1 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Creature Feature production of I Heart Radio. I'm 2 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: your host of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: and evolutionary biology, and today on the show, I guess 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: what we are doing another listener questions episode. That's right. 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: You send me in those questions and I try to 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: answer them. Uh, you guys seem to like it when 7 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: I did this last time, so I'm gonna do these occasionally. 8 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: Um as always, you can send me your questions at 9 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: Creature Feature Pod at gmail dot com, or on Twitter 10 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: or Instagram at Creature Feature Pod on Instagram at Creature 11 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: feet Pot on Twitter. That's f e a T, not 12 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: f e e T. This is something very different. But yeah, 13 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: you send me in those questions and I answer them. 14 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: And I got some wonderful questions to get through today. 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: So here we go. Okay, today in San Diego we 16 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: had some weather. What are the birds doing? How are 17 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: the sparrows dealing? What about the owls that live in 18 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: the palm trees. I would love to hear about how 19 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,479 Speaker 1: our suburban creatures deal. Hope you are doing well, safe 20 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: and snuggled up. Danielle Harcus. So this is a great question. 21 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: What do little birdies do in the rain. Some birds, 22 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: we know waterfowl love the water, but a lot of 23 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: birds are not semi aquatic. They don't necessarily love to 24 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: get wet. But here's the thing. Even though birds may 25 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: not look waterproof, birds actually have surprisingly good protection from 26 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: the elements. Their outer feathers are covered in a natural 27 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: oil which repels water. You know that saying rolls off 28 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: like water off a duck's back. That is due to 29 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: how these oils on their feathers provides a hydrophobic coating 30 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: and keeps them waterproof. So the outer feathers are actually 31 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: called veined feathers, which are characterized by a sturdy central 32 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: shaft which supports the vein, the feathery part of the 33 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: feather that like has that solid shape, you know, that 34 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: feather shape. That is what the vein is. It's this 35 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: this solid feather shape. Like when you think of the 36 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: characteristic bird feather, like think about how like if you've 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: ever held like an eagle feather or a larger feather, 38 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: and you think about like how stiff it is and 39 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: if you wave it around you can feel some wind resistance. Uh, 40 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: that is a vein feather and they need these for flight, 41 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: they need to be stiff and water resistance so they 42 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 1: can maintain their shape for flight. And then under this 43 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: outer layer are the downy feathers. These are the smaller, 44 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 1: very fuzzy feathers that almost look like fur. Uh. They 45 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: don't have a rigid shape, they're just poufy and fluffy. 46 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: And these are for insulation and warmth. So basically birds 47 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: have this outer raincoat, this waterproof outer shell, and then 48 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: a cozy sweater underneath that. Of course, like if they 49 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,679 Speaker 1: can find some shelter in a tree, they're going to 50 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: be very happy for that because non aquatic birds tend 51 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: not to like to get super soaking wet, but you know, 52 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: they do have some natural protection and that's really important 53 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: because they need to be able to fly even if 54 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: they get a little bit of moisture on them. And 55 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: here is a question from actually my friend Hannah Michaels, 56 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: who has been on the show before. Who rights I 57 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: remember whale bones had something to do with evolution, but 58 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: not what they had to do with evolution? Do you remember? Also, 59 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: why did that bio professor contact me a year after 60 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: I graduated for marriage advice? Thank you for this question, 61 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: Hannah I do not know the answer to why your 62 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: bio professor wanted marriage advice from you. I'm gonna say though, 63 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: because I know how well versed you are in the 64 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: world of Garfield comics that maybe he thinks you'd have 65 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: insight into the conflicts between man and cat, and I 66 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: guess that also extends to man and wife. Anyways, we 67 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: did a great episode with Hannah and also Joey Clift 68 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: on the animals that we ranked on a scale of 69 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: how Garfield like they were, So that was a that 70 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: was a fun episode. Now to answer the whale part 71 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: of the question, so you are absolutely correct, Whale bones 72 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: really do show a really interesting story when it comes 73 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: to evolution. So they demonstrate the unusual path that cetaceans, 74 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: which are whales, dolphins, and porpoises, took on their evolutionary journey. 75 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: So they are mammals who once lived on land and 76 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: decided to go back to the sea. Every whale, dolphin, 77 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: and porpoise they are a descendant of a land mammal, 78 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: so they're bones actually showed this journey. You can see 79 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:08,160 Speaker 1: vestigial hind feet, uh that are very small and you 80 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: can barely even really see them when the whale is 81 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: like a full fleshed out whale, but you can see 82 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 1: definitely see them in the whale skeleton. And then the 83 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: front toe or finger bones of the whales you can 84 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: see have been modified. They actually have these these joints 85 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: that really could only be explained as having once been 86 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: used in a front foot, and their pelvic bone and 87 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: spine also indicates that they evolved from mammals who walked 88 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: on land. So when fish swims like you know, you've 89 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 1: got your your your tuna or your salmon or whoever, 90 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: they have this side to side undulating motion, whereas whales 91 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:57,359 Speaker 1: and other cetaceans swim with an up and down undulation motion. 