1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,519 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what Will, What's that Mango? I was 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: looking through the Ignoble Prizes, which released this week, and 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: for those who don't know, these are funny prizes that 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 1: honor academic papers that are so surprising that they make 6 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 1: people laugh and then think. And one of the articles 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: that caught my attention was a Peace Prize that they 8 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: gave out for studying the pleasure ability of scratching an itch. 9 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 2: I do love that they gave out a Peace prize 10 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 2: for this, but like, what did the scientists actually find 11 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 2: in a study? 12 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: So apparently they were looking into when you itch, what 13 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: areas that you can scratch our most satisfying. So they 14 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 1: looked at a few areas and triggered scratching in people 15 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: in those places, and they came to the conclusion that 16 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: the places where a little scratching is most satisfying is 17 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: on your back. 18 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 2: Mm hmm. I could have guessed that a backscratch obviously 19 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: feels amazing. 20 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: But the other place of high pleasure your ability was 21 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: the ankle. If you get a mosquito bite, for instance, 22 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: on your ankle, scratching it results in the most satisfaction, 23 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: and apparently the higher the scratch on your foot, like 24 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,199 Speaker 1: the closer it is to the ankle, the more satisfying 25 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: it is. 26 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 2: You know, I think if you had asked me, like 27 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 2: where the most pleasurable place to scratch an itch was, 28 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 2: the ankle might have been tenth on my list. But 29 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 2: now that you're saying it, and especially when you say 30 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: mosquito bite, I actually sort of get it. It makes sense. 31 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I'm so lucky it enough to quiz you 32 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: on all the other. 33 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 2: Places that you I can name the others, actually I'll 34 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 2: put to I'll email you a list. 35 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: But all this reading about itching and scratching made you 36 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: want to look into the science of itches, like why 37 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: do we itch? Why does it feel so good to scratch? 38 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: And what's our body trying to tell us from all 39 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: of this? So let's dive in. 40 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 2: Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm 41 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 2: Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good 42 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 2: pal Mangas shot Ticketerter and sitting behind that big booth, 43 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 2: and he's always up to something interesting. This week, he's 44 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 2: got a whole bunch of posters behind him, and actually 45 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 2: these appeared to be homemade but very professional posters behind him, 46 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 2: one of them of Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons, 47 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,679 Speaker 2: one of them the character poison Ivy from Batman. Sorry, 48 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 2: that one took me a minute. And then I think 49 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 2: that's a poster of the musician Lee scratch Perry. 50 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: Is that the okay? All right? 51 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 2: All because we are doing an episode on itching, So 52 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 2: well done, Dylan. That's our wonderful producer, Dylan Fagin. 53 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: Actually, you know, before we start talking about this, I 54 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: love that he's got that Itchy and Scratchy poster up there. 55 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: And I read this thing about how sometimes the Simpson 56 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: writers used to use the Itchy and Scratchy cart tune 57 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: just for inside jokes. And there's this one episode where 58 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: the writers added a character called Puuci to the mix, 59 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,399 Speaker 1: so it was like Itchy and Scratchy and Poucy because 60 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: apparently a focus group had recommended that they add another character, 61 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: and the whole show ends up being a disaster. But 62 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: what I didn't realize was that it was basically making 63 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: fun of the fact that I think this was in 64 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: the eighth season. The execs at Fox asked the Simpsons 65 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: writers to add a teenager to the family because they 66 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: thought it would I guess make the show more lively 67 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: or something. And the Simpsons writers refused, but they decided 68 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: to mock it on the show in Itchy and Scratchy, 69 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: which I just think it. 70 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 2: So fun. 71 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: Anyway, I had to throw that tangent in there. But 72 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: let's get started, all right. 