1 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: Hey, you welcome to Stuff to Blow your mind. My 2 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 1: name is Robert Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and it's Saturday. 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: Time to go into the Vault. This time we'll be 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: picking up with part two of last week's Vault episode, 5 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: The Winter People. Part two. This originally aired December, and uh, 6 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: here it is for you again in case he didn't 7 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: catch you last time. Welcome to Stuff to Blow your 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: Mind from how stuff dot com. Hey you welcome to 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: stuff to blow your mind. My name is Robert Lamb 10 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: and I'm Joe McCormick, and we're back with part two 11 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: of our discussion of the Winter People, the way in 12 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: which animal existence and especially human existence is seasonally bifurcated, 13 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: and the way the seasons really warp in command who 14 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: and what we are now. Last time, we talked about 15 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: traditional cultural beliefs and practices around wintertime. Uh so, we 16 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: talked the amazing winter ceremonials of the Quakwa Kawak people 17 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,559 Speaker 1: of the Pacific Northwest and North America. But we wanted 18 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: to talk about some other cultural beliefs about wintertime changes 19 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: to the human being. Yeah, we were kind of casting 20 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: about for something that if it felt felt appropriate to 21 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: to bring up because there are no shortage of winter traditions. 22 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: But we we lead with such a fantastic example in 23 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: the first episode, it felt intimidating to try and come 24 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: up with something of of equal weight. Now, one thing 25 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 1: you could bring up is, of course, the traditions like 26 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: the huga. This became very popular, was it? Last year? 27 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: The year before? There were suddenly all these articles on 28 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: the internet about uh huga and all these related concepts, 29 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: especially in you know, uh northern polar Uh, not always polar, 30 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: but northern types of countries and cultures where they're they 31 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: have special words for getting cozy when it's really cold 32 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: and bad weather outside. Yeah, this is interesting because I 33 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: mean obviously here in the States people do like to 34 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: to snug up and they be binge, watched some Netflix 35 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: or what have you. I have a little hot cocoa 36 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: during the colder months or something fulfilling about that. I 37 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: hear they eat pumpkin pie. Have you heard about this 38 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: the Americans? Like? Okay, I mean I didn't know there 39 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: are songs about it. I assume it's true. Which song? 40 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: Which song is about eating pumpkin There's something about you 41 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 1: throw a log on the fire and coffee and pumpkin pie. 42 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: I'm vaguely connecting to something from another life, all right though. 43 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: I just have a lot of questions for people who 44 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: eat pumpkin pie outside of established holidays. Yeah, which you're 45 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: the ones is Thanksgiving and when, Well, you can have 46 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: it for Christmas, but I mean you kind of been 47 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: in the rules, right, But then mostly it is a 48 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving pie. It's a delicious Thanksgiving pie, but it's I 49 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: don't know, I wouldn't feel comfortable eating it. Fill the 50 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,679 Speaker 1: time of the year. Filling from a can, crust from 51 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: a can, well, yeah, you have to use the filling 52 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: from the can because it doesn't matter, because the because 53 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 1: ultimately the pumpkin is just a vehicle for the of 54 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: the nutmeg and the spice flavoring. Yeah, and the sugar. Yeah. 55 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: But no, despite all the coziness traditions, some cultures apparently 56 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: have this special word for the coziness seeking tradition, and 57 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: other cultures don't really. I mean, English, as far as 58 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: I know, doesn't have a word like hugo, and I 59 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: think that's why it suddenly became so popular in the 60 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,399 Speaker 1: English speaking part of the Internet. Yeah, and of course 61 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: it's important to realize that coziness during the winter months 62 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: is is something of a luxury. Uh and uh. This 63 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: led me to seek out a possible example in a 64 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: wonderful book that I hadn't looked at in many years, 65 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: And that's Barry Lopez's six book Arctic Dreams, Imagination and 66 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: Desire in a Northern Landscape which is just which is 67 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: just full of beautiful descriptions of life in the far North. 68 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: For instance, he shares the following just about the flow 69 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: of seasons in general. Quote in summer, in the sometimes 70 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: extravagant light of a July day, one's thoughts are not 71 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: of growth of heading wheat and yellowing peaches, but of suspension, 72 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: as if life had escaped the bounds of earth in 73 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: this country, which lacks the prolonged moderations between winter and 74 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: summer that we anticipate as balmy April mornings and dry 75 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: Indian summer afternoons. In this two season country, things grow 76 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: and die, as they do everywhere, but they are more 77 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 1: deeply than living things anywhere else, seasonal creatures. And he 78 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: goes on later in the book to to bring up 79 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: this concept of the polar Eskimo people that is called 80 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: purlar or neck. He says, quote winter darkness brings on 81 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: the extreme winter depression the polar Eskimo called parlor neck. 82 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: According to the anthropologist Gene the Mallari, the word means 83 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: to feel quote the weight of life, to look ahead 84 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: to all that must be accomplished, and to retreat to 85 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: the present, feeling defeated, weary, before starting a core of 86 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: anger and miserable sadness. It is to be sick of life, 87 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: a man named Amina told Millari. The victim tears fitfully 88 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: at his clothes. A woman begins aimlessly slashing at things 89 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 1: in the igloo with their knife. A person runs half 90 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 1: naked into the bitter, freezing night, screaming out at the village, 91 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: eating the poop of dogs. Eventually the person is calmed 92 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,599 Speaker 1: by others in the family with great compassion and helped 93 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: to sleep. Pro Laura neck winter. And I have to 94 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: say he did not say poop. He used a stronger 95 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: curse word that we can't say on the show. But 96 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: I felt compelled to self at it there So, as 97 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: Lopez describes it, does it seem like the idea is 98 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: that sort of the farther you go up north or 99 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: I guess toward either of the poles, but especially because 100 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: you know they're more people are more concentrated towards the 101 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: North Pole than in like Antarctica, that sort of the 102 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: weight of the seasons becomes more unbearable. Yeah, that that 103 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: seems to be the point he's he's making here, and 104 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: it just has to do with the fact that you 105 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: essentially have two seasons, one of life and one of death, 106 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: one of one of hardship and one of well, I 107 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: guess less hardship. Uh. It's it's certainly an impressive concept. 