Learn about how blind people can describe what animals look like, how “Ring Around the Rosie” probably doesn’t reference the Plague, and why scientists used Cladosporium sphaerospermum, a radiosynthetic species of fungus, to build a radiation shield.

Ring Around the Rosie probably doesn't reference the plague by Kelsey Donk

• Mikkelson, D. (2000, November 17). Is ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ About the Black Plague? Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ring-around-rosie/
• Opie, I. A. and Opie, P. (1985). The Singing Game. Oxford University Press. https://archive.org/details/ibald00iona/page/221/mode/2up

Blind People Can Describe What Animals Look Like — But How? by Sonja Hodgen

• Tantibanchachai, C. (2019). Flamingoes, Elephants and Sharks: How Do Blind Adults Learn About Animal Appearance? News from The Johns Hopkins University. Jhu.Edu; Johns Hopkins University. https://releases.jhu.edu/2019/05/21/flamingoes-elephants-and-sharks-how-do-blind-adults-learn-about-animal-appearance/
• Kim, J. S., Elli, G. V., & Bedny, M. (2019). Knowledge of animal appearance among sighted and blind adults. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900952116

We might be able to use fungus as a radiation shield by Cameron Duke

• Ryan, J. (2020, July 26). Self-replicating Chernobyl mold could protect the ISS from space radiation. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/news/self-replicating-chernobyl-mold-could-protect-the-iss-from-space-radiation/
• Shunk, G. K., Gomez, X. R., & Averesch, N. J. H. (2020). A Self-Replicating Radiation-Shield for Human Deep-Space Exploration: Radiotrophic Fungi can Attenuate Ionizing Radiation aboard the International Space Station. BioRxiv. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.16.205534

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Find episode transcript here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-blind-people-describe-animals-plague-myths-about-ring-around-the-rosie-and-radiation-shields-made-from-fungus">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-blind-people-describe-animals-plague-myths-about-ring-around-the-rosie-and-radiation-shields-made-from-fungus