No Such Thing As Charlie And The Sperm Factory is the 393rd episode of No Such Thing As A Fish, the 30th episode of the eighth year, and the 41st episode of 2021. It features regular presenters James Harkin, Andrew Hunter Murray, and Dan Schreiber, and special guest Mary Roach. It was recorded from home due to COVID-19.
Description[]
Dan, James, Andy and special guest Mary Roach discuss vomiting vultures, bootleg truffles, hairy astronauts, and the seediest postcards ever sent.
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Facts[]
- When feeling threatened, gulls practice a maneuver called "defensive vomiting", the point of which, experts say, is not to disgust and repel the predator, but to offer it an alternative meal.[1] (Roach)
- Any truffle farmer worth their salt will do regular PCR tests on their truffles.[2] (Harkin)
- There are signed copies of Life Magazine circulating on auction sites that are said to be autographed by Ham — the first chimpanzee in space — but are, in fact, forgeries signed by other chimps.[3] (Schreiber)
- You can now send sperm on a postcard.[4] (Murray)
Trivia[]
- Mary Roach guests. She had previously appeared as a guest on the 20 Hour Podcast.
- Regular presenter Anna Ptaszynski is absent.
- Defensive vomiting in vultures was previously discussed in Episode 39.
- James talks about going to the Waitomo Caves (mistakenly called "Waikiki" by Andy) during the podcast's visit to New Zealand as part of the 2018 Australasia Tour.
- Dan talks about the first meal on the Moon being Buzz Aldrin's ham sandwich, which was previously mentioned in Episode 8.
- Tim Peake's appearance in Episode 346 is mentioned.
Notes[]
- ↑ Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach. (Official website, Amazon)
- ↑ James got his fact from a recent visit to the Ecomusée de la Truffe in Sorges, France.
- ↑ Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach. (Official website, Amazon)
- ↑ EurekAlert!: Scientists mail freeze-dried mouse sperm on a postcard