108 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: And uh. It again brings to mind accounts of say 109 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: that the alleged wind to go madness that you uh, 110 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: you hear about in uh in northern native populations. However, 111 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: we have to point out here that not everyone is 112 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: on board with this being a true part of pre 113 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: colonial traditions and beliefs among Native peoples of North America. Yeah. 114 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: According to Canadian scholar who uh and scholar who specializes 115 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: in the study of First Nations people, John Steckley, in 116 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: his book White Lies about the Inuit, he says this 117 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: idea of Arctic hysteria is backed up by case studies, 118 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 1: but it was most frequently touted in the nineteen sixties 119 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,720 Speaker 1: through the eighties by anthropologists such as Jean Mallari and others, 120 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: and he points out that historian Lyle Dick suspects, just 121 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:01,039 Speaker 1: as Stickley himself concurs, that it's quote more likely the 122 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: creature of the white Inuit power imbalance embodied in specific 123 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: contexts unquote, such as forced risky explorations during the winter, 124 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: So forcing the native peoples to, among other things, take 125 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: you out into hostile winter conditions when their their normal 126 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: pattern of behaviors would have limited such risky measures. So 127 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: that makes sense to me. And it has also been 128 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: suggested that there's a possible physical explanations for this kind 129 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: of Arctic madness. Can be found in hyper vitaminosis ah, 130 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 1: such as when you consume a polar bear liver exactly, 131 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: and you can and it's something you can also pick. 132 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: It's most famous for the polar bear liver. We've talked 133 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: about it before in the show as far as polar 134 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: bear liver consumption is concerned, But you can also get 135 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: it from consuming a number of different um uh hunted 136 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 1: animals in these regions, So that's one possibility as well. 137 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: So I think the take home here is that as 138 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: fascinating as the concept is, and certainly as beautifully as 139 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: Lopez wrote about it uh in an Arctic Dreams, it 140 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: seems like it may be a situation that is, it 141 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: is somewhat complicated by the impact of colonial Western society 142 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: upon the traditions of the native people's. Well, it certainly 143 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: illustrates the way in which our reactions to the seasons 144 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: are both sort of endogenous and exogenous, like that they 145 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: come from both inherent factors in in the climate and 146 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,000 Speaker 1: in uh, you know, physical constraints around us that arrive 147 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: when the winter months set in, but they're also heavily 148 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: tempered by what cultural pressures were having to deal with. 149 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: So like a society of abundance is probably going to 150 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,839 Speaker 1: have very different cultural ways of dealing with winter than 151 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:54,319 Speaker 1: a society of scarcity would, and all kinds of cultural 152 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: factors like that would play in. Certainly, of course, if 153 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: you're you know, being colonized, that's definitely going to a 154 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: act what a season of hardship means for you. Indeed, 155 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: all right, well, we need to take a quick break, 156 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: and then when we come back we will talk more 157 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 1: about winter changes in winter adaptations thank you. Thank Alright, 158 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: we're back. Okay, So, Robert, we have discussed how we 159 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:18,719 Speaker 1: are not constant beings but sort of like seasonal shape shifters. 160 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: There are so many ways that culturally, that psychologically, that metabolically, 161 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: our bodies respond to the changes in the seasons in 162 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: a way that it might be hard to beat out 163 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: of us, even though we've got all these nice climate 164 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: controlled indoor places to dwell. Now our bodies are surfing 165 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: the cycles of time. Now, there is one way in 166 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: which the changes of the seasons affect us much more 167 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 1: directly and immediately, and that's by being cold. Apart from, 168 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: you know, the vitamin D deficiency you might get from 169 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: shorter days, and the way it might affect the way 170 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: you eat and affect your your metabolism and even affect 171 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: your behavior and your dating and your desire for meaning 172 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: and things like that, it also is just freezing outside. Now. 173 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: It's no secret that exposure to cold can hurt or 174 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: kill you. But did you ever wonder why they are? Like? 175 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 1: Several ways you can answer this question. One is pretty 176 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: straightforward and mechanical. It's that the body has mostly liquid content. 177 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 1: I like to think of that this sometimes like whenever 178 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 1: you're feeling a little bit down on yourself, you just 179 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 1: think like, hey, I'm a bag of fluids doing okay 180 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: for a bag of fluids. Yeah, and if you if 181 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: you were to freeze me solid, then a single Jean 182 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: Claude van Damn kick could shatter you. And well, in fact, 183 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: if you were to freeze me solid, just the act 184 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 1: of freezing me solid would sort of shatter me because 185 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 1: when liquid freezes, it can form ice crystals, which cause 186 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: damage to the body's tissues, to the cells, to the 187 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: cell membranes. But here's another way to think about it. 188 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:55,680 Speaker 1: Animal life is characterized by two main physical characteristics. I'd 189 00:10:55,679 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: say motion and chemical reactions, and cold slows down both 190 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: of these things. So cooks out there. I wonder if 191 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 1: you ever tried to, like mash up some spinach art 192 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:11,559 Speaker 1: to choke dip with a cold block of cream cheese, Robert, 193 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: do you have any comparable experience? Uh? No, I do not. 194 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: It's impossible. I means you're just like work in your arm, 195 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: and you've gotta you've gotta be some kind of like 196 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: hydraulic press type creature in order to achieve it. A 197 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: similar thing would be if you're into baking, and you 198 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: ever tried to like whip something with cold butter, it's 199 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,199 Speaker 1: just a bad idea. And likewise, if if you've ever 200 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: tried to trigger a chemical reaction like lighting a fire 201 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:39,440 Speaker 1: when it's freezing cold outside, not so easy. The body 202 00:11:39,559 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: needs to be warm, so it's mechanical motions are kind 203 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 1: of lubricated and squishy, and it also needs to be warm, 204 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: so it's chemical reactions have enough energy to take place. 205 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,439 Speaker 1: But not all bodies are like this. There are creatures 206 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:56,680 Speaker 1: in this world that can literally freeze almost entirely solid 207 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: and thaw out and survive. So I want to mention 208 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: one example, the wood frog Lithabades sylvaticus, found throughout the 209 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: forests of Canada and the northern United States. So this 210 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: is a frog that survives the harsh winter of northern 211 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: Canadian forests. How would it do that? Well, what you'll 212 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: notice it does is that when the cold north winds 213 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:24,559 Speaker 1: set in sometime around September, these frogs crawl down and 214 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 1: nestle in some dead plant matter like some leaf litter, 215 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:32,680 Speaker 1: dead grass, and then they literally freeze almost entirely solid. 