1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,640 Speaker 1: Guess what, mango, what's that? Well, all right, So the 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: other day I was driving past Turner Field here in Atlanta. 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 1: You know, that's the stadium where the Braves used to play, 4 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: but it was originally built to serve as the Olympic 5 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: stadium back in the nine Olympics that were here. You know, 6 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: I've actually forgotten that was the reason it was built. Yeah, 7 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: and I was thinking about the first time I had 8 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: ever stepped foot in that stadium. I was in high 9 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: school at the time, and my family had made the 10 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:23,479 Speaker 1: trip over from Birmingham to watch some Olympic track and 11 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,799 Speaker 1: field and it is an experience I will never forget. 12 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: That was the year Michael Johnson and those bright yellow 13 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: shoes just destroyed the competition and pretty much every race 14 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: he ran. You remember this. I definitely remember watching him 15 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: in a few of the heats leading up to his 16 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: gold medal races and seeing some of the best athletes 17 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: in the world honestly just look like children, as he 18 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: was just that much better than everybody else. Yeah, he 19 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: was incredible. I remember watching him from home. Well, I 20 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: remember thinking, how could somebody's body be that much better 21 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: at doing what it was doing than every other runner 22 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: out there and these are some of the best in 23 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: the world. It was just wild. But as we've done 24 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: our research in recent weeks, we've realized that all human 25 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: bodies do some pretty incredible things. So today we're going 26 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:08,839 Speaker 1: to talk about some of the most incredible and weird 27 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: things our bodies do. And Michael Johnson, if you're listening, 28 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: and I'm sure he is, definitely, it's time you knew 29 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:28,479 Speaker 1: that we're pretty special too. So let's get started, right 30 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: he their podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm 31 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good 32 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: friend man Guesh Ticketer on the other side of the 33 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: soundproof glass doing that weird thing where you like waves 34 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: with his ear. It's not like a twitch. How does 35 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: he do that? It's like wave? It is so strange. 36 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: So but we're talking about things we do with our bodies, 37 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: and so that's appropriate. That's our friend and producer Ustan McNeil. 38 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: So today we're taking a long, hard look in the 39 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: mirror to find out just how weird the human body 40 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: really is. You know, we tend to think of our 41 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: brains as being the most remarkable and defining features of 42 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: our species. And you know, for good reason. But the 43 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: human body is no slouch when it comes to these 44 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: unusual qualities either. So with our own weirdness in mind, 45 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: we thought it'd be fun to take this anatomical tour 46 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: of our most peculiar physical abilities. Yeah, and along the way, 47 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: we'll try to figure out what our bodies are actually 48 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,399 Speaker 1: made of, as well as what happens to them once 49 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: we kick the bucket. All right, So I thought we 50 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: could start by looking at the building blocks of our bodies, 51 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: you know, which are of course these hundreds of different 52 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: types of cells that make us up. And I think 53 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: it'll be a good refresher because you know, we usually 54 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 1: take our body at face value and kind of think 55 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: of it as this one continuous thing rather than maybe, 56 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: I don't know, like this composite mass of microscopic tissue 57 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,519 Speaker 1: blobs that it it really is. I mean, I feel 58 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: like we're always hearing about these building blocks, But how 59 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:58,800 Speaker 1: many does actually take to build a complete person? Do 60 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: you know? Well, as you i'd expect that it's not 61 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: the easiest thing in the world to calculate. So I 62 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,959 Speaker 1: was looking into it, though, And the best guest comes 63 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: from a group of researchers who actually broke down the 64 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: number of cells in the human body according to organs 65 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: and cell types. So, for example, the average body contains 66 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: about fifty billion fat cells, two and forty billion liver cells, 67 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,519 Speaker 1: and so on, And when you add up all these 68 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: different cell counts, the total comes to an astounding thirty 69 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: seven point two trillion cells. It's unbelievable. That's a lot 70 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: of trillion cells. But it's actually insane to think that 71 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: that many cells can get along and like function in 72 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: a single human body. And they do it for decades. 73 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: But aside from having this impressive figure to throw around, 74 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: is there any real benefit to knowing how many cells 75 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: compose the body? Well, there actually is, you know, according 76 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: to the authors of the study quote, knowing the total 77 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: cell number of the human body, as well as the 78 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: individual organs is important from a cultural, biological, medical, and 79 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: comparative modeling point of view. So imagine a doctor who 80 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: measures a patient's liver cell and they find that it's, 81 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: you know, maybe way below average. Well, that kind of 82 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: quick comparison makes it easier to identify potential health problems 83 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: earlier on, and that's pretty cool. And obviously cells carry 84 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: out all kinds of vital functions that go overlooked. But 85 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: they also have this other impact on our bodies that's 86 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: even easier to miss. Have you ever heard of the 87 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,840 Speaker 1: blatch Co lines? No, I can't say that have So 88 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: it's actually the term for this swirling pattern of invisible 89 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: stripes that covers the human body from head to toe. 90 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: Invisible stripes. I'm pretty sure you're making this one up. No, 91 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: it's true. So one of the first people to notice 92 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: them was this German dermatologist named Alfred Blatchko, which is 93 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: where the name comes from. But in the early nine hundreds, 94 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: he observed similarities and patterns of many of his patients 95 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: rashes and blemishes, and it was almost like these formations 96 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: were following these invisible lines on the skin, but the 97 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: paths didn't exactly coincide with underlying nerves or blood vessels. 98 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:54,119 Speaker 1: And the truth about the lines wasn't discovered until way later. 99 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: But we now know that they're actually the lingering signs 100 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: of our cellular development. And how's that. Well, we may 101 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: have what was a thirty seven trillion cells, you said, yeah, 102 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: but each of us just started as one and then 103 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,039 Speaker 1: this is a single cells zygote then divided into a 104 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: small bundle of cells. And from there the cells divide 105 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: again and again, you know, sometimes differentiating into specialized cells. 106 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: What ones that would form are various muscles or bones 107 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: and organs. But skin cells, like, they're scarcer than other 108 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: kinds of cells, and they have to stretch and expand 109 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 1: as they divide in order to cover our fast growing bodies. 