Naked Archaeologist

[Throckmorton]

I'm watching Naked Archaeologist on History International. This episode is about the royal blue dye the Hebrews used for religious purposes. It turns out that the purple dye from snails can be turned blue by sunlight. I was playing Tabula Rasa but I heard this:

Simcha: "So they had to split the atom to get the trellit(sp)?"
Israeli Chemist: "You're very good"
Simcha: "Is that correct?"
Israeli Chemist: "That's absolutely correct. They knew how to split the atom"
Simcha: "Well before Einstein."
Israeli Chemist: "Before Einstein"

I was confused, but I thought "Well, I'm not a chemist. Maybe UV can split some small number of atoms".

Good thing I have a DVR. I rewinded and watched again. What they were talking about is that sunlight causes bromide atoms and the indigo color molecules to break their bonds. Obviously this isn't splitting of atoms, but a chemical reaction.

OK, people make mistakes, but then they showed little animations of Einstein with the equation E=MC^2 and atoms splitting. WTF? Not only did Simcha and the chemist think that a chemical reaction is an atom splitting, but the editors, producers, or whatever didn't catch it later?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

you can't believe everything you see on tv. even some of the more intellectual channels will be wrong, or lie.

 

[her209]

LOL... newbs.

 

[Chaotic42]

What's scary is not that the archaeologist didn't know that this was not nuclear fission, but that the chemist didn't know.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Can be lost in translation....it's splitting of the molecule, not the atom. If he got his words mixed up, it's understandable.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: uclaLabrat
Can be lost in translation....it's splitting of the molecule, not the atom. If he got his words mixed up, it's understandable.

Then why would the chemist say "before Einstein"? Seems kind of weird.

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
you can't believe everything you see on tv. even some of the more intellectual channels will be wrong, or lie.

But but it was on the Discovery Channel, it could happen tomorrow!!1!(tm)

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: uclaLabrat
Can be lost in translation....it's splitting of the molecule, not the atom. If he got his words mixed up, it's understandable.

Then why would the chemist say "before Einstein"? Seems kind of weird.

If it's still recorded I'm going to go back and make sure he's a chemist. I'm not sure now.

 

[Toastedlightly]

Splitting molecules... agreeable. Atoms.... HOLY SHIT WMDs!