216 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 1: About two thirds of their bodies water content turns into ice. 217 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: And even temperatures as low as zero degrease fahrenheit won't 218 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: kill them. And then when warm weather comes back, they 219 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 1: thaw out, they hop away unharmed. Uh. Speaking to the 220 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: l A Times, the herpetologist Don Larson said, quote, on 221 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 1: an organismal level, they are essentially dead. The individual cells 222 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,559 Speaker 1: are still functioning, but they have no way to communicate 223 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 1: with each other. So you might be ondering how do 224 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 1: they do this? Well, the body essentially manufactures cryoprotectant chemicals. 225 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 1: It looks like glycogen in the frog's liver gets converted 226 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: into glucose, which keeps the frog's individual cells alive throughout 227 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,079 Speaker 1: the freeze. And then also uriah, which is the nitrogen 228 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 1: based crystalline compound you excrete in your urine, might also 229 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: play a role. Uria came up a little bit earlier 230 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,439 Speaker 1: when we were talking about cold protection. But Larson points 231 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: out this thing that's not known, but it's an interesting possibility. 232 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,680 Speaker 1: He points out that freezing alive might not just be 233 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: a survival mechanism, but that could actually be beneficial to 234 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:40,440 Speaker 1: an animal that wanted to rid itself of parasites. Oh 235 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: this is so good. I mean, we we we see 236 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: a similar cases. For instance, where if you have frozen fish, 237 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 1: you know, you worry less about there being parasites in 238 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: the fish. And also if you're worried about dust mites 239 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 1: on one of your child's prize stuffed animals, you stick 240 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:00,080 Speaker 1: it in the freezer overnight and that takes care of 241 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: the mite. So all the dust mights go to your 242 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: frozen shrimp. Yeah. Well, you know what's the difference between 243 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 1: a mite and a shrimp, really shrimp hugettical bugs. So yes, 244 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,440 Speaker 1: you've got the wood frog. But we've had another freezing champion, 245 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 1: even more hardy that I want to mention, the red 246 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: flat bark beetle, which is kuka just clavipies. Usually we 247 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: would find them living under loose bark in North American 248 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: deciduous trees. And I found a report from the University 249 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 1: of Alaska, Fairbanks that biologists Todd's formo quote cooled the 250 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: beetles in a lab to minus seventy degrees celsius, which 251 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: is minus ninety four degrees fahrenheit, and they did not die. 252 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,960 Speaker 1: And then there was another experiment subsequently in California. They 253 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 1: could they found they could lower the temperature of these 254 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: beetles to minus a hundred and fifty degrees celsius, which 255 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 1: is minus two hundred and thirty eight degrees fahrenheit, colder 256 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: than any natural temperature on Earth. Without freezing the beetles. 257 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,720 Speaker 1: That's incredib Now, obviously our bodies are not like this. 258 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: We do not have such strong crier protectant mechanisms, and 259 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: freezing will definitely injure or kill us. Direct exposure of 260 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: body parts to cold weather can lead to frostbite, which 261 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: has a simple explanation and a more complex explanation. The 262 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: simple version is just that frost bite is when body 263 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: tissues freeze. The more complex one is a little bit chemical. 264 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: It's when ice crystals form in the body tissues. It 265 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: dehydrates cells, causes damage to sell membranes. Essentially, you don't 266 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: want to let your outer body parts freeze because there's 267 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 1: sort of the point of no return there. They don't 268 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: come back. Yeah. I feel like most of us have 269 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: probably read various accounts of explorers, adventurers or refugees and 270 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: in really chilling environments and accounts of frostbite where you 271 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:50,800 Speaker 1: realize that is a it is a terrible thing to 272 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: have to experience. Yeah, there's something especially disturbing about it 273 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: because it's almost like, um, I don't know, just having 274 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: like it's like necrosis. You know, it's like there's a 275 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: part of the body that is dying or is dead, 276 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 1: but it's still attached to you. It's not like it's 277 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: been chopped off. It's just it's still there and it's 278 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: not working for you. Yeah, it is in D and 279 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: D terms to chronic damage. Yeah. Uh so, we obviously 280 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: are not as hardy as bark beetles, but we do 281 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,640 Speaker 1: have adaptive mechanisms. And you'll see the first signs of 282 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: the human body reacting to cold weather really just within 283 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: a few seconds of exposure to sub thermo neutral temperatures. 284 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: So our skin has these thermo receptors and the detect 285 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: both absolute and relative temperature differences, and they let us 286 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: know if the environment is too hot or too cold. 287 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: So when the body detects cold, it begins to shunt 288 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: blood away from the extremities. You you probably feel some 289 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: sensation of this and kind of you know, the numbness 290 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: and all that when the blood is being drawn away 291 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: from the skin and away from the arms and legs 292 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 1: to keep it closer to the vital organs like the 293 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: heart and the lungs. This is essentially a choice to 294 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: sacrifice the outer skin and use it as a layer 295 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: of insulation. By keeping the blood away from the outside, 296 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: the blood stays warmer. Another defense mechanism is runny nose. 297 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: You ever wonder, like why your nose runs in the cold? Uh? So, 298 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: cold air tends to be very dry and of course 299 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: very cold, and since you're constantly pulling that dry air 300 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 1: in through the nose, when you breathe, it dries out 301 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:25,200 Speaker 1: the exposed surfaces within the nasal cavity and the nasal cavity, 302 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: one of the things it does when you breathe through 303 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 1: it is it warms the air on the way down 304 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: to your lungs. So, if you're drawing in this really dry, 305 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:36,919 Speaker 1: cold air that is not being appropriately warmed inside the 306 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 1: nose by your warm, nice mucous layers in there and 307 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,400 Speaker 1: drying out the inside of the nose, the body tries 308 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:46,439 Speaker 1: to compensate, and so what it does is it moisturizes 309 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,800 Speaker 1: these passages by secreting mucous fluid, leading to cold induced 310 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 1: rhine a rhea, the diarrhea of the nose. Yeah, I 311 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: spent a few years in my childhood in Roddington, Newfoundland, Canada, 312 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: so we had pretty intense winters up there. Uh so 313 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: I have on one hand, I have these really pleasant 314 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,680 Speaker 1: memories of scaling giants snow banks and tunneling through them. 315 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 1: But I also have these persistent memories of of wearing 316 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 1: a full ski mask that is at once warming but 317 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: also just soggy with with snot you know, just just 318 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: partially frozen and partially warmed, snot just covering the whole 319 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: front of the ski mask. You know. With exertion in 320 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 1: cold weather, one of the risk factors you need to 321 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: watch out for is that your clothes don't become sweat soaked. 