110 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: And when this happened, lines of different cells begin to intersect, 111 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:37,280 Speaker 1: knocking into each other and creating molecular swirls in our skin. 112 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: And so does this happen all over our bodies? And 113 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: and why can't we see these? Yeah? So these lines 114 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: are everywhere, you know, They're up and down your arms 115 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: and legs and around your head and torso too. I mean, 116 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: the reason we don't see them is that all of 117 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: our cells tend to carry the same DNA instructions on 118 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 1: how much pigment to use in our skin. So these 119 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: subtle differences in the color between the lines of skin 120 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: cells are there, but they're really hard for us to 121 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: see unless you're checking for them under UV light. That said, 122 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: there are people with certain skin conditions that cause these 123 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: stripes to be visible to the naked eye, and This 124 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,159 Speaker 1: is because there are skin cells actually disagreed about which 125 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: color to make the skin, with some saying they should 126 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: make it lighter, others making it darker. It's so interesting. 127 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,600 Speaker 1: That's bizarre. I mean, I mean, our bodies shed about 128 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: a pound and a half of skin every year, which 129 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: means that our surface skin cells are replaced every couple 130 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: of weeks. So given that quick turnaround, it's pretty wild 131 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: to think that we're also just wrapped in these invisible 132 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: lines that you know, kind of date back to the 133 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: dawn of skin. I know, it's it's really weird to 134 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: think about, but honestly, the whole body is this mishmash 135 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: of cells of all different ages, Like you know, the 136 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: lining of our stomachs and intestines. We literally burned through 137 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: those cells every few days because of all the bile 138 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: and acids that we use to digest our foods. And 139 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: we're just really lucky that replacement cells are always at 140 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: the ready, or else we'd be digesting our own stomachs too. 141 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: And some cells do stick around longer than others, like 142 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: red blood cells have I think it's a four month 143 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: lifespan before new ones are produced to take their place. 144 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:08,800 Speaker 1: But given a long enough timeline, just about every part 145 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: of the human body is replaced like this. Yeah, you know, 146 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 1: I mean it's sort of eerie how influx our bodies 147 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: are constantly undergoing this cycle of cellular death and birth. 148 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: And it actually makes me think about that ancient Greek 149 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: thought experiment about the Ship of Theseus. You remember this, right, 150 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: We've talked about a little bit before, But the story 151 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: goes that Athenians preserved the ship of Theseus, who was 152 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: the mythical king and founder of Athens, after he passed away, 153 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: but his time went on, they had to gradually replace 154 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: the ship's rotting wooden planks, and finally no piece of 155 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: the original ship was left. So philosophers have had a 156 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: field day with this ever since then, because you know, 157 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: it raises all kinds of questions about permanence and identity, 158 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: and namely, you know, if if none of the original 159 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: pieces are still in place, can you really still call 160 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: it the ship of Theseus? Yeah, that's right, And it's 161 00:07:57,240 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: kind of why so many people have this like brain 162 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: over buddy bias when it comes to the self identity. 163 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: I mean, the vast majority of the neurons in our 164 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: brains form before birth, and stay with us our whole lives, 165 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: unlike this constant turnover we experience in like red blood 166 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: cells and almost every other part of the body. Maybe 167 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 1: it's comforting, even on this like unconscious level, to tie 168 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: your sense of self to something that's a bit more 169 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: long lasting. That's an interesting thought. And this is kind 170 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: of a tangent, but you mentioned red blood cells before, 171 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: and it it reminded me of this weird study I 172 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: found while we were doing our research. So, you know, 173 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 1: you get dizzy or lightheaded when you move to higher altitudes, 174 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: you know, like if you're hiking on a steep trail 175 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: or heading up into the mountains or something. So this 176 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: is hard for me to admit, but I never get 177 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: tired when I'm climbing mountains. But I think, I think, 178 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: I know what you mean. I'm sure that's true. Well, anyway, 179 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: there's a special protein and our red blood cells that 180 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: gets depleted when we're exposed to low oxygen levels. And 181 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: when that protein is gone, other substances in our blood 182 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:54,439 Speaker 1: are then able to help us adapt to the change 183 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: in oxygen. But here's the cool part. So our red 184 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: blood cells don't replace that protein wants it's in which 185 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: means that they're able to actually like remember their exposure 186 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:05,959 Speaker 1: to higher altitudes for the next time you had to 187 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: higher ground. Wait, that's crazy. So when I head back 188 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: to the mountainline body actually acclimate's faster than before. That's 189 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 1: exactly what happens. I mean. The only catch is that 190 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: four month lifespan you mentioned before. So if you wait 191 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,320 Speaker 1: longer than that before you return to the higher altitude, 192 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: those red blood cells that remembered your last excursion, they'll 193 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,560 Speaker 1: be gone, and you know you'll have to teach a 194 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,080 Speaker 1: whole new crop of cells about that shortcut to being acclimatized. 195 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: Well that's pretty amazing, But did you realize that human 196 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: fat cells last ten years on average, So we could 197 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: take a full twenty five years before they're all finally replaced. 198 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: Really that long? So what happens if we like exercise 199 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 1: like crazy? Wouldn't that help some of them go away 200 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: more quickly? Afraid not, our fats all count is this constant, 201 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: So when we gain or lose weight, that doesn't actually 202 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 1: affect it at all. The ones we have just grow 203 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: bigger or smaller, depending on which way we're tipping the scales. 204 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,679 Speaker 1: So you're saying, no, matter how overweight or underweight or 205 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: whatever we are, we would still have the same number 206 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: of fats. Yeah, exactly the same number. We're stuck with them. 207 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: That is crazy. So, I mean, it's it's it's bizarre 208 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: that they can last more than a quarter of our 209 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: lifespan compared to these other cells. I know. It's even 210 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: longer than the turnover on our bones, which are completely 211 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: refreshed with new cells every ten years. And it's similar 212 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,559 Speaker 1: our muscles, which tend to make it fifteen years before 213 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: being replaced. That's so weird to even think about, Like 214 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: our bones being replaced from our muscles, that's bizarre. But 215 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: but not every muscle. I mean, our hearts are actually 216 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: one of the few things that last our entire lives, 217 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 1: or at least most of it. See, our heart cells 218 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: regenerate very slowly. I think it's about one per cent 219 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: of a year old's heart cells are replaced each year, 220 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: and that number actually continually decreases as you get older. 