98: Extremophiles & Astrology

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Dec 4, 2025

Discover the most extreme lifeforms on Earth, known as extremophiles, and their surprising resilience in hostile environments. Learn about DNA redundancy in radiation-resistant bacteria and how these organisms can thrive under extreme conditions. Transitioning from science to mysticism, explore the intriguing history of astrology, from its medieval prominence to its modern resurgence amid uncertainty. Personal anecdotes highlight the social role of horoscopes, demonstrating how they provide comfort and connection in today's world.

02:03:20

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INSIGHT

Definition Matters: Thrive Vs. Tolerate

'Extremophile' means an organism that thrives in extreme conditions rather than merely tolerating them.
Tardigrades are extremotolerant but not true extremophiles by this stricter definition.

insights

INSIGHT

Categories Reveal How Life Adapts

Extremophiles are classified by the condition they prefer, like thermophiles, radiophiles, psychrophiles, acidophiles and alkaliphiles.
Many extremophiles are polyextremophiles combining heat, pressure, chemistry and low nutrients simultaneously.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Fungi Growing Toward Chernobyl Radiation

After Chernobyl, thousands of fungal strains were isolated that grew toward ionizing radiation and some digested radioactive graphite.
Scientists asked whether fungi could use gamma radiation as an energy source rather than merely tolerate it.

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Episode roadmap and roles

01:29 • 2min

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Defining extremophiles vs extremotolerant

03:47 • 5min

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Categories of extremophiles

09:00 • 7min

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Polyextremophiles and habitat examples

16:26 • 2min

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Radiophiles and Chernobyl fungi discovery

18:26 • 5min

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Melanin-based radiotrophy mechanism

23:14 • 3min

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Molecular adaptations of extremophiles

26:20 • 1min

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Deinococcus radiodurans: Conan the bacterium

27:30 • 2min

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Multicellular extremophiles and antifreeze proteins

29:56 • 2min

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Picrophilus oshimae and extreme acidity

31:48 • 2min

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Challenges of sampling extremophiles

33:23 • 2min

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Why study extremophiles: biotech and beyond

34:58 • 2min

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Thermus aquaticus and PCR revolution

37:26 • 3min

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Bioremediation and bioplastics from extremophiles

40:34 • 3min

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Astrobiology and extremophile analogues

43:22 • 3min

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Pushing limits: centrifuges, space, and ISS experiments

45:59 • 2min

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Panspermia and origins implications

48:00 • 4min

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Reflections on life’s limits

51:51 • 1min

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Transition to astrology topic

53:01 • 16sec

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Astrology basics and horoscope definitions

53:16 • 12min

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Babylonian origins and Enuma Anu Enlil tablets

01:05:46 • 5min

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Development of the twelve zodiac signs

01:10:46 • 6min

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Medieval astrology’s cultural role

01:16:40 • 2min

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Decline during scientific revolution

01:18:45 • 2min

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Newspapers, scandal, and 18th–19th century attitudes

01:20:16 • 3min

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Astrology, suffrage, and colonial revival

01:23:44 • 2min

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Modern horoscopes born with Princess Margaret piece

01:25:27 • 6min

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Wartime astrology and morale debates

01:31:25 • 5min

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Astrology in advertising and popular culture

01:36:15 • 3min

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Late 20th-century persistence and phone horoscopes

01:38:51 • 2min

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Personal experiences and why people follow horoscopes

01:40:23 • 2min

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Live horoscope readings and the Barnum effect

01:41:59 • 7min

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Scientific tests of astrology’s validity

01:48:47 • 1min

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Why astrology resurges in uncertainty

01:50:10 • 5min

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Risks, commercialization, and healthier coping alternatives

01:54:59 • 3min

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Closing reflections and takeaways

01:58:11 • 5min

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Listener messages, plugs, and show business bits

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

A Scheme of Heaven

The History of Astrology and the Search for Our Destiny in Data

Alexander Boxer

In *A Scheme of Heaven*, Alexander Boxer examines the history and science of astrology, revealing it as a vast technological project that foreshadowed our data-driven world. He explores classical texts to expose astrology's underlying scientific and mathematical framework, highlighting its role as the ancient world's most ambitious applied mathematics problem. By comparing ancient astrological methods with modern data science, Boxer illustrates how both fields share a common goal of pattern recognition.

What are the most EXTREME lifeforms on Earth, and how are they surprisingly important to study? And what is the long yet recent history of astrology, and why do we reach for it?

