S1 Ep7: Episode 7 - Snake Women, The Devil's Trumpet, and Planet Disco

In this episode Tracey talks about news of missing Icelandic skulls and Ashley is extraordinarily happy about a giant, space disco-ball. Tracey's piece of stuff discusses the plant datura (or devil's trumpet) and people trippin' balls globally on it for recreational or religious purposes, while Ashley examines the transregional phenomena of snake deities being depicted as women. Strap in we are in for a bumpy ride!

Tracey’s Stuff in the News

Christian Elliot, “Why Iceland Wants Its Skulls Back,” National Geographic, August 3, 2023 accessed August 6, 2023 at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/iceland-skulls-peabody-harvard-hastings-stefansson-haffjararey

Cara J. Chang, “Harvard Holds Remains of 19 Likely Enslaves Individuals, Thousands of Native American, Draft Report Says,” The Harvard Crimson, June 1, 2022, accessed on Aug 6, 2023 at https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/6/1/draft-human-remains-report/

Marc Fennell, Stuff the British Stole, Podcast accessible at https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/stuff-the-british-stole

Danielle Bainbridge, “The Problem with Museums,” PBS Origins (video), available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av_3tGceTvs

John Oliver, “Museums: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO),” available at https://youtu.be/eJPLiT1kCSM


Ashley’s Stuff in the News
Will Dunham, “Alien Planet with Metallic Clouds Resembles 'a Giant Mirror in Space,'” Reuters, July 10, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/alien-planet-with-metallic-clouds-resembles-a-giant-mirror-space-2023-07-10/.

Tracey’s Piece of Stuff

David W. Robinson, Kelly Brown, Moira Mc Menemy, David Haviland, Datura quids at Pinwheel Cave, California, provide unambiguous confirmation of hallucinogens at a rock art site,” PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), Nov 23, 2020, accessed Aug 5, 2023 at https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2014529117.

David Robinson and Fraser Sturt, “Towards articulating Rock-Art with archaeology: An Interim Report of the Pin-Wheel Cave Rock-Art and Bedrock Mortar Complex, (CA-KER-5836 & 5837), Kern County, California,” Kern County Archaeological Journal 10: 25-44. Accessed July 30, 2023 at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284504174_Towards_Articulating_Rock-art_with_Archaeology_An_Interim_Report_of_the_Pinwheel_Cave_Rock-art_and_Bedrock_Mortar_Complex\

Soni P, Siddiqui AA, Dwivedi J, Soni V. Pharmacological properties of Datura stramonium L. as a potential medicinal tree: an overview. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2012 Dec;2(12):1002-8. doi: 10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60014-3. PMID: 23593583; PMCID: PMC3621465.

Marneros A, Gutmann P, Uhlmann F. Self-amputation of penis and tongue after use of Angel's Trumpet. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2006 Oct;256(7):458-9. doi: 10.1007/s00406-006-0666-2. Epub 2006 Jun 16. PMID: 16783491.

U.S. Forest Service, “The Powerful Solanaceeae,” accessed August 1, 2023.

Adam King, Terry G. Powis, Komh F. Cheong, Bobi Deere, Robert B. Pickering, ERic Singleton and Nilesh Gaikwad, “Absorbed Residue Evidence for Prehistoric Datura Use in the American Southeast and Western Mexico, Advances in Archaeological Practice 6 (4) (2018): 312-327.

Steve Koppes and Louise Lerner, “Carbon-14 dating, explained,” University of Chicago News, April 27, 2023, accessed on August 6, 2023, at https://news.uchicago.edu/explainer/what-is-carbon-14-dating#:~:text=Radiocarbon%20dating%2C%20or%20carbon%2D14,of%20the%20carbon%2D14%20isotope.

Andrew Haynes, “Beware the Effects of the Zombie Cucumber,” The Pharmaceutical Journal, December 12, 2014, accessed July 29, 2023.
https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/beware-the-psychedelic-effects-of-zombie-cucumber

Abhilash Rajendran, “Importance of Datura in Shiva Worship - Benefits - Why is Datura Offered to Lord Shiva,” Hindu Blog, February 18, 2017, accessed July 29, 2023 athttps://www.hindu-blog.com/2011/04/datura-flower-associated-with-shiva.html

Gino del Guercio, “From the Archives: The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead,” Harvard Magazine, October 31, 2017 accessed July 29, 2023 at
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/10/are-zombies-real


Ashley’s Piece of Stuff
“Snake Goddess Manasa,” Rubin Museum, accessed July 29, 2023, https://collection.rubinmuseum.org/objects/454/snake-goddess-manasa?ctx=43e836119b490fecbdb350879397087cafa4b85f&idx=10.

“Manasa, the Snake Goddess,” Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed August 3, 2023, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/76737.

Matt Stefan, “Manasa,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed August 3, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manasa.

Isbell, Lynne A. The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent: Why We See So Well. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009.