1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Get in test with technology was tex Stuff from How 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: Stuff Work, stat com Eiser and welcome to text Stuff. 3 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: I'm Jonathan Strickland and I'm Lauren bob Obama, and today 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: we're going to celebrate and the glory that is Shark Week. 5 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: This is this is completely our own decision that we 6 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: wanted to do a Shark Week episode because Text Stuff 7 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: has not done a Shark Week episode since July two 8 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: thousand nine, two thousand nine, shortly after podcasting was invented. 9 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: That was that was how were you even alive then? 10 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: I know? And the fact there was so little shark 11 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: tech back in two thousand nine that the subject we 12 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: chose to cover was Bruce, also known as the mechanical 13 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: shark that was used during the filming of Jaws, which 14 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: which now now that you say that, I kind of 15 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: I kind of wish that we could go back in 16 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,040 Speaker 1: time and make you not do that episode, because I 17 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: really want to do that, especially since Chris had revealed 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 1: that he had never seen the film Jaws. He could 19 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: not quote any of the movie with me. That when 20 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: you put it that way, it's not necessarily a bad thing, um, 21 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: but but I was I was about as speechless as 22 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 1: you are right now, Lauren. That's how I was. I was. 23 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: I could not believe it. I couldn't fathom it. I mean, 24 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: that's an amazing movie. Jaws, by the way, is easily 25 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: in my top ten films favorite films. I mean it 26 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: just I think that movie is almost perfect, and part 27 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: of it is because the Shark didn't work so well. 28 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,119 Speaker 1: But if you want to hear all about Bruce and 29 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: the trials and travails of the Jaws shooting schedule and 30 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: how that machine that didn't work so well actually made 31 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: the movie better, go back and listen to that podcast. 32 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: Go to the Tech Stuff rss feed, search for that 33 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: old file and listen to That's the only one that 34 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: pops up so until today. So today today we wanted 35 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: to talk a little bit about, um, the biotechnology that 36 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: sharks have inside of them right now, cyborg sharks when well, 37 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: actually some sharks, if you really wanted to, you know, 38 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: have a little bit of robotic components that humans have 39 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: put in them. But naturally, sharks senses are really cool 40 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: and you can't really call it technology, but some people 41 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: have been developing technology to counteract it in order to 42 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,359 Speaker 1: help prevent shark attacks, which is pretty grad and some 43 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: people have started working on technology that would give us 44 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: a similar set of senses that sharks have. I'll talk 45 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: a little bit about that, but it's it's something we're 46 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: gonna cover in greater detail in the future episode of 47 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: tech Stuff, so we won't go too far in there. 48 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,839 Speaker 1: But yeah, when you look at what sharks are able 49 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: to do and and how their senses work, it's almost 50 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: like they are super natural creatures. I mean, it's because 51 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: they are able to sense stuff that we pathetic little 52 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: humans are incapable of sensing without some sort of augmentation. Right. 53 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: This is why they are on the top of their 54 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:05,399 Speaker 1: food chain without having fancy things like guns to help 55 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: them hunt. When when you hear I'm going to quote 56 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: Jaws again, when you hear them described as eating machines, 57 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 1: which they are called in Jaws, that's very, very true. 58 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: And they are really well I hesitate to use the 59 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: word designed, right because that that's just one sort of thing, 60 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: but they're really well suited. How about that for eating? 61 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: I mean, they're just great at hunting down and eating stuff, 62 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: and all of their senses kind of pretty much tie 63 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: into that. You know, find food and eat it, or 64 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: if you see something that is bigger than you that 65 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:43,119 Speaker 1: will eat you, go the other way. Those are essentially 66 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: the two things that guide to sharks life, you know, 67 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: and occasionally find another shark to make little sharks. That's 68 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: also that's important too. But let's start with let's start 69 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: with talking about their ability to smell things, because this 70 00:03:57,920 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: is one of those things that everyone has heard, right, 71 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: that have an incredible and very sensitive sense of smell. Right. Yeah, 72 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: The statistic that gets are not statistic, but that little 73 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: factoid that gets tossed around a lot is that a 74 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: great white can detect a single drop of blood in 75 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: an Olympic sized pool. Now, rule number one, do not 76 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: put great whites in your Olympic size swimming pool. Do not. 77 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: And rule too don't bleed in it. Bad plan. Yeah, 78 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: don't do that. Um. I love that, that's the idea 79 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: that that within an Olympic size swimming pool. Because of course, 80 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: the first thing I think of is like, something, did 81 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: you put that shark there? It does raise James Bond? 82 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: Why did you hang out with that James Bond villain? 83 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: Don't don't hang out with the James Bond villain. It 84 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: does make you think of some potential amazing updates to 85 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: the Olympics. But yeah, I think that's I think that's 86 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: the Hunger Games, not the Olympics. Could be separate, separate categories. 