1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb And 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from 4 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures, 5 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. The Dune novels of Frank 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: Herbert provide us with plenty of engrossing concepts and creations, 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: but today I thought we might stop to consider the 8 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,559 Speaker 1: humble chair dog. To be fair, the chair dogs are 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,239 Speaker 1: nowhere to be found in the first Dune novel, and 10 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: I don't think we've yet glimpsed them in a major 11 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: adaptation either. While Herbert mentioned the chair dogs in the 12 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: novel Whipping Star, they don't actually pop up in the 13 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:53,279 Speaker 1: Dune universe until Heretics of Done. But when the chair 14 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: dogs arrive, we learned that they are very much what 15 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: they sound like, dogs that have been bred or engineered 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: to serve as furry mobile massage chairs for human beings. 17 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: After all, this is a fictional universe in which thinking 18 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: machines were cast down and human abilities were improved to 19 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: make up for they're lacking. The tally lack sue. For example, 20 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: Masters of Flesh Manipulation created many strange alterations to natural life, 21 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: so we might well judge chair dogs to be somewhat unwholesome. 22 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: But what mask about the gentle pug from our own world. 23 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 1: A breed of dog originating in ancient China, the pug 24 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: is one of humanity's most celebrated lapdogs. They even make 25 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: their way into the Dune universe via David Lynch's four 26 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: film adaptation How Citreedes proudly displays their pugs, and, unlike 27 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: many other characters in the story, actually survived to the 28 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: end of the film. Now, a pug is not quite 29 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: a chair dog, but it does demonstrate what selective breeding 30 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: by humans can accomplish over time. The pug in many 31 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: way almost resembles a tiny human, and its exaggerated form 32 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: is only growing more exaggerated. According to a two thousand 33 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: sixteen Canine Genetics and Epidemiology paper by Teeing at All, 34 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: the authors demonstrated that due to the popularity of pugs 35 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: and French bulldogs in Australia and the UK, the dog's short, 36 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: wide heads were growing increasingly shorter and wider. Human breeders 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 1: simply leaned into the characteristics that owners loved the most. 38 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: The researchers here argued that the veterinarians could use this information. 39 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: Brachycephalic breeds like this are prone to breathing difficulties, skin 40 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: and eye conditions, and digestive disorders. Is pointed out by 41 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: Broccole at All in a two thousand eighteen Journal of 42 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: Anatomy paper. The sorts of congenital vertebral mouth formations, including fusing, 43 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: found in pugs and other screw tailed dogs actually breaks 44 00:02:55,040 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: nature's tendency for seven vertebrae, with humans carefully la aiding 45 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: their domesticated pugs into a category otherwise reserved for wild 46 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: sloths and manatees. The Orange Catholic Bible tells us that 47 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: we should not make a machine in the likeness of 48 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: the human mind, but it seems we are permitted to 49 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:16,679 Speaker 1: make a dog in the likeness of a lazy boy 50 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: recliner and a pug in the likeness of a throat pillow. 51 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 1: Tune into additional episodes of The Artifact or the Monster 52 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: Fact each week. As always, you can email us at 53 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: contact at Stuff to Blow Your Mind dot com. Stuff 54 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind is production of I Heart Radio. 55 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for My Heart Radio, visit the I 56 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: heart radio, app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to 57 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.