1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas and Julie. 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: I've I've always noticed when I'm watching these these cartoons, 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: especially things like Futurama and in the simpstance, um, and 6 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: even I think like Mickey Mouse, you'll you'll you'll look 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: at their hands and instead of five fingers, they'll have four. Yes, yeah, 8 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: it's odd, it's odd. I mean sometimes you'll see someone 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: add in that fifth finger, and you know it'll look 10 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: a little cramped. And I think that's the reason. Is 11 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: that is that if you're if you're drawing a cartoon character, 12 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: if you add all five appendages to the hand or 13 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: philanges right, um, then then it looks a little cramped. 14 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: So it's better just to knock one of those fingers 15 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: off and the viewer will get over it pretty fast. Yeah, 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: I've heard that, and I've heard that especially in the 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: days of hand drawing, like with Mickey Mouse, if you 18 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: had to do an extra digit, then you had to 19 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: do that fifty thou times more. So you might as well, 20 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: like save some energy and I've also heard that um 21 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: that that the four finger or the three fingers and 22 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: a thumb are modeled more off of paw prints, which 23 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: is another interesting thing. Interesting, but it got us thinking 24 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: about why why do we have these five digits hanging 25 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: out on our hands? Anyway, Indeed, it's an interesting question. 26 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,680 Speaker 1: And and initially I was just kind of taken by 27 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: the question of, hey, what is how did this develop? Why? 28 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: Five one up, six one four and uh? And it 29 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: turns out there's a lot there's a lot of interesting 30 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: uh meat to this one once you really start digging 31 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: into bones and bones and and I mean that's why 32 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: it basically comes down to the meat and the bones. 33 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: And and it turns out the five fingers, for the 34 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: most part, is deeply ingrained invertebrate and not an enemy 35 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: and in also in our embryonic development. And there's no 36 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: like easily identified adaptive or functional explanation, like you can't say, 37 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: I mean you just think of all the things you 38 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: use your your hands for. It's hard to make an 39 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: argument for for like something in the wild where you'd 40 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: be like, oh, well, you totally need five fingers to 41 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: pick up a rock, and and the bash in the 42 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: head of some sort of a you know, primeval grasslands 43 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: dwelling her before right, Yeah, I know, I mean they 44 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 1: don't necessarily need that, right. So it's the question again 45 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: is why why do we have this? Why why is 46 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: it the perfect design for us? Because because you also 47 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: see uh, you know, differences. You also see things like 48 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: hitting ways polydactyl cats where they have six toes. Yehody 49 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 1: goodbye is fine, they're thriving on that little island. Yeah, 50 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: And of course Honey would have a bunch of six 51 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: fingered cats. Totally makes sense. An ambulan, it was rumored, 52 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: had a six digit This is still a rumor, though 53 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: it is not terifiable. Well. Um, reggae artist Jimmy Cliff 54 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: had an extra finger in each hand. Hat have him removed? Um, 55 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: and he turned up great Liam Gallagher, lead vocalists of 56 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 1: O A. Uh, he has six toes on his left foot. 57 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: And of course the fictional Hannibal Elector had six fingers 58 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:08,639 Speaker 1: on one of his hands. Yes, of course, yeah, so 59 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: we know it happens, and you know it's it's sort 60 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: of like a mutation. I guess you would say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 61 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: but um, but it also begs the question of like, 62 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: what can you imagine a world where we didn't have 63 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: five fingers on a regular basis, you know, on each 64 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: hand and um on each foot. I mean we have 65 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: really a like a five fingered economy if you think 66 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: about it. Yeah, Like right now, whatever you're doing, listener, 67 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: unless you're driving a vehicle, you know, by all means uh, 68 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: fold in one of your one finger on each hand 69 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: and just try to continue doing it. Notice how how 70 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: strange it may feel. It's awkward, right right, And think 71 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: about this too, Like our base number systems are in five, ten, 72 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,119 Speaker 1: and twenty or one hand to hands and two hands 73 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: and two feet right right, that's how that that equates, 74 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,839 Speaker 1: right in Our entire economic system is predicated on our 75 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: fingers on counting. Yeah, so I think it's often referred 76 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: to as a vertebrate vertebrate economy, Yes, a vertebrate economy. 