WEBVTT - Let's Build the Ultimate Superhero Animal! 0:00:00.000 --> 0:00:02.240 I guess what mango? What's that? Will? So? One of 0:00:02.279 --> 0:00:04.280 my favorite Moe Williams books that I used to read 0:00:04.280 --> 0:00:06.680 with my kids was this book called Naked Mole Rat 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:09.960 Gets Dressed. It is so much fun. Moe Williams is 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:12.440 the best agreed, and this story is great because it's 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:15.520 all about a naked mole rat named Wilburt. It's pretty 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:18.000 fancy and prefers to wear clothes instead of being naked 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.239 all the time. But I was thinking about the book 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:23.000 over the weekend. It made me wonder, why is nakedness 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:25.520 the thing everyone knows about mole rats when they have 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:28.960 all these other superhero like qualities. I mean, the naked 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:31.240 is in the name, so it's kind of hard to avoid. 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:35.120 But explain what you mean by superpowers? Well, first of all, 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:37.800 they don't feel certain types of pain. They're totally immune 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.360 from the staying of chili peppers, are really hot temperatures, 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:43.839 for instance. They also don't get cancer, which is crazy 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:46.640 and this isn't a superpower, but their buck teeth actually 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:49.800 move independently and can be used like chop sticks, which 0:00:49.840 --> 0:00:51.760 is kind of just a cool move. But as I 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:54.640 started thinking about the mole rat and its superior qualities. 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:57.040 I started wondering, what if we could take the coolest 0:00:57.080 --> 0:01:00.440 superpowers of the world's most surprising animals then try to 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:04.520 Frankenstein the ultimate superhero animal. And while we can't promise 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.360 it will turn out cuddly, building this designer animal is 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:26.840 definitely going to be fun. So let's dig in. Y Hey, 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:29.360 their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:31.360 Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good friend 0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:34.240 Mangesh Ticketer Mango. Are you as excited as I am 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:39.880 about today's topic, creating the ultimate superhero animal? I'm so excited. 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:42.040 I mean, this is something we've talked about for such 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:45.119 a long time, trying to concoct the weirdest, funniest, most 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:48.160 badass creature. And over the years we've learned so many 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:51.360 crazy things about animals. I mean we're talking about electric powers, 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:54.880 the ability to detect danger, X ray vision, the ability 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:58.560 to regenerate or brain like. This stuff is comic book gold. 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:00.840 It definitely is, all right. So for our listeners, this 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:03.640 used to be a dorm room obsession of ours, debating 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:07.080 the sexiest dinosaur or how ugly the world's ugliest badger 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.640 could be, and probably not that ugly. I mean, even 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:12.200 a bad looking badger is pretty good looking. I think so. 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:15.000 But we decided it was finally time to tackle this 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:18.240 topic of the ultimate superhero animal when some of our 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:21.680 favorite librarians from the Hoover Public Library and Hoover, Alabama 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:24.440 suggested we revisit a book that came out in two 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:28.120 thousand eleven. It's called Rat Sing, Mice Giggle. It's this 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:31.840 terrific book by a neuropsychologist, Karen Shanner and jog Meet Conwall, 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.200 an associate professor in neurology at Georgetown, and several of 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.760 the great facts you're here today come from there. That's right. 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:39.800 It's like when you ask your kid which superhero they 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:41.600 want to be, and they say, I want to be 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:44.320 a superhero that combines all the most awesome parts of 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.640 every other superhero exactly. Like, that's what we're going to 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:50.400 do here, but with animals. Are you ready? Oh? I'm ready. 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.320 And before we get going, we should probably tell you 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:54.480 that we've got a great guest on today, the wonderful 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:57.400 YouTube star Emily grass Lee, the host of Brain Scoop, 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:00.080 and we've got super fun listener quiz as well. So 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.240 let's get to it. And to be clear, today's unt 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:04.959 is not about finding the biggest and fastest animals we 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:07.560 learned about as kids. No offense to the cheetah and 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:10.640 the blue whale, both awesome animals, but we're looking for 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:13.280 something a little more creative and surprising. So where do 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.120 we even start. Well, we are creating a superhero, so 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:17.640 I feel like we need to start off with some 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.400 of the supersensory stuff, or mebe even with the ability 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:24.359 to sense electrical charges. I mean that feels very superhero e. 