Prompt Cast
The Mystery of Southeast Asia's Yellow Rain: From Biological Weapon to Bee Feces
TLDR In the late 1970s, the Hmong people in Southeast Asia believed that the sticky yellow rain they experienced was a biological weapon, but it was later discovered to be honeybee poop. Despite this revelation, the Hmong people continue to face challenges and only a small number have made it to the United States as refugees.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Sticky yellow rain in Southeast Asia in the late 1970s killed plants and made people sick, particularly the Hmong people who had fought with France and later the Americans.
02:08
The Hmong people, who had fought against the communists in the Vietnam War, believed that the yellow rain they experienced was a biological weapon being sprayed on them by the Vietnamese government, and the Americans took this belief seriously.
04:22
A biologist at Harvard University discovered that the yellow rain was actually just honeybee poop, but people were skeptical because it would require a large number of bees to all poop at once in the same area.
06:42
The host mentions a podcast about living with severe autoimmune conditions and then goes on to discuss a message break taken by Messelsen during the investigation of the yellow rain.
08:46
Messelsen teams up with Canadian biologists to investigate the yellow rain and discovers that it is actually bee feces.
10:43
Asian honeybees excrete waste all at once to regulate the temperature in the hive and keep the larvae from developing incorrectly, which explains the phenomenon of yellow rain.
12:51
The Hmong people continue to suffer and face challenges, with only a small number making it to the United States and many being sent away from Thailand as refugees.
Categories:
Society & Culture