92 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: So you look at the difference between a ale fin 93 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 1: and a fish fin. Um. Fish fins have those uh 94 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: upright vertical fins, whereas whales have those sideways horizontal uh fins. 95 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: And then so that facilitates that up and down swimming 96 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: motion for the whale, and that up and down motion 97 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: of the spine matches that of terrestrial four legged mammals 98 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: who when they walk up like when they walk on 99 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: all fours, there's actually this undulating up and down motion 100 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:37,040 Speaker 1: of the spine which matches the up and down motion 101 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: of the spine of whales and dolphins. So that shows 102 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: that evolutionary history of like, well, why do whales swim 103 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 1: differently from fish? Will they evolved from land mammals whose 104 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: spines and hip joints actually originally evolved to facilitate traversing 105 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: on land. Just so you get a picture of like 106 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: what these early ancestors actually looked like. Uh, some of 107 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: these super early land mammals that were the ancestors of whales, 108 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: like Indo Highlas, actually looked like a small dog deer 109 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: like thing that really really interesting looking. It's like it 110 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: looks a little bit like a like a chevrotaine if 111 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: I think we've talked about that on the show before. 112 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: They're these teeny tiny, cute, little deer like animals. And 113 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: then there later ancestors who became semi aquatic, like Ambulocetus 114 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 1: actually looked like kind of huge, weird looking, long snouted otters, 115 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: and they grew to be up to ten feet or 116 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: three meters big. So if you can imagine like a big, long, 117 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: very toothy otter, that's sort of what the ambulo Cetis 118 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: looked like. Into that was like what they had started 119 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: to evolve into before they made further, uh further development 120 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: towards becoming wail like or dolphin like. They lost their fur, 121 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: of course, because they have that nice layer of blubber 122 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: to keep them warm and they don't need need that 123 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: for insulation. So we're gonna take a real quick break 124 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: and then I will be right back to answer some 125 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: more of your questions. And we are back, and I 126 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: am answering your questions today about animals. Uh, that's right. 127 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: And if you want your question answered on the show, 128 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: you can send me an email at Creature feature pot 129 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 1: at gmail dot com on the internet. And yeah, I 130 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,559 Speaker 1: mean you can ask me any question really, mostly if 131 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: you ask it about animals, that's what I'll be able 132 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: to answer. If you're like, hey, what's the best music 133 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: band in the world, I'll probably give you pretty uh 134 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: you know, biased answer. I'm not an expert. I can't 135 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: tell you what the best music band in the world is. 136 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: But when it comes in to animals, yeah, sure, okay, 137 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: I'll give you an answer, all right. So here is 138 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: a question from Jay's Harrison. I hope I pronounced your 139 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: name wrong or no, I hope I pronounced it right. 140 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:24,199 Speaker 1: I hope I pronounced your name wrong. Take that Jay's 141 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,200 Speaker 1: or jay c anyways, No, I'm sorry, I hope I 142 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,320 Speaker 1: pronounced it right. Um. So, Also, this person requested that 143 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: I read this in an Australian accent, which I kind 144 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: of assume this is a form of bullying against me 145 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:43,679 Speaker 1: because I'm bad at accents. Um. I think this person 146 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: is from Australia, though, so I will try and I'm 147 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:50,679 Speaker 1: sorry and I apologize to all of Australia for this, 148 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: but I have been dared to do it, so I 149 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: have to. Anyways, here's the question. Here's me trying to 150 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: do it in an Australian accent. Here we go. Do 151 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: dogs have any conciped that a cause operated by a 152 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 1: human or do they bicyclely think oh yeah, we're going 153 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: in the box now and when we stop will be 154 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: in a different place. Please royd in an Australian accent 155 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 1: from J. C. Harrison, thank you for the question. Thanks 156 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: for making me read that in an Australian accent, which 157 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: I'm great at. Um So, great question though, So, as 158 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 1: far as I know, dots don't really have a great 159 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:39,720 Speaker 1: ability to nest concepts, especially like nesting mechanical concepts, even 160 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: their wild counterparts, the wolves, who are much better at 161 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: solving puzzles than dogs are, particularly because wolves seem to 162 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: have this sense of like it's up to them to 163 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: solve the puzzle, whereas dogs like to give up on 164 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: a puzzle and then just look at their owner