Ep 48: The Cat Who Adopted An LA School

Today, there is a sign that says no pets allowed on the fence surrounding Elysian Heights Elementary - but the very foundation of this school's culture is built on the spirit of a cat named Room 8 who went to school every single day for 16 years. Let's learn about the most famous cat in the US that you likely never heard of because the Internet didn't exist in the 50s.
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Resources for today's episode:
https://www.thegreatcat.org/room-8/

https://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-me-fw-archives-room-8-mascot-at-elysian-heights-elementary-school-20181127-htmlstory.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/room-8-the-cat-mural

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2008/04/02/classy-cat/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7374255/room-eight 

https://www.imdb.com/

Erik Friedl, Los Angeles-based photographer who took the photos described in the episode. You can see some of Erik's work on YouTube.

And on the humble potato:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scientists-peel-away-potatos-dna-secrets-bmc09hd5hqb 

https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/irish-potato-famine

https://genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/chromosome-number-not-correlated-complexity

Melissa McCue-McGrath 

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