Things we Talk About:
The Seal Stream
Sea lion running
Paper Clipping: Female Astrologer
Paper Clipping: Suffragette Books
Paper Clipping: WW2 and Astrology
Paper Clipping: Pimms Ad

Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:04:23) Extremophiles
(00:57:55) Astrology
(01:43:59) Outro

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We also learn about:

We’ve put tardigrades through every red bull task imaginable but they’re NOT extremophiles, extremotolerant vs extremophiles that thrive, thermophiles at 122 celsius, anglophiles, what would it suck to experience, psychrophiles, acidophiles and alkaliphiles, hypobarophiles experiencing 500x our pressure, oligatroph, polyextromophiles, life has found a way in so many extreme places, the chernobyl black mold, not just growing towards radiation but eating Hot Particles, fungi have survived harsh radiation in the Earth’s past, melanin lets the fungi handle and perceive radiation safely, it’s similar to photosynthesis though in the same way a tsunami is similar to a glass of water, conan the bacterium can live inside nuclear reactors, DNA redundancy, krill that makes antifreeze proteins, osmoconfromers, acidophile taken to a lab and finally thriving at .7 ph, it’s also hard as hell to capture and study and keep these extremophiles alive, extremophiles gave us PCR, we also us extremophile e coli, bioremediation is what I took when I failed bio and was tutored by an extremophile, we have so much to do-actually that was pretty funny, bioplastics, what extreomophiles teach us about astrobiology, letting some bacteria chill on the outside of the ISS for 3 years, damn girl you’re making me re-evaluate the limits of life, our nuanced and conflicting feeling on astrology, yay we get to read our horoscopes- wait fuck why am I happy about that? babylonian horoscopes, star charts for things like seasons actually were right, the Enuma Anu Enlil collection of omens, what’s your mother’s maiden name and pincode horoscope, the legacy of the endless pig, uh oh we’re having fun talking about horoscopes, medieval astrology in the royal court and the sciences, before we knew about the earth going around the sun the stars explained the seasons, in the 1700s astrology was seen as a sham, of course royal watching tabloids bring about astrology 2.0, scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything to say about princess margaret, globe conflict 2 electric boogaloo, a pims advert is a rich text, the horoscope test, god the people yearn for therapy, the barnum effect, zodiacs are part of our culture - so something to connect with, the correlation of uncertainty and horoscope popularity, how to manage uncertainty without horoscopes, video games offer a structure and challenge and reward that can help people cope with hard times.

Sources:
NOAA: What is an Extremophile?
Life: Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Nature: Life in Extreme Environments
PMC: Genomics of an extreme psychrophile, Psychromonas ingrahamii
The Biologist: Eating Gamme Rays for Breakfast
Research Gate: A Case Study of Strains Inhabiting Chernobyl Reactor No. 4
Chemical Communications: : The Incredible Cell Membrane Adaptations of Extremophiles to Harsh Environments
Life: Extremophiles and Extremophilic Behaviour
Biotechnology Advances: Structural Features of Thermozynes
Science: Conan the Baterium
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews: Oxidative Stress Resistance in Deinococcus radiodurans
Polar Biology: Cold Resistance the Krill Euphausia superba
Extremophiles: Picrophilus oshimae
Life: Biotechniological Applications of Extremophile Research
Wiki: Thermos aquaticus
Frontiers in Microbiology: DNA Polymerases as Useful Reagents for Biotechnology
PNAS: Microbial Growth at Hyperaccelerations up to 403,627 × g
Frontiers in Microbiology: Extremophiles and the Limits of Life in a Planetary Context
Journal of Indian Institute of Science: Bioprospecting Extremophiles for Astrobiology
NASA: Astrobiology
Frontiers in Microbiology: DNA Damage and Survival Time Course of Deinococcal Cell Pellets During 3 Years of Exposure to Outer Space
New Scientist: Radiation Resistant Bacteria Could Survive Journey From Earth to Mars

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2013 Paper: The Solar Eclipse Omen Texts from Enūma Anu Enlil
National Geographic: History of Horocopes
My Modern Met: Mystical History of Astrology
British Newspaper Archive
BBC: Who Actually Writes Horoscopes
2020 Paper: The Man Behind the Horoscope Column- R H Naylor
2005 Paper: A History of Astrology Part I: Origins to the Romans
The Guardian: How Astrology Paved the Way for Predictive Analytics
BBC: Is Astrology Backed By Science?
2022: Even The Stars Think That I Am Superior
BBC: Is There Any Science in Astrology?
Scientific American: Is Astrology Real? Here’s What Science Says
McGill University: How Astrology Escaped the Pull of Science
BBC: The Anxieties and Apps Fuelling the Astrology Boom

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