322 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,879 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, because then though that sweat is going to 323 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: cool and then you're you're essentially freezing in your own sweat. Yeah, 324 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 1: no good. So another thing we've all done it shivering. 325 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: It's one of the body's main defense mechanisms against cold. 326 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,639 Speaker 1: The purpose seems to be to force your muscles to 327 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 1: generate extra heat. Movement and friction tend to produce heat. 328 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,639 Speaker 1: If you doubt this, just rub your hands together for 329 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: ten seconds. You'll feel them warm up. And so the 330 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 1: shivering is the body's way of enlisting your muscle tissues 331 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: is a kind of emergency internal space heater, forcing them 332 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,160 Speaker 1: to rapidly contract and rhythmic patterns all over the body 333 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: and generate extra heat to keep your vital organs and 334 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:14,640 Speaker 1: blood warm. Another adaptation that seems to not really help 335 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 1: very much anymore goose bumps. Yes, you ever wonder why, Like, 336 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: what's the point? It almost feels like when you get 337 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 1: goose bumps, the bumps are coming up on your skin, 338 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 1: which would seem to increase the surface area of your skin, 339 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 1: which would make you get cold even faster. Well, and 340 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 1: then also it would seem to move body hair away 341 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 1: from the body. Yeah, it was It's like, oh well, 342 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: now this protective layer of you know, barely visible arm 343 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: hair is not even touching my arm anymore. But no, 344 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,440 Speaker 1: goose bumps are believed to be a vestigial trait from 345 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: our recent ancestors who had much more body hair than us, 346 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: so when they got cold, they could raise the hairs 347 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,000 Speaker 1: on their skin to become extra fluffy and insulated. And 348 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaker 1: it's true that actually lower density things are better insulated. 349 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:02,719 Speaker 1: 's right? You notice that, like when you put insulation 350 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:05,040 Speaker 1: in the walls in your house. It's not like some 351 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: tightly packed metal or would kind of thing. It's this loose, 352 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:14,119 Speaker 1: fluffy stuff because it conducts heat less well, and so 353 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,679 Speaker 1: that's essentially what your body is trying to do. It 354 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 1: remembers a time when you your ancestors had much more hair, 355 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,639 Speaker 1: and it's trying to fluff it up to become less 356 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,360 Speaker 1: conductive of heat and to insulate skin better from the cold. Now, 357 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:29,440 Speaker 1: of course we don't have much of that hair anymore, 358 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: but we still have this reaction. So we get the bumps, 359 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 1: but without the insulation. Here's the seasonal fact. I know 360 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: you have heard what time of year do people commit 361 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:42,160 Speaker 1: suicide the most? It's winter, right, Yeah, well I believe 362 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 1: that is the That is sort of the common idea 363 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 1: that's out there. Yeah, I mean it sounds very truthy. 364 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, I mean we it's it's it kind of 365 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 1: goes back to the idea of arctic madness. Right. It 366 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:55,919 Speaker 1: feels appropriate like it gets a little cold here in 367 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: Atlanta and we start thinking, oh, this this weather is 368 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: driving me crazy. It's it's so it's it's depressing me, 369 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: or it's making me behave radically, it makes me want 370 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,199 Speaker 1: to just shut myself up in my home and not 371 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:10,119 Speaker 1: encounter the outside world. Again. Yeah, it makes your mind 372 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 1: connect naturally to all kinds of anecdotes that you have within, 373 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: you know, some part of your long term memory, stories 374 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 1: about what it's like to be in the in the 375 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: Antarctic research stations, or or these stories about parlernarek Um. 376 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,879 Speaker 1: But yeah, it turns out that this very truthy sounding 377 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,560 Speaker 1: fact that more people commit suicide in the winter is 378 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: not in fact a fact. It is a myth and 379 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: yearly suicide rates do not generally peak in the winter, 380 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:39,399 Speaker 1: but they do appear to have a seasonal peak, and 381 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 1: it's not in the winter, it's in spring and early summer. 382 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,360 Speaker 1: So how much more suicide is there in the spring, Well, 383 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 1: it varies a lot between societies. But according to Fotus Papadopoulos, 384 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,679 Speaker 1: a professor of psychiatry at Uppsala University in Sweden, quote, 385 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,399 Speaker 1: if we take winter as a baseline, there is a 386 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: twenty to sixty higher suicide side rate during spring. That's 387 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:04,119 Speaker 1: a pretty big difference. I mean, that doesn't sound like noise. 388 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 1: That sounds like a real effect. Yeah, I mean it. 389 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: I'm hesitant to try and make too much sense out 390 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,639 Speaker 1: of it, you know, but it does lend itself to 391 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: interpretations of Right, if the winter is about survival, then 392 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: what happens when you get to the other side of 393 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:24,119 Speaker 1: that survival? It's like like managing to cross a rickety 394 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: bridge and you relieve that you made it across that 395 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: bridge without plummeting into the abyss. But here you are 396 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: on the other side, and you have how many more 397 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 1: leads to walk? You know? Um, it's I can imagine 398 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: the other hardships of life kind of opening up again 399 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: for you in a new and perhaps more profound way. Yeah, 400 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,920 Speaker 1: I can see that too. Now, there have been scientific 401 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: attempts to look into what causes this spike in spring 402 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,400 Speaker 1: and early summer for suicide attempts. There was, for example, 403 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: a massive literature review combining the findings of studies from 404 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:02,359 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy nine until two thousand eleven that had to 405 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: do with seasonal variations in suicide and that was by 406 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 1: wu uh Kusaga and Postolache and in the International Journal 407 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: of Environmental Research and Public Health in in the major 408 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: findings uh were Here are a few of them. I 409 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: guess many studies have replicated the finding of a spring 410 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: suicide peak roughly in the April May June region of 411 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: the calendar, and this peak does not exist equally in 412 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: all populations, but shows up with varying intensity among many 413 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 1: or most. There are also summer peaks for some populations. 