87 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: Certainly be the Hunger Games for the shark anyway. But 88 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: so so, the way that sharks shark's sense of smell 89 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: works is that as as they're swimming through the water, 90 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: they've got two forward facing nostrils um provide for bidirectional smell. 91 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: This is what really blows my mind. They can actually 92 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: detect where a smell is coming from, right because they're 93 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: the nerves and their noses are so sensitive that they 94 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: can um calculate in their brains how how quickly a 95 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: smell reached one nostril versus the other, and used that 96 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: to decide which direction it's coming from. So it's kind 97 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: of like our sense of hearing, even though and and 98 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: our hearing is not that great either. You know, it's 99 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: very easy to fool a human being into thinking that 100 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: a sound is coming from a particular direction when it's 101 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: really coming from another one. But in general, if you're 102 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: in a situation where you allow noises coming from one side, 103 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: that sound hits one side of your your you know, 104 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: hits one year before it hits the other, and you 105 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: can think, oh, that sounds coming from this direction. It's subconscious. 106 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: It's not you know, it's not something that you're thinking 107 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: about the shark is. The shark isn't floating in the 108 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: water thinking, ah, yards away to my left is a 109 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: tasty morsel and I shall now go and snap up. 110 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: It just things turned this way. Um, so yeah, it's 111 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: it's these cells are incredibly sensitive and the fact that 112 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: it can take that information into account that it has 113 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: hit one side before it hit the other and know 114 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: that this is the direction it needs to move in 115 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: is pretty phenomenal. Uh. Yeah, So so that's smell right, yeah, 116 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 1: smell um. Sound They hear incredibly well. To be fair, 117 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: sound travels faster and further underwater than it doesn't end right, 118 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,040 Speaker 1: sound always you know, we talked about the speed of sound, 119 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: but the speed of sound depends upon the medium through 120 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: which it travels. So sound travels at a different speed 121 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: through solids than it does through uh the atmosphere or 122 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: through water, as it turns out. So yes, sharks are 123 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: pretty good at hearing stuff, huh, especially things in the 124 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: in the low pitched sound range. Which helps with that um, 125 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: that kind of flopping motion that anything that's going to 126 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: be easy to catch, it's gonna make right. Yeah. So 127 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: if it's an injured fish or a say fish or 128 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: something that that's not able to swim very effectively, it's 129 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: going to be making noises through its its motions through 130 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: the water that the shark can detect, even from pretty 131 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: far away. Uh. And in fact, sharks are able to 132 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: hear at a range that's I believe below human hearing levels, right. Um. 133 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: They can hear sounds with frequencies ranging from ten hurts 134 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: to eight hundred hurts, and are particularly responsive to sounds 135 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: lower than three hurts. UM. For comparison, UH, ten hurts 136 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: is one point five octaves below the lowest note on 137 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: a piano. So so sharks could appreciate some really groovy 138 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: music that we just wouldn't even be able to hear, 139 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: would not no no register at all. We might feel it, Yeah, 140 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: we can. We We can only hear uh sounds ranging 141 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: from about twenty five hurts to a sixteen thousand, so 142 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: so starting at twenty so, I mean, you know, we 143 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: have a good scale too, but it's just way up 144 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,400 Speaker 1: in the other direction. I see, so our scales overlap somewhat, 145 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: but the extremes on either end one of us is 146 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 1: able to hear when the other one is not capable 147 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: of hearing them. So, if you're going to be swimming 148 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: in the ocean that's filled with lots of sharks, swim 149 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: in a high pitched way. Yeah, if you were playing 150 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 1: some sweet Mariah Carey for the shark, that shark would 151 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: not even notice. First of all, I take a shoe 152 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: with the term sweet Mariah Carey. But fair enough. Um, 153 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: you know, of course we're joking, and we should also say, 154 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: you know, we're talking a lot about sharks, and we'll 155 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: be talking more in the second half about the technology 156 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: we've developed to kind of foil the senses that sharks have. 157 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:35,839 Speaker 1: But in general, remember, shark attacks very rare. These are 158 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: not animals that are out to get you. They actually 159 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: have a lot more to worry about from us than 160 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: we do from them, statistically speaking, right now, there of 161 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: course can be situations that a person is in where 162 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: they are more danger of a shark attack than others, 163 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: but it's still a rare thing. I just think it's 164 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: responsible to say that now all the time. Let's talk 165 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: about other ways that sharks can find you and kill you. 166 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,560 Speaker 1: What's another sense site they've got? Um? Okay, so you 167 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: know how cats eyes reflect light in photographs or or 168 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: or in the dark, if alligators or alligators. Yeah, this 169 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: is caused by I didn't look up the pronunciation there 170 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 1: you go, which I