pathetically 165 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: because they kind of know we're going to help them 166 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: at some point, so they invest less in these problems 167 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: solving skills and invest more in human loving skills. Um. 168 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: But some dogs do seem to pick up on patterns 169 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: really well. They are very intelligent in a lot of ways. So, 170 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: for instance, stray dogs in Moscow have figured out how 171 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:22,560 Speaker 1: to ride the subway and they can commute from more 172 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,559 Speaker 1: rural areas where they like to sleep at night into 173 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: the city area where they're able to beg for food 174 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: from humans. So they've learned the patterns of the subway 175 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: how to get on and off. That doesn't necessarily mean 176 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: they understand what the subway is or how it works, 177 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: but they've learned the pattern of if I go to 178 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: this place, I am magically transported to this other place, 179 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 1: and then I can go and beg for food and 180 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: get get free free scraps, and another thing that dogs 181 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: are really good at is being able to read physical 182 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: cues from humans, and they pick up on that in 183 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,960 Speaker 1: terms of understanding like what is safe, what they should do, 184 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: like like what they should trust. So, uh, if you 185 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,439 Speaker 1: get into a car with them and they learn car 186 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: trips are usually good things happening. It's not always going 187 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,560 Speaker 1: to the v e T. Sometimes it's going to the 188 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: park or visiting friends, and you have maybe a relaxed demeanor. Uh, 189 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: they will often associate it as a happy place and 190 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: they trust you. So they know, like we're getting in 191 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: the car. Uh, they don't know that necessarily you're driving 192 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: the car, but they trust you because you've led them 193 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:34,079 Speaker 1: there and they have no reason not to trust you. Now, 194 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 1: given that some dogs do have a bad association with 195 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: car trips and it's not nothing that you have done, 196 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: Like they might get motion sickness or anxious due to 197 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 1: the sounds or the sides of the road, and that 198 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 1: can be kind of hard, Like if you have a 199 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: relatively anxious dog, it can be hard to train them 200 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: that it's really okay, you know, especially if they have 201 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: Tommy aches. That's like, you know, it's really hard to 202 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: explain to them that that sensation will go away. Um, 203 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: but you know, they probably still feel reassured by your presence, 204 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: like they know that, uh, ultimately they're safe in your care. 205 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 1: And yeah, like as very social animals, animals that have 206 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: co evolved with humans, and they're basically their whole survival 207 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: strategy is to be friends with us humans. They are 208 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:24,319 Speaker 1: highly attuned to our our body language and um, and 209 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 1: they like to take notice of like what we're doing 210 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: and what they can trust. So uh, this also takes 211 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: the form of like when they see you eating food, 212 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,079 Speaker 1: they really want what you eat, and it really doesn't 213 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,200 Speaker 1: matter what you're eating and could be eating like broccoli 214 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: or something that they may not really want to have, 215 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 1: but they will still beg you for that food because 216 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: they really trust your opinion on food. Often they will 217 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: prefer what you have on your plate versus what they 218 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 1: have in your bowl, even if it's the exact same thing. 219 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: Hopefully like you know you're not eating dog food. I 220 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: don't think you should do that, but again, uh, they 221 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: just really prefer to figure out what you're doing, what 222 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: you're interested in. Their highly attuned to that. So in 223 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 1: terms of puzzle solving or being able to have these 224 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,960 Speaker 1: concepts of you having control over a car. I'm not 225 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:15,320 Speaker 1: so sure, but they definitely have this concept of like, hey, 226 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: when I'm whenever I'm with my human things generally work out. 227 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: You know, we're gonna have a good time, alright. So 228 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: for our next question, this is from Jean Luke Pocorgi. 229 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: Uh I think it's a oh no, no, wait wait, 230 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: I get it now, I get it now, let me 231 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: retake it. John Luke pick Corgi, the Corgi version of 232 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 1: John Luke Picard. So this is the question. Sperm whales 233 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: go super deep in the water and they're not weird 234 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: jellyballs that explode when they are pulled up to the 235 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: surface pressure like a lot of abyssal creatures. How do 236 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: they do that? Especially because they have lungs? This is 237 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: this is a great question. H yeah, why don't sperm 238 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: whales turn into a big pile of exploded organs like 239 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: we probably would if we were forced in unprotected, into 240 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: the depths of the ocean. So a little background on this. 241 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 1: Sperm whales travel up to two thousand meters under the sea. Humans, 242 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: for reference, will start to get squished by water pressure 243 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: at about thirty meters, where it becomes harder to breathe 244 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: due to the pressure on our lungs, and our heart 245 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: rates start to fall. Professional divers have reached depths up 246 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: to one hundred twenty meters, but not for extended periods 247 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: of time and only very carefully. Don't try this at home. 248 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't even think you could try it 249 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: at home. I don't think you would have tall bathtub. 