414 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,879 Speaker 1: In most studies, winter months actually have the lowest rates 415 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,639 Speaker 1: of suicide of the entire year, so when it's the 416 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 1: coldest is when suicide happens the least. Um However, despite 417 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,119 Speaker 1: massive amounts of research, the relationship between seasonal change and 418 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: suicide behavior is still not very well understood, like what 419 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: would cause these seasonal variations. So here are a few 420 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: of the ideas that have been studied. One of them 421 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: is changes in sunlight and temperature. Some studies seem to 422 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: have demonstrated there's actually a positive correlation between suicide and 423 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: exposure to sunlight. That seems kind of counterintuitive, but these 424 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: findings are also disputed. However, a peak in late spring 425 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,240 Speaker 1: and early summer would correlate to the longest days of 426 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: the year. Also, this could be informed by findings that 427 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: suicide is more common among rural populations than urban ones, 428 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: and more common in outdoor workers than indoor workers. It 429 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: also varies a lot by geographical region, so spring peaks 430 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: are found all over the place, but are a varying 431 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: intensity in different countries. For example, there was a n 432 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 1: study that found a very narrow seasonal fluctuation in Canada, 433 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: so the ratio of average spring to winter suicide rates 434 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 1: was one point zero eight, so barely more in spring. 435 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:58,439 Speaker 1: But in the same study in Portugal the ratio was 436 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: one point seven, so you know, getting close to double 437 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,200 Speaker 1: as many in spring. Here's another really odd one. A 438 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:09,400 Speaker 1: series of findings seemed to link suicide rates to spring 439 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:13,639 Speaker 1: allergies and to people with allergies. For example, one of 440 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,160 Speaker 1: these studies was a two thousand four study that found 441 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:18,879 Speaker 1: a correlation between the times of year with peak suicide 442 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: rates and the times of year with the greatest concentration 443 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,479 Speaker 1: of allergenic tree pollen in the air. And that study 444 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 1: was called tree pollen peaks are associated with increased nonviolent 445 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: suicide and women. Now, while these changes show up in 446 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: a lot of countries, UH, there does seem to be 447 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,439 Speaker 1: a flattening effect in recent decades, Like while suicides are 448 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:42,880 Speaker 1: still frequent, recent studies in England, Wales, Hong Kong, Sweden, 449 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:47,520 Speaker 1: and Denmark shows seasonal variation on suicide rates. Uh. Really 450 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: flattening coming down, so there's not as much variation from 451 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: time of the year to another time of the year. 452 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: But in other countries like Finland. In the United States, 453 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,120 Speaker 1: you have a much more persistent seasonal pattern still peaking 454 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:01,800 Speaker 1: in the spring. So that just makes me think about 455 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 1: the rural and an urban distinction that you touched on earlier, 456 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: you know, like, maybe these are these are maybe finling 457 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: in the US. I mean, certainly there's a urbanization going 458 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:17,360 Speaker 1: on in in all major Western cultures, but maybe there's 459 00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:21,479 Speaker 1: still enough of a rural base to to support like 460 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: an uptick in rural environments. Yeah, a lot of times 461 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: people don't think to think about suicide rates as like 462 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 1: a public health question, something that really should be researched 463 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,520 Speaker 1: and understood, and if you can understand the underlying causes 464 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 1: and why and when these things happen, that you could 465 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:41,160 Speaker 1: treat it like a disease that can be treated and prevented. Indeed, 466 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:43,240 Speaker 1: but to get back to the winter thing, the winter 467 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: suicide myth, I'd say that is thoroughly busted. Not only 468 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:48,480 Speaker 1: is it not the peak for suicide in the year, 469 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,920 Speaker 1: it is generally the lowest time in the entire year 470 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 1: for suicide. And I wonder why this myth is so persistent, 471 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,160 Speaker 1: because I think if you'd asked me before I looked 472 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: into it, I would have thought, oh, yeah, yeah, winter time. Well, 473 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: I think part of it, especially here in the United 474 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:06,639 Speaker 1: States and in other Western countries, there's the link with 475 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:11,359 Speaker 1: the holidays, with Christmas, with especially the modern westernized American Christmas, 476 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 1: where it's all it's not as much about surviving the winter, 477 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 1: and it's more about this just unrealistic level of happiness 478 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 1: that you're supposed to feel every time somebody jingles a 479 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 1: jingle bell uh and and it rarely matches up with 480 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:29,720 Speaker 1: our experience of life, much less wide life during during 481 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,480 Speaker 1: the winter. I think that's exactly right. I think that 482 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,480 Speaker 1: there there are two different levels on which this myth 483 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: is sticky. One is the the sort of straightforward truthiness feeling, 484 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,160 Speaker 1: which is that in the winter, it's darker, it's colder, 485 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,440 Speaker 1: and we just associate these atmospheric feelings with low mood, 486 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,679 Speaker 1: and then we associate low mood with things like suicide. 487 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 1: But then also there's the contrarian truthiness, where we think, oh, 488 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: it's you know, the time when everybody's telling you to 489 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: be happy, and actually that's just making everybody more miserable, 490 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,600 Speaker 1: and you're you're trying to get ready to for the holidays, 491 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 1: and this is leading to all this commercialism and stress 492 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 1: and having go to the shopping mall. And so there's 493 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 1: a sort of like fulk level gut feeling that this 494 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:14,119 Speaker 1: is just driving everybody nuts and making people miserable and unhappy. Well, 495 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 1: and it's also wrapped up in some of the culture 496 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: of our Christmas as well. I mean, It's a Wonderful 497 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:23,439 Speaker 1: Life is one of our key American holiday films, and 498 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: it is about a guy who is depressed and contemplating 499 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:31,040 Speaker 1: suicide at Christmas. Yeah, you forget that's a bridge jumping movie. Yeah, 500 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:35,040 Speaker 1: but but on some level it's basically letting it telling everybody, Hey, like, 501 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: suicide at Christmas is uh, it's it's part of Christmas. 502 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,360 Speaker 1: It's in It's in the Christmas movie that you're watching. 