77 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: And just in case you think we're mad in Greenland, 78 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: the word for seven translates a second hand too, so 79 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: it's assumed the first hand is already up right, so 80 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: second hand to two digits, I will seven. I was 81 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: really fascinated, you know what you're talking about, how it's 82 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,119 Speaker 1: like all of our number systems are based on five 83 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: tens or twenties, but it's greenland right where it's based 84 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: on a twenty system, like one place where I can 85 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 1: never imagine someone taking off their boots to do a 86 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: little mathematics, like so what if someone knows I'd love 87 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: to hear an explanation on on that. I guess you 88 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: you can still count. It's hard. I'm trying to count 89 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: with my toes through my shoes, and I really don't 90 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 1: have a lot of control over like piggish three through four. 91 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,679 Speaker 1: You know, maybe it's a way to stave off frost bite, 92 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: you know, like you keep your toes warm by moving 93 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: them and counting them. Do you do your outer tables. 94 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: I'm not a math person. I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm not either. 95 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,040 Speaker 1: I am not an athlete. But this was something when 96 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: we were Another thing that speaking of math and fingers, 97 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: the other thing that comes to mind instantly, which you 98 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 1: said you had you had not heard of, this was 99 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: the on your multiplication tables, your nines, where you can 100 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 1: say you want to do what's three times nine? You 101 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: hold your fingers up and you put down your third 102 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: finger for three, and then you have two on one 103 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: side of the folded finger and then seven fingers on 104 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: the other to take it seven and you can go 105 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: across the board with it like you want to see 106 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: eight by eight times nine. You put down your eight 107 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: finger and you have seven on one side and two 108 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: on the other, which I think is brilliant. I wish 109 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 1: I hadn't known about this growing up, right, Yeah, I mean, 110 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: because it almost feels like cheating. Well it does. And 111 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: the curious thing is, over the weekend, I was talking 112 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: with one of my sisters about it, and and she 113 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 1: reminded me that it was the janitor at our school 114 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: that taught everybody that he would come up to you, 115 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: like while you're in the cafeteria line. He'd be like, hey, kids, 116 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: come here, I'm gonna I'm gonna clue you in. You're 117 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: gonna get ahead in life. Um, which is the you know, 118 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: the kind of stuff you get from the janitor and uh. 119 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: And he showed us the trick with the fingers for 120 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 1: the for the the nine center multiplication table. And it 121 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: was I mean, granted, I learned this and went on 122 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,160 Speaker 1: to learn very little else about mathematics, So I don't 123 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 1: know if it works. Maybe it was a handicap that 124 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:13,239 Speaker 1: actually held me back, but or maybe you completely rocked 125 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,359 Speaker 1: like grade school mathematics, you know, thanks to the janitor. 126 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 1: But it but it does underline just how integrated it 127 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: is in our inter mathematical systems, right, right. It's something 128 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: we take for granted, right, the fact that we've got 129 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,919 Speaker 1: all these fingers. So the question is again why just 130 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: five um? And you talked about the limb development and 131 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: it's governed by the hots gene expressions, right, which divide 132 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: the embryonical limb but into five sectors of the anterior 133 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: posterior access and essentially mapping where the digits will land, right, 134 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: so automatically. I mean the reason why we we normally 135 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: have five and we don't have an commutation of six 136 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 1: or seven is because it's it's it's those coordinates have 137 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: already been plotted for us. Yeah, it is. It is 138 00:06:56,839 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: really hardwired into our system. It's a and it basically 139 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: comes down to evolutionary laziness or or evolutionary contingency at 140 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: some point the ancient past. And we're going to get 141 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: into some of the details on that in a second. 