Why Symmetry Wins, Solar-Covered Canals, Plants on the Moon

Today, you’ll learn about why symmetry dominates the natural world, how it may be possible to conserve water using solar panels, and why growing vegetables might soon involve a trip to the Moon.

Two halves make a whole.

• “Life’s Preference for Symmetry Is Like “A New Law of Nature” by Kate Golembiewski
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/science/symmetry-biology-evolution.html
• “What is RNA?” by Michael Dhar
  • https://www.livescience.com/what-is-RNA.html
• “The Origins of Asymmetry: A Protein That Makes You Do the Twist” by Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181123135026.htm

Sun = more water.

• “California Is About to Test Its First Solar Canals” by Roger Bales
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/california-is-about-to-test-its-first-solar-canals-180979637/
• “Project Nexus: Water & Energy Integration for the Future” by TID Water and Power
  • https://www.tid.org/about-tid/current-projects/project-nexus/
• “Energy and Water Co-Benefits from Covering Canals with Solar Panels” by Brandi McKuin, et al.
  • https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00693-8
• “NOAA Drought Task Force Report on the 2020–2021 Southwestern U.S. Drought” by NOAA Drought Task Force IV
  • https://www.drought.gov/documents/noaa-drought-task-force-report-2020-2021-southwestern-us-drought
• “New NOAA Report: Exceptional Southwest Drought Exacerbated” by Human-Caused Warming by NOAA/NIDIS
  • https://www.drought.gov/news/new-noaa-report-exceptional-southwest-drought-exacerbated-human-caused-warming
• “California Approves New Water Restrictions Amid Worsening Drought” by Soumya Karlamangla
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/us/california-drought-water-restrictions.html
• “California State Water Project” by Wikipedia
  • ​​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Water_Project
• “California Agricultural Production Statistics” by California Department of Food and Agriculture
  • https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/

Grocery shopping on the moon.

• “A first: Scientists grow plants in soil from the Moon” By Phys.org
  • https://phys.org/news/2022-05-scientists-soil-moon.html
• “Scientists Grow Plants in Moon Soil for the First Time” by Shea Swenson
  • https://modernfarmer.com/2022/05/plants-grow-in-moon-soil-nasa/

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Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-symmetry-wins-solar-covered-canals-plants-on-the-moon

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