Summary
It lurks behind sofas and collects in corners, apparently appearing from nowhere. But what is household dust? And should we bother sweeping it away? That’s what Australian listener Moshe wants to know and what Marnie Chesterton is off to find out for this week’s CrowdScience. She embarks on a mission to discover not only what dust is made of, but whether it poses any health risks. Although most people sweep it away without a thought, dust contains all sorts of secrets about our habits and everyday lives. Marnie finds out how dust can reveal the pets you keep, the chemicals in your surroundings, the location of your house and how fecal bacteria can uncover whether more men or women live in your home.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer: Anna Lacey
(Image: Woman Vacuuming Up Dust. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.5 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:31.6 | Hello there and welcome to Crowd Science from the BBC. I'm Marnie Chesterton and I'm here to take |
| 0:37.2 | your science questions about life, the universe or whatever you're curious about, |
| 0:42.0 | straight to the people in the know. |
| 0:45.0 | If you're new to our podcast, then thanks for downloading. |
| 0:47.8 | I'm really pleased you've joined us. |
| 0:49.5 | In case you're worrying that you're late to this party, |
| 0:52.3 | never fear there's a whole back catalog of episodes available |
| 0:56.1 | for a binge listen. |
| 0:57.8 | What's the oldest living thing on the planet? |
| 0:59.8 | Why is childbirth so painful? |
| 1:02.0 | How do we measure greenhouse gases? It's all there |
| 1:04.4 | waiting for you. But I want to come back to this week's show because I've got to tell |
| 1:09.5 | you it involved emptying a listener's vacuum cleaner and sending the contents from Australia to England, |
| 1:16.1 | from England's to Germany and from Germany to the USA. Why? Because we're going to unravel the mysteries of a substance that's so common we barely give it a second thought. |
| 1:27.0 | It lurks under beds and collects in corners, seemingly appearing from nowhere. |
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