250 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: But if you do, don't try it, because first of all, 251 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: if you go further past that, it starts to get 252 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 1: really hard to survive because your internal organs are going 253 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: to start to turn into kind of a gooey salad 254 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: inside your body. Also, divers have to deal with the bins, 255 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: which is a process of like decompression as you come 256 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,200 Speaker 1: back up to the surface, which affects not just your organs, 257 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: but like the gases inside of your body, and it 258 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 1: can cause all sorts of bad stuff to happen. Um So, 259 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: in terms of deep sea critters, most deep sea organisms 260 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: are actually specially designed for these pressure so uh, they 261 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: don't have air filled cavities in their body because liquids 262 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,680 Speaker 1: can't be compressed like air. So if you are a 263 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:43,360 Speaker 1: human and you're like I'm going to dive to the 264 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: bottom of the sea. Uh, and you have you know, 265 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 1: you've got air in your body, right, Like you've got 266 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: the lungs full of air, and you dive down, your 267 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: lungs are gonna get crushed in because the air inside 268 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 1: your lung is getting squeezed into a much smaller area. Uh. 269 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: Liquids meanwhile, basically can't really be compressed um that much. 270 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 1: So like so like, if you're a fish, and fish 271 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 1: that are not at these deep sea levels will have 272 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,399 Speaker 1: swim bladders that allow them to achieve sort of stability 273 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:18,440 Speaker 1: and buoyancy. And often these swim bladders are filled with 274 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:23,120 Speaker 1: a gas but with deep sea fish, their swim bladders 275 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,199 Speaker 1: are filled with oil instead of gas so that they 276 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:30,920 Speaker 1: don't get crushed. But sperm whales breathe air. They are 277 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: a mammal. They have lungs and they have to come 278 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,680 Speaker 1: to the surface to breathe air every so often. So 279 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,400 Speaker 1: how do they dive without damage? They're actually specially designed 280 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:47,120 Speaker 1: to be able to withstand repeated lung collapse, so their 281 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: rib cage is flexible and they have reinforced airways and 282 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: lungs that are designed to be able to collapse when 283 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,359 Speaker 1: they're deep underwater, and then when they resurface, their lungs 284 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:04,160 Speaker 1: and re rib cage can expand again without damage. And 285 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: so in order to store oxygen at these depths, because 286 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,479 Speaker 1: like they're not going to really be able to store 287 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: air in their lungs and keep it there um. So 288 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: that that's both can cause some of the issues in 289 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,640 Speaker 1: terms of like the bends where you have like as 290 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,639 Speaker 1: you surface too fast, like these gases and your lungs 291 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 1: can start to like as they like expand and dissolve, 292 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: basically causes the cellular damage tissue damage. They don't rely 293 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:36,360 Speaker 1: on the on the air and their lungs, they lit 294 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:39,880 Speaker 1: the lungest basically collapse and push all the air out, 295 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,080 Speaker 1: and in order for them to continue to get oxygen 296 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: while they're that deep in the water, they actually have 297 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: a very high concentration of hemoglobin in their blood and 298 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: they have a huge amount of blood. So by having 299 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: so much hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout your vascular system. 300 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: In fact, these sperm whales have like twice the concentration 301 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: of hemoglobin and humans do, they can actually store a 302 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: lot of oxygen in their blood um. So yeah, that's 303 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 1: why sperm whales are good at diving and if we 304 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,840 Speaker 1: tried to do that, we would turn into salad jelly, 305 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,959 Speaker 1: So don't don't do that alright. Our next question is 306 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: from nano naturalists who writes baculum Why so? The baculum 307 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: is the penis bone. It is a bone that supports 308 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: the penile tissues and erection during mating in animals who 309 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:46,879 Speaker 1: have a penis. So the question really isn't in my opinion, 310 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 1: why baculum? But actually why not baculum because most mammals, 311 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:58,639 Speaker 1: including our primate cousins, have them. Humans as well as 312 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,960 Speaker 1: some other animals like patians which we just talked about, whales, 313 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:06,959 Speaker 1: uh on gullets, which are hooved animals, elephants, rabbits, hyenas, 314 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 1: and manatees all do not have a baculum. So it's weird, right, 315 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: Like we like our close relatives, Primates often do have 316 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 1: the baculum, humans don't, and a handful of other animals 317 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,880 Speaker 1: also do not have it. So a little bit of 318 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 1: background on the baculum. It is a bone that is 319 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: inside of the penis and it will help support the penis, 320 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 1: especially in terms of mating, and it allows for actually 321 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:42,919 Speaker 1: longer mating periods because it helps support erectile tissue. In 322 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: addition to the baculum is the boobellum, which is the 323 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: bone found in the cliturus in many mammals, although not 324 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: in humans. The cliturus is sort of the female uh 325 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:01,200 Speaker 1: analog of the penis, and the bow bell um therefore 326 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: is the female analog of the baculum. So the bob 327 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,360 Speaker 1: bell um actually is is interesting because it has gone 328 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: through much more like frequent and rapid evolutionary changes like 329 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: loss in um mass or or just like being reduced 330 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: over time or even being lost. So there's this idea 331 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: that it may not be as functional in some species. Um. 332 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 1: But there's actually, as far as I know, there's seems 333 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:32,720 Speaker 1: to be a lot less research on the ball bellum 334 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: than on the baculum. So, hey, you know, penis bones 335 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: scientists and and clitoris bones scientists, break that clitoral bone ceiling. 