73 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 2: Well, one of the things that I wanted to look 74 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 2: into is why we say we're itching to do something, 75 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 2: like when we're eager to do something, and it actually 76 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: comes back to Latin so weirdly, on our skin, we 77 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 2: have these special itch sensing nerve endings and when they 78 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 2: get stimulated, this is whether it's by mechanical, thermal, or 79 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 2: chemical mediators, we get an itching sensation. So those nerve 80 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 2: endings are called pre receptors. And in fact, the scientific 81 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 2: word for itching is proitis. 82 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: I actually love when the scientific words for things are 83 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: so different, Like apparently the scientific word for burping is eructation. 84 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: Is it? Really? 85 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 2: I did not know that? 86 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: So tell me a little bit about proritis. 87 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: All right. Well, Proitis comes from the Latin word periray, 88 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 2: which means to itch or to long for it's hard 89 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 2: to say, but that's what it means. 90 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: So the idea of longing and desire is linked with 91 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: this physical sensation of itching. 92 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's exactly right. And you know it makes sense 93 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 2: because when you have an itch, you feel like you 94 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 2: have to scratch it. Actually, the first recorded definition of 95 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 2: an itch came from a German physician named Samuel Hoffenreffer 96 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 2: back in sixteen sixty. So he defined an itch as quote, 97 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 2: any unpleasant sensation that elicits the desire or reflex to 98 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 2: scratch or put another If you're scratching something, then the 99 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 2: sensation that provoked it is, by definition an itch. 100 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: Can you talk about that itch pain relationship a little more? 101 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,359 Speaker 2: Mm hmm. There's a complex relationship between itching and pain. 102 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 2: The pure receptors I mentioned before are on the end 103 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 2: of specialized nerve cells called sea fibers, and these sea 104 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 2: fibers are identical to those associated with the sensation of pain, 105 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 2: but they are functionally different because they only convey the 106 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 2: itch sensation. So when they're stimulated on the skin, these 107 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 2: sea fibers carry signals along the nerve to the spinal 108 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 2: cord and onto the brain of course, and that's where 109 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 2: they're processed and that generates this scratching or rubbing reflex 110 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 2: response to that itch. 111 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: But why is our reflex to scratch it? 112 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 2: Well, scratching it interferes with the sensations arising from these 113 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 2: pure receptors, And this is the interesting part. They do 114 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 2: this by stimulating various pain receptors in the same areas, 115 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 2: so the pain is almost like a save for the itching. 116 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:58,919 Speaker 2: And you know, it's not just scratching that will stop 117 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 2: an itch, like other pain full stuff like heat or capsation. 118 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 2: Of course, the hot stuff and peppers or even electrical 119 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 2: shocks can stop itching. I don't know that you'd want 120 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 2: to take it to that length, but turns out that 121 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,039 Speaker 2: does work. But you know, pain can stop an itch. 122 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 2: But it's unclear whether the pain and itching are separate 123 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: sensations or like the same sensation. But I don't know, 124 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 2: just less. 125 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 1: Can you talk about that relationship a little more. 126 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 2: There's basically two theories about how this works. So there's 127 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 2: the intensity theory and the specificity theory. So the intensity 128 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 2: theory states that the skin is studded with this array 129 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 2: of nerve endings called no susceptors. Now, their job is 130 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 2: to relay information about the presence of potentially damaging stimuli 131 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 2: to the spinal cord and the brain, and so a 132 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 2: weak assault on these neurons result in an itch, while 133 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 2: a fully fledged attack results in pain. 134 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: So, like you said, the same sensation but less. 135 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 2: I nailed it, and I'm glad you understand it now. 136 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,679 Speaker 2: But you know, the specificity theory states that some neurons 137 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 2: are responsible for pain while a different set cares about 138 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 2: an itch. Or alternatively, it could be that there's a 139 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 2: single set of neurons responsible for no susception, but that 140 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 2: they somehow tell the difference between stimuli that are itchy 141 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 2: and those that hurt. 142 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: But you would never scratch something that's just hurting you, right, 143 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: Like you don't stub your toe and then scratch at 144 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: it to stop. 145 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 2: The pain, right, I mean, there are distinct sensations that 146 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 2: elicit these very distinct reactions. So when something hurts, our 147 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 2: body responds, you know, with their withdrawal reflex. But you know, 148 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 2: think about it. You put your hand over a fire, 149 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 2: the pain makes you yank it back, but the scratching 150 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 2: reflex brings attention toward rather than away from, the affected skin. 151 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 2: And you know this is probably evolutionary, like if you're 152 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 2: looking closer at a quick scratch, or even just mindlessly 153 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 2: scratching at something, it's pretty effective at removing an insect 154 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 2: or other unwanted material from your skin or your hair. 155 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 2: So it actually works. 156 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's interesting about a scratch drawing attention to your 157 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: skin or your body. 158 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, And so here's how it works. Like, when something 159 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 2: bothers the skin, like a mosquito bite, the cells release 160 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 2: a chemical, usually a histamine, as an immune response to this, 161 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 2: and that release provokes the no susceptors in the skin 162 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 2: to send a message to the spine, which then relays 163 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 2: the message through a bundle of nerves called the spinathalmic 164 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 2: tract all the way up to the brain. So, in 165 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 2: two thousand and nine, this group of researchers use the 166 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 2: histamine injection to make the legs of their non human 167 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 2: primates itch while an electrode monitored what happened inside those tracks. 168 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,199 Speaker 2: And as soon as the histamine was injected, the neurons 169 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 2: started firing faster. So when the researchers offered up a 170 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 2: few scratches, those neurons slowed their fire. And what those 171 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 2: electrodes showed them was that the scratching actually does its 172 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 2: work in the spinal cord rather than the brain. 173 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 1: So I'm actually glad that you brought up that spine 174 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: itch connection because I saw something about that in my 175 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: research and decided to look into it a little more. 176 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: But before we get into that, let's take a quick break. 177 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 2: Welcome back to Part Time Genius, where we're talking all 178 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 2: things itchy. So, Mango, you were just about to talk 179 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 2: about the connection between the spine and itches. 180 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,079 Speaker 1: Yeah, So this discovery comes from two thousand and seven, 181 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 1: when a professor and researcher named Jufeng Chen at the 182 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: Washington University School of Medicine led a team that was 183 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: looking into the role of a specific receptor called GRPR. 184 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 1: It's the gastrin releasing peptide receptor, and he was trying 185 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 1: to figure out what it had to do with itching. Now, 186 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: no one had really studied itch as separate from pain 187 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 1: before two thousand and seven, but Chen and his team 188 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: were looking at mice that were missing the GRPR gene 189 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: to see if they reacted differently to pain stimuli than 190 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: normal mice did. And while they didn't react any differently 191 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: to pain when they stimulated the GRPR, normal mice. The 192 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: mice starts scratching themselves as if they had this really 193 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: bad itch, and that's how they figured out that the 194 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: pain sensation and the itch sensation are mediated by separate 195 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: sets of genes in the spinal cord, which means potentially 196 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: that drugs can actually be used to suppress the itch 197 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: sensation without affecting the pain sensation. And that's particularly important 198 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: because pain can be kind of this like protective queue 199 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: that warns of danger. So it'd be great to have 200 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: this anti itch medication that doesn't compromise our pain sense 201 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: and capability. 202 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that makes sense. It's best to be 203 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 2: less itchy and safe ideally. 204 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, but Chen didn't stop there. So ten years later, 205 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: in twenty seventeen, his teammate another really interesting discovery about itchiness. 206 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,840 Speaker 2: I keep itching, just talking about itching. It's almost like 207 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 2: when you're in a place and you're not supposed to laugh, 208 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 2: and then you can't help but laugh. That that is 209 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 2: the experience I'm having. I don't know about. 