Worm Blobs In The Bowels Of The Earth

Short Wave

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🗓️ 26 April 2023

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

In the toxic waters of Sulphur Cave in Steamboat Springs, Colo. live blood-red worm blobs that have attracted international scientific interest. We don special breathing gear and go into the cave with a team of researchers. There, we collect worms and marvel at the unique crystals and cave formations that earned Sulphur Cave a designation as a National Natural Landmark in 2021. Then we learn how extremophiles like these worms are helping scientists search for new antibiotics, medicines and even models for robots that can explore uneven, dangerous terrain, like caves on other planets.

Read more about these worms: https://n.pr/3LjbigO

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey short waivers, Emily Kwong here with my lovely co-host, Erin Scott. Hey Erin.
0:05.5	Hello, Emily. Hi. So, um, some of you may have read about this and already know, but the layoffs
0:13.2	at NPR did impact our show. That is why some of our colleagues, including Erin, are leaving us
0:20.4	right now. Um, we have been taking time to process what has been a really, really sad and tough time
0:27.7	for shortwave all while continuing to create the same nerdy, Newsy science show you know and love.
0:35.3	And I want to personally thank you for all of your support. Likewise, I have to thank all the
0:41.2	shortwave listeners who support our show and support our team. I'm going to miss you all. Um,
0:47.5	this was a dream job and it's going to be hard to find something that can match it, but I'm,
0:53.8	I'm trying at least to tell myself that layoffs are the new sabbatical. This is the, this is the
1:00.4	kind of Erin optimism. I've come to know and love. Oh man. And you know, it's not goodbye. It's
1:06.2	a see you later for now. Um, for now. And as a parting gift, you've chosen one of your favorite
1:11.7	episodes for us to listen to. Yes. And it's kind of classic, Erin Scott reporting. It's got vivid
1:17.4	writing, beautiful descriptions. The awe in your voice carries the peace and also the love for
1:22.8	your hometown and your dad. And I'm so glad you brought it to our show. Thanks for bringing so
1:28.0	much of yourself every day at work. It's, it's really, really fun to work with you. Thank you. Emily,
1:34.1	short waivers. Enjoy the show. You're listening to shortwave from NPR. So Emily, when I was a kid,
1:43.6	how old are we talking here? We're talking around 10, 10, 11, as a wheelad. And there was this cave
1:50.1	near my house. It's, it's like this big hole that opens up in the ground, a stream slopes into it.
1:57.0	And at the bottom of the slope, we could see this ominous crack. And then pass that nothing. You
2:03.0	can't see anything. Just darkness. And I was reading a lot of the rings for the first time. And it
2:07.5	felt like the entrance to the cracks of doom in the corridor, especially because the stream that
2:13.2	runs into the cave bubbles up from a spring a few feet away. And it's full of sulfur. So it's
	...

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