503 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 1: So it's Christmas as a as an American holiday sent 504 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 1: of some weirdly mixed messages. Yeah, though, of course we 505 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: should say, no matter what time of year it is, 506 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:55,400 Speaker 1: if you are having suicidal feelings or ideation, you should 507 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: reach out to somebody. You should talk to somebody, let 508 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 1: them know that's right. And hey, if any in out 509 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: there needs to make a call, you can contact the 510 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: National Suicide Preventional Lifeline at two seven, three, eight to five. 511 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: Now here's a cold weather question. Does true or false? Robert, 512 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 1: going out in cold weather can cause you to catch cold? 513 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 1: We hear this in all the time, right God, in 514 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 1: that cold you'll catch your death. But you also here 515 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: nowadays from you know, your skeptical say like that is 516 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: a myth, not true. It's actually more complicated than true 517 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 1: or false. It seems to be somewhere in between. Now, 518 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: of course, we know that the cold itself will not 519 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:37,040 Speaker 1: make you sick. Winner is traditionally known as cold and 520 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,200 Speaker 1: flu season. But we do not live in the you know, 521 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:44,560 Speaker 1: the miasthma theory of disease age anymore, where people thought 522 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 1: that disease was caused by bad air. We live in 523 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: the age of the germ theory of disease. So the 524 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: cold weather itself does not directly cause infection. But winter 525 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 1: months do seem to put us at risk for these 526 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,360 Speaker 1: seasonal epidemics. And it's not an illusion. There are studies 527 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,440 Speaker 1: that show that that these these infection rates really do 528 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 1: go up in the winter, and there are several reasons 529 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: people have hypothesized why that might be. A commonly cited 530 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,600 Speaker 1: hypothesis is that people spend more time indoors huddling together 531 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:17,720 Speaker 1: in winter months due to the cold weather and physical 532 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:20,840 Speaker 1: proximity to other people and touching and stuff can increase 533 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:24,440 Speaker 1: your transmission rate of infectious diseases. Of course, you're generally 534 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,600 Speaker 1: more likely to catch something from somebody you're sharing a 535 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 1: blanket and cuddling with, but there there are also other 536 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,520 Speaker 1: mechanisms that might be operative. For example, there was a 537 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: twenty sixteen study from the Yale School of Medicine that 538 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:38,800 Speaker 1: found that some of the human bodies viral defense mechanisms 539 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 1: are simply less effective at lower temperatures. But there's actually 540 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: a much deeper way that your body adapts to the 541 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: germ threats of winter months. The change in seasons is 542 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:51,480 Speaker 1: in your DNA. Alright, we're gonna take a quick break 543 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 1: and we come back. We will dive into this. Uh. 544 00:30:54,680 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 1: This alarming notion that that that winter changes our genetic expression. 545 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 1: Thank thank you, thank you. All right, we're back. So 546 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 1: we tend to think of our d N A is 547 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,640 Speaker 1: being safe from the winter. I would think, you know, 548 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,840 Speaker 1: I had not really thought about this previously. I mean, 549 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:14,640 Speaker 1: you tend to think of your d n A as 550 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:18,000 Speaker 1: being safe from pretty much everything except you know that 551 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 1: which would cause mutations or uh maybe maybe maybe you're 552 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 1: not safe from cosmic rays. Maybe you're not safe from 553 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 1: X ray bombardment, but you are at least safe from 554 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 1: the seasons down in your very d n A. But no, 555 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 1: it turns out o our d n A. While the 556 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: basic genome does not tend to change the way it's expressed, 557 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 1: does tend to change based on a lot of different factors. 558 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:43,520 Speaker 1: And I'll explain what that means in a minute. So 559 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: a study in Nature Communications found that roughly twenty three 560 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: of the genes found in human white blood cells and 561 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: adipose tissue change their expression depending on the change in seasons. Now, 562 00:31:57,800 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 1: if you if you've read about this before, you might 563 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: have headlines like your DNA changes in the winter that 564 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,080 Speaker 1: maybe you know, if you're being generous, that could be 565 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,320 Speaker 1: thought of as correct, but it could also meeting misleadingly 566 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: implied that the literal code of the genome is altered, 567 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,600 Speaker 1: and that's not the case. So we should explain the 568 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:20,280 Speaker 1: difference between the genome itself and gene expression. Your genes 569 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 1: are sequences of DNA code found in the cells in 570 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: your body, and the genes generally don't change unless there's 571 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 1: a mutation. What changes is the expression of individual genes 572 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:38,040 Speaker 1: and gene expression. Whenever you hear gene expression, you can 573 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:42,360 Speaker 1: sort of think of that as genes doing something. Gene 574 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,400 Speaker 1: expression is when the code inside a gene is chemically 575 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 1: translated into a product like a protein or a string 576 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: of RNA, usually a protein that does something inside the body. 577 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:56,719 Speaker 1: And gene expression is how the genome makes things happen. 578 00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:00,000 Speaker 1: So if there are changes in which genes get express 579 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 1: st and when this leads to changes in the body. Yeah, 580 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 1: I often think about this and about the you know, 581 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: just epigenetic changes in general as being kind of like 582 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,520 Speaker 1: the settings in a video game, particularly in a simulation game. 583 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:16,960 Speaker 1: We have all these various realism toggles you can switch 584 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:20,160 Speaker 1: on and off, and they ultimately affect how the game 585 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,760 Speaker 1: manifests to the player. Yeah, or you can think about 586 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 1: I mean to follow the video game analogy. Another way 587 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: you can think of it is that the code of 588 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 1: the video game does not change. That like the programming 589 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 1: code that creates the game is set, but different parts 590 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:36,600 Speaker 1: of it are executing at different times, and so the 591 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 1: expression is sort of like the execution of a line 592 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 1: of code. So what's the chemical basis for gene expression. Well, 593 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,640 Speaker 1: genes are expressed when they get exposed to another chemical 594 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: called messenger RNA or mRNA, and the mRNA reads the 595 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 1: code and the genes and uses it to set off 596 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 1: a process that creates proteins that lead to changes within 597 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 1: and between cells. So the quest and then would be 598 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 1: how come mr and A isn't constantly reading all of 599 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,080 Speaker 1: our genes at once all the time and setting off 600 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:11,800 Speaker 1: these these protein creating processes all the time. Well, here's 601 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:15,879 Speaker 1: one reason. There are tons of genes inside a cell 602 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:20,160 Speaker 1: nucleus of a eukaryotic organism, and the body fits them 603 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:24,880 Speaker 1: in there by coiling them tightly around alkaline proteins called 604 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 1: his stones. Now, if you've seen a picture of this before, 605 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,799 Speaker 1: it's often compared to beads along a string. That's kind 606 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:36,520 Speaker 1: of what it looks like. The DNA associates very easily 607 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:39,160 Speaker 1: with the his stones because the DNA is negatively charged 608 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 1: and the his stones are positively charged. And a gene 609 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:46,400 Speaker 1: from this coiled strand of DNA that coils around the 610 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,800 Speaker 1: his stones gets expressed when it picks up a methyl marker, 611 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:53,359 Speaker 1: which makes it loosen from the his stone core. And 612 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 1: once it loosens and uncoils, the DNA can match up 613 00:34:56,560 --> 00:35:00,799 Speaker 1: with mRNA and then undergo