Shark Repellent
Summary
Heath, Noah, Eli, and Cecil discuss the US military’s failed WWII effort to create shark repellent, inspired by Mary Roach’s *Grunt*. They cover the absurd experiments involving shark goo, chemicals, and Julia Child’s involvement with the OSS. The hosts conclude that the project was scientifically futile, as sharks rarely attack humans, yet ineffective "shark baffles" were issued through the Vietnam War.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: Progressive Insurance and Stamps.com
Show intro and host introductions
Topic selection: WWII shark repellent and context
The origin story: Henry Field and FDR
The Ecuadorian pilot incident and Field's memo
Assembling the team: Coolidge, Burden, and Springer
Project 374 approval and initial brainstorming
Testing substances and the shark goo experiment
Springer's claims and the conflict of interest
Isolating chemicals and preparing for field tests
Comedy sketch: Field and FDR conversation
Sponsors: Progressive, Grow Therapy, Poshmark, Stamps.com
Julia Child's connection to the project
Field test failures in Ecuador and dosage issues
Navy takes over and the feeding frenzy test
Scientific conclusion and the squid ink solution
Modern guidelines and the reality of shark attacks
Quiz segment and episode wrap-up
Outro and sponsors: Jerry, Found, 1-800-Flowers, Cruise
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