I listen to 99% Invisible on a regular basis, so I went back and listened to one of my favorite episodes from the last year or so. I really enjoyed this episode because of the topic: sand. It seems pretty innocuous and boring, but when they dive into it you learn more and more about how sand’s been used in the past, in the present, and the effects of using sand in so much stuff. The story began as an introduction into why sand is important, and you begin to realize it’s in more places than you may expect. It’s in the concrete of the Roman Coliseum and their aqueducts. It makes up much of the Empire State Building in the form of glass and concrete. And, it forms the basis for a vast number of homes around the world as either concrete or glass.

After they get through the uses, they begin to talk more about the impacts of needing so much sand. Sand is heavy, so you generally want to transport it from somewhere closeby. However, digging sand out of riverbeds and lakes can have incredibly costly environmental effects, causing the collapse of riverbeds or destruction of habitat. They then talk about the how much carbon concrete gives up, and then goes into potential solutions.

In terms of format, it was largely an interview with a guy who wrote a book about sand, Vince Beiser, author of The World in a Grain. This allowed Roman Mars to ask him many questions that the common person may have, such as impact of sand in history or how we can substitute sand and its associated products in the future. While a podcast can’t provide visuals of the kinds of things sand has helped build, by listening to Beiser, it’s almost like just having a friend tell you about sand.

I listened to it while farming some resources in a game. Since farming is generally a mindless/automatic task, I find I can focus on podcasts while doing it to keep me entertained and so I can learn some new things.