221 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: In fact, less than half of your heart cells will 222 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 1: actually be replaced over the course of your entire life. Well, 223 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: I kind of like that there's at least one body 224 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: part we can depend on for a little constancy. Right. Actually, 225 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: I read the study a new scientist that gave me 226 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,719 Speaker 1: yet another reason to appreciate the human heart, because apparently 227 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: listening to your own heartbeat can actually help you read 228 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: someone else's mind. All right, I think you're gonna need 229 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: to walk me through this when I'm trying to process 230 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: what you just said. Sure, so, most creatures have this 231 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: weird ability called inter reception that that it lets us 232 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: sense the internal states of our bodies, like when we 233 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: feel hungry or thirsty, you know, that kind of thing. 234 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: And many researchers think this ability is actually what allows 235 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: humans to generate emotions. For example, like imagine you're walking 236 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: alone at night and you hear the footsteps of someone 237 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 1: sticking up behind you. Like, the idea is that you're 238 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: only going to feel afraid once you've noticed your own 239 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: body's internal state, like the increase in your heart rate 240 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:38,679 Speaker 1: or the hair is standing up on the back of 241 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,160 Speaker 1: your neck. Yeah, but I mean that kind of just 242 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: sounds like reading your own mind or something. So how 243 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: do other people figure into this? So that's what I 244 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:48,719 Speaker 1: was thinking too. But there's this researcher at Oxford named 245 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: Jeff Bird, and this is what he wanted to know, 246 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 1: so he assembled a group of seventy two volunteers and 247 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 1: measured their inter reception abilities by having them uh, they 248 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 1: had to count their own heartbeats without actually taking their pulse, 249 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: and then the participants watched videos of different social interactions 250 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: and answered questions that were meant to test how well 251 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: they could I guess infer the mental states of the characters. So, 252 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: for for example, one scene showed this man making a 253 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: pass at a woman who was clearly interested in someone else, 254 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:21,000 Speaker 1: and the question post was is she feeling annoyed? And 255 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:23,120 Speaker 1: as it turned out, the participants who were better at 256 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: counting their own heartbeats actually performed better at this kind 257 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: of question, like their ability to track their own internal 258 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,080 Speaker 1: states made them more empathetic to the feelings of others. Wow, 259 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: that's pretty crazy, and I don't want to name any names, 260 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 1: but I feel like we know a few people who 261 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,160 Speaker 1: must be horrible at counting their heartbeats. But but just 262 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: their feelings, right, I mean, they couldn't tell what a 263 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,079 Speaker 1: person was planning to have for dinner or something just 264 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: because they were, you aware of their heartbeat or so 265 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: definitely not. I mean, when participants were asked questions about 266 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,840 Speaker 1: a character's thoughts that didn't involve emotion, the more terraceptive 267 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: people lost their edge. But either way, I thought it 268 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: was amazing that being in touch with your physiological state 269 00:12:57,640 --> 00:12:59,719 Speaker 1: not only makes you more aware of your own emotions, 270 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: but also of those of other people. That is a 271 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: pretty awesome ability. You're listening to part time genius and 272 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 1: we're talking about many of the eccentricities of the human body. 273 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: All right, mago, So before we leave the cellular world 274 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,560 Speaker 1: behind for good, I do want to mention what is 275 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: maybe the weirdest thing about the human body, and that's 276 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: just how little of it is actually human at all. Wait, 277 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: what are you talking about. Well, according to estimates from 278 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: multiple scientific studies, there are ten times as many bacterial 279 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: cells in our bodies as there are human cells. And 280 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:44,680 Speaker 1: we talked a little bit about this in our Clean 281 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: episode way back when one of our first episodes where 282 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:50,120 Speaker 1: we talked about the microbiome. I mean, just think about 283 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: for a second. Most of our bodies are not actually 284 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: our bodies, and from the outer surface of our skin 285 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: to the pits of our stomach, we're literally crawling with 286 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,559 Speaker 1: far in my grow organisms. Yeah, I mean an infestation 287 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 1: of body bugs is deeply unsettling to me, and it 288 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: might be another reason why we prefer to think of 289 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 1: ourselves as brains and not bodies. But you know, on 290 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: the bright side, the bacteria inside as do help with 291 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: all kinds of important bodily functions, like I don't know, 292 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: channeling the nutrients from our food and supporting our immune systems. Yeah, 293 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,680 Speaker 1: and and thankfully they're pretty easy to ignore to you know, 294 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 1: since bacterial cells are so much smaller than human cells, 295 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: we we really don't ever have to look at them, 296 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:31,320 Speaker 1: although honestly, I don't know if I can forget about 297 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: them after reading that. If you somehow managed to gather 298 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: up all the bacteria living inside you, it would be 299 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: enough to fill up a half gallon jug. That's so disgusting, 300 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: and I don't know why, but stuffing them into a 301 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: jug makes them even gross. Although do you know, according 302 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: to the Belly Button Biodiversity Project, out of robbed on 303 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: lab our navels are actually one of the best places 304 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: to store our microbes. In fact, there are more than 305 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: bacterial strains living in there. That's pretty gross and kind 306 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: of amazing. But actually I think I'm more blown away 307 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: by the fact that there's a program devoted to the 308 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 1: biodiversity of our belly buttons. You said it was called 309 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: the Belly Button Biodiversity Project. I love that. Well. So 310 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: did they figure out if it makes a difference whether 311 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: you have an any or an audie? They did, so 312 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: it turns out bacteria doesn't discriminate between belly buttons because 313 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: the same amount turns up in both kinds. All right, So, 314 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 1: now that we've done away with the pesky misconception that 315 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: we're independent living beings instead of these walking, talking Petrie dishes, 316 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: why don't we talk about some other things that our 317 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,200 Speaker 1: bodies do that we've been totally wrong about all along. Sure, 318 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,520 Speaker 1: and I've actually got a great one. So this is 319 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: something I've been wrong about for a long time, and 320 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: it's why are fingers and toes turn all pruny and 321 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: wrinkled when we go swimming or take a bath. I've 322 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,640 Speaker 1: always heard that it had something to do with like 323 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: water being absorbed into your like outer layer of skin 324 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: and so the bulge in some places or whatever. But 325 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: that's all wrong. Apparently, um I saw I saw this 326 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: from researchers at two AI labs, and wais the Idaho, 327 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: and they confirmed a different theory. They had these volunteers 328 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: pick up a bunch of wet marbles of all different sizes, 329 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: and some people use their regular dry hands to grasp 330 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: the marbles, and others used wrinkly, pruny fingers that they 331 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: had soaked in warm water for half an hour. Like, 332 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: I just love that someone designed this experiment. But as 333 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: it turned out, the participants with wrinkled fingers were way 334 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: faster at picking up wet marbles than people with dry fingers. 