Episode #928
News Items
- Starship Almost Launch
- Information in Ancient Meteorites
- Lunar Cycle and Suicide
- Sharper MRI Scans
- Mummies and Taxes
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Vanguard 1
Question #1 Hydrogen Energy Storage
- Hey there! Long time listener, first time submitting. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this fuel-cell-system (https://www.homepowersolutions.de/produkt/) where you take your excess solar-Power from your roof in summer and turn it into hydrogen. In Winter you reverse the process and generate electricity from the hydrogen. The system also includes a Batterie storage for short term and even feeds the heat generated by the fuel-cell into your heating unit. It’s not a prototype. This company already built and installed hundreds of these systems in old and new buildings. Making many of them non-reliant on the grid. I’m really curious about your thoughts! You’re doing an amazing job with your podcast and as an Anaesthesiologist I have to thank you especially for your work in the times of Covid! Best wishes and Keep up the good work. Stephan from Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler (Germany)
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
Fungi breath in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, just like animals. https://phys.org/news/2016-01-mushrooms-contribute-global.html
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Item #2
Science
Mushroom spores are made of the toughest biological substance known, sporopollenin. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmats.2015.00066/full
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Item #3
Fiction
Witches Butter (Tremella mesenterica) is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the world, a single gram being sufficient to kill a large adult human, although it is easily mistaken for edible varieties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremella_mesenterica
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘The denial or distortion of history is an assault on truth and understanding. Comprehension and memory of the past are crucial to how we understand ourselves, our society, and our goals for the future. Intentionally denying or distorting the historical record threatens communal understanding of how to safeguard democracy and individual rights.’ Holocaust Memorial Museum (April 18 is recognized in Israel as Holocaust Remembrance Day)