142 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: You uh, this stuff five digit system would rolled out 143 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: and natural selection has never changed the underlying floor plant. Yeah, 144 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: it's been like the gold standard. Yeah, it never tinkered 145 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: with that. It's kind of like the neighborhood that I 146 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: live in. You have all these bungalow houses, and it's 147 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: clear that when they first built these, uh you know, 148 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: several decades ago, they were all basically the same house. Now, 149 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: over time, individual owners have changed them. So you have 150 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: some some very nice editions that are made onto some 151 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: some very crappy editions that are made onto others. Um, 152 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: you know, and and all sorts of alter alterations have 153 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: have happened. But if you walk into any one of 154 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: those houses, you'd instantly be able to tell, oh, this 155 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: is the same house. I can see the same floor plant. 156 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: You drive down the street and you can see the 157 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: same house after the same house, even though evolved over 158 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: the decades. Yeah, you're right. It's like, hey, there's that 159 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties blue print from Sears and Robots. To get 160 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: rid of the basic system there, you'd have to doze 161 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,559 Speaker 1: the whole thing. Likewise, to get rid of the five 162 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: fingered um evolutionary discount, you would have to just go 163 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: you'd have to go back to a very ancient point 164 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: in our development and and just rewrite all vertebra history 165 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: from there on, right, and you'd have to have good 166 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: reason to do so. Yes, I'm you know, I mean 167 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: you use your time machine responsibly. That's hard to argue 168 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: that that's a good use of the technology. But but yeah, 169 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: let's let's go back in time then, um. Scientists think 170 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: that the five fingered system emerged sometime before modern amphibians 171 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:43,559 Speaker 1: split from birds, mammals and reptiles. And this is approximately 172 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: three forty million years ago. Is this is the this 173 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: is the Devonian period, right, Devonian days, and based on 174 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: tetrapod fossils from roughly six three sixty million years ago, 175 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: Scientists that believe digits first evolved uh in principally aquatic animals, 176 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: and we merely took them with us when we made 177 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: the transition from finn to limb. In fact, there's a 178 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: there's a particular species we look at, uh. Yeah, that's 179 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 1: called the Acinstega canstega a can tostega. Let just see 180 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: if I coul say it three times, um, which is 181 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: like a fish like salamander um. Again from the Devonian period, 182 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: and it was actually a game changer, and how we've 183 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: come to understand the evolution of our own digits. Um. 184 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: But this little sucker is probably one of the most 185 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:33,679 Speaker 1: primitive examples of a tetrapod that you could find, and uh, 186 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: it revealed that it had a believe eight fingers is 187 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: this correct? Yeah? And so it kind of first of 188 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 1: all that that startled everybody and thinking, what it's not five? 189 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: What's going on here? That eight fingers? Yeah, So that 190 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:50,800 Speaker 1: that was sort of a world rocking thing um for 191 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: anthropologists at the time. And then the other realization that 192 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: they have when they looked closer, in close, for at 193 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:01,199 Speaker 1: the fossils, is that it didn't exactly develop this these 194 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: uh eight digits to crawl out of the water and 195 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:08,959 Speaker 1: onto land. Yeah, there's this there's this common mistake we make, 196 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: and I think a lot of it comes back to 197 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: the whole um. You know, you're you're in grade school 198 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: and you you're learning about evolution, and you have this chart. 