335 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:27,560 Speaker 1: So all right, so our fingers and toes get pruney 336 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: to help us grip wet things. Yeah, I mean, the 337 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: process basically works the same way that rain treads do 338 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: on car tires. But the really cool thing is that 339 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: the wrinkling is this involuntary reaction that's controlled by the 340 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: same part of the body's nervous system that that actually 341 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: handles stuff like breathing or or us sweating. The blood 342 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: vessels blow our skin constrict automatically, which tightens the skin 343 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: above them to form the wrinkles. That's pretty interesting. But 344 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: but why do our bodies play so much importance on 345 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: getting a grip on wet objects? I mean, it seems 346 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 1: strange that it's lumped in with these crucial access He's 347 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 1: like breathing and sweating and things like that. So I 348 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,440 Speaker 1: was curious about that too, And the researchers in Boise 349 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: suggests that the wrinkling might be this evolutionary holdover back 350 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: from when our ancestors had to gather wet vegetation from 351 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: shores like streams or river beds, and it was the 352 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: same with their toes. I mean that was helpful because 353 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: it was useful for getting around on slippery rocks. It 354 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 1: actually reminds me of another body misconception, and that's the 355 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:25,359 Speaker 1: idea that fingerprints are there not only to help us 356 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,919 Speaker 1: keep tabs on criminals, but to improve our grip. So 357 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: on the surface, it makes sense that the grooves of 358 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: our fingerprints might improve the friction rate between our skin 359 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: and whatever it is we're holding, you know, like a 360 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,679 Speaker 1: glass of water or something like that. But according to 361 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,119 Speaker 1: a two thousand nine study from a group of researchers 362 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: in Manchester, fingerpads with prints actually provide a third less 363 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: contact with the glass than completely smooth fingerpads. That's so 364 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: crazy that they actually hinder our grip, So why do 365 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: we have them? Then I mean, I'm guessing they're not 366 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: just for detecting crimes or whatever. Right, well, they're there. 367 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,399 Speaker 1: Their true purpose is still a little bit of a mystery, 368 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,439 Speaker 1: but there are definitely some prevailing theories out there. One 369 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,480 Speaker 1: of them is that when we touch something the skin 370 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,680 Speaker 1: vibrations that occur between the ridges of our prints, will 371 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: they help us to feel these fine textures that we'd 372 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: otherwise miss. There's another suggestion that fingerprints wick water away 373 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: from our fingertips, and that allows the skin to stretch 374 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,199 Speaker 1: more easily, so it can keep from becoming blistered or 375 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:23,960 Speaker 1: torn through use over such a long period of time. 376 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: That's pretty cool. So while we're talking about misconceptions, this 377 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: is other one I came across, and it's what should 378 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: be considered our most valuable body part. And what do 379 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: you mean by valuable? Like how much you can sell 380 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 1: a kidney for on the black market or no, I mean, 381 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: although you know you can get two for one of those. 382 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 1: So this is about skin, and particular it's the foreskins 383 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 1: from freshly circumcised newborns. So there was this time when 384 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:51,719 Speaker 1: these little pieces of excess skin were just thrown out 385 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,639 Speaker 1: in the trash, But now that scientists understand the growth 386 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,399 Speaker 1: potential of embryonic stem cells, like the ones in an 387 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: infant's foreskin. They're actually being used to grow all kinds 388 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,360 Speaker 1: of skin for medical treatments. And in fact, a bit 389 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: of foreskin the size of a postage stamp can actually 390 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:10,040 Speaker 1: produce about four acres of new skin tissue in a lab. Yeah, 391 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 1: and and that can be used for like grafts for 392 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:15,680 Speaker 1: burns and other injuries. Alright, So so you meant valuable 393 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:17,920 Speaker 1: as in like beneficial, So that yeah, that that makes 394 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:19,720 Speaker 1: a lot more sense. I just wanted to clarify that 395 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,160 Speaker 1: that makes sense though. Well, I mean, the medical benefits 396 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 1: are obvious, but you're crazy if you don't think there's 397 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: money to be made there too. I mean, labs and 398 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: cosmetic companies making millions in profit thanks to the skin 399 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 1: they received from hospital donations. Yeah, but what are you saying? 400 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: We talk a little bit about what happens to the 401 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: rest of our bodies once we're done using them, all right, Well, 402 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: before we get started with that, why don't we take 403 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: a quick break. Hey, there, So we're talking about incredible 404 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,920 Speaker 1: things our bodies can do, and I wanted to invite 405 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: one of our fellow hosts here Jonathan Strickland, who's the 406 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: host of the wonder full podcast tech Stuff here in 407 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 1: the office. Uh, and I thought he could tell us 408 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: a little bit about bodies and technology and and also 409 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: play a dumb quiz with us. I love all of 410 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 1: these things. I am very pleased to be here for 411 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: I love dumb quizzes, and I love talking about tech. 412 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 1: I'm into that. Yeah. And and Will is off right now. 413 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: He's he's in lots of important meetings, but he'll be 414 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,439 Speaker 1: back on the show later. So tell me something incredible 415 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: that tech is aiding human bodies to do. Okay, so 416 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:35,920 Speaker 1: you've heard about technology using things like, you know, exo 417 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:40,399 Speaker 1: skeletons in order to help move larger pieces of equipment, 418 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,159 Speaker 1: things like being able to lift more weight than you 419 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: normally would. Have you ever heard about an exoskeleton that 420 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: does the opposite of that. No, okay, so I actually 421 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 1: got to wear this. There is an aging exoskeleton, and 422 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: the purpose of it is to give people who are 423 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: able bodied young people and experience of what it's like 424 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: to have are gone the effects of aging. And the 425 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:07,880 Speaker 1: exo skeleton itself uses various joints to create resistance so 426 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: that it's harder for you to move around. It's like 427 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: you've got you know, your your joints are all stiff, 428 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 1: your balance is off. You wear a headset that actively 429 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: starts to obscure your vision, as if you have cataracts 430 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: or have developed other vision problems. The headphones will start 431 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: to create statics so it's harder for you to hear. 432 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: And the whole purpose of it, it's actually a bankrolled 433 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: by an insurance company, but the purpose of it is 434 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:39,199 Speaker 1: to give people an appreciation for the challenges that the 435 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 1: elderly face day to day just through the process of aging, 436 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,879 Speaker 1: what our bodies typically go through in this aging process. 