expression, which, as we said, 614 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:04,520 Speaker 1: generally means making proteins, which means something is happening. So 615 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:07,880 Speaker 1: all kinds of triggers lead to changes in gene expression, 616 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 1: which genes are are sort of like being brought forth 617 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:14,399 Speaker 1: to manufacture their will on the world. One example, it's 618 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,279 Speaker 1: been shown in a lot of context that some gene 619 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:20,440 Speaker 1: expression changes occur over the natural day night cycle. In 620 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:22,799 Speaker 1: the morning, you're going to be expressing some genes and 621 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:25,839 Speaker 1: then at night you're going to be expressing others. Uh So, 622 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,239 Speaker 1: for example, if you're studying what genes are being expressed 623 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:31,480 Speaker 1: in a sample of tissue, it could actually matter what 624 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,239 Speaker 1: time of day you take the sample. So one of 625 00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:37,120 Speaker 1: the authors of this sixteen study I mentioned earlier, the 626 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:42,040 Speaker 1: Cambridge immuno geneticist Chris Wallace, told Wired Magazine in a 627 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,960 Speaker 1: good article about this quote, we knew that there's some 628 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,799 Speaker 1: genes that change their expression throughout the day. Then it 629 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: hit us, lam, what is the effect on genes of 630 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:55,080 Speaker 1: the length of the day throughout the year, great piece 631 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: of deductive reasoning. So of course it's leading to experiments. 632 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:02,400 Speaker 1: Wallace inter colleagues compare findings from several studies which tracked 633 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:07,040 Speaker 1: gene expression in populations from different times of the year 634 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 1: in both the northern and southern hemispheres, in the countries 635 00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:15,239 Speaker 1: where Germany, Australia, the US, the UK, Iceland, and the Gambia. 636 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: And of course, as we we've said before, this matter 637 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:20,840 Speaker 1: is because in the northern and southern hemispheres, winter and 638 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: summer are reversed, so in the summer hemisphere it's summer 639 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:27,240 Speaker 1: in January and winter in July. And this helps because 640 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:30,319 Speaker 1: it allows you to isolate that any differences really were 641 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:33,640 Speaker 1: caused by natural changes in the seasons and not probably 642 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:37,160 Speaker 1: by human cultural factors like the calendar or the month 643 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:39,319 Speaker 1: or something like that. So they found that in these 644 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,280 Speaker 1: white blood cells there were thousands of genes that showed 645 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:46,359 Speaker 1: seasonal changes in expression. Uh, there were two thousand, three 646 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:50,279 Speaker 1: hundred eleven summer genes they identified and two thousand, eight 647 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty six winter genes, and it looks like 648 00:36:53,239 --> 00:36:56,480 Speaker 1: most of these changes had to do with immune system 649 00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 1: of function. Now, of course they were looking at white 650 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:02,560 Speaker 1: blood cells as if the immune system we're ramping up 651 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,360 Speaker 1: inflammation responses to deal with the germ threat of winter. 652 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:10,319 Speaker 1: And in the samples from tropical Gambia, the changes for 653 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:14,000 Speaker 1: immune system gene expression came not during winter, but during 654 00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:17,440 Speaker 1: the rainy season when people are exposed to the greatest 655 00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:20,319 Speaker 1: risk of malaria. So what we're seeing here is that 656 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,040 Speaker 1: the body does have some kind of seasonal changes in 657 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:27,080 Speaker 1: the way that it expresses your genome, different parts of 658 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 1: the code that makes you you get activated depending on 659 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,680 Speaker 1: what time of the year it is, uh and on 660 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:35,960 Speaker 1: you know, not so much what time of the year 661 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:39,000 Speaker 1: it is, but the seasonal triggers around you in the environment. 662 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:41,600 Speaker 1: And one of the things that this is very tightly 663 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:45,839 Speaker 1: controlling is the inflammation response. Now, the inflammation response, as 664 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,440 Speaker 1: we know, it helps keep us from getting sick. It's 665 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:53,640 Speaker 1: very primitive, ancient type of immune response. It's not very pleasant, 666 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,640 Speaker 1: but it does help keep you know, germs and stuff 667 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:59,400 Speaker 1: from destroying your body. But as we also know, inflammation 668 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,520 Speaker 1: can lead to all kinds of other health problems. It 669 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:07,360 Speaker 1: can lead to metabolic problems, it can lead to arthritis. 670 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:11,000 Speaker 1: You know, it's implicated in wide ranging medical problems. So 671 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:12,719 Speaker 1: this sort of opens up a door into a whole 672 00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:15,880 Speaker 1: arena of new research that could take place about how 673 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:19,320 Speaker 1: our genes are not just helping defend us from these 674 00:38:19,719 --> 00:38:23,839 Speaker 1: seasonal epidemics, but also in how they put us at risk. Now. 675 00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:26,840 Speaker 1: Earlier we mentioned the idea that there are certain like 676 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:31,520 Speaker 1: cardiovascular problems that people have increased risk of of of 677 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 1: dying from in the winter, and this also seems to 678 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:39,319 Speaker 1: indicate that there are inflammation related problems that could really 679 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 1: put us at risk in these months, and maybe studying 680 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:43,839 Speaker 1: the way our genes change over the seasons could help 681 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:47,600 Speaker 1: figure out ways help us figure out ways to protect us. Now, 682 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 1: a question in the study, of course, is what exactly 683 00:38:50,239 --> 00:38:53,279 Speaker 1: triggers the change in gene expression. Is it the temperature, 684 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:55,879 Speaker 1: is it the length of the days and how much 685 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:59,440 Speaker 1: the body has access to sunlight, or could it be 686 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,000 Speaker 1: something else? I mean, maybe it's not impossible. There could 687 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:05,200 Speaker 1: be some kind of cultural practices that that trigger this, 688 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,279 Speaker 1: but it doesn't seem likely because it's manifested across so 689 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: many different countries and regions. Yeah, it would be different 690 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:13,800 Speaker 1: there if there's a group where they eat a particular 691 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:17,319 Speaker 1: pickled fish during the winter, and you could you could 692 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:19,960 Speaker 1: potentially blame it all on that one pickled fish totally. 693 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:23,680 Speaker 1: So the traditions that cast us as seasonal shape shifters 694 00:39:23,719 --> 00:39:27,400 Speaker 1: are in many ways literally correct. There are ways in 695 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:31,080 Speaker 1: which our bodies are adapting to these seasonal changes to 696 00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:34,120 Speaker 1: make us a different kind of animal when the winter 697 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,200 Speaker 1: sets in. Isn't that interesting? I mean, not only does 698 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:40,440 Speaker 1: it back up this idea that there there is a 699 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:44,000 Speaker 1: winter self in some ways, but it also just drives 700 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:48,200 Speaker 1: home the the ever changing nature of of of the 701 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:51,680 Speaker 1: human being. You know, not just not just in in 702 00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:54,360 Speaker 1: our thoughts and our memories, but not just in the 703 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,600 Speaker 1: aging of the body and the acquiring and the healing 704 00:39:57,719 --> 00:40:02,440 Speaker 1: of injuries or or illnesses, but that our our body 705 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:06,839 Speaker 1: is going through cyclical phases in order to keep up 706 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:09,920 Speaker 1: and thrive within the seasons of our environment, even if 707 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:13,200 Speaker 1: we don't actually hibernate. Now here's the question I really 708 00:40:13,239 --> 00:40:16,720 Speaker 1: want to understand. What is the biological mechanism that forces 709 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:20,840 Speaker 1: humans to continually make new adaptations of Charles Dickens, a 710 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:25,600 Speaker 1: Christmas Carol starring the cast of pre existing franchises of cartoons, 711 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,520 Speaker 1: well you got flint Stones, You've got Mr Magoo, you 712 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:33,759 Speaker 1: got uh. