Buried Treasure: Weeds, Seeds, and Zombies
Gastropod11 Loka 2021

Buried Treasure: Weeds, Seeds, and Zombies

If you’ve ever engaged in mortal combat with a patch of ragweed, dandelion, or crabgrass in your garden, you might understand the twin emotions of rage and begrudging admiration when it comes to weeds: They. Just. Won’t. Die. When it comes to commercial agriculture, weeds pose a more existential threat—globally, the proportion of our harvest that is lost to weed infiltration is enough to feed millions, and, even with advanced herbicides, weeds cost farmers in North America an estimated $33 billion in lost yield each year. No matter what we throw at them, weeds just seem to get stronger. This episode, we follow a group of scientists along on a 149-year-old quest to see just how long weeds can survive—and, along the way, figure out what we can learn from weeds, what we really ought to thank them for, and what is a weed, anyhow? Listen in now for zombie seeds, a midnight treasure hunt, and the wild ways that weeds have outwitted us for millennia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(297)

Fibermaxxing FTW: Meet the Neglected Nutrient That's the Key to Health

Fibermaxxing FTW: Meet the Neglected Nutrient That's the Key to Health

Move over protein, it's time to fibermaxx! Fiber has always been the neglected stepchild of nutrients: it's never been seen as essential, and some of its earliest enthusiasts were poop-obsessed oddbal...

6 Loka 51min

Eat Bison to Save Bison

Eat Bison to Save Bison

For tens of thousands of years, North America was bison country. Millions of these giant, shaggy animals—also known as buffalo—roamed from the far north to the Gulf and from the east coast to the west...

22 Syys 48min

Plant Milk Proliferation: Oat, Soy, Almond, and More, But Which Is Best?

Plant Milk Proliferation: Oat, Soy, Almond, and More, But Which Is Best?

Cow milk is out, and plant milk reigns supreme. At least, that's how it feels in the supermarket these days, where the refrigerated section is full of "milk" made from oats, almonds, peanuts, coconuts...

8 Syys 48min

So Hot Right Now: Why We Love the Chile Pepper

So Hot Right Now: Why We Love the Chile Pepper

Perhaps no other plant is as entwined with pain and pleasure as the chile pepper. But why does it burn—and why on earth do we crave that uncomfortable sensation? How did capsaicin's fungus-fighting, d...

18 Elo 48min

Salad Days: A Story of Science, Sexism, and Jell-O

Salad Days: A Story of Science, Sexism, and Jell-O

If leafy greens and a little vinaigrette is salad, and chicken with mayo is salad, and vegetables in Jello-O are ALSO salad… What exactly is salad?! That's the big question we're tackling this episode...

4 Elo 44min

Where There's Smoke, There's...Whiskey, Fish, and Barbecue!

Where There's Smoke, There's...Whiskey, Fish, and Barbecue!

As anyone who’s spent time by a crackling campfire or a barbecue pit can attest, the scent of smoke is unmistakable—and surprisingly mysterious. Smoke clings to clothing but vanishes in the breeze. Yo...

21 Heinä 51min

America's Forbidden Fruit and Forgotten First Soda: Ask Gastropod

America's Forbidden Fruit and Forgotten First Soda: Ask Gastropod

Fan favorite Ask Gastropod is back, and we’re celebrating the season by solving a pair of trans-Atlantic mysteries! First up: if you have a purple candy in Europe, it’s nearly guaranteed to be flavore...

7 Heinä 50min

Bringing Home the Bacon: From Shakespeare to the Baconator

Bringing Home the Bacon: From Shakespeare to the Baconator

For many Americans, bacon is an essential element of the perfect breakfast—not to mention a welcome addition to everything from cheeseburgers to doughnuts. But bacon hasn't always been beloved. Ancien...

23 Kesä 48min

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