuh Nuts. Over time, it became a cultural truism, despite
the scientific research on the relative importance of breakfast being mixed.
At best. Cereal companies have been particularly effective at using

(26:12):
a combination of marketing and scientific sounding claims. Until the
Industrial Revolution, breakfast tended to consist of leftovers from the
day before. Concern about workers suffering from indigestion is part
of what motivated the widespread popularity of breakfast cereals at
that point, which were aggressively marketed as a healthier alternative

(26:35):
to heavy foods like meat. This isn't to say that bacon, eggs, cereal,
and orange juice aren't a good breakfast. They all have
nutritional upsides and downsides. However, our idea of what qualifies
as breakfast foods are cultural distinctions, not scientific ones. We've

(26:56):
collectively decided as a culture that certain foods are eaten
in the morning and certain foods are not. Sometimes people
even intentionally influence the culture of breakfast in order to
sell specific goods. That's not to suggest that categories are arbitrary.
They all exist in a specific cultural context, affected by

(27:20):
all sorts of facts from the schedules we keep to
the media we consume. But our idea of quote breakfast
foods in quote isn't based on any kind of objectivity.
People put eggs in stir fry, bacon on pizza, and
cereal in ice cream. None of those things become breakfast

(27:44):
when you do so. Well, that's all for today's Diary
of Science and Nature. Your reader was Kelly Taylor. Stay
tuned now for further programming on RADIOI