Satire

It's Monday May 21st.

A recent study from the University of Bristol in England has found that exposure to dirt can actually make you happy.

Currently, a follow-up study is being conducted on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, however, suggests that prolonged exposure to mudslinging and dirty tricks just makes you angry and cranky.

This is the Current.

Ode to Dirt

Parents loathe it. Gardeners love it. Politicians fear it, scientists revere it, gossip feasts on it, and children... eat it.

And today, The Current exposes it. It's the dirt, on dirt.

Chances are you've come across a lot of dirt this weekend, whether you're opening up your cottage for the first time, tackling the basement that's been collecting dust all winter, or getting your garden ready for the season.

Depending on who you ask, dirt is either a rich organic mineral mix - as essential to life as air and water, or it's a mustard stain on your shirt that won't come off.

We asked Tom Howell for his definition. Tom happens to be the "word nerd" on CBC Radio's language show, "And Sometimes Y.”

Though getting dirty might be taboo for some, for gardeners, there's no greater joy than grabbing a handful of the good stuff. But what about the non-green thumbs in the bunch? Well, new research into dirt -- specifically, into the types of things that live in dirt -- have revealed a few surprises. Namely, it's possible that dirt can actually, physically, make us happy. We'll speak with the researcher behind the discovery in a moment.

But first, we asked Des Kennedy, a dedicated Canadian gardener, to describe his relationship with dirt. He's the author of, aptly enough, "The Passionate Gardener".

He gave us his "Ode to Dirt," accompanied by some observations we "unearthed" from a group of grade three students on a tour of the Toronto Botanical Gardens last week.

Happy Dirt

So then, for a gardener, delving into the dirt is the root to happiness but unbeknownst to the rest of us, dirt could also be bringing US joy.

Dr. Chris Lowry is a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol in the UK. He has dug up some interesting research and it turns out the proof is in the digging.

He joined us from Britain and we asked why he thinks there's something in the dirt that might make us happy?

Eating Dirt

Dr. Lowry's research might suggest that we'd all do well by hitting the dirt every now and again. But in many parts of the world,eating dirt for sustenance is not uncommon. We sent freelancer Trent Jacobs into a market in Cité Soleil, in Haiti, to speak with women who make and sell mud pies.

The practice of eating dirt has a name geophagy, and it's far more common than you'd think. Dr. Ray Ferrell is a professor in the department of geology and geophysics at Louisiana State University. He joined us from his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Listen to The Current: Part 1

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

The Current: Part 2

Dirt Hygiene

Ahh yes, fresh apple MUD pie. A curious choice. One that would make most parents queasy. The bacteria, the microbes, the untold horrors.

However, there is a hypothesis out there -- a hygiene hypothesis. It says children are not sufficiently exposed to dirt and dust. Exposure to dirt, the theory suggests, is necessary for the development of a strong immune system, and to build a robust resistance to allergies.

Dr. Sharon Moalem is the author of "Survival of the Sickest."

Now you could say our relationship with the ground beneath our feet is a deep and murky one. Just when did dirt become so dirty?

William Bryant Logan is the author of Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth. He joined us from New York City. And Nancy Tomes is a professor of history and culture at New York State University.

Dirt Erosion

With all this talk of dirt, you'd think the last thing we'd suggest is that we're actually running out of it. But that's the theory David R. Montgomery is advancing. He's a professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington, and the author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations.

Listen to The Current: Part 2

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

The Current: Part 3

Key of E

For many, it will come as a surprising statistic that one in every twenty-five Canadians carries the gene for cystic fibrosis.

Most carry it unwittingly. That was the case for Emily Macdonald's parents, she was diagnosed with CF at birth. In the 1960's it would have been unlikely for someone with this condition to make it past the age of four. But with new drugs and therapies the life expectancy of a sufferer is now 30 and over.

Emily Macdonald is now 18 years old, but with her lung capacity slowly diminishing she has had to make the difficult choice about whether to have a lung transplant. An operation that carries a huge risk. And for Emily, the risk of death must be weighed against the risk of never playing music again.

Alison Armstrong has prepared a documentarty about Emily Macdonald. It's called, "In the Key of E".

That documentary, "In The Key of E" was produced by Alison Armstrong.

Violin Promo

Coming up later this week on The Current, a documentary called "Return to Shanghai.”

It's the story of a duet of sorts, the relationship between Susanne Hou, a Canadian violinist extraordinaire, and her father Alex Hou - who has been a brilliant violinist, a teacher and concert master in Shanghai, until the cultural revolution cut his career short. He then turned his attentions to creating another world class musician, his daughter.

Here's an excerpt from Return to Shanghai by the CBC's Mychaylo Prystupa.

That was an excerpt from the documentary "Return to Shanghai.” It will air later this week on The Current.

Last Word

Now for some, dirt is a wonder, something we discussed earlier in the program, including the debate over whether ouroverly sanitized, hyper anti-bacterial society might be, in part, responsible for the rise in asthma and allergies in children. One expert even suggested to us that daycares might consider adding piles of sanitized dirt to their playgrounds that was something The Current couldn't resist so we'll leave you with this message from our "sponsor," Dirty Dottie's Daycare. Not that The Current necessarily condones their highly questionable child-raising methods.

Listen to The Current: Part 3

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

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