Episode 27: Illumination
| Friday 13 Jun 2008 |
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Illumination has been a quest of humans for centuries now—both in terms of the cerebral and the physical. In today’s episode we focus on the physical type of illumination. First we learn about light pollution and why sodium vapor lamps are used so abundantly today. Then producer Ann Dornfeld goes to Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico, to explore how bioluminescence works. Finally we uncover the mystery behind glow-in-the-dark products like the green star stickers on ceilings or glowing wristwatch numbers. Element of the Week: Sodium.
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Show Clock
00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:14 Element of the Week: Sodium
04:09 Chemistry of Bioluminescence
09:10 Mystery Solved: Glowing in the Dark
11:08 Quote: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
11:24 Closing Credits
Resources and References
For more information about light pollution, visit the International Dark-Sky Association.
To see some cool images from Vieques, Puerto Rico, visit Bioluminescent Bay.
On sodium vapor lamps: this helpful entry on Wikipedia.
Credits
Special thanks to Hilary Domush for researching the show.
Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “Insomnia,” by Josh Woodward. After the feature the music is “Groovelt,” by Denis Kitchen. The music under the quotation is “The Number is Three,” by Matthew Hall.
This week’s image, “jellyfish 4,” was uploaded to stock.xchng by zenpixel.
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