think is Harry Potter speak for 171 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: open the door. I don't. I don't think that's correct. Yeah, 172 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: I think that's a little more on now you mention 173 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: it all right? At any rate, this is a this 174 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: is an organ that's located behind the retina um and 175 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: it's made up of reflective crystals and when so so 176 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,319 Speaker 1: when light travels through the retina and hits them, um, 177 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: it's reflected back out onto the retina. So you know, 178 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 1: this is fascinating. This is the same sort of approach, 179 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: by the way that we are trying to mimic when 180 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: we create solar panels. So solar panels, you know, it's 181 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: not just create something that's dark that absorbs a lot 182 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 1: of light. We actually are trying to create solar panels 183 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: using nanostructures that reflect light back down in so it 184 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: absorbs as much as possible and reflects as little as possible. 185 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 1: To make the solar panel very efficient. It's the same 186 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: kind of concept of um, you know, having, for example, 187 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,559 Speaker 1: a candle holder that has mirrored sides, like a lantern 188 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: that has mirrored sides, so that it will end up 189 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: producing more light for the viewer. Now, in the case 190 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: of sharks, what this means is the shark is able 191 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,840 Speaker 1: to see even in really dark situations, which makes sense. 192 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 1: I mean, if a shark is swimming towards the bottom 193 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: of the ocean, depending upon how deep that is, there's 194 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: very little light there to take advantage of, and from 195 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: what I understand, they're able to see well I guess 196 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: ten times better in dim situations than a typical human 197 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 1: being would be able to, which which means that yeah, 198 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,120 Speaker 1: never never be alone in a dark room with the sharks. 199 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: So alright, so dark Olympic sized swimming pools filled with 200 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:46,319 Speaker 1: blood or bad places to be if there happens to 201 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: be a great wet shark in there. And also don't 202 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: make any like low booming noises tips good tipsy. Next 203 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: next we come to um they're superpowers, right that the 204 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: really cool superpowers. I'm going to save my favorite one 205 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: for last um and and go to the lateral line 206 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 1: and okay, this is a system of tubes that run 207 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,199 Speaker 1: up and down a shark's body just under the skin. 208 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 1: They're lined with these little um hair like protrusions that 209 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,640 Speaker 1: are connected to sensory cells, and so when something comes 210 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: near the shark, it causes the water to stir through 211 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: these tubes, moves the hairs, and alerts sensory cells that 212 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: something's going on. So this is almost like hearing. It's 213 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: very similar to the way we hear, only this time 214 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: you're kind of feeling motion. So it's very similar to 215 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: to hearing. I mean, if you look at the human ear, 216 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,960 Speaker 1: then you'll see that when when we the way we 217 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,839 Speaker 1: perceive sound is that we have these molecules that are 218 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: banging together. I mean, sound is a very physical thing. 219 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: Molecules bang together and it ends up impacting our ear drum, 220 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 1: which in turn moves some tiny little bones inside our 221 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 1: ear that then end up making this uh, this kind 222 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: of a sack of fluid. Uh. Move within that are 223 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: these little bitty hair like structures, and when they they vibrate, 224 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:08,199 Speaker 1: that sense the electrical signal that we then interpret as sound. 225 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: This is similar except they're not necessarily hearing it they're 226 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: kind of feeling like it's it might be it might 227 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 1: be a little bit like a like a cat's whiskers 228 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:19,360 Speaker 1: and in the way that yeah, you get that motion 229 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,600 Speaker 1: or that contact, and and it's a big clue off 230 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: that's something something is nearby. You see. This is really 231 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: tricky for us to to translate into something that we 232 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,199 Speaker 1: can identify with because this is outside of our ability. 233 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 1: It's like skin plus one. Yeah, you know, I don't know. 234 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 1: I don't know how to Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I'd be 235 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: like if I'm sitting at my cubicle and Josh Creepy 236 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:40,959 Speaker 1: hands Clark is walking up behind me, and I sense 237 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: his presence before he's able to lean over me and 238 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: then inhale deeply, which, by the way, she has not 239 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: done that for a very long time. He has not 240 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: done that for a very long time. Fans behind you 241 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: in a Gremlin mask a couple of weeks ago. That's right, Yeah, 242 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,200 Speaker 1: chum got a Gramlin mask. I'm not sure. I'll not 243 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,840 Speaker 1: sure why. I have a feeling. One of their listeners 244 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: sent it in that they get lots of stuff from 245 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: their listeners, you know, not that none of them so listening. 246 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: I don't I don't need you guys sending us stuff 247 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: unless you want to. But it's just that it's amazing 248 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: because you know, Josh and Chuck, they're busy, so they 249 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 1: leave the office for a while and just started up 250 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: like they start to peek up over the cubicle walls. Anyway. Anyway, 251 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: um so, my favorite shark sense is um is they 252 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,199 Speaker 1: can they can sense electrical signals. They've got electro reception. Yes, 253 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 1: this is the apula of Lorenzini. Yeah, Ampula of Lorenzini. 