Darkness

The question plaguing us this episode is, how dark can it really get? Turns out (according to some), not that dark! Unless you're at the bottom of the ocean or floating in the all too-eerie void of deep space, you're always gonna have some photons hitting your face. (I'm pretty sure I accidentally stole this rhyme right out of Hank's poem, but you'll just have to listen to know for sure...) 

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[The Gauntlet]

Next December 23rd winter solstice

SOLAR spacecraft went down 

Reorientation of sun instrument

23.5°S latitude alternate name

Tapetum lucidum color

Hormone in darkness

Famous winter solstice sunlight site

[Trivia Question]

Last December 23rd winter solstice

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.html

[Fact Off]

Carrots can help you make rhodopsin but not improve night vision

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/do-carrots-help-you-see-in-the-dark

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/do-carrots-really-help-you-see-in-the-dark

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10484191/

https://www.livescience.com/carrots-see-in-the-dark.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-carrots-improve-your-vision/

Dogs are more likely to steal food disobediently when it’s dark 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-012-0579-6

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130211090840.htm

https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/persons/juliane-kaminski/publications/

[Butt One More Thing]

English words for excrement collectors (gong farmer, night soil men) 

https://www.oed.com/dictionary/night-soil_n?tab=etymology

https://www.oed.com/dictionary/gong-farmer_n?tab=meaning_and_use#992848879

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/when-american-cities-were-full-of-crap

https://ojs.ethnobiology.org/index.php/ebl/article/view/1351/705