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:26.400 Oh definitely. And you know, part of the reason I'm 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:28.960 so excited about this category is because it's a chance 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:32.400 to bring back the duck build platypus. It seemed like 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:35.240 as kids, the duck build platypus was the weird animal 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:37.800 that we all talked about. Then the Internet came along 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:40.400 and we got to learn about all these other cool animals. Sure, 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:43.760 like the Pacific Northwest tree octopus. Was that a Is 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:46.600 that a real thing? It was this amazing internet hoax 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:49.520 by this guy Lyles Apata. He had a whole Saved 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:53.560 the Pacific Northwest tree Octopus campaign. It was elaborate, it 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:56.000 sounds like it so my thing with the platypus is 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:58.400 that as much as we dropped its name into conversations 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:01.360 as a kid, I don't think we've fully appreciated just 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.520 how cool the platypus is. I mean, everybody knows that 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.920 it's this weird egg laying mammal with the tail of 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.040 a beaver and the feet of an otter and the 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:11.080 bill of a duck, and that the male has a 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:13.720 venomous spur on the back of its foot. That should 0:04:13.720 --> 0:04:15.960 be enough to make it an animal we should remember, yeah, 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:19.280 or avoid touching, right, But none of that really makes 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:21.960 it a superhero until you remember that the platypus is 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:25.479 a master of electrolocation. Isn't that crazy. It's actually the 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.960 most electro receptive of any land mammal. That means it's 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:31.880 able to detect electrical signals given off by other creatures. 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:34.040 So even when it's hunting around for food at night 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:36.880 in very dark waters, it's able to locate its prey 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:41.960 by actually detecting their electrical fields using the electro sensors 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.039 in that big old snout it's so very proud of. 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:46.919 It's basically making a map of what it's surveying in 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:49.880 those dark waters. That's right. So let's bring some respect 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:52.320 back to the platypus by adding this ability as the 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:56.320 first on our list of superhero animal traits. Totally agree. Now, 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:58.320 you mentioned that it's the most electro receptive of the 0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:02.120 land mammals, but according to the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:05.920 sharks are actually the most electrically sensitive animals known. Now, 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:08.840 I know sharks aren't exactly underappreciated. I mean, they get 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:10.919 their own week on TV every year. I'm kind of 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:13.440 surprised TV Land doesn't run a Happy Day's Marathon that 0:05:13.480 --> 0:05:16.559 same week and call it Jump the Shark Week. Brilliant idea. 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:19.040 Now they should do that. So and this only makes 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:21.720 them more intimidating. So they've got this gel and their 0:05:21.720 --> 0:05:24.560 snouts and their heads that helps them detect incredibly low 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:27.960 currents of electricity, which then helps them find even small 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:30.080 fish that might be hiding from them under the sand. 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:34.080 As those sharks needed one more advantage, So that's another 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:36.560 type of electric locator. And I think between the shark 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:39.080 gel and their snout and the platypus beak, I'd rather 0:05:39.120 --> 0:05:41.960 have the beak on style points, but maybe a little 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:44.440 of that special gel to spread on my hands. Sounds good, 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:47.960 but what about the ability to actually generate electricity. I 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:50.080 don't think most people would be surprised that this title 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:52.000 is going to the electric eel, but there are a 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:54.280 couple of interesting facts that most people probably don't know. 0:05:54.360 --> 0:05:57.120 Oh yeah, like what, well, first, electric eels are not 0:05:57.160 --> 0:05:59.880 actually eels their type of knife fish. Well, that just 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:02.000 it's them on our long list of things that aren't 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:05.040 things like how the koala barry isn't a bear, or 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:08.120 a strawberry isn't a berry, but apparently a banana is. 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:10.840 Don't get me started on the banana. So according to 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:14.400 the Stanford Researcher, tomatoes and bananas are scientifically berries, while 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:17.240 strawberries and raspberries aren't. Sounds like I got you started 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:20.279 on the banana. I mean, my whole world is upside down. 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:23.640 But back to eels. While there are multiple types of 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:26.080 fish that can produce electric charges, did you know that 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:29.360 freshwater fish like the electric eel typically produce electricity at 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:32.080 a higher voltage And it's because they don't have the 0:06:32.120 --> 0:06:35.960 advantage of salt water, which conducts electricity more effectively. So 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:39.120 an electric eel puts out an insanely strong shock. It's 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:41.840 like six hundred volts. That is crazy. So to put 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:44.880 that in perspective, Atlantic torpedo rays can generate shocks of 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:47.560 over two hundred volts, which is enough to power your 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:51.080 microwave at home. So six hundred volts, that's three microwave. 