Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia

Guest: Lisa M. Russell, Instructor of English at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, where she serves as the Assistant Dean of Dual Enrollment; author of micro-history books about “lost things,” including "Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia"

North Georgia has more than forty lakes and not a single one of them is natural. Authorized for flood control, hydroelectric power, and recreation, many of these dams destroyed communities in the process. Buildings, roads, and bridges were drowned but occasionally reappear in times of drought. Cemeteries were relocated but still ghost stories of Civil War soldiers and angry townspeople continue to draw visitors to the shores.

 

Fishing for Sunken Treasures

Guest: Nigel Lamford, Northants Magnet Fishing

Instead of line and hook, Lamford ties a big magnet to a heavy cord and trolls for sunken treasures. What he hauls in makes him puzzle like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes: knives, jewelry, cannon balls, and even a BMX bike. His hobby has spawned hundreds of imitators and a YouTube channel. Join us for some lively tales of unexpected finds, and maybe get hooked yourself. 

 

Diving Sea Nomads

Guest: Melissa Ilardo, Evolutionary Genomicist, University of Utah, and Integrative Biologist, UC Berkeley

Humans have adapted to live in some of the most extreme environments on earth, from the high altitude of the Tibetan Himalayas to the dry wasteland of the world’s deserts. The Bajau, a people of the Malay Archipelago, spend almost all of their lives at sea. These sea nomads, who live on floating houses, have prodigious diving capabilities. Studying them may help us prevent hypoxia in normal folks.