210 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 1: Youah, yeah, totally. I want to scratch my head so badly, right, yeah, 211 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: And it's funny because us, you know, his team actually 212 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: was the ones that discovered that itchiness is contagious. So 213 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: they did this experiment with two different groups of mice. 214 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,320 Speaker 1: And I'm not sure why it's always mice. It's never 215 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: like a group of frat guys who lives in Williamsburg. 216 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: But the researchers bred one group of mice to be 217 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: chronically itchy, and then they put the itchy mice in 218 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: a cage next to normal mice, and then they recorded 219 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 1: hours and hours of both sets of mice, and when 220 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: they analyzed the footage, they discovered that the normal mice, 221 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: just by observing the chronically itchy mice scratching, scratched themselves 222 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: twice as much. Basically, the normal mice became twice as itchy. 223 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 2: Imagine what fund we could have making other people scratch themselves, 224 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 2: Mango like, All we have to do is stand around 225 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 2: them for hours scratching ourselves. 226 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: It sounds like a really good use of time. But 227 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 1: it turns out there are other ways to get people 228 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: to itch too. So in nineteen ninety nine, German researchers 229 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: found that just listening to a lecture about itching made 230 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: the audience itch and start to scratch themselves. And the 231 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:02,080 Speaker 1: aim of the lecturers is to present an itch inducing lectures. 232 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: So they showed all these slides that induce scratching, right, 233 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: like pictures of fleas mites, allergic reactions. Then they showed 234 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,439 Speaker 1: slides that induced relaxation and a sense of well being. 235 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,679 Speaker 1: So they showed like pictures of baby skin and soft 236 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 1: down and a mother with a child in her arms, 237 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,720 Speaker 1: and they discovered a few fascinating things. So first the 238 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: self reported itch sensation and all this observed scratching increased 239 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,839 Speaker 1: after they showed those first set of pictures. But after 240 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: hearing the lectures, discussed the next set of things and 241 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 1: showing those other pictures, the observed scratching decreased. So you 242 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: can actually lower the itch sensation when you show calm 243 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: soothing pictures. 244 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 2: I've never really thought about it, like working in reverse, 245 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 2: So you could potentially soothe an itch by looking at 246 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 2: calming images. 247 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, but I guess the question is like, would you 248 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: want to do that? 249 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 2: What do you mean? 250 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: So? I mean, itch remedies are great, but sometimes itching 251 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:02,319 Speaker 1: is medically necessary, right, and sometimes isn't the best feeling 252 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: of the world, like a really good backscratch. I mean, 253 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: people have been talking about this forever. In a nineteen 254 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: forty eight paper in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. This 255 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: neurophysiologist George Bishop wrote, quote, scratching an itch with a 256 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: violence that would cause pain elsewhere maybe experienced as one 257 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: of the most exquisite pleasures. And the poet Ogden Nash 258 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: once said, quote, happiness is having a scratch for every itch. 259 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 2: I mean, that's definitely true. But you know, like the 260 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 2: pleasure and pain cocktail of an itch is, it's pretty complicated. 261 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 2: Like patients with exema have reported that they scratch not 262 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 2: until the itch has subsided, but until it no longer 263 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 2: feels good to scratch, So it's a little different. 264 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes sense, although it seems like, you know, 265 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:47,559 Speaker 1: that could exacerbate the skin conditions. 266 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, not only that, but chronic itching can cause 267 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 2: psychological distress, and this is something we really don't think 268 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 2: about that much, but there's a stigma associated with skin 269 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:00,600 Speaker 2: disorders and scratching. So one study interviewed adults with chronic 270 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 2: itching conditions, and almost all of them said that itching 271 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:08,160 Speaker 2: had profound emotional effects, such as depression or guilt or 272 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,200 Speaker 2: panic and you know, sometimes feeling isolated because the resulting 273 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 2: scratching elicited such negative responses. From other people, and it 274 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 2: might even have historical roots, like in early European medical practices, 275 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 2: and itch wasn't just equated with an effectious disease. It 276 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 2: also conveyed these moral lapses, like like a lack of 277 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 2: hygiene or social inferiority. So there was a lot wrapped 278 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 