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:53.520 This is such a dumb tangent. But I've read this 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:56.479 profile on Scott Adams, the guy who created Dilbert, and 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:58.920 he has three microwaves in his kitchen, stacked on top 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.240 of one another, and when the writer asked him why, 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:02.680 he said he needs them to make a lot of 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:05.520 popcorn at the same time. You could power all of 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:08.080 that with a single eel. I want to confess that 0:07:08.120 --> 0:07:10.040 you've shared that fact with me a week or so ago, 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:12.560 and I actually set that up because I knew this 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:16.400 was the perfect three microwave fact. So back to the 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:19.760 knife fish. So we're taking the platypus bill, the shark gel, 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:22.440 the electric eel's ability to shock this knot out of something. 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:25.080 Maybe we keep that in our super Animals power pack. 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:26.680 I don't know. So I think we're off to a 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:30.600 strong start, definitely, but we're not done with our supercharged powers. 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:33.200 That may cover our electric powers, but we also need 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:35.920 the ability to harness the powers of Earth's magnetic field. 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:38.800 Have you ever wondered how some animals travel such crazy 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:41.000 long distances but managed to get where they're going with 0:07:41.040 --> 0:07:43.760 such accuracy. Yeah, I've always been baffled by this. Yeah, 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:46.200 me too. And before smartphones, I used to get lost 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:48.160 all the time. Like I felt like every time I 0:07:48.200 --> 0:07:50.720 tried to navigate my mom anywhere, we'd end up in Scranton, 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:53.840 and we were never going to Scranton, as anyone ever 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:56.960 going to Scranton. Yes, So it turns out several animals 0:07:56.960 --> 0:07:59.640 have evolved to detect Earth's magnetic field and then use 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:03.200 it to navigate, Like birds are the most obvious with migrations, 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.240 but I think about creatures like the monarch butterfly, and 0:08:06.240 --> 0:08:08.760 then there are several species of fish, turtles, and plenty 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.760 of others, all using their internal compasses to determine where 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:14.000 they're going. And I think it's funny that even animals 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.920 that don't travel long distances, like cows, will frequently be 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.800 found standing north to south, and that termites orient their 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.600 mounds in the same way. It's really bizarre, and it's 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:25.160 funny when you look at something like the monarch butterfly, 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:27.560 which has a brain smaller than the head of a pin. 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:31.920 It's still equipped with an internal compass and timekeeper. Actually 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.560 know what the strangest thing I learned researching this. Some 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.400 scientists think that many bird species are even capable of 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:41.040 seeing the Earth's magnetic field. Well, I'm glad you mentioned birds, 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:43.240 because there's actually a migrating bird that I think we 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:46.040 should use for where we get our magnetic field detection 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:48.600 sense from? Which bird is that? Well, there are lots 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:51.000 of birds that make really impressive flights each year, but 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:55.080 I'm thinking of the bar tailed godwit. So I have 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.640 to admit I don't know anything about the bar tailed 0:08:57.720 --> 0:09:00.679 god with Yeah, it takes a big man to admit that, 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:03.599 Thank you, um. But listen to this. The god what 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:07.080 actually flies from Alaska to New Zealand every single year. 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.960 Alaska to New Zealand. That is not possible. Well believe it. 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:13.680 The trip is over seven thousand miles long, or since 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.719 we're measuring things in microwaves, that's about fourteen point eight 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:20.679 billion microwaves pent. And that's good science right there. It's 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:24.240 the longest NonStop flight observed among birds. So that is 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:26.720 such a crazy long trip. I just can't even wrap 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:28.800 my head around that. So, yeah, this is definitely the 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:31.760 bird we want to borrow magnetic detection powers from. Yeah, 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:34.440 I'm glad we agree on that. So anything else before 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:36.240 we get to things like the best weapons and the 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:39.439 scariest features and immortality, well, I think we should probably 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:41.600 create an animal that has the ability to sense when 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:44.800 danger is nearby or something's going on around it, like 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:48.400 