254 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:41,959 Speaker 1: I at first thought that was the actor who was 255 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 1: in Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, but it turns out 256 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:48,679 Speaker 1: that's Lorenzo Lamas and it's not the ambula of Lorenzo Lamas. 257 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: So Lorenzini was an Italian scientist a few hundred years 258 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:58,200 Speaker 1: back who who found this this organ um or or series, 259 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 1: I would call it an organ. It's a good Okay, Yeah, 260 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,679 Speaker 1: it's a it's a series of small clusters of um 261 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: electrically sensitive receptor cells that are positioned under the skin 262 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: in a shark's head kind of actually wear the whiskers 263 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 1: on a dog or cat would be um uh, they're 264 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: they're connected to pores on the skin surface. These pores 265 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: are filled with this kind of gel jelly like stuffy, 266 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: it's really stiff stuff, but it it is. Yeah, because 267 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: I read about a scientist who specializes in extracting this 268 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: stuff from sharks that have died. Like they captive sharks 269 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: and if a shark dies part of the processes, they 270 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: try to pull the stuff out so they can experiment 271 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: on it as quickly as possible to far in more 272 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: about it, because we're going to talk about this stuff, 273 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:47,119 Speaker 1: but still largely mysterious to us. Anyway, This this particular 274 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: organ is pretty cool. It doesn't sense movement, it doesn't 275 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 1: sense sight or sound. It senses electrical fields, which is 276 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: crazy and like and like electrical fields of that are 277 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: created by a fish's heart. Eat. Yeah, all living things 278 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: have an electrical field. It's what penetrates us and binds 279 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: the universe together. It's not the force, but it is 280 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,960 Speaker 1: something that living things produce. It's just a natural byproduct 281 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: of being a living thing. You have this electric field 282 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: around you as as your heart and other muscles contract, 283 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 1: they give up very small electromagnetic impulses. These are very 284 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 1: very faint, and so these incredibly sensitive organs that sharks 285 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: have can detect the presence of those electrical fields. And 286 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: in fact, I read about a really cool um experiment 287 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: where this was first kind of verified and or at 288 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: least it was one of the ones that verified, and 289 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: it happened back in nine And here's how they did 290 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: the experiment. They got some flatfish, which sharks would like 291 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: to eat. And flat fish often will be at the 292 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: very bottom of the ocean floor and bury themselves into 293 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:55,360 Speaker 1: the sand, hid right, so they are out of sight. 294 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: So what they did was they put these flat fish 295 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: in a little chamber that was essentially hidden from the sharks. 296 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: The shark can't see the flat fish, and the chamber 297 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 1: was supposed to also mask the smell of the flat fish, 298 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 1: so the shark couldn't get the scent. But the sharks 299 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 1: still could sense the presence of the flatfish and would 300 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: try and eat the chamber. So then they decided they'd 301 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: have to repeat the experiment, because you know, just doing 302 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: that alone does not verify that there's anything going on, right, 303 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: we have to do good science here. So what they 304 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: did next was they took those same types of chambers 305 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 1: and they filled it with chopped up whitefish, and white 306 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: fish oil is something that will really attract a shark. 307 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: So they put it in this chamber, and again the 308 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: chamber sealed, so the scent isn't getting out, and it's 309 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: still concealed so the shark can't see it. And the 310 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: sharks did not react. They did not go after it 311 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 1: as if it were a fish. So this suggested that 312 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: perhaps they think about the fish being alive was what 313 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 1: they could sense. And so then they did a third test. 314 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: In this third test, they put tiny little electrodes under 315 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: the sand and then they ran a very weak electrical 316 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 1: current through those electrodes, creating a faint electric field, and 317 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 1: the sharks reacted as they did when they could sense 318 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 1: the flat fish. And this seemed to be the proof 319 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: here that sharks have spidy sense science, I guess it's 320 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 1: sharky sense. That's beautiful. So, yeah, they can detect these 321 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: electric fields and hunt out prey or predators. It's only 322 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 1: a few feet away from the sharks knows that this 323 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 1: that this is sensible, right, Yeah, it's not like it's 324 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: not like it's ability to to smell something from you know, whatever, 325 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: But but it does mean that once they get closer 326 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: to their intended prey, that they are able to zone 327 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 1: in on it pretty quickly, even if it's hiding. Um. 328 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: They scientists also think that they may possibly help eat 329 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: us this for navigation by sensing the magnetic pull of 330 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: the earth. Wow, so they're able to actually detect them 331 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 1: maybe field possibly possibly um and doesn't And definitely they 332 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 1: have found that baby sharks use this while they are 333 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 1: still in uh, in their eggs to uh if a 334 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: predator is coming, the baby shark can sense it through 335 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: this uh, through this organ and stay still enough so 336 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:19,200 Speaker 1: it'll pass the predator will not get them. Nice. Yeah, 