2: up in it. 279 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense about the social 280 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: history that you know. I this just reminded me of 281 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: a story when Henry was like three years old. We 282 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: had this couple over to our house for dinner, and 283 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: we were all sitting downstairs and we put Henry to bed, 284 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: or we thought we'd put Henry to bed, and then 285 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:50,760 Speaker 1: like he walks down completely naked. He's like years old, 286 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: and he goes, guys, I got examat. Oh no, I 287 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: don't even know how we learned the word examon and 288 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 1: where his clothes were, but it was Yeah. 289 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 2: So like, weirdly that sort of thing is not socially 290 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 2: acceptable to just walk into a room naked and announce that. 291 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 2: So it's just I see what we're talking about here. 292 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 2: But I mean, you know it, you think back to 293 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 2: when humans learn to associate certain things with disease, like 294 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 2: around scratching, or as we're talking about here, that can 295 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 2: actually trigger a physical disgust response, which is unfortunate, but 296 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 2: that is what happens. 297 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, it seems like something everyone should be able to 298 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 1: empathize with because wind to scratch an itch is universal. 299 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: But obviously there's acceptable scratching and unacceptable scratching, right right, And. 300 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 2: Then there's this itches that don't respond like even to 301 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 2: excessive scratching, meaning you could scratch and scratch and never 302 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 2: actually get at these itches. 303 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, which sounds like torture. 304 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 2: No, I really does. And there's actually something called a 305 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 2: neuropathic or neurological itch which is a type of itch 306 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 2: under the skin that you actually can't scratch to relieve 307 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 2: because it's caused by nerve damage rather than issues related 308 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:02,240 Speaker 2: to the skin, and it can be caused by things 309 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 2: like diabetes or shingles, brain lesions, or liver diseases. There's 310 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 2: you know a host of other things that can lead 311 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 2: to this, and you know, the itch tends to be 312 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 2: chronic and difficult to treat, and there's really not much 313 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 2: you can do about it. 314 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: Yeah. I remember there was like a New Yorker piece 315 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 1: about a woman who had an itch on her skull, 316 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: and she just couldn't stop scratching at it, and it 317 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: just like led to all sorts of issues, which just 318 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,080 Speaker 1: sounds miserable, but you know, there are also things that 319 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 1: are kind of the opposite of that. In the nineteen fifties, 320 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: there was this scientist named J. R. Traver who suffered 321 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: from a condition called delusional parasitosis. It's this condition where 322 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: people have become convinced that they're infested with parasites, which 323 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: leads to itching. And trav refused to accept that this 324 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: was just a delusion, so she published a paper about 325 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,320 Speaker 1: her experience combating what she called skin mites. She visited 326 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: tons of doctors, used dangerous pesticides on herself, tried to 327 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: scratch the phantom mites out with fingernails, and it went 328 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: on for her whole life. Traver's actually started to itch 329 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: und her fortieth birthday and continued scratching at these delusional 330 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: itches until she died forty years later. Now, unfortunately, since then, 331 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: other people with delusional parasitotosis have pointed to travers work 332 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 1: as evidence that in fact they do have an itchy 333 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: parasitic infection and not a psychiatric condition, which it actually 334 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:20,520 Speaker 1: is well. 335 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 2: I mean that also just sounds like torture. 336 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 1: Yeah. I imagine thinking your body was covered in mites 337 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: for forty years, it would be like constant scabies, right. 338 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually speaking of that you were talking about 339 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,680 Speaker 2: you looked into scabies, right, Like, can you actually explain 340 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 2: it a little for uce. I feel like it's one 341 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 2: of those words that's used without people actually understanding it. 342 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, and weirdly, I've heard of people getting it recently. 343 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: But scabies is a skin condition that causes almost this 344 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: like unbearable itchness, and it's caused by tiny mites that 345 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: do burrow into your skin. Like. The mites have been 346 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: around forever, but it wasn't until the eighteen thirties eighteen 347 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: thirty four at the Hospital Saint Louis in Paris, that 348 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 1: the mites were discovered as the cause of scabies, and 349 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:06,160 Speaker 1: at the time about sixty five percent of the beds 350 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,639 Speaker 1: in the hospital were occupied by patients suffering from scabies. 