a spidy sense exactly. So spiders have this amazingly fine 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:51.040 tuned sense of touch that helps them know what's happening 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:54.079 all over their web. So when something, even a tiny something, 0:09:54.160 --> 0:09:57.000 touches the web, a single hair on that spider could 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.960 detect the smallest vibration. I like that. There's even a 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.679 certain type of vibration that allows a female spider to 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.160 know that the suitor has arrived, and she can send 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:07.320 a certain jiggle back to him to let him know 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:09.800 it's time for one of those upside down spider kisses, 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:12.840 you know, like from the Toby McGuire Kirsten Dun's version 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.080 of Spider Man. The jiggle. I like that, but I 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:17.560 think I want to put in a vote for a 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:19.880 different creature for best spidy Sense. Even though it's not 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:22.840 a spider, and what's that the alligator. So this is 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.280 something I didn't know before reading up for this episode, 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:28.400 but alligators have these tiny black dots all over their 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.600 faces and especially around their jaws, and really only in 0:10:31.600 --> 0:10:34.040 the past couple of decades of researchers started to better 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:37.520 understand what these things are. They're these little receptors that 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:40.000 helped the alligator sense movement from the other things in 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:43.120 the water. That's so crazy. I always assume that they 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.080 were just freckles or blemishes, but now that you mention it, 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:49.000 with those receptors being around the jaw, it kind of 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:51.800 explains why we see alligators floating with just a little 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:54.079 of their mouths above the water. That's right. So these 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:57.400 receptors helped them detect even the smallest disturbances in the water, 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.360 and they also helped the alligator know where the sermons 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:03.600 has came from. That's so weird. While you're processing just 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:05.959 how crazy alligator receptors are, why don't we take a 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:14.280 break for a quiz. So our guest today is the 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:17.200 host of one of our favorite YouTube channels, The Brain Scoop, 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:20.160 which is hosted at the Field Museum in Chicago. And 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:21.800 it just made too much sense to have her on 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:24.960 today because she's taught us so much about crazy, cool animals. 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.760 Emily Grasslely, Welcome to Part Time Genius. Hey, thank you 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:31.080 for having me so Emily, I think you have one 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:34.600 of my favorite job titles. You're the Chief Curiosity Correspondent 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:36.680 at the Field Museum, which kind of sounds like you 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:39.000 just get to sit around and ponder things. But so, 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:42.080 so what exactly does this mean? Yeah, so, you know 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:45.880 I love my job title. Um, and it's my primary 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:48.160 role at the museum, of course, is you know, writing 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:53.280 and producing and hosting these educational YouTube videos about natural 0:11:53.360 --> 0:11:56.720 history and the work and research of the Field Museum. 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.320 But really, you know, it is kind of my job 0:11:59.400 --> 0:12:03.000 to how to around the museum and find topical stories 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:06.880 of of interest and to help shape those science stories 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:08.600 and in any kind of way that I can. So 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:10.760 I do a lot of public speaking and a lot 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:14.480 of outreach and a lot of community engagement type things 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:18.760 for the Field Museum. And yeah, I mean I'm usually 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:26.960 there corresponding my curiosities, which is so great. So this episode, 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:29.760 we're combining the real abilities of real animals to build 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.800 this ultimate animal superhero and we wanted to hear if 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:35.240 you have any favorite animal skills or talents that you 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:38.320 could tell us about. Oh my gosh, so many. I mean, 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:42.400 you know, like our humans are real strong. Ability is 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:46.400 our brain right like it, We're actually pretty limited in 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:50.640 like physical prowess just innately. Of course, I'm not like 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:54.280 talking about you know, Olympic athletes. But the one good 0:12:54.520 --> 0:12:58.880 physical trade is that being bipedal and with the respiratory 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:02.000 system that we have, we can run really long distances, right, 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:06.200 Like we can outrun almost any animal and endurance wise, 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.839 but that's about always got going. But you know, like 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:16.040 we can't breathe underwater without rereading systems to accommodate that. 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:19.880 We can't fly without creating systems and machines to accommodate that. 