437 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 1: So do they like, uh, dial it up to this 438 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 1: is what you at sixty, this is a seventy they do. 439 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:56,400 Speaker 1: And I experienced this in front of a live audience. 440 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: It was a humbling experience because I had to be helped. 441 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: I could not, I couldn't. I suddenly could not walk 442 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: across the stage the way I thought I would be 443 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,439 Speaker 1: able to because my balance was off, my my knees 444 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: weren't working the way I would expect them to. I 445 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,160 Speaker 1: couldn't really see very well even in a brightly lit environment. 446 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,400 Speaker 1: Do you feel like a distinct difference at any particular age, 447 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: Like was the difference between fifty and sixty a bigger 448 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,200 Speaker 1: jomp for sixty and seventy. Sixty and seventy was probably 449 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: the biggest job sixty and seven, seventy and eighty. Once 450 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,360 Speaker 1: you get to that point, it's it's it's increasingly difficult. 451 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: But six seventy they and obviously this is all based 452 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 1: off of averages. You know, we don't not every human 453 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: body is going to age exactly the same way. Obviously, 454 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 1: your activity levels and your diet and lots of other 455 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: factors are going to play a part in that. But 456 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: to me, it was an incredible use of technology to 457 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 1: not only get across this this idea that we all 458 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: are familiar with. We all know as we age, our 459 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: physical capabilities will decrease. That's that's an element of aging. 460 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,919 Speaker 1: But knowing an ex periencing are two different things. And 461 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: being able to experience that and have a deeper appreciation 462 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,439 Speaker 1: for what the elderly around me go through just on 463 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:12,440 Speaker 1: a daily basis, it was really eye opening. And uh, 464 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: obviously this is not an experience that everyone can have easily. 465 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: They're not going to market these It's not like you're 466 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: going to go out and buy Hey, guys, let's find 467 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: out what it's like to be eighty today. You know, 468 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: you're not gonna go out and buy an exo skeleton 469 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: and do that. But it really was an interesting way 470 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: to open up this conversation. And of course, for the 471 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,719 Speaker 1: purposes of this demonstration, it was to have sort of 472 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:35,879 Speaker 1: end of life insurance planning, that sort of thing, to 473 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: help to help prepare people and to care for people 474 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: as they're entering, uh, the advanced years of their age, 475 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:48,680 Speaker 1: and to two explain to younger people, this is why 476 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 1: this this kind of product is important. That was that 477 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 1: was their their rationality for doing all of this, And 478 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 1: I found it fascinating because I usually talk about technology 479 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:04,200 Speaker 1: as a way of augmenting our ability, not to remove them. 480 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:05,840 Speaker 1: But in a way you could argue this is to 481 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: augment compassion. Yeah, I love that. That's really wonderful. Um, 482 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:13,440 Speaker 1: And I know one of the things I admire about 483 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: you is that you walk like three miles a day 484 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 1: right to the office here. When you left that, did 485 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: you just appreciate your walks more? Definitely? Yeah. So so 486 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 1: for those who do not live in the bustling metropolis 487 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: that is Atlanta. There are certain areas where the sidewalks 488 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: are not terribly level, and once in a while I 489 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: might have a little stumble if I'm not really paying 490 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,159 Speaker 1: attention right wearing that suit. If I were wearing that 491 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: suit and trying to take take that same pathway home, 492 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: I'm not sure that I can make it to the house, 493 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 1: at least not without lots and lots of stops. I 494 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: love this idea of augment and compassion. I think that's 495 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: really just a wonderful way to put it. So before 496 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: I get to a quiz, because I do want to 497 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 1: get to a quiz, I know you're a big game players, 498 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,800 Speaker 1: board games, video games, everything, uh, and the holidays are 499 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,080 Speaker 1: coming up. I was curious if you had one or 500 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 1: two recommendations for our audience that you could sort of, 501 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 1: uh say, has the Jonathan Strickland Seal of Approval? Sure. 502 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: Just the day before we record this, I had a 503 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: chance to play through The Thing, which is based off 504 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 1: the nineteen eight two John Carpenter horror film The Thing, 505 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: and that was a huge amount of fun. It's got 506 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 1: a bit of an identity game where someone in the 507 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 1: game is working at cross purposes of everybody else, but 508 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,119 Speaker 1: you don't. You don't know the identity of the other players. 509 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:38,359 Speaker 1: You only know your own, so you know if you're 510 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,240 Speaker 1: the trader or not, but you don't if you're not 511 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: the trader, you don't really know who to trust and 512 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: that creates an amazing dynamic as you play through this game. 513 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: And it looked like both a beautifully design game, but 514 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:54,160 Speaker 1: also uh, I mean, obviously the gameplay seemed really interesting 515 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 1: as well. Yes it was. It got to a point 516 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,919 Speaker 1: where we were actually doing this on live on camera, 517 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:01,399 Speaker 1: but it got to a point where we just forgot 518 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,120 Speaker 1: about that. We were just playing the game. We weren't 519 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:07,520 Speaker 1: performing any know, we were just like, oh, I really 520 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: think Scott Benjamin is the bad guy. Turns out Scott 521 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:16,440 Speaker 1: was not the bad guy. I an enormous apology, but 522 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,679 Speaker 1: but in his defense, he was really squirreling in that 523 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,919 Speaker 1: game session. But yeah, that that's a big that's got 524 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: a big thumbs up from me. You know, there's there's 525 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,840 Speaker 1: also a game if you're if you like cheeky games, 526 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: you like things like you know, there's Cards Against Humanity 527 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 1: is probably the one that everyone thinks about. But there's 528 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: a game called million dollars, but and it creates scenarios 529 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: where you get a million dollars, but and there's this 530 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,200 Speaker 1: condition and it's a it's one of those party games 531 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 1: where you're playing with multiple people and people may give 532 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:50,360 Speaker 1: you a thing where there's a trigger something some event happens, 533 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,000 Speaker 1: and then there's a condition, this is what happens when 534 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: you hear that. So it might be every time a 535 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: bell rings, you have to punch the person to your left. 536 00:26:58,040 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 1: So he's like, yeah, you get a million dollars, but 537 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:01,680 Speaker 1: every time you hear a bell ring, whoever staying to 538 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,600 Speaker 1: your left, you're just gonna punch them and you have 539 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:06,520 Speaker 1: to deal with the consequences after that. And uh. And 540 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: then typically the way it works is that the judge 541 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 1: for that round looks at all the different conditions and 542 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: they decide, all, right, out of all of these, which 543 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: is the one that I would most likely accept in 544 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:21,240 Speaker 1: return for getting a million dollars? And it tells you 545 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 1: a lot about the people around you and how much 546 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 1: they value their own personal safety. Yeah, well, I'll definitely 547 00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: look for that. I haven't hadn't heard of it before. 