351 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,439 Speaker 1: It was a Corsican student named sf Ernucci who had 352 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: been taught by peasant women of his home island how 353 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,399 Speaker 1: to extract the mites with a pin, and he showed 354 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:21,639 Speaker 1: the method to the doctors at the hospital. 355 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,440 Speaker 2: So people actually had to be hospitalized for scabies. 356 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, it can be really debilitating, and scabies was also 357 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 1: a big problem during the American Revolution. This was before 358 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: they discovered the cause with skin mites. They called it 359 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,959 Speaker 1: the itch. And in fact, it happens at Valley Forge 360 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,560 Speaker 1: when George Washington is there and he issues this general 361 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 1: order that proclaims, quote being also informed, many men are 362 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: rendered unfit for duty by the itch. The commander in 363 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: chief orders and directs the regimental surgeons to look attentively 364 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: into this matter, and as soon as the men who 365 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: were affected with this disorder properly disposed in huts, to 366 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: have them anoided for it. I mean, it's crazy. 367 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 2: It's amazing that the itch was enough of a concern 368 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 2: in the middle of a very bloody war, Like it 369 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 2: just speaks to how bad these afflictions are. And so 370 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:11,719 Speaker 2: I think one of the central questions of life, mango 371 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 2: and here it is to scratch or not to scratch? 372 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, one of Hamlet's lesser known soilquy. 373 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a really powerful one. So we all 374 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 2: have this reflex to scratch an itch. But it's a 375 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:26,080 Speaker 2: big question, like to scratching help or hurt us, and 376 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 2: it's a question. Scientists are actually looking into this study 377 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 2: as recently as twenty twenty three. It was at Harvard 378 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,720 Speaker 2: Medical School and it showed for the first time that 379 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 2: a common skin bacterium Staphylococcus eras or S RAS, can 380 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 2: cause an itch by acting directly on nerve cells. So 381 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 2: this helps explain why common skin conditions like exima and 382 00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 2: atopic dermatitis are often accompanied by persistent itch. So in 383 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,919 Speaker 2: these conditions, the equilibrium of micro organisms that keep our 384 00:19:55,960 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 2: skin healthy is often thrown off balance allows this you know, 385 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,880 Speaker 2: bacteria to flourish, and so it can cause an itch 386 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,639 Speaker 2: by instigating a molecular chain reaction that culminates in the 387 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 2: urge to scratch. 388 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 1: But why would a microbe like cause us to itch? 389 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:18,160 Speaker 1: Evolutionary speaking, like, what's in it for the bacterium, It's 390 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: a good question. 391 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:22,080 Speaker 2: I mean, researchers say that the pathogens may be hijacking 392 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:26,639 Speaker 2: the itch, sensation and other neural reflexes to their advantage. So, 393 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 2: for example, previous research has shown that the TB bacterium 394 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:35,359 Speaker 2: directly activates vagual neurons to cause cough, which might enable 395 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 2: it to spread more easily from one host to another. 396 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 2: There's another researcher that speculates that quote the itch scratch 397 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 2: cycle could benefit the microbes and enable their spread to 398 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 2: distant body sites and to uninfected host That's interesting. 399 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:51,359 Speaker 1: I feel like you always hear people say don't scratch, 400 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: it'll make it worse, But what it actually means is like, 401 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: you'll make a better home for the bacteria. But you know, 402 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:02,360 Speaker 1: sometimes scratching an itch is just a really harmless, joyful pastime. 403 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm guessing you're going somewhere with this, So 404 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:06,679 Speaker 2: what do you mean exactly by that? 405 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: So have you ever heard of ruyi? 406 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:10,160 Speaker 2: I don't think so. 407 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: It's basically a very fancy backscratcher. A rue was a 408 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,400 Speaker 1: ceremonial scepter used by Chinese nobles and monks, and it's 409 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: revered by Chinese people for its symbol of good fortune 410 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: and longevity. But originally it was just designed as a 411 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:26,120 Speaker 1: backscratching instrument. 412 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 2: So wait, so noblemen would take this scepter, this important 413 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 2: symbol of good fortune, and just start scratching themselves with it. 414 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:34,920 Speaker 2: That just seems pretty casual. 