1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind production of My 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey you welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Seth Nicholas Johnson. 4 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: That's right, Joe is still out on par rental leave. 5 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: But we gotta we gotta keep the show rolling, and 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,240 Speaker 1: we find ourselves at that time of year when we 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: tend to cover the ig Nobel Prizes. Uh So, this 8 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 1: episode and probably a second episode are going to look 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: at some of the Igno bell winners from this year. 10 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: I mean, we couldn't skip Igno bells just because Joe 11 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: is out on paternity leave. Igno bells are tradition around here, 12 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: that's right. Yeah, we've been covering the Igno bells for 13 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: many years. I'm not even sure when we started covering 14 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: it on the show. We generally don't cover them right 15 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: away because the awards usually come out during September. Usually 16 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: it's like late mid to late September or very early 17 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: October perhaps for a couple of years, and were often 18 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: wrapped up in Halloween stuff by that point. But the 19 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: Ignal bells usually make for a fun episode or two 20 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: in early November for us. In a way. It sometimes 21 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: it's a nice palate cleanser after a bunch of Halloween content. 22 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: Uh so we yeah, again, we tend to use it 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: later than usual. But the two thousand twenty two awards 24 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: were handed out septembo. It's kind of like the World 25 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: Series versus Halloween. They both usually end up around the 26 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: same time, and at least in my life growing up, 27 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: it was always kind of a flip of the coin 28 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: whether or not the World Series would interfere with the 29 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: Simpsons annual Treehouse of Horror. It was oh yeah, sometimes 30 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:42,759 Speaker 1: they would air a Treehouse of Horror really really early 31 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: to get it out of the way beforehand. Sometimes, and 32 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: these were the years I hated the most. They would 33 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: air Simpsons Treehouse of Horror after Halloween, which just flu 34 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: next me. I hated those years. Yeah, I mean, I 35 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: think you've pointed out before. It's also a reason why 36 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: we can feel feel good about doing halloweeny things in 37 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: the weeks following Halloween because the Simpsons President is there. Yes. 38 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: By the way, Uh, this is real quick. Did you 39 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: watch this year's rob I I didn't. I We as 40 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: a family we rewatch the five or so tree ousis 41 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: that we always rewatch, but I'm I'm I'm just I don't. 42 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: I know. You've given me advice on watching more recent 43 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: episodes in the past, but I'm just I'm kind of scared. 44 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: I just I tend to stick to exactly what I know, 45 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: even though so many of the jokes, not all of them, 46 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: but there are certain jokes that are way outdated or 47 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: haven't stood the test of time, or I just have 48 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: to explain them to my ten year old. The one 49 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: this year, I have to say, was particularly good. I'm 50 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: recommending it to you and to all the listeners out there. 51 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: There was a Baba Duke parody, there was a West 52 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,920 Speaker 1: World parody, and there was a Death Note parody, and 53 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: the Death Note parody was done exclusively in anime style 54 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: and it was gorgeous. So anyway, anyway, if people like 55 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: The Simpsons, or even a few don'ts I don't care, 56 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: go watch this year's Treehouse of Horror in the year two. 57 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: It was beautiful. I'll have to see all the source 58 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: material for those though. I still haven't seen the Baba Duke, 59 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: but I saw the episode of Guiana de Toro's Cabinet 60 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: of Curiosities that had the same director. Anyway, Sorry, back 61 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: to the Igno Bells. Yes, yes, so the Igno Bells 62 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: um if you're not familiar with these. The Igno Bells 63 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: are a series of awards given out once a year 64 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: by a scientific humor journal called The Animals of Improbable Research, 65 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: edited for many years now by Mark abrams Uh. Their 66 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: stated purpose is to quote honor achievements that first make 67 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: people laugh and then make them think so um, and 68 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: I'll also without it probably goes without saying that this 69 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: is also kind of a parody of the Nobel Prizes. 70 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: I'm sure that a mistake has been made many times 71 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: in the past. So occasionally the papers that get selected 72 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: are themselves intended to be satirical, and or how satirical 73 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: notes to them at any rate. An example that comes 74 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: to mind was a study of the Disgusted whether cats 75 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: should be considered a solid or a liquid um. You know, 76 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: obviously there is a fair amount of humor already there. 