336 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,679 Speaker 1: Let's get some more research on that, unless I'm just 337 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 1: not aware of it. In case. In that case, please 338 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: send me bob bellum research. Uh, just I spam me 339 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:56,760 Speaker 1: with it, that would be great. So, in terms of 340 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 1: why humans don't have a baculum or a bow bellum, 341 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 1: the answer isn't necessarily clear, but there are a few theories. Um. 342 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: Here are some of my favorites. One is that getting 343 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,400 Speaker 1: rid of the baculum made sex more fun for humans 344 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: because it made the penis more flexible. And it's important 345 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:21,880 Speaker 1: for a species for sex to have a reward because 346 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,680 Speaker 1: you need to have sex in most cases in order 347 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:26,879 Speaker 1: to have offspring. And so we are a species that 348 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:30,760 Speaker 1: relays relies on sex to have offspring. And if sex 349 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,879 Speaker 1: is no fun, then why would we do it? So 350 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,399 Speaker 1: it's gotta it's gotta be fun. And so if getting 351 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,640 Speaker 1: rid of the baculum made sex more fun, uh, then 352 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: that would that would be a positive evolutionary trait to have. 353 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: Another theory is that it encouraged the lack of the 354 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 1: baculum encouraged more frequent but shorter copulation sessions. So in 355 00:22:54,359 --> 00:23:00,199 Speaker 1: humans um estrus, which is ovulation and fertility of the ovaries. Uh, 356 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: it's hidden. There are no external signs, unlike for other 357 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 1: animal mammals where there may be like a scent or 358 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:11,120 Speaker 1: like in giraffes. In fact, the males will actually drink 359 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: the females urine to see if they're an astros. But 360 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 1: as far as I know, no such thing exists for humans. 361 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:21,399 Speaker 1: So having sex more frequently, even if it's for shorter 362 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:25,280 Speaker 1: periods of time, would actually have been preferable because you're 363 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: basically it's like playing at a sex casino. Like you're 364 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: you don't necessarily know when it's going to pay out, 365 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 1: but if you keep doing it over and over, it 366 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: eventually will. That's actually more of a pro sex message 367 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:39,199 Speaker 1: that I'm trying to get out than it is a 368 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,639 Speaker 1: pro casino message, because of course, like the house always 369 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:47,040 Speaker 1: wins casino, it's actually not pure chance. Uh but like, 370 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:54,000 Speaker 1: so what I'm saying is, don't go to a casino anyways. Um. 371 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:58,639 Speaker 1: But yeah, So the more that uh, humans have sex, basically, 372 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: the more chance there would be to get get it 373 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: at the right time of fertility to be able to 374 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,920 Speaker 1: have offspring. Another theory is that if early humans were 375 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:13,199 Speaker 1: more monogamous, there would actually be less sperm competition. So 376 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: if you're more of a monogamous species, males don't have 377 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:21,119 Speaker 1: to compete as more, especially on the sperm level, like 378 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:25,359 Speaker 1: they basically most of the competition happens at the point 379 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:29,199 Speaker 1: of mate initial mate selection, but after that their sperm 380 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 1: doesn't really have to compete with each other that much. Um, 381 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: So if humans are more monogamous, uh, you just don't 382 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 1: need longer sessions of mating because you don't like in 383 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: terms of sperm competition, that favors like getting as much 384 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,160 Speaker 1: passing along as much sperm as possible, and that can 385 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: mean longer mating sessions. Uh, Whereas like if you're monogamous 386 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: or at least semi monogamous, you don't have to compete 387 00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 1: as much with other male sperm, so you don't need 388 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:03,119 Speaker 1: to have that really long mating session because it is 389 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:06,240 Speaker 1: it is actually costly, like you know, for any species 390 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: to have really long mating sessions, especially you know in 391 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,440 Speaker 1: our early stages of evolution, because you don't want to 392 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:15,959 Speaker 1: spend too much time distracted. It's also an energy cost 393 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 1: um and even producing a lot of sperm that is 394 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 1: an energy cost, so you know, being somewhat more energy 395 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: efficient with with sex. This theory may tie into the 396 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: other theories I've mentioned to where it's like, you know, 397 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:31,960 Speaker 1: maybe it's just favoring sort of these more frequent copulations 398 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 1: but shorter and more fun. And then another theory that 399 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:40,880 Speaker 1: I think is maybe my favorite, but that bipedal walking 400 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 1: made the penis more vulnerable to injury, and if you 401 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,359 Speaker 1: have a bone in there and you trip and fall, 402 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 1: you could get a broken penis bone. Nobody wants a 403 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 1: broken penis bone. So we just got rid of the 404 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: whole dang bone because come on, like no. Anyways, we're 405 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: gonna take a quick break and we will be right 406 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:09,920 Speaker 1: back with a few more listener questions. And we are 407 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: back with more listener questions. Here is another great questions. 