415 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, so not exactly. The ruiz popularity peaked during the 416 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,439 Speaker 1: King dynasty, and it was first used by the common 417 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: folk before Chinese emperors and imperial officers took a fancy 418 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,399 Speaker 1: to it, and then to suit the imperial taste and 419 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,439 Speaker 1: exquisite rui was manufactured by the nation's top craftsmen. But 420 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,400 Speaker 1: over time the ruiz stopped being used as a backscratcher, 421 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 1: and just because of its beautiful craftsmanship, it rose in 422 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 1: status as almost this preferred choice of imperial gifts. 423 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,359 Speaker 2: So the ruy jumped classes from like practical tool for 424 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 2: their commoners to this symbol of grand Europe. 425 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. But one other cool thing is that in Chinese, 426 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 1: ru means quote everything goes well. And I feel like 427 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: that's the best way to articulate the feeling you get 428 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: when you're like scratching in it. 429 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:24,119 Speaker 2: Yeah, when you're locked in on a good scratch, it 430 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 2: really is a beautiful moment. Like we should focus on 431 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 2: that for just a second, Like everything goes well when 432 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:29,880 Speaker 2: that happens. 433 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,000 Speaker 1: So the first time I wanted to scratch because it 434 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: feels good, not just because I'm feeling itchy, but right exactly, 435 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:37,840 Speaker 1: I feel like I've got to get you a rui. 436 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: But before I do that, why don't we do a 437 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: quick fact though, so here's when to get us started. 438 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: In twenty sixteen, neurologists from Germany's University of Lubec discovered 439 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: that you can soothe an itch by tricking your brain 440 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 1: with a mirror. So if you look into a mirror 441 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: while itching and scratch the opposite side, itch will subside 442 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: as if you're actually scratching at the point of the itch. 443 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 1: And apparently the trick can be used to help people 444 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: who have severe skin problems to stop them from further 445 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: hurting areas where their skin is healing. 446 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 2: All right, well, here's a question that a lot of 447 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 2: cat owners want answered. Why do cats love clawing at 448 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:19,720 Speaker 2: your furniture? And I guess the question I would ask 449 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 2: is why do you have a cat? But either way, 450 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 2: it turns out there, yeah, there's so many questions here, 451 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 2: but it turns out there are more than a few reasons. 452 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 2: So one is the scrape off the nail tip so 453 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 2: that they can grow fresh, sharper nails. And another is 454 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 2: that apparently all that scratching works like a massage, so 455 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:39,960 Speaker 2: after sleeping for sixteen hours a day, all that pawing 456 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 2: and clawing helps them work out the kinks and their 457 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:46,879 Speaker 2: back muscles actually, But the main reason, according to cat scientists, 458 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 2: is it's territorial. So the scratching leaves marks to let 459 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:54,120 Speaker 2: other cats and humans know who really owns the sofa, 460 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 2: as well as a personal scent that comes off from 461 00:23:57,040 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 2: their papads. 462 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 1: I mean, the territorial stuff makes sense, But like, I 463 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 1: never thought of like scratching as like recovery for cats 464 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: who are sleeping a lot. 465 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I totally didn't. Didn't think about that either. 466 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: So did you know that certain fruits and vegetables can 467 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: make your mouth itch? And this is according to New 468 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,159 Speaker 1: York mags the cut It's related to allergies, So if 469 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:19,959 Speaker 1: you're allergic to tree pollen, there's a good chance that 470 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:23,159 Speaker 1: carrots and kiwis will be a problem. If you're allergic 471 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: to summer grasses, tomato and watermelon can make your mouth itchy. 472 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:29,680 Speaker 1: And if you have trouble with autumn weeds, apples and 473 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 1: bananas have proteins that trigger those same allergies. 474 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I hadn't thought about it, but I feel like 475 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,919 Speaker 2: i'd actually get that from certain certain foods like pineapple. 476 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 2: After I ate it. Sometimes I just feel like something 477 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 2: has like cut up my tongue. 478 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: Do you know what I'm talking about. 