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I bet there's 713 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,279 Speaker 1: like a Jetson's Christmas Carol. Was it really a flint 714 00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:39,120 Speaker 1: Stone's Christmas Carrol? Yeah, there's a flint Stones. There's famously 715 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 1: a Mickey Christmas Carol. Yeah, yeah for me and Muppets. 716 00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:46,520 Speaker 1: Muppets for me. I really only have two that I get, 717 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:49,640 Speaker 1: really only one. It's got to be the musical Scrooge. 718 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:53,000 Speaker 1: One of the few musicals that I enjoy uh to 719 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:56,759 Speaker 1: this day is is the Albert Finney. Albert Finney is Scrooge, 720 00:40:57,120 --> 00:40:59,560 Speaker 1: and that the film all has wonderful songs and also 721 00:40:59,719 --> 00:41:03,320 Speaker 1: like one of the darker visions of the supernatural elements 722 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:06,239 Speaker 1: found in a Christmas Carol, like that the ghosts are 723 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:11,920 Speaker 1: all tremendously frightening. Um Alec Guinness plays Marley, and I 724 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:14,479 Speaker 1: believe that even muscular devil show up. There's a scene 725 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:17,680 Speaker 1: where Scrooge is in hell and having to deal with 726 00:41:17,719 --> 00:41:20,440 Speaker 1: the chains of hell, and you have all these muscular 727 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:24,799 Speaker 1: red devils trooping around. That's awesome. Have you ever seen 728 00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:29,040 Speaker 1: the nineteen forty nine vincent Price Christmas Carol? What no 729 00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:31,680 Speaker 1: I had no idea he ever played No, no, no, 730 00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 1: I don't get excited. He doesn't play Scrooge. He just 731 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:37,320 Speaker 1: shows up holding a book and it's like, well, Charles 732 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:41,959 Speaker 1: Dickens and sort of introduces it. It's it's worth a watch. 733 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:45,840 Speaker 1: It's on YouTube. It's hilarious. It's uh, probably the worst 734 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:48,479 Speaker 1: adaptation of a Christmas Carol I've ever seen. A list 735 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:52,880 Speaker 1: of issues include it spells Ebeneezer wrong in the opening credits, 736 00:41:53,239 --> 00:41:55,239 Speaker 1: It gets the title of the book wrong. It is 737 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:59,239 Speaker 1: called the Christmas Carol. You can sometimes see like the 738 00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:02,400 Speaker 1: Wrong Side have set walls, so there's just like beams 739 00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:05,680 Speaker 1: holding up the walls of the set, and their Scrooge 740 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:11,160 Speaker 1: is this guy who's like krish Mesh, Hey, creish Mesh. Now, 741 00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:13,040 Speaker 1: now here's the here's the question. You see so many 742 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:15,920 Speaker 1: different actors who have played Dracula, so many different actors 743 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:19,120 Speaker 1: have played Scrooge. But how many actors can you think 744 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:21,640 Speaker 1: I have played both? The only one that comes to 745 00:42:21,719 --> 00:42:24,439 Speaker 1: my mind off hand is Jack Palince, WHOA that's good. 746 00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:27,920 Speaker 1: Was Michael Caine ever Dracula? Oh No, I don't think 747 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:30,319 Speaker 1: he was. It seems like it seems like he could. 748 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:32,520 Speaker 1: He easily could have been Kane could have played Dracula. 749 00:42:32,560 --> 00:42:36,279 Speaker 1: But I go through the others like um, has uh 750 00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:42,600 Speaker 1: Albert Finney ever played Dracula? Knowledge has has Luis Jordan 751 00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:45,920 Speaker 1: ever played Scrooge? No? I don't think there's ever been 752 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:48,839 Speaker 1: a French Scrooge. Likewise, like all the Draculas and all 753 00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 1: the Scrooges, there seems to be very little overlap between 754 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:54,440 Speaker 1: the two roles much, you know, much less the characters. 755 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's ever made a Christmas Carol with 756 00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:00,560 Speaker 1: Dracula in it was Gary Oldman? Ever Scrooge? I don't 757 00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:03,320 Speaker 1: think he was, But again, there's no reason why he shouldn't. 758 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:07,040 Speaker 1: He's played Churchill, and I believe what Albert Finney's played Churchill. 759 00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:10,080 Speaker 1: So it's there's there's every reason in the world that 760 00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:12,239 Speaker 1: you would see more crossover between these two roles. Do 761 00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:14,800 Speaker 1: you hear about the upcoming Christmas Carol with Christian Bale 762 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:17,200 Speaker 1: is Scrooge? Is that true? Is that real? No? I'm 763 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:20,920 Speaker 1: missing because Christian Pale they all ever played Dracula. I 764 00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 1: guess not. He's got to choose, right, there's some hidden, 765 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 1: like hooded council that decides whether you get to play 766 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:31,680 Speaker 1: Scrooge or Dracula, and unless you're Jack Talents, you cannot 767 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:36,080 Speaker 1: choose both. We're just digging ourselves deeper and deeper. All right, Well, 768 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:38,799 Speaker 1: this week I feel like we've we've really had a 769 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:42,080 Speaker 1: fabricous exploration here of of how we think about our 770 00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:46,640 Speaker 1: winter selves, how we culturally frame our winter selves in 771 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:50,640 Speaker 1: some cases, and then what our body is actually doing 772 00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:52,880 Speaker 1: during the winter. What is it doing differently, how is 773 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:58,040 Speaker 1: it adapting, how is it behaving within different parameters, and 774 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:00,520 Speaker 1: what those two different things we have to do with 775 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,520 Speaker 1: each other. Yeah. So I would suggest for listeners out there, 776 00:44:03,640 --> 00:44:05,880 Speaker 1: one thing you might want to try this winter is 777 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:08,720 Speaker 1: come up with the new winter name for yourself. Yes, 778 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:12,879 Speaker 1: I like this, either an adaptation of your existing name 779 00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:17,000 Speaker 1: or just something altogether new but fitting for the winter you. 780 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:19,640 Speaker 1: Maybe it's just your name but with a W as 781 00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:23,520 Speaker 1: the first letter. Yeah, so Woe and Wobert. Yeah. Or 782 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:26,080 Speaker 1: it could be more like, really more of a title 783 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:30,080 Speaker 1: that defines what you do. Like he who binge watches 784 00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:32,600 Speaker 1: Netflix and eats chili, that's sort of a thing. He 785 00:44:32,680 --> 00:44:36,759 Speaker 1: who foolishly buys fresh tomatoes in the winter, that's a 786 00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:38,960 Speaker 1: good one. But hey, we'd love to hear from all 787 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:41,120 Speaker 1: of you out there. What would your winter name be? 788 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:44,560 Speaker 1: And indeed, how is the winter you different from the 789 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:48,080 Speaker 1: summer you? Do you experience seasonal effective disorder? Uh? Do 790 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:51,279 Speaker 1: you think you have seasonal effective disorder? Either way, let 791 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:53,239 Speaker 1: us know we would love to hear from you. Oh 792 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:57,040 Speaker 1: and especially if we have any listeners with Quakua heritage, 793 00:44:57,200 --> 00:44:59,040 Speaker 1: I would love to hear from you with your thoughts 794 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:03,000 Speaker 1: about these or ceremonial traditions. Indeed, in the meantime, you 795 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:05,560 Speaker 1: can always check out past episodes of Stuff to Blow 796 00:45:05,600 --> 00:45:07,799 Speaker 1: Your Mind at stuff to Blow your Mind dot Com. 797 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:10,680 Speaker 1: You'll also find links out to our various social media 798 00:45:10,680 --> 00:45:15,120 Speaker 1: accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, and Instagram. As always, 799 00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:19,080 Speaker 1: big thanks to our audio producers Alex Williams and Tory Harrison. 800 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:21,400 Speaker 1: And if you want to get in touch with us directly, 801 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:24,120 Speaker 1: as always, you can email us at Blow the Mind 802 00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:37,520 Speaker 1: at how staff works dot com for more on this 803 00:45:37,680 --> 00:45:40,200 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Does it how stuff works 804 00:45:40,200 --> 00:46:01,080 Speaker 1: dot com starts my b