408 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: I gotta thank you guys again for sending these in. 409 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:20,359 Speaker 1: You always ask such amazing questions. Often it sends me 410 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,400 Speaker 1: down research tunnel of reading a lot of interesting papers 411 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: that I otherwise might not have, so I really appreciate it. 412 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,920 Speaker 1: And this is a really good one too. So this 413 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:36,160 Speaker 1: is from sukal Uh who writes in I can't remember 414 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: where I heard it, but I heard there was an 415 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:43,840 Speaker 1: animal that didn't have blind spots because their eyes evolved 416 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: there receptor cells in the front. Do you know anything 417 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:51,440 Speaker 1: about that? And this is oh also their their nickname 418 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: is definitely not nine snakes in a trench coat, which 419 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,879 Speaker 1: is specific, but I get because I'm definitely not a 420 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 1: flock of birds and a human shaped robot machine. Anyways, 421 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 1: so yes, there are animals that do not have blind 422 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:12,920 Speaker 1: spots because their eyes evolved differently from mammalian eyes. One 423 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: such animal is the octopus and other cephalopods, so they 424 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: do not have a blind spot because their eyeballs are 425 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:26,680 Speaker 1: designed differently then mammals. In fact, their eyes likely evolved 426 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:31,680 Speaker 1: independently from ours, as did their brains and nearly everything 427 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:36,880 Speaker 1: about them. Our last common ancestor with octopuses and other 428 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:41,399 Speaker 1: cephalopods was likely an ancient flat worm with just a 429 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,359 Speaker 1: few basic nerves and eye spots. So this is really 430 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:50,880 Speaker 1: kind of an incredible example of parallel evolution. Um. So 431 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 1: let's talk about our human eyeballs. So the photoreceptor cells 432 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:59,879 Speaker 1: in our eyes are actually behind the nerve fiber fibers 433 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: that run along the inside of the retina to the 434 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: optic nerve that runs through and behind our eyes and 435 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:12,119 Speaker 1: will transmit information to our brains. So basically, imagine this. 436 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,199 Speaker 1: You have a little photoreceptor cell, and in front of 437 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:19,360 Speaker 1: the receptor cell is a thin wire and there are 438 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: many of these cells, each with their thin wire coming 439 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:28,160 Speaker 1: out of the front, and that is the nerve fiber um. 440 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:29,960 Speaker 1: And so if you have like a bunch of these 441 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,200 Speaker 1: and the fibers sort of all kind of like going 442 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 1: bent around to all lead to a major bundle of 443 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: these wires like throughout where the actual cells are with 444 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: their thin wires. Light can actually pass through these thin wires. 445 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,719 Speaker 1: But once they're all bundled up into this large mass 446 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: cable of these collected fibers, that's that's too solid. It's 447 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: too dense for there to be any receptor cells behind, 448 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: and so that is the blind spot that big bundle 449 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: of of nerve fibers, which is called the optic nerve, 450 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:09,719 Speaker 1: and this eyeball design is called an inverted retina, and 451 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 1: this is the case for vertebrates. On the opposite end 452 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,240 Speaker 1: of eyeballs is the verted retina, which is found en 453 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: cephalopods and other invertebrates. Basically, their photoreceptor nerve fibers are 454 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 1: behind the photoreceptor cells, so that big bundle of wires 455 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 1: that makes up the optic nerve is actually behind the 456 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: photoreceptor cells and therefore there's no blind spot. So uh, 457 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: you know, it's there's a lot of like kind of 458 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 1: question of like, okay, well why is this Why do 459 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 1: octopuses have this different eyeball design? I mean, one thing 460 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: is that it's important to note like if you have 461 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 1: parallel evolution, while you may have a very similar end result, uh, 462 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:59,719 Speaker 1: there can be these like interesting differences that can result 463 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: from just kind of quirks of evolution. There's something called 464 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 1: an evolutionary spandrel, which is actually a term borrowed from architecture, 465 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: where you have a spandrel, which is where when you 466 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,080 Speaker 1: have like to I think it's basically like two corners 467 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: of a structure meeting you have like an arch, then 468 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:20,560 Speaker 1: like a rectangular passageway, you have these two where the 469 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 1: arch meets the corners of the rectangle. You have these 470 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 1: like triangles, and these are purely just because the physics 471 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: of the design requires these triangles to be there there. 472 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 1: They don't really serve any function necessarily, uh, structurally or otherwise. 