How Tall Is Mount Everest REALLY?

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 27 November 2020

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We talk about the ridiculously complicated science involved in measuring Mount Everest with NPR international correspondent Lauren Frayer. And we'll hear why the height of the world's highest peak is ever-changing.

Looking for more? You can read Lauren's story here at our episode page. It's got links, photos, and other cool information.

You can find Lauren on Twitter @lfrayer and host Maddie Sofia @maddie_sofia. Email the show at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:06.0	Maddie Sifai here with Lauren Freyr.
0:08.5	First time on the show, Lauren, welcome.
0:11.3	Hey, thanks for having me.
0:12.8	Absolutely.
0:13.8	Okay, so you cover South Asia for NPR.
0:17.0	What do you have for us?
0:19.0	So Maddie, today, I have for you a number.
0:21.7	The number itself, 29,029,
0:25.0	it just becomes something that you, I guess, fixate on.
0:29.5	It becomes just this special number in your mind,
0:33.8	and like, you hear it, and you just know immediately what it means.
0:37.3	So Maddie, before I tell you who this person is,
0:39.6	I want to ask you, you're a climber.
0:41.4	I bet you know what this number means.
0:42.9	Uh, yeah, climber's a strong word for what I do out there, Lauren.
0:46.6	But yeah, I totally know what that number is.
0:48.8	But why don't you tell our audience who might not know what it is?
0:52.5	Okay, so it is the height of Mount Everest.
0:56.0	The world's highest peak is on the border of Nepal and China.
1:00.3	A height that Roxanne Vogel, whose voice you just heard there,
1:03.6	she knows every single foot of.
	...

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