548 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: But before you leave, we want to put you to 549 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 1: one of our own games. Today, we're playing a game 550 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 1: called three Letter body Parts, and basically we'll give you 551 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:41,119 Speaker 1: a clue and you just have to tell us what 552 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,399 Speaker 1: body part we're talking about. Okay, and and I know 553 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,720 Speaker 1: you'll do great at this. So question number one instead 554 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 1: of three. A woman from northern England has four color 555 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 1: cones and what body part that would have to be 556 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: the eye? That's right. So because of the mutation, she 557 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: can see nine million more colors than the average person. 558 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: So you're one for one ready, number two. While some 559 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: cultures claimed this is a sign of intelligence, the condition 560 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:10,920 Speaker 1: where your second metatarsal is larger than your first metatarsal 561 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: is known as Morten's what toe? Yeah, that's right. So 562 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: Morten's toe is where your second toe is bigger than 563 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: your first, and it's also known as shepherd's toe or 564 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:25,640 Speaker 1: Greek foot. I guess I have that my second toe 565 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:27,640 Speaker 1: is larger than my first toe. Well, I always knew 566 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:33,119 Speaker 1: you were smart. Question three. When sixty million people tuned 567 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:35,960 Speaker 1: in to watch Elvis Pressley's debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, 568 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:38,360 Speaker 1: sensors made sure he was only shot from the waist 569 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: up because they were nervous about is what shaking that 570 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 1: would be his hip. That's right. And less memorable is 571 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 1: the fact that a nervous announcer on the show accidentally 572 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:53,720 Speaker 1: introduced him as Elvin Pressley. But that's absolutely right. So 573 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:58,720 Speaker 1: you're three for three doing great here. Question four Keeleoscopy 574 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: is a type of forensics that might investigate cups, water bottles, 575 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 1: or cigarette butts at crime scenes for these prints. Lip Yeah. Um, 576 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:10,960 Speaker 1: while lip prints aren't often used at trial, women and 577 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 1: men's prints are distinctive and everyone's lip prints are completely unique. Wow. Yeah, 578 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:17,920 Speaker 1: it's just that juries don't know about it, so they 579 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: don't use it right now. But but they're sort of 580 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: gaining acceptance. And uh, question number five or four for four, 581 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,800 Speaker 1: I think you can go five for five. Oddly enough, 582 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: this sort of piercing existed back in prehistoric times. OT 583 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 1: see the ice Mummy had both of his pierced here. 584 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:41,320 Speaker 1: That's right. Took a took a wild stab at that one. Well, 585 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: you went five for five. That's incredible. We're gonna send 586 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: you home with a part time genius certificate of genius 587 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:49,640 Speaker 1: when we actually get those printed off. But I'm so 588 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: glad that it's that and not body part that starts 589 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:54,600 Speaker 1: with that has three letters, and that would have been awkward. 590 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: Down Jonathan, thank you so much for coming by, Thanks 591 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:13,680 Speaker 1: for having me. Okay, well, so it's time to find 592 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:15,640 Speaker 1: out what kind of weird stuff our bodies get up 593 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,480 Speaker 1: to once we've vacated the premises. And to start, I 594 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 1: thought we could debunk a long running postmorte, a myth 595 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: that gets passed around way too frequently, the idea that 596 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: our hair and fingernails continue to grow even after death. Hey, 597 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: that's not true. I mean I've read that so many 598 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: times before. I know it's everywhere, but it's actually impossible. 599 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 1: So after your heart stops beating, our cells start to 600 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 1: die from a lack of oxygen and putrefy within a 601 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,720 Speaker 1: matter of minutes. And without that fresh oxygen in the bloodstream, 602 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,160 Speaker 1: the cell division in our nails and hair growth simply 603 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: can't happen. So there's all this definitive proof that you're 604 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,720 Speaker 1: talking about. But why have I heard this so much? Well, 605 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: I mean sometimes books and other media helped perpetuate the myth. 606 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 1: So there's this part in All Quiet on the Western 607 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 1: Front where the narrator imagines the dead friends nails continue 608 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,960 Speaker 1: to grow. I mean they grow into these long spirals, 609 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:06,360 Speaker 1: and and the hair and the skull just keeps lengthening. 610 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 1: And that's just one of a ton of cultural references. 611 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: But really, I think the biggest reason for the misconception 612 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: is the fact that our skin shrinks as it dries 613 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 1: out in the hours after our death, and that causes 614 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 1: the skin to retract, which makes it look like our 615 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: hair and nail are actually getting longer. No kidding, Well, 616 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: I guess I can accept that explanation. That makes sense, though, 617 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,840 Speaker 1: given how so much about death remains unknown to the living, 618 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:31,440 Speaker 1: I guess it makes sense that all kinds of crazy 619 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: theories would spring up about it. You know. For example, 620 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 1: have you ever heard the idea that caught on the 621 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds, this miasmatic theory? No, what is that? Well, 622 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,200 Speaker 1: it comes from the ancient Greek word miasthma, which means 623 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 1: pollution or bad air. And and so the prevailing belief 624 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:49,600 Speaker 1: during the nineteenth century was that dead people produced miasthma 625 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:53,000 Speaker 1: on their own. So most people, doctors included, Really, we're 626 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 1: we're convinced that rotting corpses expelled little toxic clouds that 627 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,920 Speaker 1: then hung around the grapes, and people would get sick 628 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,640 Speaker 1: in this and lead to the spread of diseases like cholera. 629 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,320 Speaker 1: And of course all of this was later disproven, but 630 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,480 Speaker 1: miasmatic theory did leave its mark on culture in a 631 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 1: major way. You know, the regulation that requires bodies to 632 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: be buried six ft under, so that was the recommended 633 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: depth for preventing the miasma fumes from reaching the surface. 634 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 1: That's so funny. I just think about that like rain 635 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:24,360 Speaker 1: cloud following Charlie Brown around, right, that's his nasma. But 636 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 1: I actually came across a few real life horror stories 637 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: about air tight caskets and I wanted to share them 638 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:32,840 Speaker 1: with you because it's about the kind that's in above 639 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:36,560 Speaker 1: ground mausoleums. So the setup might keep you safe from 640 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,360 Speaker 1: like hungry bugs in the ground, but your body is 641 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:42,040 Speaker 1: still sealed inside this box, and that box locks in 642 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: heat and humidity, which means they're going to decompose regardless. 