1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,160
Speaker 1: Hi, I am Tracy V. Wilson. I'm Holly Fry. We

2
00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:05,400
Speaker 1: are the co hosts of the Stuff You Missed in

3
00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:08,360
Speaker 1: History Class podcast from how Stuff Work dot com. And

4
00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:10,399
Speaker 1: as you might suspect from the name, what we like

5
00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,360
Speaker 1: to talk about are the things that are of historical

6
00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,320
Speaker 1: significance but maybe you didn't hear about in your standard

7
00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,560
Speaker 1: history class. And sometimes they are famous figures and we're

8
00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,520
Speaker 1: talking about the lesser known parts of their lives. Sometimes

9
00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,160
Speaker 1: they are people in groups and places that are often

10
00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,120
Speaker 1: overlooked in history class. Lots of cool stuff, So come

11
00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,920
Speaker 1: and join us. Welcome to hous To Works Now. I'm

12
00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: your host, Lauren Vogelbaum, a researcher and writer. Here it

13
00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,720
Speaker 1: has to works. Every week, I'm bringing you three stories

14
00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,760
Speaker 1: from our team about the weird and wondrous developments that

15
00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,720
Speaker 1: we've seen in science, technology, and culture. This weekend, Social

16
00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,519
Speaker 1: Science Seattle officials proposed a controversial way to fight the

17
00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,080
Speaker 1: war on drugs, providing safe spaces for addicts to use

18
00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:01,240
Speaker 1: heroin and unrelated. The first fully autonomous yet fully squishy

19
00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,039
Speaker 1: robot is shaped like an octopus and has major implications

20
00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,319
Speaker 1: for the future of robotics. But first senior writer and

21
00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,560
Speaker 1: tex Stuff host Jonathan Strickland explained why a team of

22
00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,639
Speaker 1: researchers are warning geneticists about Microsoft Excel. A default setting

23
00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,640
Speaker 1: in the spreadsheet program has created errors in up to

24
00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,480
Speaker 1: twenty percent of genetics research papers. Here's what's going on.

25
00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,240
Speaker 1: Automated features in productivity software are supposed to save us

26
00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,000
Speaker 1: time and effort, but sometimes these features insert errors into

27
00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,960
Speaker 1: our work. That's the case for an alarming number of

28
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,880
Speaker 1: academic papers about genetics. Here's the problem. Many academic papers

29
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,399
Speaker 1: have supplemental files filled with charts, tables, and other data. Ideally,

30
00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,320
Speaker 1: those files support the paper and provide data for other

31
00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,880
Speaker 1: researchers in the future. But an automated feature and Excel

32
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,840
Speaker 1: converts some gene names into other types of information, such

33
00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,560
Speaker 1: as dates or floating point numbers. That ends up causing

34
00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:05,560
Speaker 1: confusion and inserting errors into scientific publications. Here's an example.

35
00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,840
Speaker 1: There's a gene called membrane associated ring finger C three

36
00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:14,600
Speaker 1: HC four E three ubiquitin protein liegase. But that's a

37
00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,560
Speaker 1: bit of a mouthful, and so the accepted gene symbol

38
00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,720
Speaker 1: is MARCH one. Unfortunately, Excel cs MARCH one and assumes

39
00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,799
Speaker 1: it's a date, changing it to one dash m a R,

40
00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,320
Speaker 1: and this sort of accidental conversion happens all the time.

41
00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,600
Speaker 1: Scientists first pointed out the problem back in two thousand four,

42
00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,880
Speaker 1: and it has persisted since then. Based on the research

43
00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,320
Speaker 1: of Mark Zeeman, Yo tam Erin and Assam L. Austa,

44
00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,280
Speaker 1: gene named conversion errors appear in about twenty percent of

45
00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:46,680
Speaker 1: all papers with supplemental spreadsheet files. The researchers looked at

46
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,160
Speaker 1: more than thirty five thousand supplemental Excel files attached to

47
00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,720
Speaker 1: papers related to genetic research. They used automated software to

48
00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,680
Speaker 1: search for anything that looked like lists of genes and

49
00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,919
Speaker 1: narrowed the field to three thousand, five nineties seven paper

50
00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:04,400
Speaker 1: with supplemental files. They screened for ten known false positive

51
00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,520
Speaker 1: cases and found them in files attached to seven hundred

52
00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,480
Speaker 1: four published papers. That's nineteen point six percent of all

53
00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,639
Speaker 1: the papers they screened. And while we've all experienced autocorrect