337 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: this is uh, this is interesting stuff. And you know, 338 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: we've also heard all about sharks going on these long 339 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:28,120 Speaker 1: migrations and then showing up like like whale sharks tend 340 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 1: to show up, I believe off the coast of Central America. Um. 341 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: And I have a friend actually who went and got 342 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: to see this in person. Actually you know him too. 343 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,200 Speaker 1: Uh it's a friend of both of ours who went 344 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: and saw this in person. And from his his account, 345 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:47,439 Speaker 1: it sounds like it was toy spectacular to see all 346 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 1: these whale sharks an enormous number. But yeah, so it 347 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: may be that they're using this this ability as part 348 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: of that navigational um, you know, aid so that they 349 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,880 Speaker 1: know which way to go where they're going. And I 350 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,440 Speaker 1: feel like that about wraps up our first section here 351 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: on on shark inner technology. Right, So now we're going 352 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: to talk about in the second half all about the 353 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 1: ways we kind of mess with sharks really in an 354 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,919 Speaker 1: attempt to not be eaten by them or to study 355 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: them further. Before we get into that, though, let's take 356 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: a quick moment to thank our sponsored All Right, we're back. 357 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: So we've talked about the sharks senses. Let's talk about 358 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: some of the things we do with sharks and how 359 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 1: we study them. Yeah, well, okay, we were just talking 360 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: about shark migration habits, and this is one of those things. 361 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,439 Speaker 1: This applies to any kind of marine life. You know, 362 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,159 Speaker 1: the sea is kind of deep and a little bit 363 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: dark and easily accessible, right, not super you know, the 364 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: fact that we can't breathe or walk on it is 365 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: problematic for us. So so in order to find out 366 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: more about things like sharks, we tend to tag them 367 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: these This is done um in sharks cases, by acoustic trackers. Now, 368 00:19:57,760 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: this was really cool. I did not realize this, and 369 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: Hill I saw the research that you sent about the 370 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: fact that these are all acoustic based. That means their 371 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,040 Speaker 1: sound based and in fact the sensors and the receptors 372 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: only work when they get pretty close to one another. Yeah, 373 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:16,919 Speaker 1: there's there's huge arrays of these under various oceans. The 374 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: most extensive one is off the kind of Halifax spanning 375 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,440 Speaker 1: KOs which is about hundred and fifteen miles. So these 376 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: are for Canadian sharks. Yes, I bet they're extra polite. 377 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,640 Speaker 1: I'm I'm not sure if that's a true fact, but 378 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: I'm willing to roll with it. Okay. But yeah, so 379 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: there and if you if you're working with someone who 380 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:41,879 Speaker 1: has done this quite a bit. I mean, this is 381 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: a process that actually doesn't take very long. Uh. The 382 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: the way it works is they have to, uh first 383 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,320 Speaker 1: they have to entice sharks to come close to whatever 384 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: boat they are on. Research usually not difficult. Food is 385 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: a pretty pretty strong attractor. Yeah, they just put some 386 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,640 Speaker 1: bait chum. Yeah, anyone who's watched Jaws again, that big 387 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: old bucket of chum, same sort of things. So they 388 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,199 Speaker 1: usually end up putting like a perforated bucket into the 389 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,400 Speaker 1: water and shake it around a bit and then within 390 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:11,680 Speaker 1: you know, half an hour, to an hour, they start 391 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:16,920 Speaker 1: attracting sharks. They catch the sharks, often using rotten real approach, 392 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,920 Speaker 1: but they'll catch the sharks bring them aboard the boat. 393 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,360 Speaker 1: As it turns out, if you turn a shark upside 394 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: down with some species of shark anyway, it kind of 395 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: paralyzes them, a similar effect to to you know, picking 396 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: a cat up by the scrap or something like. Yeah, 397 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: it's it's called tonic immobility. Actually know a lot of 398 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 1: I've got a lot of friends who suffer from gen 399 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 1: and tonic a mobility where you put it, like at 400 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: least four or five drinks them and they just they 401 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:45,160 Speaker 1: ain't going anywhere. What I didn't name you, Lauren, so 402 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:48,440 Speaker 1: um anyway, Yeah, if you put a shark on its back, 403 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: some sharks they go into this tonic immobility trance like state, 404 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,440 Speaker 1: which allows the researchers then to perform the procedure, which 405 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:02,160 Speaker 1: involves making an incision implanted to an acoustic device, uh 406 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:03,919 Speaker 1: and then stitching them up and that can take about 407 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:07,920 Speaker 1: ten minutes, and then they can put the shark back 408 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,359 Speaker 1: into the ocean. Shark swims away and none the worse 409 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 1: for wear, and whenever it swims near a receiver, the 410 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,719 Speaker 1: transmitt mission from the implant will be picked up by 411 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: the receiver and then they can track the sharks movements right, 412 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: you know, and that includes tracking where they're going during 413 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 1: different seasons, where they feed, and even where their pups 414 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,679 Speaker 1: are hatched and raised. Right, So that gives us a 415 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: lot more information about creatures that were a large you know, 416 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,120 Speaker 1: largely are very mysterious to us. I mean, it's there's 417 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,719 Speaker 1: only so much research you can do by capturing and 418 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: putting into captivity a shark because obviously that's a totally 419 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:48,320 Speaker 1: different set of circumstances than a shark being allowed to 420 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:54,520 Speaker 1: roam freely. Yeah. Yeah, so so it's pretty cool stuff. 