199 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: Of course, you have the one where it's the eighth 200 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: the ascent of man, where the eighth is slowly becoming 201 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: the man in sequence, and then you also have the 202 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: one showing the fish crawling up on the ground under 203 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:29,120 Speaker 1: the shore, sprouting legs and then turning into something like 204 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: a large prehistoric skunk. Uh, and and it it's very 205 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: useful in understanding how evolution works. But it also it 206 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 1: also has this this subtle um message to that that 207 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: this is the goal. That this fish was was was 208 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 1: old and busted and the skunk creature is the new hot. Yeah. 209 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: It's like this this manifest destiny idea of becoming bipedal. Right, 210 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: like we just assume that all creatures just you know, 211 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:58,679 Speaker 1: they all they sprouted these limbs and then like you say, 212 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 1: they just they called out became skunks. Yeah, what are 213 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: you doing. Get out of the water, come on land 214 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: where it's happening with some legs, developed some hands, and 215 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,080 Speaker 1: start building cities and beating yourself with stones. Yeah. But 216 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: they started that should started to look at the fossils 217 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 1: in the context of their environments, and they figured out 218 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:15,400 Speaker 1: that they were monkeying around the bottom of lagoons with 219 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: their eight fingers. Um, and that these eight fingers came 220 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: off a poorly designed wrist and paleontologist Dr Jenny Clark 221 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 1: so the design was quote like using a table knife 222 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: as a pillar with the blade on the ground. Ut. 223 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,439 Speaker 1: So this is one of the many clues that they 224 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: that touch pods weren't necessarily evolving solely to crawl out 225 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:38,439 Speaker 1: of the water, right, they needed to use these these 226 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,680 Speaker 1: appendages more effectively in the water. Yeah, yeah, exactly, And 227 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 1: they figured out, well, they actually have been on the 228 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: water for a really long time evolving like these finally 229 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: tuned legs what would become finally tuned legs for us, 230 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: and using them there. Um. You know, we thought at 231 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,439 Speaker 1: first that you know, they would they'd be using their 232 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: elbows to prop themselves up and get out of the water, 233 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: but in fact, they would use their elbows to stick 234 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: their head out of the water, you know, for a 235 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: moment and breathe air. Um. And they would also use 236 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:12,280 Speaker 1: their their limbs to grasp onto things that would help 237 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: them loyally propel out and like ambush a prey or something. Yeah, 238 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 1: we're basically talking about fish with hands, which which to 239 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 1: me instantly brings the mind of like a shark holding 240 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: a shotgun. But um, which would be which would be 241 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 1: kind of awesome, that would really watch this this year's 242 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: Shark Week for that. But but no, there are a 243 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: number of number of basically fish with hands species today. 244 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,520 Speaker 1: There's a batfish, there's a hand fish, and there's a 245 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,560 Speaker 1: frog fish, and again they use these these limb like 246 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,320 Speaker 1: fins to sneak up on prey, to move around in 247 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,839 Speaker 1: tight spaces and the ga and navigate rocks and an 248 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: anchor against strong currents. So hands can become very, very 249 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 1: useful in the water without even any dream of ever 250 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: getting out of out of the water and crawling around. 251 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: And so it's it's this kind of stuff that suggests 252 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 1: something called pre adaptation, which it's conditions in which there's 253 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 1: no predictable outcome of an evolutionary development. In other words, 254 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,600 Speaker 1: Anna Cathstega, our little fish frint became a terrestrial creature 255 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: out of chance. That's that's the idea behind this discovery. 256 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 1: UH Discovery magazine's article Coming onto Land explains this by 257 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,360 Speaker 1: using the example of bone, which they say could have 258 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: developed as a place where animals could store extra phosphorus, 259 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: and only later did it come to support bodies. So 260 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: it's not like that bone in the scenario developed simply 261 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: so that we we become vertebrates and we'd be able 262 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: to stand upright and support all of our muscles and 263 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 1: flesh and so on and so forth. It's that's that 264 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: it could have been an accident of our evolution, which 265 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:46,080 Speaker 1: is really fascinating to think about. Yeah, there's a biologist 266 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: by the name of Michael Coates, um whose article was 267 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:54,679 Speaker 1: my first introduction to this topic. And and he argues 268 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,080 Speaker 1: that the reduction to five digits from you know eight 269 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 1: or so. Um it, it moves along the same lines 270 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: with the development of complex risks and ankle joints, because 271 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: in using these uh is it begin is an animal 272 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: against you use these digits in these stins to do 273 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: more more things underwater, it's putting weight on them, um 274 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,320 Speaker 1: and and putting and that means increased weight on the 275 