54
00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,920
Speaker 1: changing the meaning of text messages with hilarious results, in

55
00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,240
Speaker 1: this case it's no laughing matter. As other scientists use

56
00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,680
Speaker 1: these files to perform further research, the errors slow things

57
00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,240
Speaker 1: down and make research more difficult. This can cause delays

58
00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,320
Speaker 1: in significant scientific advances. It's a big deal to make

59
00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,280
Speaker 1: matters more frustrating. There's no way to turn off the

60
00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,800
Speaker 1: automated conversion feature permanently. However, the researchers noted that Google

61
00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,960
Speaker 1: Sheets doesn't perform these automated conversions, and copying from Google

62
00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:51,400
Speaker 1: Sheets into another spreadsheet program preserved the formatting. Maybe productivity

63
00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,280
Speaker 1: software publishers will build in options to allow people to

64
00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,720
Speaker 1: permanently disable these conversion features. Until then, it's going to

65
00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,520
Speaker 1: fall to some poor re search assistant to double check

66
00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:06,000
Speaker 1: massive lists of gene names or just switched to Google Sheets.

67
00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:15,080
Speaker 1: Next up, head video writer Ben Bowen explores Seattle's proposed

68
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,920
Speaker 1: initiative to reduce the physical and economic harm of heroin

69
00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,920
Speaker 1: in its population. Research has shown that providing safe zones

70
00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,680
Speaker 1: for heroin addicts lowers risks of overdose and lowers taxpayers

71
00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:34,520
Speaker 1: emergency healthcare burdens. There's no way around it. The United

72
00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,200
Speaker 1: States is the world's biggest illicit drug market. While use

73
00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,080
Speaker 1: of a few drugs seems to be declining, some areas

74
00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,880
Speaker 1: of the country are in the grip of an opioid epidemic.

75
00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,920
Speaker 1: In Seattle alone, for example, deaths from heroin overdoses rose

76
00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,760
Speaker 1: by fifty eight percent over the course from to a

77
00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:57,200
Speaker 1: hundred and fifty six. Seattle's proposed heroin Safe Zone would

78
00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,080
Speaker 1: be a safe consumption site that's different from methodone clinics.

79
00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,080
Speaker 1: Seattle already has some of those. At this safe zone,

80
00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:08,560
Speaker 1: heroin addics would use drugs under medical supervision, hopefully lowering

81
00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,560
Speaker 1: rates of fatal overdose and also preventing transmission of diseases

82
00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,000
Speaker 1: from dirty needles. They would also have opportunities to receive

83
00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,880
Speaker 1: addiction treatment. The idea of a safe consumption site isn't

84
00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:23,719
Speaker 1: brand new, and it wouldn't make heroin legal. The Heroin

85
00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,720
Speaker 1: Task Force, formed by Mayor Ed Murray and King County

86
00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,960
Speaker 1: Executive dal Constantine, is calling for a radical rethink of

87
00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,240
Speaker 1: how the city interacts with heroin addicts, many of whom

88
00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,719
Speaker 1: are also homeless. Murray, by the way, is further proposing

89
00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,360
Speaker 1: an improved homeless shelter to welcome the addics off the streets.

90
00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,200
Speaker 1: Of course, this is a pretty controversial idea. Opponents have

91
00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:48,880
Speaker 1: some valid questions, perhaps the most obvious being he isn't

92
00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:51,280
Speaker 1: giving people a place to do drugs as well as

93
00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:55,520
Speaker 1: the equipment to do it, essentially enabling their addiction. Fortunately,

94
00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,320
Speaker 1: this does not seem to be the case. There's fairly

95
00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:02,640
Speaker 1: compelling evidence that creating safe consumption sites can have tangible benefits.

96
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,120
Speaker 1: Take Vancouver, for instance. It's home to a thirteen year

97
00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,360
Speaker 1: old safe injection area called Insight, where no overdose deaths

98
00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,680
Speaker 1: have occurred. Insight has been the subject of multiple peer

99
00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,720
Speaker 1: reviewed studies indicating that the site has saved lives, reduced

100
00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:22,320
Speaker 1: disease transmission, and brought more addicts into treatment programs. The

101
00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,560
Speaker 1: goal of these enterprises is to keep addicts alive long

102
00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,359
Speaker 1: enough to enter treatment, while also reducing the social impact

103
00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,599
Speaker 1: addicts can have on the surrounding community, such as leaving

104
00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:37,160
Speaker 1: dirty needles and alleyways and public parks. Seattle hasn't officially

105
00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,520
Speaker 1: signed off on creating this sort of site yet, and

106
00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,320
Speaker 1: there are some difficult questions to tackle before anything like

107
00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,720
Speaker 1: this actually opens. As the city grapples with this concept,

108
00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,640
Speaker 1: other organizations are moving ahead with plans of their own.