421 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: And then there's um some other things we can do 422 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: with sharks that like not be eaten by them. That's 423 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: that's a big thing that people want. So there are 424 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 1: a lot of of occupations out there that involve everything 425 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: from science research to certain types of fishing or ocean harvesting, 426 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:17,160 Speaker 1: or or even hobbyists like surfers. Right where it could 427 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:21,119 Speaker 1: mean that you are occasionally put into an environment what 428 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,480 Speaker 1: it could be shark rich and uh and you know, again, 429 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 1: sharks are not out to get us, but there are 430 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: times where you could be in a situation where you 431 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:34,120 Speaker 1: could be prone to a shark attack. So I've got 432 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:36,200 Speaker 1: a lot of work done in ways of making that 433 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 1: not happen, which is excellent. There's one of the slightly 434 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: older technologies is called electric shark repellent. Yeah, this is now. 435 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: Remember we talked about the Lorenzo Lamas Oregon in the 436 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,920 Speaker 1: last section where it allows you to detect bad movies. 437 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:55,919 Speaker 1: I'm looking at my wrong notes and feel Laurenzini, well 438 00:23:55,960 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: impelve Lareenzini allows them to detect electric fields. So here's 439 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 1: the thing. If you overwhelm the shark's ability to detect 440 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:08,160 Speaker 1: electric fields, it causes them discomfort. It's kind of like 441 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 1: if you were to overwhelm any of our senses, and 442 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:13,680 Speaker 1: it's it's a little bit like blowing an air horn maybe, 443 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 1: or or a flash bomb or something like. If it's 444 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: if it's an incredibly bright light, you can't look at 445 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: it right, if it's incredibly loud sound, you want to 446 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: get away, if it's an incredibly bad smell that you 447 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 1: want out. I mean, they're they're all these different uh 448 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 1: ways that we have experienced as human beings. Are senses 449 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: being overwhelmed and it's not a pleasant experience. Same sort 450 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,679 Speaker 1: of thing here, the electric shark repellent. The idea is 451 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: to create an electric field that's not going to hurt 452 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: the shark. It's not going Yeah. The design is not 453 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,919 Speaker 1: harm the shark in any way, but to create, yeah, 454 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: or or just give it like a really unpleasant sensation 455 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 1: so it gets the heck out of there right. Uh. 456 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:58,879 Speaker 1: This was developed by South Africa's Natal Sharks Board around Um. 457 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 1: It's currently by a company called shark Shield the technology 458 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:07,440 Speaker 1: and originally it was called Protective Oceanic Devices or pods. 459 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,480 Speaker 1: Currently it is called shark Shield and it works by 460 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:17,119 Speaker 1: creating an electromagnetic field detectible from a couple dozen feet away. Yeah. 461 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 1: It's usually between eight and ten meters, depending upon the strength. 462 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,560 Speaker 1: The strength of it. Yeah. It consists of a battery 463 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:29,359 Speaker 1: pack which provides the power and two electrodes. Uh. The 464 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:32,360 Speaker 1: one that shark Shield showed off that I saw had 465 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: an electrode that fits on a scuba tank and a 466 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 1: second electrode that fits around the diver's ankle. So these 467 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,680 Speaker 1: two electrodes are what produced this electric field. And it's 468 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 1: a weak field. It's not terribly strong, because remember that 469 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: shark's ability to sense these electric fields is incredibly sensitive, 470 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: so it doesn't take a lot to overwhelm it. So 471 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: when the shark swims in and encounters this intense field, 472 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: it usually just jerks away. Bid. Yeah, it looks like it. 473 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: It looks like something like, you know, you just hit 474 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:07,400 Speaker 1: the worst smell you've ever smelled, and you just got 475 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 1: to get out of there. It's kind of like that. 476 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,600 Speaker 1: There's like a quick spasm and then they're just gone. 477 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: So it doesn't look like there's any It doesn't stun 478 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: them to the point where they suddenly go motionless and 479 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: start to sing again, and they don't flop around or 480 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: anything unpleasant like that. It's like it's like nothing not 481 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: doing that. The video actually had the guy, one of 482 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 1: the guys, underneath uh tuna, a giant tuna that they 483 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: had cut open his bait. Well, great white sharks swam 484 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,000 Speaker 1: around him but would not get close to him because 485 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:40,160 Speaker 1: he was wearing one of these things. They are not guaranteed. 486 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 1: Studies have found that sharks, I mean basically, if you 487 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,479 Speaker 1: have a bit of bait and do you put an 488 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,920 Speaker 1: electric field on it or near it, a shark is 489 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: gonna eat it. Yeah, but humans are are not tasty bait. 490 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 1: Most sharks, in fact, once they take take an initial 491 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: bite out of human, person will go new. That's not 492 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,359 Speaker 1: good at all. It's called a test bite. But the 493 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: problem is that a test bite can be can totally 494 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:09,680 Speaker 1: kill you. Yeah, if it's a if it's a large 495 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,159 Speaker 1: enough shark with a powerful enough bite, that's more than 496 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,640 Speaker 1: enough to at least maim you, I mean give cause 497 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: you serious injury, if not actually critical injury rather um. Yeah, 498 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: but so I recommend not being uh tunabate while you're 499 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,399 Speaker 1: in the water. So Olympic size swimming pool filled with 500 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:33,920 Speaker 1: blood and tuna bate, loud load noises. Uh, you don't 501 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: want to jump in just with one of these to 502 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,400 Speaker 1: protect you. Yes, okay, got it, all right, I'm still 503 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:41,920 Speaker 1: I'm making this checklist is getting longer. I'm never going 504 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 1: swimming again, not even in my pool. He's just this, 505 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: This next one might might comfort you a tiny bit. 506 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,199 Speaker 1: Slip and slide. The most recent technology to have been 507 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: developed UM comes from the University of Western Australia, teamed 508 00:27:56,119 --> 00:28:01,440 Speaker 1: with a biotech company called UH Shark Attack Mitigation System. 