After Things Podcast

The episode opens with a long discussion about Mars agriculture: the hosts speculate on what the first plant grown on Mars should be, with guesses like lichen, moss, mold, and grain before turning to research suggesting alfalfa as an early crop. Bryce explains that simulated Martian soil let alfalfa grow without added fertilizer and could enrich regolith for later crops, but the hosts note major obstacles such as salinity and the need for fresh water or water purification. The conversation then ranges into terraforming ideas, including Elon Musk-associated proposals like nukes over the poles and redirecting a water-rich comet, followed by a speculative riff on lunar lava tubes as habitable spaces and a fictional moon settlement inspired by The Diamond Age. Later segments cover ancient warning markers and the Hunger Stones exposed by drought, the exposure of other relics in European rivers, a comedic improv-style zoo investigation of a disconnected 911 call that ends with a capuchin monkey holding the phone, a