109
00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,640
Speaker 1: The People's Harm Reduction Alliance hopes to create their own

110
00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,599
Speaker 1: safe consumption sites, and the mayor of Ithaca, New York,

111
00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:59,160
Speaker 1: has also expressed interest in this approach. Currently, Insight remains

112
00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,000
Speaker 1: the only government meant sanctioned facility of its kind in

113
00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,599
Speaker 1: the entirety of North America, but if Seattle's task Force

114
00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:14,840
Speaker 1: has its way, it will not be the last. Finally,

115
00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:18,640
Speaker 1: this week, my fellow cephalopod enthusiast Robert Lamb brings us

116
00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:22,560
Speaker 1: the story of the first robot made completely of soft components.

117
00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,640
Speaker 1: Learn how it's adorable balloon tentacles work, and why it's

118
00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:33,280
Speaker 1: creators want future versions to be surgical assistants. I don't

119
00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,680
Speaker 1: get too hot and bothered as you imagine the embrace

120
00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,960
Speaker 1: of synthetic tentacles, because the octobot in question here is

121
00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,960
Speaker 1: pretty tiny, scarcely the size of the memory card in

122
00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:45,040
Speaker 1: your camera. He also doesn't really do all that much,

123
00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,720
Speaker 1: but the little guy is still an important breakthrough Earth's

124
00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:53,520
Speaker 1: first autonomous, wireless, entirely soft and squishy robot. Inspired by

125
00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,760
Speaker 1: the dexterous yet powerful bodies of real life Octopy, the

126
00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,680
Speaker 1: team of Harvard scientists three D printed all of the

127
00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,440
Speaker 1: robot it's functional components out of non rigid materials. That

128
00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,640
Speaker 1: includes his fuel, storage, power, and acuation systems, all poured

129
00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:11,360
Speaker 1: into a molded, stretchy body. Just like it's organic counterpart,

130
00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:16,080
Speaker 1: the octobot lacks an indoskeleton. The subtle automaton is powered

131
00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,880
Speaker 1: by chemical reaction. It transforms quantities of liquid hydrogen peroxide

132
00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:25,360
Speaker 1: into a larger quantity of gas via a soft electronic oscillator.

133
00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:29,560
Speaker 1: The gas inflates bladders in the octobots arms as needed,

134
00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,280
Speaker 1: summoning them to balloon like life. Now, the octobot is

135
00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:35,800
Speaker 1: a proof of concept model here. You're not gonna catch

136
00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,880
Speaker 1: it doing much other than just kind of writhing around

137
00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:40,960
Speaker 1: in the water. But the researchers hope to develop a

138
00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,559
Speaker 1: version that can crawl, swim, and interact with its environment.

139
00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,839
Speaker 1: But the importance here goes far beyond mere robots that

140
00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,800
Speaker 1: work like octopy. It's the sort of technology that may

141
00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:55,480
Speaker 1: lead to improve biomedical devices and robotic surgery. So just

142
00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:59,720
Speaker 1: imagine a synthetic octopus that slides through an incision in

143
00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,840
Speaker 1: your into your body cavity and then carries out diagnosis

144
00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:07,400
Speaker 1: or surgical repair from the inside. Now that's a doc

145
00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:13,320
Speaker 1: doc I think we can all get excited about. That's

146
00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:15,680
Speaker 1: our show for this week. Thank you so much for

147
00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,440
Speaker 1: tuning in. Subscribe now for more of the latest and

148
00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:21,720
Speaker 1: strangest science news, and send us links to anything you'd

149
00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,559
Speaker 1: like to hear us cover plus your favorite hot sauce.

150
00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,079
Speaker 1: We did a hot Sauce challenge live on Facebook a

151
00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,000
Speaker 1: few weeks ago, and I'm still thinking about it. Shoot

152
00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,320
Speaker 1: us an email at now podcast at how stuff works

153
00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,839
Speaker 1: dot com, and to access thousands of other stories like these,

154
00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,120
Speaker 1: check out our home planet Now dot how stuff works

155
00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:47,640
Speaker 1: dot com