Podcast Questions – The science of Composting Humans.
Here is a short lesson about a podcast (8 minutes long) on an interesting topic. The podcast is from NPR’s Shortwave. You can get the podcast here: Short Wave. If you give these questions as homework, then let students know that the transcript can be found via the link. The answers to the questions are in the PDF below.
The answer can be found below.
The science of Composting Humans.
Click here for the transcript for the podcast
Questions for the podcast:
- What is the listening’s topic?
- Does the speaker talk about the topic at parties? Why?
- What is compost? Is it good or bad?
- What are the disadvantages of the current method for burying people?
- What is the speaker’s previous experience?
- How do the scientists compost the bodies?
- What’s the price of this new way of composting bodies?
- What is the advantage of composting people?
- What do you think? Would you like to be buried this way? Why, why not?
Answers to the podcast:
- The lesson is about a new way to “bury” people. It focuses on an environmentally friendly way of doing it as opposed to the traditional casket.
- No, she doesn’t. She says it’s not really a topic that people find funny at parties.
- Compost is a kind of fertilizer made of biodegradable materials such as food or in this case dead bodies.
- By using a casket and cement, the current method of burying people is not environmentally friendly at all. Also, because each plot of land is bought by someone, we risk running out of places to bury people in the future.
- The speaker used to be in charge of creating compost out of farm animals, such as pigs and cows.
- The scientists insert the dead bodies into a large container along with some plants and fungus. This combination breaks down the body and creates very fertile compost that can be used in farms.
- It’s cheaper than a traditional casket burial, but more expensive than cremation.
- It’s environmentally friendly!