509 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: All right, So Sam's Sam's right, and this is shark 510 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: repelling wet suits based on visual designs. So it is 511 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,400 Speaker 1: fashion so bad that sharks run screaming. The other way 512 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 1: sham screaming. Oh no, not even so what how does 513 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:23,840 Speaker 1: it do this? Like? Is it is it? Is it 514 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,400 Speaker 1: hiding you or is it? Well? There there are two 515 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 1: types of patterns that they have developed. One is a 516 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: m cryptic or blinding pattern, and this is kind of 517 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 1: like water camo. It helps you. It's a it's a 518 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: series of grays and greens and blues and helps you 519 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:41,680 Speaker 1: blend in hypothetically with the background of the of the water. Interesting. Now, 520 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 1: that would not leave me terribly confident if the shark 521 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 1: got close enough, because again, it could start picking up 522 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: that electric field, absolutely, but it might at least not 523 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 1: attract the shark's attention the way that any normal bit 524 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 1: of surfer gear might. Yeah, and if the shark doesn't 525 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 1: come close, then that field isn't is not gonna be 526 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: activated anyway. Like we said, it's very sensitive, but it 527 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: has to get within a few feet of you before 528 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: it starts picking anything up. So you know, it's a 529 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 1: little bit like um active shark cameos. The other kind 530 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 1: is warning and this makes you so highly visible with 531 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: a with a disruptive high contrast pattern that the shark 532 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 1: looked like takes one look at you and goes that 533 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: is not that is not normal, that is that is tasty, 534 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 1: and that is maybe dangerous. Wow. Okay, so it's looking 535 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 1: at you and it's just so it's essentially oh, high 536 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:35,479 Speaker 1: contrast banding. I see that. Yeah. So yeah, it's these 537 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 1: very it's these very thick black and white bands. You 538 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: look a little bit like a zebra surfer and so interesting. 539 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: So if you threw a zebra into an Olympic sized 540 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 1: swimming pool, don't do that. Why would you do that? Science? Okay, No, 541 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 1: you're fair, that's Fair's fair? Yea, it would be cruel 542 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: and unusual zebra punishment. Um. Yeah, but I mean these 543 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,720 Speaker 1: are really interesting ideas because you know, bank, when when 544 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: us and I first talked about doing a Shark Week 545 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 1: episode or tech stuff at that time, the most of 546 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: the stuff we were looking at it was pretty low tech. 547 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 1: We were looking at things like chain mail suits that 548 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: are bite suits designed to withstand a shark's bite, but 549 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: you still get bitten by the sharks, right, and you 550 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:22,400 Speaker 1: can still sustain heavy bruising and even even bone breakage 551 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:24,640 Speaker 1: through a chain mail suit like that. And then we 552 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,600 Speaker 1: also talked about like shark cages, but really, shark cages 553 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:29,640 Speaker 1: don't have a lot of tech to them. It's essentially 554 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 1: a metal cage designed to keep the shark away from you. 555 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 1: Really good welding. Yeah, so I'm glad that you were 556 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:39,960 Speaker 1: able to find so many interesting examples of technology being 557 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,120 Speaker 1: used in shark research and just protecting people who are 558 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 1: working in environments where there are a lot of sharks. 559 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: And of course here's where we remind our listeners yet again, 560 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,360 Speaker 1: sharks are not out to get yet. They are not, 561 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 1: none of them. None of them are like Jaws. Yeah, 562 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: they certainly won't follow you from not tuck it down 563 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: to the Caribbean and then wait for you and and 564 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 1: and plan revenge like Jaws. For they what a horrible 565 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 1: movie that is. However, you will get to meet Michael 566 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: Caine if that happens, so that's kind of cool. Um 567 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: And and sharks are very useful. I'm just going to 568 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: ignore that last. Sharks are very very useful um as 569 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,400 Speaker 1: the top of their food chain. They help keep the 570 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 1: gray seal population in check, which it sounds terrible for 571 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 1: gray seals. But the thing is that if you take 572 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,720 Speaker 1: a major predator out of an ecosystem, um you wind 573 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 1: up just working that ecosystem on balances. And then next 574 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: thing you know, you have other other animals populations exploding, 575 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 1: which then is a negative impact on other populations and 576 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,720 Speaker 1: other eco system For for example, US, if the gray 577 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: seal population isn't kept in check, then the amount of 578 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:50,160 Speaker 1: fish that we can capture from from natural waters goes 579 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:52,560 Speaker 1: way down because the gray seals