Secretly Incredibly Fascinating - BONUS SHOW 131: "The World's Freakiest Barnacles: Pollution Barnacles, And Parasitic Barnacles"

This is the bonus show for Episode 131! (Barnacles)

Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore the obviously incredibly fascinating topic of barnacles living on human trash and pollution -- and eating host animals to death.

RESEARCH SOURCES:

Found: A Barnacle-Covered Basketball Lost at Sea (Atlas Obscura)

The Saddest Sea Creatures in the World Feast on Floating Trash (The Atlantic)

ROUNDTABLE: Ancient Roman Pollution: The long-lasting effects of the Lead Age. (Lapham's Quarterly)

Invading Barnacles: Sacculina is a species of barnacle that infects crabs and then manipulates their behavior to benefit itself—all to the detriment of the unsuspecting crab. (Smithsonian Ocean)

The Barnacle That Eats Glowing Sharks (National Geographic)

Science News: Fascinating Barnacles: Analesma squalicola (California Academy Of Sciences)