Learn about what we lost in the blaze that destroyed the National Museum of Brazil; the myth that it’s dangerous to go swimming right after you eat; and some of the weirdest laws in U.S. states. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: Brazil's National Museum Went Up in Flames This Weekend. Here's What's Left These Are the Strangest Laws in All 50 US States Students at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro are collecting tourist photos of the National Museum of Brazil to help preserve what was lost. If you’ve been to the museum and you took photos, then you can send your pictures to thg.museo@gmail.com. Sources for story on swimming after you eat: Is it true that it's unsafe for children to swim right after eating? | BabyCenter Will swimming less than an hour after eating bring on cramps? | Snopes Myth or Fact: Should You Wait to Swim After Eating? | Duke Health The Claim: Never Swim After Eating | New York Times Please tell us about yourself and help us improve the show by taking our listener survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/curiosity-listener-survey If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! Learn about these topics and more onCuriosity.com, and download our5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram. Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable ourAlexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
Learn about what we lost in the blaze that destroyed the National Museum of Brazil; the myth that it’s dangerous to go swimming right after you eat; and some of the weirdest laws in U.S. states.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
Students at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro are collecting tourist photos of the National Museum of Brazil to help preserve what was lost. If you’ve been to the museum and you took photos, then you can send your pictures to thg.museo@gmail.com.
Sources for story on swimming after you eat:
Please tell us about yourself and help us improve the show by taking our listener survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/curiosity-listener-survey
If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron!
Learn about these topics and more on Curiosity.com, and download our 5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable our Alexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/lost-national-museum-of-brazil-artifacts-swimming-after-you-eat-and-weird-u-s-state-laws
[MUSIC PLAYING] CODY GOUGH: Hi. We've got two stories from curiosity.com and the answer to a question from a curious listener like you to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: And I'm Ashley Hamer. Today you'll learn about what we lost in the blaze that destroyed the National Museum of Brazil and some of the weirdest laws in US states. We'll also dive into the belief that it's dangerous to go swimming right after you eat.
CODY GOUGH: Let's satisfy some curiosity.
ASHLEY HAMER: Over the weekend, a massive fire destroyed the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil. This is a huge loss for humanity, even if you don't live anywhere near Brazil. Today we want to explain what was lost and what managed to survive.
CODY GOUGH: And the cleanup is still going. And it's going to be an ongoing thing for a while.
ASHLEY HAMER: Sure. Yeah. And some of these things are just what we expect to find once we're all done.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. Yeah. So some bad news, but hopefully a little good news at the end?
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah. Not everything was lost, so that's the spoiler.
CODY GOUGH: Yes.
ASHLEY HAMER: The National Museum of Brazil held more than 20 million artifacts. And according to the most recent estimates, as much as 90% of the entire collection is likely destroyed beyond salvation. Researchers and museum curators are still sorting through the wreckage, and they've identified some iconic artifacts that will never be seen whole again.
So first, the bad news. We already know that Pompeii Frescoes were destroyed. There were two relief sculptures that somewhat ironically made it through the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Some other things that may not have made it include Luzia, arguably the oldest human skull ever discovered in the Americas.
There's still some hope it might have been protected by its metal display case. And firefighters may have discovered it on Tuesday. But the skull's identity is still pending lab analysis as of the time of this recording.
About 100,000 pre-Columbian artifacts were lost, including funerary urns, Andean mummies, textiles, and ceramics, as well as the largest Egyptian collection in Latin America. That included a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus, a mummified cat, and many art objects that are likely gone forever.
We hate to be a downer on this podcast, so don't worry. There is some good news. While millions of mounted arthropods and one of the world's largest lace bug collections were destroyed, the museum's fish and reptile collections were stored in a separate building and likely not affected. And some would argue that the crown jewel in the museum's collection is the Bendego Meteorite. That's the second largest meteorite ever discovered at more than 11 and 1/2 thousand pounds. It's made of iron and nickel. And I mean, it survived entering Earth's atmosphere. So it was probably pretty safe.
And of all the silver lining, the most important is that nobody was injured. One other positive note, students at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro are collecting tourist photos to help preserve what was lost. If you've been to the museum and you took photos, then you can send your pictures to thg.museo@gmail.com. We'll also put that email address in today's show notes. Every photo can help.