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: wrist and ankles. So it goes back to the whole 276 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: idea of the knife being used as a pillar with 277 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,480 Speaker 1: a blade down and the limb has to adapt to 278 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: to be able to stabilize vetteran and to have pressure 279 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: on the wrist and ankle areas. Yeah, and so there's 280 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: there's this idea of preadaptation, of all this tinkering going on, 281 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: so to speak. And it just happened that that it 282 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: all developed in a way of course, over you know, 283 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: hundreds of millions of years hunting, you know, in this case, 284 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: what we're talking about through hundred fifty million years ago 285 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: um to eventually support what would become us, right, which 286 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: is really simplistic way of talking about evolution, but it's 287 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 1: it's an interesting again paradigm shift away from saying, here's 288 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: this fish and it had to become man, and so 289 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: it develops some fingers. No, it's more like the serious 290 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: is fish and it develops some fingers for an entirely 291 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: different project and then at some point realized, hey, actually 292 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: I can crawl up on land with these. Yeah, we're 293 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:17,240 Speaker 1: simplifying things a good bit, but that's basically yeah, that's 294 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 1: that's just spare you like a ninety minute talk on 295 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 1: on that one point. This presentation is brought to you 296 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: by Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow. Now, we have some species 297 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: that have have also developed a false thumb, which is 298 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: pretty interesting. Moles and panda's amazingly because a panda isn't 299 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 1: an animal that I generally don't respect all that much, 300 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: because there it is at the zoo, taken up valuable space, 301 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: costing all this money, and it's just setting there on it. Oh, 302 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 1: you think it's coddled. Yes, I know it's coddled. The 303 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: worst was and I love the zoo here in Atlanta. 304 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: But they had a you know, your forced to market 305 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: with it, like the panda becomes this huge marketing instrument. 306 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: And they actually had this campaign where they showed various 307 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: very interesting animals of the zoo, various zoo animals, and 308 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: they were wearing panda mask remember that it was it 309 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: was kind of like like, these animals are okay, but 310 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: it would be even better if they look like pandas 311 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: put a panda mask on them and maybe we'll get 312 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: people excited. And there was this guy, oh, come on, yeah, yeah, 313 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: it was really demeaning. I have to say it was 314 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: effective in getting your attention there, right, yes, it was. 315 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: So it's an effective at campaign. And and but then 316 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: the thing about Pandas, and we could probably do a 317 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: whole podcast on this, they're actually far more interesting than 318 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: they give them credit. And one of those that those 319 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: things is that they have this false thumb pseudo digit, right, yes, 320 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: and it's basically a remodeled wrist bone and uh and 321 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: moles have it as well, so it's not a true digit, 322 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: and that it's sprouting out from the wrist bone is 323 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: part of the wrist bone. But this is a case 324 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 1: though that that it actually helps us an adaptive mutation 325 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: because if they're they're grasping a bamboo, So it's not 326 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: just some sort of random mutation that came a long right, 327 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: And it's not like the hemming wats cats where they 328 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: really have no reason to extra maybe not back of whiskey, 329 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, or you shoot a lion on safari, that 330 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,199 Speaker 1: kind of thing. Yeah, um so yeah, touch apolo. They 331 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,639 Speaker 1: rarely maintain a polydactus six digit because it would have 332 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: limited evolutionary use unless it was formed for a distinct 333 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: purpose like the pandas and their pseudo digit. Right. So again, 334 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: that's why we're seeing this, this culling back of digits 335 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,360 Speaker 1: to five, because it really does seem to be the perfect, 336 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: at least for us right now, in this day and age, 337 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: way to get about, which begs the question, you know, 338 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: what are we what are we going to look like? 339 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:39,720 Speaker 1: Because we are you know, in the future, because we 340 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 1: already know that tool use has shaped the way that 341 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: our hands are modern hands work today. Right. Yeah, you're 342 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 1: throwing things, you're you know, like