479 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know if that's the same thing, but 480 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,400 Speaker 2: I'm just trying to say I relate to it. I'm 481 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:50,879 Speaker 2: just trying to relate to what you're saying, Mago. But 482 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 2: all right, well I got another one. So in the 483 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 2: run up to the Olympics, the French released a scratch 484 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 2: and sniff stamp featuring that back get the wonderfully Aromatic 485 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,959 Speaker 2: stamp released on the feast day of Saint Honore, the 486 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,560 Speaker 2: patron Saint of bakers, along with an official statement from 487 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 2: the Post Office that proclaimed, quote, the baguette, the bread 488 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 2: of our daily lives, is the symbol of our guesstronomy 489 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 2: and the jewel of our culture. But as The New 490 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:18,399 Speaker 2: York Times joked, there is no word on if a 491 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 2: croissant stamp will follow. 492 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: I feel like, just like smelling fresh bread from a 493 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,000 Speaker 1: sticker would make me want to buy, like a loaf 494 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: of fresh bread. 495 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:29,640 Speaker 2: Like totally good marketing. 496 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,280 Speaker 1: So here's something I learned from our old palas and 497 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: mental flaws. The phrase from scratch, like baking something from scratch, 498 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,679 Speaker 1: weirdly comes from sports. So the idea of starting from 499 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:42,360 Speaker 1: scratch came from a scratch line that was scratched into 500 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:44,959 Speaker 1: the ground as the starting line for a race, and 501 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: it kind of evolved to starting at the very beginning 502 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: to eventually starting without help. So when you bake something 503 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: from scratch, you're starting from the origin. 504 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:56,520 Speaker 2: That makes sense, all right? Well, here is a really 505 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 2: crazy one about a man named Bill Morgan from Melbourne, Australia. 506 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:03,159 Speaker 2: In nineteen ninety nine, Bill had a heart attack and 507 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 2: fell into a coma for about two weeks. He was 508 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 2: just thirty seven years old, but somehow he miraculously woke 509 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 2: up from it and to celebrate his survival, he went 510 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 2: out and bought a scratch lottery card and I guess 511 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 2: in Australia you can win other prizes, but he won 512 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 2: a car worth about twenty seven thousand dollars. Anyway, when 513 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 2: the local news heard about the incident, the story of 514 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,719 Speaker 2: him coming back to life and winning the lottery, they 515 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,679 Speaker 2: asked him to recreate this for a news segment. So 516 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 2: they filmed him going into a shop buying a ticket 517 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 2: and scratching the foil and when he did he won again. 518 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:39,880 Speaker 2: This time he won a two hundred and fifty thousand 519 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:41,719 Speaker 2: dollars jackpot. Is that not nuts? 520 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: That is nuts. It's almost like worth the coma. 521 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, there's a short list of things that are 522 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,640 Speaker 2: worth the coma. But yeah, you're probably right on this one. 523 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: I actually had a fact about scratch lottery tickets too. 524 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 1: It's about these two artists who make sculptures from discarded 525 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:02,680 Speaker 1: scratch off tickets to represent discarded dreams. So they use 526 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 1: like forty thousand dollars of discarded tickets to make a 527 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: dream car sculpture, and they use another seventy thousand dollars 528 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,359 Speaker 1: of discarded tickets to build a dream home. But I 529 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: honestly don't think I can beat that coma fact. It's 530 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: too good. So I'm gonna hand you the trophy right now. 531 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:18,439 Speaker 2: I need to warn you I got a bunch of 532 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 2: coma facts for future episodes because I just feel like 533 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,199 Speaker 2: they always they always take it. But thank you. It 534 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,479 Speaker 2: is nice to end an episode about scratching it and 535 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 2: feeling this satisfied. So we'll be back again next week 536 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:30,680 Speaker 2: with a brand new episode of Part Time Genius. In 537 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:33,719 Speaker 2: the meantime from Dylan, Mary Mango, and me. Thank you 538 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 2: so much for listening. 539 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:50,119 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. 540 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: This show is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongas 541 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:57,959 Speaker 1: Chatikler and researched by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. 542 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,919 Speaker 1: Today's episode was engineer and produced by the wonderful Dylan 543 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,640 Speaker 1: Fagan with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive 544 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: produced for iHeart by Katrina Norvel and Ali Perry, with 545 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: social media support from Sasha Gay, Trustee Dara Potts and 546 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:17,920 Speaker 1: Viney Shorey. For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit 547 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 548 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.