CODY GOUGH: We got a question from a curious listener like you. Brescia in Mexico wrote, quote, "I've been looking up the 'if you eat, wait some time before swimming' advice. I have found some journals that give scientific evidence supporting this, but there's also a lot of sites claiming it's a myth. What's the science?" unquote.
Great question. The short answer is that you don't have to wait before swimming. If you do swim right away, it's not dangerous, but it could give you an uncomfortable stomach cramp. This myth came from the idea that if you swim on a full stomach, you could get severe cramps and drown, but there's no evidence to support that.
Another common belief is that the blood that goes to your digestive tract after eating steals the blood you need to keep your arms and legs pumping during swimming. According to the Duke University Health Blog, the body does supply extra blood to aid in digestion, but not enough blood to keep your arm and leg muscles from properly functioning. Your biggest danger related to eating and swimming is probably a minor cramp, and even that's open for debate.
But you might feel discomfort, like heartburn or vomiting, any time you participate in any vigorous exercise after you eat because of unexpected reflux or involuntary regurgitation. This might be more likely to occur when there's an increase in external pressure like while diving. So you can definitely get in the pool after you eat. Maybe just don't try beating your 800-meter freestyle record 10 minutes after you've down a half pound of grilled meat.
And anyway, you should worry less about food and more about alcohol. In 1990, a study of hundreds of drowning deaths in California found that 41% were alcohol related. Compare that to studies showing that less than 1% of drowning deaths in the US happened after the victim ate a meal. I hope that answers your question, Brescia. Thanks for writing in. We're always checking our mailbox at podcast@curiosity.com. So drop us a question any time, and we might answer it on a future episode.
ASHLEY HAMER: Today's episode is sponsored by PBS. Do you love a good book? Have a favorite novel? Catcher in the Rye? 1984? The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? Gone with the Wind? The Color Purple?
CODY GOUGH: There are so many classic and beloved stories. It's hard to pick just one. But PBS needs your help doing just that. PBS has a list of America's 100 best-loved novels, and they need you to help pick number one. The Great American Read returns Tuesdays this fall at 8:00, 7:00 Central starting September 11 on your PBS station.
ASHLEY HAMER: Host Meredith Vieira talks to some of your favorite authors, celebrities, and athletes about the subjects and stories found in our favorite books. They'll explore the many ways these novels affect, reflect, and connect us all. Go to pbs.org to see the entire list. Vote for your favorites and share with your friends. It all leads up to the grand finale on Tuesday, October 23, when all the votes are counted and America's favorite novel is announced.
CODY GOUGH: Celebrate reading books and imagination. Join the conversation at hashtag #GreatReadPBS. The Great American Read returns Tuesdays this fall at 8:00, 7:00 Central starting September 11 on your local PBS station.
ASHLEY HAMER: We don't have a ton of time left, but we wanted to wrap up by at least mentioning a fun write-up we featured today. We've compiled a list of what we consider to be some of the most unusual laws in all 50 US states. For example, in Illinois, no one may legally own more than $600 worth of aquatic creatures. What?
CODY GOUGH: If you're in California and your frog dies during a frog jumping competition, then we've got some good news. It's illegal in California for any of your rivals to eat your dead frog.
ASHLEY HAMER: And in Escambia County, Washington, you could get a $1,000 fine if you shoot a Sasquatch. No shooting Bigfoot.
CODY GOUGH: You can get to know the US a bit better, including how you need a license to kill a fly within 160 feet of a church in Ohio, in our full write-up today on curiosity.com and on the Curiosity app for Android and iOS.
ASHLEY HAMER: Before we wrap up, we want to give a quick shout-out to our listeners on Apple Podcasts and say thank you if you've left us a five-star review. We got a review from listener Stoney Steph over the weekend who wrote, "BEST DAILY PODCAST," in all caps. She also wrote, "I love you all. I always listen every day. It's one of the things I look forward to because I love learning new things to share with my colleagues. Thank you for making an awesome podcast."
CODY GOUGH: Thank you, Stoney Steph. We've gotten more than 200 reviews on Apple Podcasts, which we really appreciate. But we think we can kick things up a notch. So here's our new campaign. If we hit 300 reviews on Apple Podcasts, then we will do something really special on our show. You'll get some bonus podcast action that we're pretty sure you'll really like.
ASHLEY HAMER: Join us again tomorrow for the Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I'm Ashley Hamer.
CODY GOUGH: And I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: Stay curious.
NARRATOR: On the Westwood One Podcast Network.
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