473 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,360 Speaker 1: But like these spandrels would often be decorated in stuff 474 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: in architecture, and so like it's this question of like, wait, 475 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 1: what what are these things? It's like they don't seem 476 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:48,040 Speaker 1: to serve any purpose, and it's they don't really, They 477 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:50,800 Speaker 1: just happen to be there because of the way an 478 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 1: arch in a rectangle has to be constructed. So similarly, 479 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,680 Speaker 1: there are a lot of things that happen in evolutionary 480 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 1: biology world. You'll have a structure that is maybe puzzling, 481 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 1: but it just turns out like that is how the 482 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:10,680 Speaker 1: structure had to form due to physical constraints. So uh. 483 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:15,520 Speaker 1: Some research indicates that the inverted retina of vertebrates may 484 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: have been a way to save space inside the eyeball. 485 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,280 Speaker 1: So like if you have a tiny fish, Uh, it 486 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,320 Speaker 1: may have allowed this fish to evolve with really good 487 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 1: vision without taking too much of the fish's body mass 488 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: in eyeball space. But yeah, it's it's still uh. I 489 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: don't think there's a definitive answer to this um quite yet, 490 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 1: but it's it is really fascinating. I just wouldn't necessarily 491 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: say that an inverted retina is like an example of um, 492 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:50,479 Speaker 1: bad bad eyeball design, like the blind spot. Definitely like 493 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:52,840 Speaker 1: a blind spot. It's like, Okay, well, why would we 494 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: have this? There may be there has to be some 495 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,440 Speaker 1: evolutionary reason to make up for the fact that there's 496 00:31:57,440 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 1: a blind spot, because that does seem to be like 497 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:05,560 Speaker 1: a slightly um deletarious thing. But yeah, there could be 498 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 1: a really solid reason for it that is yet to 499 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:15,320 Speaker 1: be sort of decisively discovered. So the last two questions 500 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: I'm going to address are really related. So the first 501 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 1: one is from Waffles the Magic who writes, what great 502 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 1: mystery of evolutionary biology? Would you like to get the 503 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:32,120 Speaker 1: answer too? So I'm gonna do the annoying thing and 504 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: answer this question with another question. This is from my 505 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,040 Speaker 1: friend and guest of the show, actually, Daniel whites and 506 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: of Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, who sent in 507 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: a listener question asking what do we know about a biogenesis? So, 508 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: a biogenesis, simply put, is the origin of life. It's 509 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: the emergence of life from non living compounds, like how 510 00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:02,960 Speaker 1: did the first living sell form on Earth? So you 511 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 1: may have heard of the primordial soup, And we're often 512 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 1: shown like an image of a fish like creature emerging 513 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: from a puddle of like prehistoric stew. But it's very complicated, 514 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 1: and it's it's a lot more complicated than like, oh 515 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: this like life just kind of randomly emerged from a 516 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:27,320 Speaker 1: random puddle. Um uh. So this issue of a biogenesis 517 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:32,960 Speaker 1: is really complex and has elicited a lot of research. 518 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: And it's not it's a mystery that I wouldn't say, 519 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,840 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, it's an unsolved mystery, but it's it's 520 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: not I'd say it's like not definitively solved, but there 521 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:48,040 Speaker 1: are so many really compelling theories about it, and so 522 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:55,680 Speaker 1: many studies involved looking at this. So um, basically life 523 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: has to start from like a chain of proteins. So 524 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:02,960 Speaker 1: earl the Earth had bodies of water with the right 525 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:06,880 Speaker 1: chemical components to be able to make strands of protein. 526 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:09,319 Speaker 1: So there there have been a lot of studies establishing 527 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:12,839 Speaker 1: that we did have the right chemical compounds in order 528 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:16,839 Speaker 1: to make these protein chains. Um, and you'd need some 529 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,759 Speaker 1: kind of energy source. So various theories exist on this, 530 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 1: like it could be from lightning or radiation like like 531 00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:30,040 Speaker 1: solar radiation, or even from deep sea hydrothermal vents, which 532 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:32,880 Speaker 1: would be a different theory from the one of like 533 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,280 Speaker 1: it's from a surface puddle, like what if it happened 534 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,799 Speaker 1: you know, deeper down in in these c's. So the 535 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:42,640 Speaker 1: reason you need a chain of protein is that these 536 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:46,480 Speaker 1: strands of protein are the foundation of DNA, which is 537 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:50,120 Speaker 1: the instruction manual for all life. So once you have 538 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:54,120 Speaker 1: this these chains of protein, you can start to make 539 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:56,680 Speaker 1: something like d N A, and then that can be 540 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:02,080 Speaker 1: used as the instruction annual to build life, sort of 541 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:05,880 Speaker 1: like an Ikea manual. It's hopeless to build anything unless 542 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:08,240 Speaker 1: you have that cool i Kea manual with a little 543 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: little dudes drawn on it where they don't talk words, 544 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:14,719 Speaker 1: but they show you how to hold the ranch and stuff. Anyways, 545 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 1: the big problem with the primordial soup theory is the 546 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:24,439 Speaker 1: chaos that would be occurring on like this, like the 547 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:29,040 Speaker 1: roiling soup of materials. Like, even if you have all 548 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:31,960 Speaker 1: of the compounds and you have the energy required for 549 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,880 Speaker 1: the chemical reaction to create a strand of protein, a 550 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 1: strand of protein is very delicate, So how could that 551 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:43,680 Speaker 1: be formed in a chaotic, turbulent soup without getting torn 552 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:47,000 Speaker 1: apart every time it starts to form. So there's actually 553 