Today you’ll learn about a marathoner that can give DC superhero The Flash a run for his money, how drinking alcohol can lead to stomach cancer, and that your coffee bean bag is actually telling you something. Watch THE FLASH only in theaters. Get Tickets Now. Rated PG 13.
Today you’ll learn about a marathoner that can give DC superhero The Flash a run for his money, how drinking alcohol can lead to stomach cancer, and that your coffee bean bag is actually telling you something.
Watch THE FLASH only in theaters. Get Tickets Now. Rated PG 13.
Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/real-life-flash-stomach-cancer-hole-in-coffee-bag
Real Life Flash
Stomach Cancer
Hole in Coffee Bag
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NATE: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from Discovery. Time flies when you’re learnin’ super cool stuff. I’m Nate.
CALLI: And I’m Calli. If you’re dropping in for the first time, welcome to Curiosity, where we aim to blow your mind by helping you to grow your mind. If you’re a loyal listener, welcome back!
NATE: Today you’ll learn about a marathoner that can give DC Superhero The Flash a run for his money, how drinking alcohol can lead to stomach cancer, and that your coffee bean bag is actually telling you something.
CALLI: Without further ado, let’s satisfy some curiosity!
[SFX: WHOOSH]
CALLI: So…are you gonna see the new movie The Flash?
NATE: That’s the wrong question. The question should be how many times am I going to see The Flash?
CALLI: That’s fair.
NATE: The dude goes so fast he can actually defy gravity. He can run past a bullet and catch it before it hits its target. He can literally vibrate the atoms in his body so fast that he can phase through walls!
CALLI: And he can speed read!
NATE: Hold up a second. Are you comparing speed reading to the all-encompassing extra-dimensional energy field that exists in every dimension, every universe, and every era that touches every part of reality and contains knowledge of every place and time, that pushes both space and time forward, also known as the Speed Force?
CALLI: Well…I always wanted to speed read.
NATE: Fair enough. Wait. As much as I want to keep talking about The Flash, don’t we have a show to do, like a story to talk about?
CALLI: Yes! And in honor of The Flash, I thought I’d tell you about a real-life Flash, world-record marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge.
NATE: I’m sure he’s fast, but he’s no Flash.
CALLI: Oh yeah? Just wait. I believe the scientific term for what he can do is…Freaking Bonkers. He was the first person to run a marathon - that’s 26.2 miles - in under 2 hours.
NATE: Okay. That seems pretty fast.
CALLI: Uh…yeah. Think about it this way - that is 1 mile every 4 minutes and 34 and a half seconds…26 times in a row.
NATE: I don’t think I could run a single mile anywhere near that fast.
CALLI: Not many people can. Take the 5k for example. That’s 3.1 miles. The average finish time is between around 30 minutes and 42 minutes, depending on a few factors, like age and sex. He’s running a 5k in just a little over 14 minutes - 8 times in a row.
NATE: Whoa.
CALLI: Another way to look at it: He can do the 100 meter sprint in 17 seconds.
NATE: Maybe I could do that once?
CALLI: …422 times in a row.
NATE: So…The Flash harnesses his energy from the Speed Force. How does Kipchoge do it?
CALLI: Well…before I get to how, it’s worth noting that his sub-2 hour time isn’t an official time. He did it at a time-trial in Vienna, where the organizers made sure all the conditions were exactly right for a good run. And those conditions are incredibly precise. If it was too cold, his muscles would be too tight. If it was too hot, he’d burn off energy too quickly. And if it’s too humid, his shoes won’t get the proper traction and his clothes will be just the slightest bit too heavy with moisture. Seems like splitting hairs, but…
NATE: Yeah, but I get it. The Flash’s special suit is made from a sophisticated anti-friction material that protects him at high speeds. Same material NASA uses to protect spacecrafts on re-entry. Details are important.
CALLI: O…kaaaay…Anyway. Nike also designed a special custom shoe just for him. They use supersoft foam on top of a carbon plate that sorta acts like a spring. By some measures, this shoe - called the Vaporfly 4% - can improve times by 4 or 5 percent. For the Vienna run, they went a step further and built the alphaFLY, with more carbon plates.
NATE: So did he just like live on pasta before the race, right?
CALLI: Carbs are hugely important. Not just before the race - he actually drank a powdered drink called Maurten while he ran that was full of carbs. In all - he drank somewhere between 60 and 100 grams of carbs per hour during the run.
NATE: Give me a million grams of carbs, all the carbon plates in the world, and the perfect weather and he still beats me by probably several hours.
CALLI: He had one other advantage. Because it wasn’t a race - just a time trial - they used pacers - a rotating group of runners who ran in a v-shape in front of him the whole time to block the wind. But check this out - these guys had to be some of the world’s top athletes just to keep up with him during their rotations. And in front of the pacers, a pace car kept them going at the right speed.
NATE: So…will he be able to run a marathon under 2 hours in an official race?