643 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: But once anaerobic bacteria step in to do their thing, 644 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:53,000 Speaker 1: the bodies produced to this gelatinous brown goop. And while 645 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:56,040 Speaker 1: disease written corps there might be a myth there's still 646 00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:00,160 Speaker 1: plenty of gas involved in this decomposition process. So even 647 00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 1: enough time, the pressure from the gas builds and builds 648 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 1: while you're still being liquefied until finally boom boom, well 649 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 1: maybe more pop. Either way, the pressure inside can get 650 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 1: so strong that the little square door at the front 651 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 1: of the burial chamber blows open and out spills the foul, 652 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:22,800 Speaker 1: soupy mess. That's you, good lord. I mean, this is 653 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,200 Speaker 1: stuff of nightmares. But so so this really happens way 654 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:28,239 Speaker 1: more than you'd like to think. So sometimes you hear 655 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,120 Speaker 1: about them getting sued when like a family catches them 656 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 1: opening a loved one's casket in order to let the 657 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,520 Speaker 1: gas out. I mean, I get how that's a violation 658 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: at all, but it really sounds like the owner is 659 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 1: trying to save your family from some serious lifelong trauma. Yeah. 660 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 1: I mean, I'd much rather have someone occasionally burnt my casket, 661 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 1: like you know, having people weighed around in this ankle 662 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: deep soup of me. It's so disgusting. I mean, if 663 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,600 Speaker 1: nothing else, there's just better ways for your body to 664 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: spend its time after its death. I mean, for example, 665 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:00,880 Speaker 1: I remember this story from Mental Floss a few years 666 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:03,720 Speaker 1: ago about creative ways to keep your dead body busy. 667 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:05,840 Speaker 1: You remember this story right, definitely, and you know one 668 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:07,960 Speaker 1: of the entries was just about how having your body 669 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,160 Speaker 1: cremated could help fuel a whole city, and that that 670 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:14,279 Speaker 1: was in Sweden, right, yeah, yeah, So that the incinerators 671 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: used for cremation demand a great deal of energy, so 672 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:20,359 Speaker 1: crematoriums are always on the lookout for ways to make 673 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:23,759 Speaker 1: the process greener. And one solution that a few European 674 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:26,319 Speaker 1: facilities came up with was to have the heat from 675 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:28,919 Speaker 1: the fires pulled double duty so that the energy could 676 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 1: be saved elsewhere. So, with this idea in mind, the 677 00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:35,279 Speaker 1: Swedish city of Helsingborg they began sourcing as much as 678 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: ten percent of the heat for its homes from local crematoriums. 679 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:41,440 Speaker 1: That was back in and you know, the idea has 680 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 1: cropped up a bunch of times since then, but sometimes 681 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 1: town council shoot it down over like ethical concerns. Well, 682 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:50,680 Speaker 1: i mean, I'm all for greener tech, but I'm so 683 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: nodded at this idea of warming our houses via burning body. 684 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,799 Speaker 1: You're such a stickler mango. But anyway, if you if 685 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:58,719 Speaker 1: you rather your body give back in another way, you 686 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:01,600 Speaker 1: can always donate it to science. Just make sure you 687 00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: do specify that you'd rather it be used for organ 688 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 1: transplants than say, like you know, a facelift practice. What 689 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:11,120 Speaker 1: do cosmetic surgeons actually practice on cadavers? They sure do. 690 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 1: And in fact, I read this interview with Mary Roach, 691 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,840 Speaker 1: the author of a great book called Stiff The Curious 692 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 1: Lives of Human Cadavers. And I know we've read several 693 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,439 Speaker 1: of her books over the years, but in this book 694 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,160 Speaker 1: she breaks down what happens when someone wills their body 695 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:26,560 Speaker 1: to science. As she explains, quote, you donate to a 696 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:30,120 Speaker 1: specific institution like Harvard or the Mayo Clinic. You fill 697 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:32,880 Speaker 1: out the forms through the willed body program of the school. 698 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:35,719 Speaker 1: Most of the bodies are donated through anatomy labs, so 699 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:38,960 Speaker 1: you are dissected. But what you can do is specify 700 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:41,799 Speaker 1: things that you don't want done. For example, you could 701 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:45,520 Speaker 1: say I don't want to be used specifically for cosmetic surgeries. 702 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,000 Speaker 1: You can select what you don't want, but not what 703 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,720 Speaker 1: you want. I guess there's no sense of being picked 704 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,239 Speaker 1: at that point, but it's still a little innnerving that 705 00:35:54,239 --> 00:35:57,879 Speaker 1: you might end up with this botched facelift in the afterlife. Well, 706 00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:00,080 Speaker 1: believe it or not, they're actually worse ways to go 707 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,280 Speaker 1: out then this. For instance, every year, universities conduct tons 708 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:07,719 Speaker 1: of safety tests using cadavers as crash tests. Yeah, a 709 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:09,239 Speaker 1: lot of the funding for these tests come from the 710 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:13,600 Speaker 1: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but because automakers lack the 711 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:17,359 Speaker 1: medical resources needed for cadaver test plenty of schools also 712 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:21,239 Speaker 1: received grants from companies like Ford and GM. That's awful. So, 713 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:23,919 Speaker 1: even though we've probably dwelled on death enough for one day, 714 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:26,600 Speaker 1: I'd hate to end this show on such a sour note. 715 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:28,759 Speaker 1: So instead, I actually want to tell you about what 716 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:30,359 Speaker 1: might be the best way for your body to spend 717 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:33,560 Speaker 1: it's afterlife. All right, Well, what's that? So there's this 718 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:35,440 Speaker 1: pair of Italian designers who have actually come up with 719 00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:38,480 Speaker 1: a new form of burial, and it's called Capsula mundi, 720 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:41,680 Speaker 1: which means world's capsule in Latin. And basically it's this 721 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:45,799 Speaker 1: egg shaped organic casket that houses either cremated remains or 722 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,560 Speaker 1: a body place in the field position. And once the 723 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:52,239 Speaker 1: capsule is buried, it's biodegradable shell breaks down and the 724 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 1: exposed remains supply nutrients to the sapling that's planted just 725 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,360 Speaker 1: above it. So not only is the system environmentally friendly, 726 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:03,279 Speaker 1: but it's this great way to beautify traditional cemeteries, also 727 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 1: highlighting the cycle of life. That's a pretty great idea, 728 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 1: and I love the thought of, you know, replacing these austere, 729 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:14,400 Speaker 1: tombstone laden graveyards with kind of a memorial forest. Imagine 730 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:16,239 Speaker 1: how much more connected you'd feel to your loved ones 731 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 1: if you could visit a place like that and just 732 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 1: sit beneath the tree they chose to represent them. Yeah, 733 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:22,840 Speaker 1: it's got to be one of the most peaceful and 734 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: dignified ways of human body could be laid to rest. 735 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,520 Speaker 1: I agree. Well, before we put this episode to rest, 736 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:32,040 Speaker 1: we've got a few last rites to perform. So, Mango, 737 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:37,840 Speaker 1: are you ready for the fact I always m m 738 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 1: all right, Well I will start us off. So I'm 739 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 1: here to confirm a fact that I'd heard before, but 740 00:37:50,719 --> 00:37:53,919 Speaker 1: I wasn't sure if it was actually true. But yes, 741 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,600 Speaker 1: our bodies actually are taller when we wake up in 742 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:59,000 Speaker 1: the morning than when we go to sleep at time. 743 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:01,400 Speaker 1: And the reason for that is all of the pressure 744 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,360 Speaker 1: that our upright posture puts on our joints each day, 745 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,319 Speaker 1: because for the whole time we're on our feet or 746 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:08,920 Speaker 1: sitting up straight, the weight of our bones, you know, 747 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: with a little help from gravity, it's working to compress 748 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:14,880 Speaker 1: the carlage between the disks of our spine. Then we 749 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:17,279 Speaker 1: finally laid the rest at night, and the pressure is 750 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:20,040 Speaker 1: off and our cartilage is able to expand back to 751 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:22,880 Speaker 1: its original shape. So when we wake up, we're actually 752 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,440 Speaker 1: a little bit taller than we were the night before, 753 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,120 Speaker 1: until we get squeezed down again through the day, which 754 00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:29,920 Speaker 1: is why I only slam dunk first thing in the morning. 