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: a few theories that may explain this. There is the 554 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 1: primordial pizza hypothesis, which makes me hungry. It is that 555 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:58,760 Speaker 1: life formed in shallow sheets of water on the land. 556 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 1: So by having this like flat pizza like pool of water, 557 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:09,239 Speaker 1: you would have a less chaotic environment for biological molecules 558 00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,440 Speaker 1: to form. But that's comes with a bit of a problem, right, 559 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 1: because if it's this shallow pizza sheet of something like, 560 00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:21,640 Speaker 1: how you may not have enough components within that that 561 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:24,719 Speaker 1: surface area to be able to create a chain of proteins, 562 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 1: so that that would seem like it would take a 563 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 1: lot of a lot of mischances to be able to form. 564 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:34,920 Speaker 1: But there's this other theory as well that is called 565 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:40,359 Speaker 1: the primordial soup and sandwich. I do love that, like 566 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: all of the names for the theories of the origin 567 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,960 Speaker 1: of life, is food based, because it really tells you 568 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 1: what these researchers, like, where their minds were at. Like 569 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 1: they're probably doing all this research, skipping lunch, they're really hungry, 570 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:57,400 Speaker 1: and they're like, yeah, this could be like a primordial 571 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:01,640 Speaker 1: soup and a sandwich. Uh. So this is actually a 572 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:07,239 Speaker 1: really really interesting theory by physicist hell and hansma Um, 573 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:11,359 Speaker 1: which I like to call primordial baklava. Actually. So the 574 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 1: theory goes that these thin sheets of mica, which is 575 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:20,600 Speaker 1: a silicate mineral uh may have formed uh inside of 576 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:25,360 Speaker 1: like a body of water, like a primordial soup, which 577 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:29,200 Speaker 1: and by having like these these thin layers of mica, 578 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:34,880 Speaker 1: little biological molecules could have sought shelter between these flakes 579 00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:39,280 Speaker 1: um and squeezed into the structures and then been able 580 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:43,839 Speaker 1: to form these delicate change these delicate protein chains for 581 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:49,919 Speaker 1: forming things like RNA and cellular structure, and that would uh. 582 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:54,200 Speaker 1: You know, basically, she's combining the concept of like a 583 00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:57,080 Speaker 1: primary mortal soup, where you have a bunch of compounds 584 00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,640 Speaker 1: that could possibly you know, bump into each other and 585 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 1: form these protein chains, and the idea of like you 586 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,800 Speaker 1: need a stable, protected environment in which this could happen. 587 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:09,440 Speaker 1: Which I really love this theory and not just because 588 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: it makes me think of Baklavan makes me hungry. Um. 589 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:16,040 Speaker 1: And then there's of course the theory that maybe a 590 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,680 Speaker 1: meteor crashed on Earth with some simple alien life on it. 591 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:22,920 Speaker 1: But in my opinion, like even if this were true, 592 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,839 Speaker 1: it wouldn't answer everything right because we would still need 593 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 1: an explanation on how that alien life formed on its 594 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,880 Speaker 1: home planets. So I think if I could get a 595 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:37,479 Speaker 1: definitive answer on how life could start, uh, not only 596 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:41,239 Speaker 1: would I be like super famous and solve one of 597 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:45,560 Speaker 1: the greatest mysteries of life. I feel like, yeah it 598 00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:49,440 Speaker 1: would uh. I would be probably one of the most 599 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,400 Speaker 1: famous uh people on the Earth, and I would be 600 00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 1: very smart, and I would start a podcast called Primorial 601 00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:03,040 Speaker 1: Soup and a sandwich. Please, I'll have what she's having. Yep, 602 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:09,040 Speaker 1: that's what I'd do with that earth shattering discovery. Anyways, 603 00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 1: thank you guys so much for these questions, really interesting questions. 604 00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:19,000 Speaker 1: I hope that I have answered them well and that 605 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:22,920 Speaker 1: you enjoyed learning just a little bit about the gosh 606 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,080 Speaker 1: darn spaceship we all call planet Earth. You know what 607 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:30,600 Speaker 1: I mean, This gosh darn bloom marble in the universe 608 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:35,239 Speaker 1: just flying around the the USS Earth. Okay, I'm gonna stop, 609 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:38,280 Speaker 1: but thank you so much. If you want to ask 610 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:40,600 Speaker 1: me questions, because I'm certainly going to do more of 611 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:45,560 Speaker 1: these listener questions podcasts in the future, you can send 612 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:49,080 Speaker 1: me an email at Creature Feature Pod at gmail dot com. 613 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:53,080 Speaker 1: You can hit me up on Instagram at Creature Feature 614 00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:58,880 Speaker 1: Pod uh and then on Twitter it's Creature Feet Pod 615 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:01,480 Speaker 1: ft e e T not f e ET. That is 616 00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 1: something very different. Um. Yeah, thank you guys so much 617 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,319 Speaker 1: for listening. If you're enjoying the show and you would 618 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:11,120 Speaker 1: like to leave me a rating or review, that would 619 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:14,400 Speaker 1: help me immensely. Not only do I read them all 620 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:17,040 Speaker 1: and really love to read them, and it really warms 621 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:19,760 Speaker 1: my heart to get feedback and to get positive comments. 622 00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:25,040 Speaker 1: It also tangibly helps the podcast because by leaving a review, 623 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:28,640 Speaker 1: you're telling all the algorithms that it's so worthwhile podcast, 624 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:31,840 Speaker 1: and that helps me out with convincing the podcast robots 625 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:36,680 Speaker 1: you know to like my show. 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