Blue is the loneliest color

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2024

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Once in a blue moon the Outside/In team opens up the mailbag and answers your questions about the natural world. This time, they all share a preoccupation with a particular hue: blue. Come along as we learn about the differences between European and Aztec conceptions of the color blue, how construction workers build offshore turbine foundations under the deep blue sea, and why the most exciting picture astronauts took during Apollo 8 wasn’t of the lunar surface. Questions: I’ve heard the color blue is rare in nature. Is that true? Are blue eyes disappearing? How do we build things underwater? Why is the sky blue? What is the etymology of the color blue? Featuring Kai Kupferschmidt and Justin Alves. 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. Submit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). LINKS Check out science journalist Kai Kupferscmidt’s book, “Blue: In Search of Nature’s Rarest Color” CREDITS Host: Nate Hegyi Reported and produced by Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon, and Nate Hegyi Mixed by Taylor Quimby and Felix Poon Our team also includes Justine Paradis Editing by Taylor Quimby, with help from Rebecca Lavoie Executive producer: Taylor Quimby Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio Music by Blue Dot Sessions Outside/In is a production of NHPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, this is outside in. I'm your host, Nate Hedgy. And I am your host, Nate Hedgy.
0:09.0	And I am producer Taylor Klimby. And I want to start by telling you a quick story, Nate.
0:15.0	Okay.
0:17.0	So it takes place on Christmas Eve, 1968.
0:20.8	We can presume that some people are wrapping presents, roasting chestnuts, maybe watching some Christmas specials on their new color TVs.
0:28.0	But over 220, 20,000 miles away from all of that, three guys are jammed into a tiny metal
0:41.0	spaceship.
0:42.0	Paul, wait, this is Houston.
0:44.0	When you go into the dark, uh, in about seven or eight minutes, I have some.
0:49.0	This is one of the, uh, the missions that did not make the moon, right?
0:52.0	Eight? Yeah, so this is this is before the moon landings
0:55.0	It's Frank Borman James Lovell and William Anders
0:58.0	and they're they're the first people to leave Earth's orbit and circle the moon.
1:02.0	Yeah, this is the Phantom Menace.
1:03.0	This is the prequels.
1:04.4	Yeah.
1:07.4	As usual in the real world, the flight plan looks a lot fuller than it did in Florida.
1:12.4	Roger, understand. lot fuller than it did in Florida.
1:13.0	Roger, understand.
1:16.0	They're orbiting the moon every two hours for just about a whole day.
1:20.0	One of the astronauts, you know, he says it was really spectacular at first, but ultimately the
1:26.2	Moon is just desolate.
	...

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