Lightning Strikes Piercings, Tree Cannon, Beating the Breathalyzer

This episode is part of Collection 1, disc 2, episode 2. It is ALSO the sixth episode of Season 2.

NOTE: One of the myths in this episode is about alcohol.

Myths tested:
Is a person with a tongue piercing more likely to get struck by lightning?
Can a cannon be built out of a tree?
Can the breathalyzer be beaten through various methods?

The Science behind Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercings
The main ideas here are lightning strikes and what attracts them. The key questions:
• What attracts lightning?
• Does wet metal attract lightning more than other things in the area?

Students can learn more about lightning, injuries from lightning strikes, and the relative wisdom of tongue piercing. (My students love this myth, but I’m not sure it’s all that science-y)

The Science behind Tree Cannon
Controlled explosions, medieval woodworking, and the strength of wood are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How do cannons work? What are the necessary parts?
• What does it take to appropriately mill a log into a cannon barrel?
• How much gunpowder can a tree trunk stand?

Students can explore the construction of cannons, medieval weaponry, and how much explosive force wood can take. I particularly recommend exploring the structural differences that come from using different grain patterns; in the episode, they core the middle out of the trunk, which is very different from using planks to build a tube. What other ways can wood’s grain be helpful/not helpful for different applications?

The Science behind Beating the Breathalyzer
Evading detection is the main idea here. The key questions:
• How do breathalyzers work?
• Is there any way to beat a breathalyzer?

Students can explore the chemistry of exhaled breath, and talk about the lungs as organs of waste removal. Also of interest: calculating BAC based on body mass, and how different people metabolize alcohol differently even at the same body mass (genetic variation, muscle vs. fat, gender…)

Poppyseed Drug Test, Larry's Lawn Chair, Goldfinger Body Paint

This episode is part of Collection 3, disc 1, episode 3. It is ALSO the third episode of Season 1.


Myths tested:
Can a person take to the skies using only a lawn chair and weather balloons?
Can someone test positive for heroin by eating a large amount of poppy seeds?
Can being painted with gold paint actually be deadly?


The Science behind Lawnchair Balloons
Lift and buoyancy are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How much lift is necessary to leave the ground?
• How much mass does one balloon lift?
• Can a stable flying lawnchair rig be engineered?


Students can explore the relationship between mass and lift, density of gasses, and the issue of feasibility (things that are possible but not realistic). Budgeting this myth is a good applied math activity. Stability is another relevant topic for exploration.


The Science behind Poppyseed Pee
The chemistry of opiods in human urine and drug testing are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How do drug tests work?
• How are poppy seeds and opiods (morphine, heroin, etc.) related?
• What is the physiology of ingesting poppy seeds and taking opium-based drugs related?


Students can explore the chemistry of different urine tests (pregnancy, drugs, protein, pH...), the physiological effects of opiods, research the history of many uses of the poppy plant. Another interesting issue to discuss: the ethics of drug testing.


The Science behind Goldfinger's Body Paint
The role of skin in human respiration and the risks of blocking all of someone's pores are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• Can latex body paint affect body temperature?
• What functions does the skin perform that are necessary for life?
• What percentage of respiration/thermoregulation is skin-dependent?


Students can explore the physiological effects of sealing skin (maybe paint a 1 cm square of skin with a latex body paint and leave it on overnight?).