Description

In this special episode, we suppress our emotional sides and explore the logic behind the 2016 science fiction adventure movie, Star Trek Beyond. This is the first in our new series within the podcast -- Mini-Nuke episodes -- where we find movies that do not have enough nuclear nonsense for a full-sized episode but nonetheless warrant some over analyzation.

We go into needless detail about Spock's radioactive jewelry gift to Uhura, which also doubles as a handy tracking device. This plot device has real life inspiration in Trinitite or atomsite glass, a glass byproduct of nuclear detonations in the desert that were the latest fashion trend before they started giving people nasty burns.

Before we jump on ebay looking for our own atomic jewelry, be sure to check out these sources:
-Dan Carlson, "The Story of Vokaya: Beyond a Fan’s Wildest Dreams," Star Trek Minutiae, July 29, 2016, http://www.st-minutiae.com/cafe/archives/2016/07/vokaya.html
-Vokaya, Memory Alpha, http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Vokaya
-Mitch Higgins, "Radioactivity of Trinitite," YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fISzSUBkaC8
-Steven L. Kay, "Trinitite Varieties," Nuclearon, http://www.radiochemistry.org/documents/pdf/trinitite_nuclearon_061608.pdf
-Nelson Eby et. al., "Trinitite—the atomic rock," Geology Today, Vol 26 no. 5, September/October 2010, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2451.2010.00767.x/abstract
-Marion Fasel, "Exclusive: Jewelry Details for Star Trek Beyond," The Adventurine, http://theadventurine.com/culture/movies/exclusive-jewelry-details-for-star-trek-beyond/

Thanks to Martin Pfeiffer (@NuclearAnthro) and Stephen Schwartz (@AtomicAnalyst) for the following sources:
-"Atomic Jewelry," The American Horologist magazine, May 1946, http://elgintime.blogspot.com/2014/12/atomic-jewelry.html?m=1
-Jon Michaud, "James Acord, Alchemist for the Nuclear Age,"
The New Yorker, JANUARY 19, 2011, http://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/postscript-james-acord-alchemist-for-the-nuclear-age
-Advert for 1940s Atomsite Jewelry, https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/da/8e/9f/da8e9ffcd802f6f0b8200a8c9e03c3ac.jpg

We aim to have at least one new full-sized episode every month and Mini-Nuke episodes on a regular basis. Let us know what you think about the podcast and any ideas you may have about future episodes and guests by reaching out at on Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay, SoundCloud, Facebook, SuperCriticalPodcast@gmail.com, or YouTube.

Enjoy!