the basic the movement 343 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 1: that you make when you when you throw it dart, 344 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: like that's utilizing a lot of the what's going on. 345 00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:56,960 Speaker 1: It's really important in your wrist and a lot of 346 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: the evolution that's taking place to get us, uh, you know, 347 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: to where we have hands like luck we do today. Yeah. 348 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: And actually this is from the Journal of Anatomy. It's 349 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: an article by Professor Richard W. Young who called Evolution 350 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: of the Human Hand. Excuse me. The article is called 351 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:14,360 Speaker 1: Evolution of the Human Hand, the role of throwing and clubbing, 352 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: and he posits that had our male and female hominid 353 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: ancestors would have been more apt to survive if they 354 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: were successfully wielding a club against their adversaries. Uh, if 355 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:28,199 Speaker 1: they and that would allow them to dominate other hominids 356 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:32,360 Speaker 1: and essentially ensure that their club happy DNA were passed 357 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: on club happy DNA. Yeah, and hence this this more 358 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 1: perfected wrist motion right or grasping two of clubs. He says, quote, 359 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: the fossil record indicates the adaptation for throwing and clubbing 360 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,399 Speaker 1: to influence hands structure at or very near the origin 361 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:52,080 Speaker 1: of the hominid lineage continued for millions of the years thereafter. 362 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: And then just to go give a little bit ahead 363 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 1: of this quote, he says, two unique hand grips were 364 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:02,119 Speaker 1: thereby produced called the power in Prison grips. So we know, 365 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: you know that obviously we were not done evolving. It 366 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: continues to tinker. We've we've got our handy little um 367 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 1: risks and fingers so adept partly because we could use 368 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 1: tools and we could club other people and things. It 369 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:19,920 Speaker 1: makes it instantly I think of baseball where you go. 370 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: I mean, we're the main centerpiece. There is the throwing 371 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: and the swinging, throwing of a ball and the swinging 372 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 1: of basically a large club. Yeah yeah, yeah there. I 373 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:31,360 Speaker 1: mean that's how the club evolved, right, Which is nice 374 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: to quit clubbing people and start make it into a 375 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: sport involving balls instead of heads um. But it did 376 00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:39,640 Speaker 1: make me think, like, what are we gonna look like? Oh, 377 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: I don't know a thousand years from now. I mean 378 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: obviously that the iPad has a great influence server us 379 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: right now, and the iPhone does, and if it were 380 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,239 Speaker 1: to continue with us for a thousand years, you know, 381 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: would our current hand structures changed so that we were 382 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,880 Speaker 1: have like stylist pen like little pendages at the at 383 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: the I guess our fingers because when you first mentioned 384 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,400 Speaker 1: to me, I instantly I was thinking keep board because 385 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,000 Speaker 1: I guess, you know, I've just been using a keyboard, 386 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: so I'm like, oh, I guess we'll have more fingers 387 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: so we can we can type more. But but yeah, 388 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: with the with things like the iPad, we're already getting 389 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:11,199 Speaker 1: into situations where where you don't need all those fingers 390 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:14,120 Speaker 1: to operate an iPad. And and uh, and we've talked 391 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 1: before about the more that we the more we develop 392 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: a human machine in our actions, we're getting into a 393 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 1: situation where we're fingers and limb limbs won't even be necessary. 394 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: Um so right, and and and specifically we're talking about 395 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: like brain computer interfaces, right, so you know, eventually one 396 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,160 Speaker 1: day we'll be able to Google in our brain without 397 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,879 Speaker 1: even having to enter anything with our fingers. And then 398 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:38,679 Speaker 1: we'll have our handy dandy Exo skeleton arms that are 399 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: super strong lifting things just for fun. Well, why would 400 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,360 Speaker 1: we lift things? We have the robots bring us, right, 401 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 1: we don't even like thinking like maybe we'd have fingers 402 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: just enough to open our sun drop cans while we 403 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: use our brain computers. But now we probably have a 404 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:54,719 Speaker 1: cute robot that's going to come over and open our 405 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: sun drop for us. There you go. For now we 406 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,440 Speaker 1: could admire our fingers, look at them, because you're not 407 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: always going to be with us in the in the 408 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:06,200 Speaker 1: same way they are. Now. Yeah, sorry, I know you 409 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: you were literally looking at your finger. Well there you go. Yeah. 410 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:12,359 Speaker 1: Well hey, you know, it looks like we have a 411 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: little listener mail here. I almost say if you were 412 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: mailed that that means I don't think anybody's actually watching. 