CALLI: That remains to be seen. But before this trial, experts argued over whether it was even humanly possible. Now we know that it is. Kipchoge himself says it’s only a matter of time before others break the 2 hour barrier.
NATE: I know some who could do it.
CALLI: Is it The Flash?
NATE: He harnesses so much energy from the Speed Force he can literally make lightning.
CALLI: Don’t forget about the speed reading. THE FLASH only in theaters June 16th. Get Tickets Now. Rated PG 13.
[SFX: WHOOSH]
NATE: Do you get drunk faster than your friends? I hate to break it to you, but there’s a very good chance that means you’re more likely to get stomach cancer - especially if you’re of East Asian descent.
CALLI: K hang on a second - low alcohol tolerance can lead to stomach cancer? How… how does that even work?
NATE: So the first thing you should know is that people from East Asia make up most stomach cancer diagnoses in the world. I’m not being flippant by saying “most,” either; nearly 50% of the stomach cancer cases in the world happen in China, according to NBC News, and it’s far and away the most common cancer a Japanese man can have. To put that into perspective, stomach and other gastric cancers make up less than two percent of all new annual cancer diagnoses in the United States. And a new study out of Japan has revealed that it’s very likely this is linked to our body’s relationship with alcohol consumption.
CALLI: I’m not really following here. If you have a higher tolerance for alcohol, you would drink MORE. Wouldn’t that put you at risk if it’s alcohol causing it?
NATE: So to be clear, it’s not caused BY alcohol; it’s EXACERBATED, or enhanced, by alcohol. You see, we’ve known for a while that people from East Asian areas are far likelier to have a hereditary genetic deviance that messes with their ability to digest, and therefore metabolize, any of the alcoholic drinks they’re consuming. There’s actually a more common side effect of this mutation that’s derogatorily referred to as the “Asian glow,” which is a flush red face certain East Asian people apparently get after drinking alcohol. What this study discovered, though, is that this mutation actually makes it so alcohol will linger in the stomach for a lot longer than it’s supposed to.
CALLI: Why would that be bad?
NATE: Because on one hand, somebody drinking alcohol will get drunk a lot quicker because their body is literally being doused by the alcohol, sort of like a slow drip into every part of your tummy. But on the other hand, because it’s lingering, it inflames your stomach and could cause nasty side effects like chronic gastritis, which is where the mucus lining your stomach gets thinner while the normal stomach cells die. Over time, your weakened stomach lining can lead to a much higher likelihood of gastric cancers.
CALLI: That’s so awful. How did they even figure this out?
NATE: The study done in Japan was actually an analysis of the genomes associated with gastric cancer. It looked into the cellular make-up of around 1,500 cancer patients from all over East Asia. Whether it was Singapore, or Japan, or China, or even East Asian immigrants living in the United States, the mutation was discovered in East Asians of all walks of life. And when they discovered that one out of every four subjects had a lower alcohol tolerance, they managed to link that to the previously known mutation. The problem was especially dire for men.
CALLI: Really? Why?
NATE: Interestingly, there probably isn’t a genetic reason, but a social one. A gastric cancer researcher named Ajay Goel, who didn’t take part in this study, told NBC that the research is quite clear that East Asian men drink WAY more alcohol than women. Because the gene IS present in women, but since women drink less than men, they’re far less likely to get this sort of cancer.
CALLI: Well, what do we do with this information now? This seems pretty grim, especially for people who drink.
NATE: It is, but it doesn’t have to be. The head of the research team hopes that this discovery will make it a much simpler process for future teams to find any patterns in gastric cancer incidence. Just like all other cancers, the most important part of treatment is early detection. Go to your doctor and get screened for all cancers. This is especially important not only if you’re of east Asian descent, but if you live in the United States. Because the truth is: the incidence for gastric cancer is so much lower compared to more common cancers like breast or colon cancer. But for your own health, as well as your ease of mind, get screened as often - and as early - as possible.
[SFX: WHOOSH]
NATE: When you buy a bag of coffee at the store there’s a little hole on the side that looks like you could stick a spout into it? …what’s that all about? Is it so you can get a good sniff of the flavor before I buy it?
CALLI: That’s one use for it, but fun fact, that’s actually called a “one-way valve.” Have you ever noticed that MOST coffee bags have those valves in them? They’re actually the most important part of any coffee’s shelf life - and without it, your coffee would go bad way, way quicker.
NATE: But why? Wouldn’t putting a hole in your coffee bag make it, you know - go bad FASTER?
CALLI: I can see why you might think that, but that’s why it’s a “one-way” valve. Let me explain. First, it’s important to know that coffee is actually created by growing coffee bean pods, which probably don’t look like that delightful brown powder or bean you’re used to. The pods are usually shades of green, yellow, or maybe even red. Inside of the pods are beans - which don’t have any color. It’s when you roast these beans that they turn brown.
NATE: Oh, that’s really interesting. But it doesn’t answer my question.
