Outside/In

Like a typecast actor who can’t escape the blockbuster franchise they’re known for, the element of silicon is inescapably associated with Silicon Valley. But that association undersells just how important, how foundational silicon is for human civilization.

It’s another edition of “The Element of Surprise,” our occasional series about the hidden stories behind the periodic table’s most unassuming atoms, isotopes, and molecules. And this time, it’s all about silicon.

From humankind’s early tools, to the quartz crystal hidden in your digital watch, we’ll cover how this underrated element has a lot more to offer than one California valley might suggest. 

Featuring Vince Beiser, Megan Brewster, and Rachel Maines.

Produced by Taylor Quimby. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.

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LINKS

Still confused about the difference between silicon, silica, and silicone? We think this explanation is helpful. 

See the inside of a silicon wafer fab. It’s wild. 

Or watch this old video on how silicon wafers are made. Also wild.

If you are very into watches, you might enjoy this detailed history of how the “Quartz Crisis” upended the Swiss watch industry. 

Want to learn more about the environmental impacts of sand mining? Check out this 2019 UNEP report. 
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In the spring of 1936, the producer of King Kong hauled a film crew to the desert of Arizona to shoot a sweeping romantic epic. But the heat was so punishing that it melted film stock, caused the lead actress to pass out, and killed the production’s mascot – a baby camel. 

It was the beginning of a heat wave that parked itself over America for months, quickly becoming one of the deadliest natural disasters in our country’s history. It blew up sidewalks, cooked onions in the ground,  claimed at least 12,000 lives, and turned the United States into a literal frying pan. 

Host Nate Hegyi talks with Geoff Williams, author of the forthcoming book The Summer of Death, about a ‘heat horror show’ that transformed American life 90 years ago, and what lessons it gives us on how to survive a hotter world today.  

Featuring Geoff Williams

Produced by Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.

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Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

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LINKS

You can check out Geoff’s book, The Summer of Death, here. 

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech about the impacts of the drought and heat wave in the fall of 1936.
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We’re cleaning out the proverbial fridge, but instead of old food, it’s fantastic and forgotten questions from the Outside/Inbox. Conversation topics include Taylor’s humiliatingly old headlamp, the olfactory experience of a dead whale and, of course, the answers to the following queries… 

Why do dogs like to roll in dead stuff? 

Do humans have a mating season? 

Why do so many deer collisions happen in November? 

When did headlamps start to have red light?

I live next to a highway. What can I do about the noise pollution?

In the final Lord of the Rings movie, there’s a crust that forms on top of the lava that the ring is thrown onto. Is that legit? 

Featuring Christopher Schell, Eric Nystrom, and Erica Walker.

Thanks to our listeners who called in: Dusty, Kyle, Claire, Amanda, Gretchen, Zach, and Sabrina. 

We’re looking for new submissions to the Outside/Inbox! Send us those questions by recording yourself on a voice memo, and emailing that to us at [email protected].  Or you can call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER.

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

Follow Outside/In on Instagram and BlueSky, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

LINKS

If you want to learn more about noise pollution listen to our episode “Shhhh! It’s the sound and silence episode.”

Check out for yourself what those clunky old mining headlamps used to look like. 

CREDITS

Produced by Marina Henke, Felix Poon, and Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
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Every December, tens of thousands of volunteers look to the skies for an international census of wild birds. 

But during migration season, a much smaller squad of New York City volunteers take on a more sobering experience: counting dead birds that have collided with glass buildings and fallen back to Earth. 

In this episode, we find out what kind of people volunteer for this grisly job, visit the New York City rehab center that takes in injured pigeons, and find out how to stop glass from killing an estimated one billion birds nationwide every year. 

This episode was first produced and published in the spring of 2024.

Featuring Melissa Breyer, Linda LaBella, Gitanjali Bhattacharjee, Katherine Chen, and Tristan Higginbotham. Produced by Taylor Quimby. For a transcript and full list of credits, go to outsideinradio.org. 

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

Subscribe to our newsletter (it’s free!).

Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

LINKS

Want to see the migration forecast? Check out Birdcast. 

Want to be a citizen scientist and report dead birds? Check out dBird. 

Want to see volunteer Melissa Breyer’s photos of dead birds? Check out Sad Birding.More about Project Safe Flight.
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With the ubiquity of plastic products, it’s maybe no surprise that a growing body of research shows tiny pieces of plastic are getting inside of us. 

But what is all this plastic doing to our bodies? And once it’s there… is there any way to get it out? 

Producer Haleema Shah looks at what the research says (and doesn’t say) about plastic and health, and explores a new trend in wellness: the microplastics cleanse. 

Featuring Charmaine Dahlenburg, Marcus Garcia, Yael Cohen, and Sarah Morath.

Produced by Haleema Shah. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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