413 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:21,240 Speaker 1: I don't see anybody under the table today. All right, 414 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:24,880 Speaker 1: we'll check again, just make sure, okay, all right, Well 415 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: we have a mail here from Ah you can have 416 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:31,760 Speaker 1: from under there. Um, we have mail here from Adam, 417 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: and Adam actually writes them about robots distinction robots, so um, 418 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 1: he says. Enjoyed the podcast Online Robots and especially the 419 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: mention of my favorite sci fi author, Isaac asimop. I 420 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: was surprised that you mentioned Little Lost Robot from I 421 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: Robot but didn't bring up the highly um applicable liar 422 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: also in I Robot by way a quick summer, It 423 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:54,640 Speaker 1: is about a robot that is accidentally able to read 424 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,439 Speaker 1: minds programmed to not be able to harm humans. The 425 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: robot's brain gets fired after he can see in the 426 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 1: minds of humans, the harm that would be created by 427 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,159 Speaker 1: telling either the truth or by telling a lie in 428 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,119 Speaker 1: a certain situation. It's probably my favorite story in an 429 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: already fantastic book. Enjoy. I have to say, it's been 430 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:16,360 Speaker 1: a while since I read Um, I Robot, and I 431 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: really don't remember that's sort of at all, so maybe 432 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:20,640 Speaker 1: I skipped it. I don't know, but it sounds cool. 433 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,879 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to pick up my copy. And we 434 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: also heard from Beth. And Beth writes to us on 435 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: her iPhone and says, yeah, and her maybe maybe or 436 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: her stylus evolved finger if she's writing this from the future, 437 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: which is not indicated by the sent date on this email, 438 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: but at any rate, Um. She writes it and says, hey, 439 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:44,639 Speaker 1: Julian Robert, I wanted to write because I just listened 440 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: to your Defeat Your doppel Ganger's podcast. I have actually 441 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:50,760 Speaker 1: seen my doppelganger. A manager at work when I was 442 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: in college brought in a photo of her niece and 443 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 1: showed it to me, explaining that it was taken at 444 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:57,680 Speaker 1: a Renaissance festival. I told her that I had never 445 00:22:57,760 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 1: been to one, and that I had no clue where 446 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,679 Speaker 1: this was or when she had gotten gotten it. I 447 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:04,920 Speaker 1: thought the girl in the photo was me, even down 448 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 1: to the freckled face, her hair in a bun with 449 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: a clock flip and a man shirt T shirt on. 450 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: She looked just like me. It was really weird experience 451 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,679 Speaker 1: to be told that was not me in the photo. 452 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: Keep up the great show. I love it. So that's 453 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: that's really Yeah, that's very creepy and cool. Now, you 454 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,640 Speaker 1: didn't get to tell the story in the actual Doppelgangers episode. 455 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:27,400 Speaker 1: But didn't you have a doppelganger in college? Oh? Yeah 456 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 1: I did, but um, and my hair at the time 457 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,640 Speaker 1: was pretty pretty blonde, like bleach blonde, So who knows. 458 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:36,439 Speaker 1: I think. I think it's more like an archetype that 459 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: I was fitting. But for a year solid people would 460 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 1: just come up to me and said, I love your band, good, 461 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 1: buy a drink. Okay, you had like a rock star doppelganger. Yeah, 462 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,879 Speaker 1: that's cool, it was cool thanks toppelganger. Well, hey, if 463 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: you have anything you want to share with us, um, 464 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: be it related to your fingers or to your doppelganger, 465 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: your toast or your toes, or various sci fi references 466 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: that I've made or failed to make uh. Feel free 467 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:08,719 Speaker 1: to let us know. You can find us on Twitter 468 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: and Facebook as blow the Mind, and you can also 469 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:14,040 Speaker 1: drop us a line at blow the Mind at how 470 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:20,399 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. For more on this and thousands 471 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. To 472 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: learn more about the podcast, click on the podcast icon 473 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: in the upper right corner of our homepage. The how 474 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: stuff Works iPhone app has a ride. Download it today 475 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 1: on iTunes.