# Gadgets & Gizmos: 5,300-year-old sourdough bread, 747s going floppy & the problem with AI and plastic surgeons

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hrkn-to-gadgets-gizmos-3979061/gadgets-gizmos-5-300-year-old-sourdough-bread-747s-going-floppy-the-problem-with-ai-and-plastic-surgeons
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hrkn-to-gadgets-gizmos-3979061/gadgets-gizmos-5-300-year-old-sourdough-bread-747s-going-floppy-the-problem-with-ai-and-plastic-surgeons.md
Podcast: [Hrkn to .. Gadgets & Gizmos](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hrkn-to-gadgets-gizmos-3979061)
Published: 2026-06-04T15:16:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR2936954394.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR2936954394.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hrkn-to-gadgets-gizmos-3979061/episodes/gadgets-gizmos-5-300-year-old-sourdough-bread-747s-going-floppy-the-problem-with-ai-and-plastic-surgeons
Duration seconds: 1576

## Resource

Steve Caplin tells Simon Rose that scientists have extracted yeast from the 5,300-year-old Ozti the Iceman to make sourdough bread. Next, they plan to produce beer. Boeing 747-400s apparently update their maps with a dozen floppy discs. If you're welathy, it will soon be possible to visit your greenhouse with a VR headset. Nvidia's new AI chip apparently "could replace the mouse and keyboard". The Helios robot might be used for manual tasks in space, having no legs but 2 pairs of arms. There's a crowd-funded desk-mounted robot arm, but nobody knows what it can be used for. If you're too warm, there's a solar-powered cap. Scientists say they've found a way to put solar cells in windows. And cosmetic surgeons are finding clients are asking the impossible – to be made to look like an AI-generated version of themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hrkn-to-gadgets-gizmos-3979061/episodes/gadgets-gizmos-5-300-year-old-sourdough-bread-747s-going-floppy-the-problem-with-ai-and-plastic-surgeons/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/hrkn-to-gadgets-gizmos-3979061/gadgets-gizmos-5-300-year-old-sourdough-bread-747s-going-floppy-the-problem-with-ai-and-plastic-surgeons.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.