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:22.280 So I think it's just like, look at any environment 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.080 of the natural world and that it has been colonized 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:30.199 through evolutionary adaptation for some organism to thrive no matter 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:34.040 what it is, Like the most hostile environments I'm talking 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:37.280 about like deep sea hydrothermal events, there's still life down there. 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:41.559 Like So so when you're talking about like cool animal adaptations, 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:44.440 it's like you could really like combine them all and 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:48.200 you would have something that can you know, exist at 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:52.480 high altitude to be able to fly, breathe underwater. It 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:54.839 would be an extreme of file, something that could live 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:58.199 in a hydrothermal vent area. It would be able to 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:02.640 eat almost anything, did anything around. It lives forever. You know, 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:06.000 Like there's just like so many cool different animal adaptations. 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:07.439 I don't know if I could pick what I think. 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:09.440 I think she's gonna I think she's gonna like this, 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:12.360 uh this episode. Are there any favorite animals that you've 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:14.560 been studying recently? They're is just a group that I 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:17.600 just learned about that is blowing my mind. These are 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:23.360 called uh solifuges or camel spiders, and they're arachnids. They're 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:26.240 not spiders, but they are arachnids. They're in that group. 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:30.520 Um they're they're not scorpions, they're not spiders. But I 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:33.440 was recently talking to an expert who works on this 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:37.320 group describing new species, and she described them herself as 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:44.200 the spawn of Satan. Look it's because how you know, 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:46.560 really how they look. So they're they're pretty small. Actually 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:49.240 they're you know, six to eight inches. They're not huge, 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:52.600 but they have these huge, fleshy like maggot like abdomens. 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:57.280 But these things can run super fast, and they are nocturnal, 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:01.120 so they are only active at night and they're usually 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.160 found in desert like environments, so if they're active in 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:06.480 the day, they don't want to be in the sun, 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:09.520 And so they will chase after people now because they 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:12.360 want to attack person. They're like chasing you for your shadow. 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:15.080 So people will see these and they'll see it coming 0:15:15.120 --> 0:15:16.760 at them and they'll try to run away and it'll 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:19.080 just keep coming and they're like, what is it trying 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:22.600 to do? But they also have their jaws are super interesting. 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.280 It's like two lobster claws on the front of their 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:29.600 face and they independently move. So like, these things are 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:33.840 pretty pretty amazing. They're pretty terrifying, and they're just really 0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:36.480 cool little creatures. I think we should have included this 0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:38.640 in the the episode. I'm glad you've added this to it. 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:41.040 This is this will be good superpowers to add to it. 0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:43.440 So back in April, you were the keynote speaker at 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.000 the March for Science in Chicago, and we were just 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:50.280 curious what the experience was like. Oh my gosh, um, 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:54.760 one of the most simultaneously like gratifying and terrifying experiences 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:59.800 of my life, you know, because like I I'd never 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.680 obviously been in front of that many people before. You know, 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.600 I do public speaking, but it's in like bite sized doses, right, 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:09.920 It's like a it's a college class here and a 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:13.360 science communications event there. And I don't think before then 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:15.720 I'd ever really talked to more than a thousand people. 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:19.440 And that's a pretty big audience. But there were more 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:22.200 people at the March for Science in Chicago than in 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:24.760 the town that I grew up in, you know, like 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:29.280 a larger population in a couple of square blocks city 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:33.000 blocks than in rapid city South Dakota. And so to 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:35.600 stand up there and to deliver this speech that I 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:40.440 felt pretty emotional about about taking ownership and pursuing curiosity, 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.800 and then for the audience to just be so warm 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:46.720 and so receptive and like you could even pin drop right, 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:50.520 I mean, there wasn't there wasn't like heckling or you know, 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.320 it was just like such a warm, inviting environment. I 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:56.960 found it to be really inspiring personally, um to see 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:59.800 so many people there in supportive science. It was it 0:16:59.880 --> 0:17:03.000 was awesome. That's great. Well, something almost as inspiring, I 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:05.120 think is this quiz that you're about to play with us, 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:08.679 So we we appreciate having you on. So what's the 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.240 quiz we're gonna be playing today, Mango? Because Emily knows 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:13.479 too much about real animals, we thought we'd give her 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:16.960 one about fictional animals. So this one's about fictional bears. 