The Element of Surprise: The $1,000 Balloon

Outside/In

NHPR

Science, Renewable Energy, Energy, Documentary, Outdoor Recreation, Environment, Climate, Public Radio, Wildlife, Nature, Natural World, Ecology, Society & Culture, Human Interest Stories, Wildlife Management, Biology, Outdoors, Wilderness, Natural Sciences

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The coolest and most uplifting element is rarer than you might think.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we get started, I want to thank our sponsor for this episode,
0:03.3	Walking Alongside, a podcast from Dartmouth Health.
0:06.6	Walking Alongside is a podcast about addiction, recovery, friendship, and support.
0:10.9	It's a short show that provides a dose of education and a dose of confidence for those
0:15.3	looking to support people with addiction who are walking along the path to recovery.
0:19.2	We can make a tremendous difference.
0:21.1	Listen to Season 1, walking alongside.
0:23.1	Now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:25.9	Season two is out soon.
0:31.9	Okay.
0:32.9	Hey, Nate.
0:34.3	Hey, Taylor.
0:34.9	So I've got a science riddle for you.
0:36.9	Okay.
0:38.1	A child is having a birthday party and is given a balloon on a string.
0:45.5	Everything's fine until, as often happens, for a split second, the child gets distracted, and he lets it go outside.
0:52.9	Uh-oh.
0:53.4	Everybody looks up as it floats away into the big blue sky.
0:57.4	What happens to the balloon?
1:00.5	Many things could happen to the balloon.
1:03.0	The balloon key caught in some sort of electrical wire.
1:07.9	Let's say it doesn't hit a wire and it doesn't hit a plane or a flock of birds.
	...

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