No Such Thing As A Fish 582: No Such Thing As Siegfried Bassoon
15 snips
May 8, 2025 A fascinating exploration of particles, particularly the elusive neutrinos and their mysterious properties, kicks off the conversation. The hosts delve into the quirky history of Venice through its iconic gondolas and the Rialto Bridge. Siegfried Sassoon's legacy shines against his family's opium trade backdrop. In a playful twist, a mythical Texas plum that remains unseen gets attention, alongside humorous tales about prunes and their surprising place in school lunches. It's a delightful blend of history, humor, and quirky facts!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Antonio da Ponte's Devil Deal
- Antonio da Ponte, who built Venice's Rialto Bridge, made a legendary deal with the devil involving the first soul to cross the bridge.
- The devil tricked him, ensuring Deponte's wife was the first, who then died shortly after crossing.
Studying Ultra-Rare Particle Events
- A lab in Italy studies rarities with events happening less than once every trillion trillion years by observing many molecules.
- They use ancient Roman lead as shielding underground to avoid cosmic bombardment, creating the coldest cubic meter in the universe.
Murray's Plums - The Lost Fruit
- Murray's plums, a critically endangered Texan shrub, have not been reliably seen by any living person.
- Early scientific descriptions even lacked direct observations of the fruit, making them the 'bigfoot' of the fruit world.