eat too many of them. Yeah, 580 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: so it's and etcetera, etcetera. So if you like sushi, 581 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:01,000 Speaker 1: don't kill sharks. Fair enough, Sharks are hunted very frequently 582 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:04,160 Speaker 1: form for their fins, which are sold as food and 583 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: occasional occasionally as like kind of her herbal traditional medicines. Yeah, 584 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,040 Speaker 1: there's and a lot of sharks are protected by law, 585 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: although which does not stop poachers at all. Doesn't stop 586 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 1: them at all. No, so uh, and then there are 587 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: you know, there are plenty of sharks out there that 588 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 1: I think are wicked awesome that are not a danger 589 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 1: at all to humans, like whale sharks another example. They 590 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: are not They're not going to chew you up they're 591 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: not going to do that. That's not what they eat. 592 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 1: The tiniest of tiny things. If you swam directly into 593 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: its face, um, it would probably wonder what the heck 594 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: you're trying to do. It might I suppose it could 595 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 1: crush you accidentally. It could whack you with its tail. 596 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 1: But they tend to be these just giant, slow moving, 597 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:52,280 Speaker 1: fairly gentle creatures. I mean they're they're essentially they're filter feeders, 598 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: very similar to other filter feeders. Um, and they're awesome. 599 00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 1: We have a couple here in Atlanta that I like 600 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 1: to see whenever I go to the George To Aquarium. 601 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:04,000 Speaker 1: Well that that's a good conversation just about the science 602 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:06,680 Speaker 1: of sharks and the technology we've developed. Oh oh, I 603 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: forgot to mention. I had mentioned at the top of 604 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:11,000 Speaker 1: the show about the possibility of developing tech that would 605 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:13,880 Speaker 1: allow us to kind of emulate what sharks can do. Right, Yeah, 606 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:17,560 Speaker 1: that electro was that the electro electro sensitive idea. Yeah. 607 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 1: So so this is something that we'll talk about more 608 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,680 Speaker 1: in a future podcast. We're gonna probably do an episode 609 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:26,880 Speaker 1: about body modification. Uh. And in the interest of full disclosure, 610 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 1: Jonathan has two tattoos. Um. But the body modification I 611 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 1: was going to talk about was that there's this subculture 612 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: of body modifying folks and one of the things they 613 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,280 Speaker 1: like to do is have a tiny magnet implanted uh 614 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:45,040 Speaker 1: in their fingertip. In a fingertip usually it tends to 615 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 1: be at least the reference I've always seen is make 616 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 1: it the ring finger on your non dominant hand, because 617 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: so that if something terrible goes wrong, that's you've lost 618 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: the least useful finger. Morbid. But yeah, it's tough, and 619 00:33:58,080 --> 00:33:59,520 Speaker 1: we'll talk more about it if we do a full 620 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 1: podcast on it. But the the ideas the magnet would 621 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 1: allow you to do things like sense electric fields because 622 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:10,880 Speaker 1: the the relative the nature between electricity and magnetism means 623 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,719 Speaker 1: that you have this this connection now would have to 624 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 1: be a fluctuating electric field. You can detect it if 625 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,480 Speaker 1: you moved through it, but upon moving through it, like 626 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:23,400 Speaker 1: if you if you just encounter an electric field that 627 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 1: wasn't changing, you would detect it when you first encountered 628 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:28,799 Speaker 1: it and then it would just be normal. Right, So 629 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 1: it had to be a fluctuating electric field for you 630 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 1: to continue to detect it. But this would allow you 631 00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:37,719 Speaker 1: to do that where you could sense electric fields just well, 632 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:39,680 Speaker 1: not just like, but in a similar way to the 633 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:42,439 Speaker 1: way sharks do. So it's kind of interesting that there 634 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:45,759 Speaker 1: are body modification fans out there who are building in 635 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:49,840 Speaker 1: the capability of sensing things the way a shark would 636 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:52,799 Speaker 1: not necessarily you know, framing it that way, but that's 637 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:54,720 Speaker 1: how it ends up, and I think that's pretty awesome. 638 00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:59,400 Speaker 1: I don't think I would be volunteering to do that anytime. 639 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 1: I don't want to that either. Yeah, yeah, it seems 640 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:05,920 Speaker 1: like that might be a little extreme, even for me. Um. 641 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:09,160 Speaker 1: But however, it's kind of interesting and we'll talk again 642 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:11,920 Speaker 1: more about that because there's been some other interesting developments 643 00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:15,799 Speaker 1: of technology built up around this kind of body modification. 644 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:18,400 Speaker 1: But anyway, I just thought i'd throw that in there 645 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:19,880 Speaker 1: because I thought it was meat, you know, this idea 646 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 1: of this sixth sense out of the seventh that sharks have, 647 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:26,560 Speaker 1: and and to uh to kind of talk about how 648 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 1: there are people who are sort of emulating that. Anyway, 649 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: that kind of wraps up this conversation. Guys, if you 650 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,560 Speaker 1: have any suggestions for future topics of tech stuff, like 651 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,560 Speaker 1: you totally want to hear that body modification episode, let 652 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:40,960 Speaker 1: us know. Send us an email. Our address is tech 653 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,560 Speaker 1: stuff at Discovery dot com, or come find us on 654 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:48,120 Speaker 1: Facebook and Twitter. We're not hiding, We're right there. Our 655 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,719 Speaker 1: handle is tech stuff hs W, Lauren and I will 656 00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:57,960 Speaker 1: talk to you again. Really sing for more on this 657 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Does it? How stuff works 658 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 1: dot com