Episode notes
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why figs (aka “wasp piñatas”) are secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week’s bonus episode.
Get tickets to see us LIVE at the London Podcast Festival this September: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/comedy/secretly-incredibly-fascinating/
LINKS FOR KATIE GOLDIN:
- Katie Goldin on TikTok
- Katie Goldin on Twitter
- @ProBirdRights
- ‘Creature Feature’ podcast (iHeartRadio)
- When Is a Bird a ‘Birb’? An Extremely Important Guide (Audubon)
RESOURCES USED TO INFORM THE EPISODE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
- native-land.ca
- U.S. Department Of Arts And Culture
- The True Native New Yorkers Can Never Truly Reclaim Their Homeland (Smithsonian)
- “Finding Lenapehoking” (YouTube / Hudson River Maritime Museum)
- Why Do They Call It Beacon? (The Highlands Current)
- Dutch & Native American Heritage In The Hudson River Valley (National Park Service)
RESEARCH SOURCES:
- Figs: A Global History by David C. Sutton
- Reminders That a Cookie Goes Beyond the Fig (The New York Times)
- The Untold Truth Of Fig Newtons (Mashed.com)
- Google Maps directions from Cambridge MA to Newton MA
- YouTube upload of a 1970s Fig Newtons TV commercial
- Fig Newtons No Longer Exist. They’re Just Newtons Now. (HuffPost)
- Pollinator Of The Month: Fig Wasps (The U.S. Forest Service)
- The story of the fig and its wasp (Ecological Society Of America)
- In California, the Search for the Ultimate Wild Fig Heats Up (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Fresh Figs, and Bugs? (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Why figs need wasps — here’s how mutualism works (National Geographic)
- One Tiny Wasp Turns A Fig Tree Into A 150-Foot-High Eden (National Geographic)
- Are There Dead Wasps In Figs? | Gross Science (PBS / YouTube)
- Wasp uses zinc-tipped drill to lay eggs (BBC News)
- Ancient Figs May Be First Cultivated Crops (NPR) — this is coverage of the disputed study suggesting figs were humanity’s first crop, cultivated 11,400 years ago.
- What Do You Mean There Are Dead Wasps in My Figs? (Bon Appétit)
- Who was Homer? (The British Museum)
- Upside-Down Fig Tree — Bacoli, Italy (Atlas Obscura)
- Why Fig Leaves Cover The Private Parts Of Classical Sculptures (Artsy.net)
- The story of Michelangelo’s David (Victoria & Albert Museum)
- Behind the scenes at The Art Museum (Phaidon)
- A Detail You May Not Have Noticed in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Fresco (Atlas Obscura)
- ‘The Simpsons’ Credited For Predicting Fate Of Florida Principal Who Was Forced Out By Parents Angered By Michelangelo’s ‘David’ (Deadline Hollywood)
In this episode...
About the show
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way!
Get in touch with the show
@sifpod
@sifpod
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