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:20.600 That's right. So all the answers have the word bear 0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:22.840 in it, and we're trying to get Emily to say 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:28.440 as many correct fictional bear names in thirty seconds as possible. Emily, 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:32.640 are you ready? Oh my gosh, um I gain. We're 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:35.800 going to prompt you. Don't worry. I'll tell you a 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:37.920 We'll give you a clue and you have to tell 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:40.600 us the name. So Mango, you got the time? You're ready? 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:44.560 All right? Here we go. Number one Bear who's good 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:49.880 at putting out forest fires. Bear, that's right. Bear who 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:53.480 hangs with Christopher Robin and eats lots of honey. Bear 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:59.360 known for stealing picnic baskets. Comedian Bear from the Muppets. 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:03.639 His catch for is his waka waka. Oh geez, I 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:07.680 know him. I can't think of this one. That's okay, 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:12.520 Bear who hails from Darkness, Peru and loves Marmalade. Oh 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:15.800 my gosh, I have no clue that would be Paddington's 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:21.680 all right sidekick to Picnic Baskets. But she did pretty well. 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:23.879 And I think she probably knew Fozzy right at the 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:26.159 comedian bear from the Muppets. I think we should. Probably 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.520 it was in your brain. It just wasn't there right now. 0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:32.960 So yeah, I was thinking of us and that's not 0:18:33.520 --> 0:18:38.439 a bear? What scientific order you would put that one in? 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:42.440 Speaking of animals with superpowers? Yeah, So, how did Emily 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:45.560 do today? Mango? Emily got four right, which wins her 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:53.359 the grand prize of our endless admiration. Congratulations on that 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:57.360 or absolutely well. Everybody should be sure to check out 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:00.479 Emily's delightful YouTube show, The Brain, Scoop and the Grassy. 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:02.520 Thanks so much for joining us on Part Time Genius. 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:19.000 Oh thanks for having me. Welcome back to Part Time 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:21.600 Genius or PTG. As I hear people are starting to 0:19:21.640 --> 0:19:24.760 call it. So, we're talking about creating the ultimate animal 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:28.880 superhero using actual traits and abilities of real animals. Now 0:19:28.920 --> 0:19:31.560 so far, this animal is part platypus for its forty 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:35.520 thou electro sensors, part electric eel for its crazy high 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:39.040 voltage shock, part bar tailed godwod, which I did not 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:42.040 know about, for its ability to see the Earth's magnetic 0:19:42.119 --> 0:19:46.440 field and it's insanely long annual migration, and part alligator 0:19:46.520 --> 0:19:49.240 for its thousands of tiny pressure receptors which give this 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:51.800 sort of a spiky sense of what's happening around it. 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:55.040 I have such a clear picture of this hybrid animal. Yeah, 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:56.960 I think we're doing a good job so far, but 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:59.520 our creation definitely needs some more amazing abilities. So what 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:01.600 do you think we should add next? Maybe we should 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:04.040 sprinkle in some X ray vision. All right, Well, that 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:06.320 would definitely be cool, But we're talking about real animal 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:08.680 traits here. You can't just say stuff that sounds cool. 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.320 I know, and I know what I'm about to say 0:20:11.400 --> 0:20:14.520 isn't technically X ray vision. But dolphins have this thing 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:16.680 that's about as close to it as you can get, 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:19.719 with their echolocation system. Okay, right, right, So when an 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:23.000 animal uses echolocation, they're sending out pulses of sound and 0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:25.760 then the sound bounces back as an echo. They use 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:28.800 that information to understand the objects around them exactly. But 0:20:28.960 --> 0:20:32.919 dolphins are insanely good at this, Like in ratsing mice giggle. 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:35.199 The author's described this ability. Let me just read this 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:38.320 paragraph for you. Dolphins are able to discriminate between two 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:40.520 metal discs place in front of them, in which the 0:20:40.560 --> 0:20:42.639 only difference is the texture on the surface of the 0:20:42.680 --> 0:20:45.600 backside the sign opposite to the surface that the dolphin 0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:50.240 is scanning with its echolocation pulse. Disability to detect internal 0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:53.879 structure is simply mind boggling. It's more like Superman's X 0:20:53.960 --> 0:20:57.560 ray vision underwater. In fact, an echolocating dolphin can detect 0:20:57.560 --> 0:21:01.480 a one inch object from over two away. Oh wow, Yeah, 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:03.840