CALLI: Hold on. You see, it’s not just the color that changes. As the beans get roasted, that strong, delightful scent we know means a warm cup of coffee is waiting for us starts to form… and importantly, this is when that combination of roasting and the emerging of chemicals creates a lot of CARBON DIOXIDE. For the following couple of days after you’re done roasting the beans, they actually go through something called the degassing period.
NATE: That sounds gross. Is that gross?
CALLI: Nope, not gross. It’s where the beans keep releasing carbon dioxide, which is a good thing because it helps the coffee stay rich in flavor and scent. Here’s the thing, though. Degassing can take a few weeks, especially if you’re making dark roast coffee beans, since they take longer. And coffee is best if you brew it a couple days after the roast is finished. It’s a bit of a conundrum - especially if you’re some kind of coffee tycoon who needs to make ends meet by selling coffee as quickly as possible.
NATE: But why would that be a problem?
CALLI: Think about it like this: beans let out carbon dioxide. You put those beans in a bag. Where does the carbon dioxide go? INTO THE BAG. The bag will keep expanding and eventually rip - or even dramatically explode. With no way to leave, you’ve just ruined your coffee before you’ve even had a chance to sell it. Which is where the one-way valve comes in.
NATE: That’s so interesting. How does the valve work?
CALLI: It’s not clear if there are multiple kinds of one-way valve mechanisms, but there’s a company called Wojin who produces about 200,000 of these things every day for coffee bags and other things. They say that their valves are designed to let carbon dioxide escape without letting oxygen or moisture into the bag. When carbon dioxide hits the valve, it makes the diaphragm of the valve expand, and at a certain pressure, it will slowly expel the carbon dioxide out the mouth of the valve. Once the gas is expelled, the valve closes. As long as the bag is sealed, it’s one way out, no way in.
NATE: Super cool. But why would it be important for oxygen to not get in?
CALLI: To keep the beans fresh. Coffee spoils after long term contact with air, especially if it’s already ground. It absorbs the moisture in the air, which makes the effectiveness of brewing a good cup diminish exponentially. This means that the valve isn’t just saving your coffee bag from exploding; it’s saving your next cup of coffee! Plus, like you mentioned, you can smell the coffee inside the bag through the valve. All you need to do is give the bag a little squeeze and the smell will waft through the valve. This has the added bonus of letting you know if the coffee’s been on the shelf awhile; if you don’t smell anything, the coffee’s probably gone bad.
NATE: I feel like I’m learning so much more in this one segment than I have in a few hundred other episodes of the show - and it’s all because I wanted to know “why coffee bag have hole.” So then - why don’t coffee cans have holes?
CALLI: Well, that’s a different thing entirely. Coffee is vacuum sealed into cans to keep it fresh from oxygen. Unlike bags, though, this is done AFTER degassing is done. Though, some coffee roasters who do specialty blends do this on purpose to achieve a certain flavor. For example, there’s a certain kind of Guatemalan coffee that brewer Joe Bhem says tastes like rubber after 72 hours of degassing. But after 96 hours? It tastes like chocolate. That being said, this kind of coffee will still likely last longer in a bag due to the ways that flavor can fade without proper care. So, long story short: canned coffee will last a lot longer, but it’s so much less fresh than a bag.
NATE: Okay, so last question: how do you know so much about this?
CALLI: I just really love coffee, okay. And it’s important to know about why the valve exists and what it can be used for if you love coffee, too. Knowing you can give it a little squeeze to see how fresh the coffee is can be quite helpful. Knowing that your coffee will last longer in a valved bag = also helpful! If you just can’t start your day without a cup of joe, you may as well start it the right way!
[SFX: WHOOSH]
NATE: Let’s recap what we learned today to wrap up.
CALLI: A man named Eliud Kipchoge might not actually be as fast as the DC Superhero The Flash, but he’s close. Using idealized conditions and equipment, he has run a marathon length in under two hours! In the new movie, THE FLASH, Barry Allen aka The Flash uses his superpowers to go back in time to save his family, but he inadvertently alters the future. THE FLASH only in theaters June 16th. Get Tickets Now. Rated PG 13.
NATE: Have a low tolerance for alcohol? There’s a good chance you could get stomach cancer - especially if you’re from an east Asian region. New research has drawn a link between a little-known genetic deviance that makes East Asian people metabolize alcohol slower and their area’s drastically higher stomach cancer rates. Scientists are relieved that this could help us tackle rising stomach cancer rates, but unfortunately, there is no cure or treatment for what is basically a genetic mutation.
CALLI: Have you ever wondered why your coffee bag has a hole in the side? That’s called a “one-way valve” and it’s there because roasted coffee emits carbon dioxide that could make your coffee explode. And since coffee will spoil quickly after exposure to oxygen, the “one-way” nature of the valve makes it so carbon dioxide can leave the bag, but oxygen won’t get in. Plus, if the coffee is fresh, it makes it so you can give that bag a little squeeze - and get a nice whiff of that delectable, delightful aroma.