Radiolab - Space Capsules

How would you describe life on Earth to an alien? In 1977, the Voyager spacecraft launched into space. And with it, went the Golden Record-- a sort time capsule, a collection of sounds and images that would describe life on Earth to whomever or whatever might find it.

Duration: 19m
Broadcast on: 20 Nov 2007
Audio Format: other

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Well, when I thought about this, the first thing that came to my mind was a table because that's a place where people come together to eat. Everyone has to eat and normally people of all cultures have gathered around a table of sorts. Maybe not a table that had chairs all around, maybe a fabric that was laid out on the floor. It's a place where we communicate to each other. I absolutely imagine food on the table. We're in a moment of spring here at the restaurant, so we're serving the first piece. Certainly would have a salad made with all these little young shoots of scallions and little radishes scattered with mustard flowers this moment in time. Maybe we could have some fish soup with fennel and some grilled toast. Well, we're drinking a little white wine to begin and then probably we're going to have some red wine with some cheese at the end. I want the experience of being connected and sitting at that table. I love to talk at the table. It's not simply about the food. I mean, yes, I think the food should be delicious, but it's really about communicating, sharing that moment in time. My vision is really about opening people's senses, educating their senses so that they can experience this world in the fullest possible way. Food is a way of doing that. It's an everyday

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