755 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:33,560 Speaker 1: Of course, So I've got a fact that seems appropriate 756 00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 1: since I know as soon as we finished this episode, 757 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:39,399 Speaker 1: you're gonna head down to have some ramena. And that's 758 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:41,440 Speaker 1: the fact that there's actually a word for the growling 759 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 1: sound your stomach mix. Yeah, so the rumblings in your 760 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,480 Speaker 1: gut are known as barbara rigmy among people who like 761 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,480 Speaker 1: to use technical terms, and it's a cool little word 762 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:54,560 Speaker 1: we picked up from the Greek barbar reason, which means 763 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:57,760 Speaker 1: to rumble. Okay, well, I've got some major borbera rigmy 764 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,520 Speaker 1: going on right now. I'm hungry. Okay, I've got one 765 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:02,440 Speaker 1: that I looked into because a friend of mine has 766 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:07,000 Speaker 1: this remarkable ability to think herself to warmth in cold temperatures. 767 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:08,600 Speaker 1: I don't know if you know anybody like this. But 768 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:11,319 Speaker 1: I remember standing outside in the cold before an event, 769 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:13,680 Speaker 1: and a group of us were baffled because her bare 770 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 1: hands were as warm as though she'd been in front 771 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 1: of a heater or something like that. And it turns 772 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:21,799 Speaker 1: out your mind actually can help you keep warm. You 773 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:23,839 Speaker 1: may have read about a group of Tibetan monks who 774 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:26,279 Speaker 1: were especially good at this. But you know, a few 775 00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:28,160 Speaker 1: years ago a study was done where a group of 776 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:31,960 Speaker 1: Westerners were taught forceful breathing and it actually did help 777 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:36,719 Speaker 1: them regulate their body temperatures. So meditation triggers thermogenesis, or 778 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:40,520 Speaker 1: body warming, and also helps suppress the cooling mechanisms that 779 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:43,440 Speaker 1: our bodies use, you know, things like sweating or blood 780 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: vessel dilation. So this is actually something that can happen, 781 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:48,360 Speaker 1: and I want to think about it. I got to 782 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:52,120 Speaker 1: start meditating because you know how much I hate being cold. Yeah, 783 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:54,439 Speaker 1: that's true. So this is another thing I had heard, 784 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:56,880 Speaker 1: but I wasn't sure if I believed. And it's that 785 00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:59,560 Speaker 1: our joints can actually predict the weather. But it turns 786 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:03,080 Speaker 1: out our grandparents were right. There's still some debate about 787 00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:05,200 Speaker 1: the specifics of it, but there does appear to be 788 00:40:05,239 --> 00:40:08,360 Speaker 1: a connection between joint issues like arthritis and the weather. 789 00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:11,399 Speaker 1: And in one study at Tufts, they found that as 790 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:15,400 Speaker 1: temperatures dropped, knee pain among those with arthritis increased. And 791 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:18,600 Speaker 1: the researchers showed that this happens because the barometric pressure 792 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 1: is actually a stabilizing factor for certain joints, and so 793 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:25,120 Speaker 1: if that pressure changes, our stabilization would change as well. 794 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:29,200 Speaker 1: And also as temperatures dropped, the thickness of the synovial 795 00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:31,600 Speaker 1: fluid changes, and that's the fluid that helps keep our 796 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:35,600 Speaker 1: joints lubricated. My granddad was right all along. That's pretty interesting. 797 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:38,600 Speaker 1: Everything about everything that's right, that's right, all right. Well, 798 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:40,799 Speaker 1: here's another one. So I've always wondered why it is 799 00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:44,080 Speaker 1: we don't notice everything has gone dark every few seconds 800 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:46,640 Speaker 1: when we blink. It turns out that our brains have 801 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:49,880 Speaker 1: this really impressive ability to suppress the activity in the 802 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:52,360 Speaker 1: parts of the brain that help us detect changes in 803 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,320 Speaker 1: our environment. So our brains actually allow us to ignore 804 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:58,880 Speaker 1: those momentary periods of darkness and just see the world 805 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:01,480 Speaker 1: as though it's continue to us. That's pretty awesome. So 806 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,840 Speaker 1: I know, we started the show talking about an athlete 807 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:07,239 Speaker 1: with superhuman abilities and I know our goal was to 808 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:10,080 Speaker 1: tell Michael Johnson who is listening, that our bodies are 809 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:12,879 Speaker 1: special too, but I think I've got a good one. 810 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:14,960 Speaker 1: So you know how, you occasionally hear about these moments 811 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:18,160 Speaker 1: of superhuman strength, like a firefighter being able to lift 812 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,440 Speaker 1: a car to save someone that's trapped under it, or 813 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:22,839 Speaker 1: like a mom being able to do the same thing, 814 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:26,239 Speaker 1: and it turns out there's actual science behind this. So 815 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:29,080 Speaker 1: whenever we're doing something that requires a certain amount of 816 00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:31,759 Speaker 1: physical strength, our brains have a way of preventing our 817 00:41:31,840 --> 00:41:35,400 Speaker 1: muscles from being over stimulated and the purposes to keep 818 00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:39,440 Speaker 1: ourselves from injuring ourselves. But in moments of extreme stress, 819 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,440 Speaker 1: we also have the ability to override that suppression and 820 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:45,759 Speaker 1: physically accomplished all these things that wouldn't otherwise be capable of. 821 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:49,399 Speaker 1: Hence the reason for these moments of superhuman strength. That's 822 00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:51,440 Speaker 1: pretty awesome, and you're right, the whole point of this 823 00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:54,080 Speaker 1: episode was to let Michael Johnson know that our bodies 824 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,080 Speaker 1: can do some amazing things. To got it, Michael Johnson, 825 00:41:57,120 --> 00:41:58,959 Speaker 1: And I think you've nailed it with that one, Mango, 826 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 1: So I'm actually gonna get of you Today's fact on Trophy. 827 00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:04,160 Speaker 1: Thank you so much. So that's it for today's episode. 828 00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:06,200 Speaker 1: If you've got some great facts about the human body 829 00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:08,680 Speaker 1: that we should have shared on today's episode, let us know. 830 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:11,160 Speaker 1: You can email us part Time Genius at how stuff 831 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,120 Speaker 1: Works dot com or hit us up on our seven 832 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:17,360 Speaker 1: fact hot line one eight four four pt Genius, or 833 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:19,600 Speaker 1: as always, you can find us on Facebook or Twitter. 834 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:34,399 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening. Thanks again for listening. Part 835 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:36,440 Speaker 1: Time Genius is a production of How Stuff Works and 836 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:39,080 Speaker 1: wouldn't be possible without several brilliant people who do the 837 00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:42,440 Speaker 1: important things we couldn't even begin to understand. Tristan McNeil 838 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:44,919 Speaker 1: does the editing thing. Noel Brown made the theme song 839 00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:47,799 Speaker 1: and does the mixy mixy sound thing. Jerry Rowland does 840 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:50,960 Speaker 1: the exact producer thing. Gay blues Yer is our lead researcher, 841 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:53,960 Speaker 1: with support from the research Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan 842 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:56,200 Speaker 1: Brown and Lucas Adams and Eves. Jeff Cook gets the 843 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,480 Speaker 1: show to your ears. Good job, Eves. If you like 844 00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:00,440 Speaker 1: what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe, And if you 845 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:02,399 Speaker 1: really really like what you've heard, maybe you could leave 846 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:04,800 Speaker 1: a good review for us. Did we do We forget Jason. 847 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:05,719 Speaker 1: Jason who