When a Bitcoin mine moved into a small Texas town, a public health crisis ensued.

We're talking total heart stoppages, severe, severe migraines that one woman likened to being worse than childbirth,

panic attacks, chest pain.

It's Wednesday, July 24th, it's also Science Friday.

I'm John Dankowski.

Technologies like AI and Bitcoin

take a massive amount of energy, water, and other resources to run.

But there's a public health component to this tech boom too,

and the culprit behind these scary symptoms might surprise you.

We'll dig into it.

But first, on the International Space Station resources are precious including yes

astronaut pee which gets filtered into clean drinking water but when astronauts are out for a

Space walk and nature comes calling all they've got is a super strength diaper.

At least for now, here's guest host Rachel Feltman.

Inspired by the still suits that recycle water in Frank Herbert's Dune series.

Researchers have designed a system that turns astronauts pee into nice clean drinking water

while they're suited up. The researchers reported on their prototype in the journal Frontiers in

Space Technology. Joining me today is Sophia A researcher at Wild Cornell Medicine

in New York. Sophia, welcome to Science Friday.

Hi Rachel, thank you.

So tell me, has astronaut P always been top of mind

for you, a burning research question? I don't know for who it's been but I would

...