The Show Notes: Episode 23: Exploring Shrinking
Join us as we dig into the concept of shrinking, from the biology of shrinkage to fictional portrayals in movies like Ant Man and The Incredible Shrinking Woman.
Welcome to the Shownotes! We are staying organized with timestamps (folks seemed to like them). As always, feel free to comment, and we will address it in future shows! Enjoy.
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Joe’s Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction and Greetings
What we are Drinking:
Joe: Pumpkin S’mores imperial porter, Siesta Brewing Company
Georgia: Waterloo water
Nick: Rise of the Amber Surfer: Windmill, Fiji water, Bean Me Up Roastery: cold brew
00:10 The Concept of Shrinkage vs Shrinking
01:10 Shrinkage in Pop Culture
Seinfeld—The Hamptons:5th season:episode 85– George Constanza suffers from shrinkage
Cold-Induced Shrinkage in Humans (Vasoconstriction)
What It Is: Human tissues, especially extremities, can shrink in cold environments as blood vessels constrict to preserve core body heat.
How It Works: Vasoconstriction reduces blood flow to extremities in cold temperatures, causing tissues to contract as part of the body’s effort to conserve heat.
George Costanza’s shrinkage after getting out of the pool isn’t just a figment of imagination. There’s real science behind it. Cold temperatures cause blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow and resulting in temporary “shrinkage.” So, yes, George, it’s not just in your head—shrinkage is real, but only in specific contexts!
03:21 Scientific Plausibility of Shrinking
a person cannot shrink like Ant-Man.
The concept of shrinking as depicted in the Ant-Manmovies is based on fictional science. There are many reasons why shrinking to the scale of an ant, or even smaller, would be physically impossible with our current understanding of science:
Atomic Structure limits Shrinking
Quantum Mechanical Constraints
Biological and Physiological Constraints
Square-Cube Law
Energy and Mass Conservation
15:40 Real-World Shrinking Techniques
Shrinky Dinks
Hydrogels (Dehydration and Rehydration)
Memory Metals (Shape Memory Alloys)
Heat-Shrink Tubing (Plastics)
Clothing Shrinkage (Textile Fibers)
Food Shrinkage (Dehydration and Cooking)
Shrink-Wrap (Plastic Films)
Natural Shrinkage in Organic Materials
Cold-Induced Shrinkage in Biology (Vasoconstriction)
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