77 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: Other times it's just a straightforward study that deals with 78 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: a topic or deal, or there's some detail to the 79 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: experiment involved that is laughter inducing, or it's just weird, 80 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: or it's other times it's a study that that does 81 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: seem to be sort of testing out or exploring something 82 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: that we just take as a given that just seems 83 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: completely obvious and in perhaps it's a little humorous that 84 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: there's a study about it, even though this is how 85 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: we've sort of scientifically prove out the world around us. 86 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: And I think we're covering both. I think we have 87 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: a wide selection here, covering both the surprisingly impractical and 88 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 1: the surprisingly practical. Yeah, so in each of these we're 89 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: definitely going to talk about why it is funny, but 90 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: also why it is important, like why it matters because 91 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: again the stated purpose. Uh, stuff different studies and papers 92 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: that make you laugh but then make you think. So 93 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,720 Speaker 1: it's not just that they're funny, they also are are 94 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: legitimate scientific papers. Now there, we're not gonna cover all 95 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: the winners. If you want to see the full list 96 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: of winners for this year plus all subsequent years, you 97 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 1: can go to the journal's web page at Improbable dot com. Uh. 98 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: Either way, you should definitely check out the website. It's 99 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: just all on one page all the winners throughout the years, 100 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: and it can be a fun exercise. You just search 101 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,720 Speaker 1: for various keywords on that page and see what has 102 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,039 Speaker 1: been honored. So, yeah, we're just gonna trade back and 103 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: forth here on some for this episode, and we'll probably 104 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: come back in the next episode as well. When I 105 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: initially scanned it, another thing about it is that a 106 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 1: lot of times they are very recent studies. Sometimes they're 107 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: older studies, and sometimes their their studies that are that 108 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: are kind of checking in on a on a strange 109 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: topic and maybe giggle inducing topic that's been around for 110 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: a little bit. And so I was instantly interested in 111 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,559 Speaker 1: the Biology Prize for this year because it does touch 112 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: on a topic, though not a specific study, that Joe 113 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: and I have discussed on the show um at least 114 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: a couple of times. There are a trio of studies 115 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: honored here by the author's Garcia, Hernandes, and Machado and 116 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: uh in particular, there's a there's one just to give 117 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: you a taste of what we're getting into. This one 118 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: is from in the journal Integrative Zoology Short and Long 119 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:33,679 Speaker 1: Term Effects of an extreme case of auto Tommy colon. 120 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 1: Does tail loss and subsequent constipation decrease the locomotive performance 121 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 1: of male and female scorpions? So specific yes, So this 122 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: gets into a really weird area that that again, longtime 123 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: listeners of the show might remember. Needless to say, the 124 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: tale of a scorpion is easily one of the most 125 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 1: interesting tales you'll find in the animal world. You can 126 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: go vertebrate or invertebrate. The scorpion and is still going 127 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,160 Speaker 1: to be up there at the top, because I mean, 128 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,480 Speaker 1: just just the image of it, this this curled tail, 129 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: just posed and ready to strike out with that stinger. 130 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: I mean, it's so good. It becomes part of our monsters, 131 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: right like we we can't help but blow it up. 132 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: We can't help it blow up the scorpion, as Ray 133 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: Harry Housing did and clash of the of of the Titans. 134 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: But the the scorpions tail or meta soma, is composed 135 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:31,119 Speaker 1: of five segments as well as the Tellson Tellson isn't 136 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: so much a full segment as just sort of the 137 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: posterior most division of the creature's body, and this contains 138 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: venom glands, which of course feed the zinc harden stinger 139 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: at the end of the tail. The scorpion will use 140 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: this tail stinger, along with its claws, both offensively and 141 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: defensively against its many many enemies, because of course it's 142 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: trying to prey on various creatures. But lots of things 143 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: are trying to prey on it, and it also has 144 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: to deal with the dangers of posed by other scorpions, 145 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: even of its own species. But there's an interesting quirk 146 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: of evolution with the scorpions. Uh. And this is when 147 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: I first read about this. It was in an ed 148 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: Young paper from that appeared on the National Geographic website, 149 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: and in it, Young points out that the scorpions anus 150 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: isn't where you think it might be, so just that 151 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: that's kind of kind of leading into it. But I 152 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: don't know, did did you have set did you have 153 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: a a notion in your head about where you might 154 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,200 Speaker 1: find a scorpions anus. I would compare it to all 155 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: other animals that I'm aware of and put it's below 156 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 1: the tail. That's where I would put it. Right that 157 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: that would have been my guess. And and even more 158 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: so after discussing this bit about the Tellson, you know 159 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,079 Speaker 1: this idea that it's it's not the tail proper, but 160 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,199 Speaker 1: it's kind of like it's far back on the animals 161 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 1: you can get before getting to the tail segments. I mean, 162 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: that's already where you're going to have the venom glands. 163 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: It seems to make sense that you would also have 164 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,439 Speaker 1: the termination of the gut there, that that's where the 165 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: anus would be, that's where poop would come out. I 166 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: still think it's a good guess, but it is absolutely wrong. 167 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: The anus is on segment five of the tail, meaning 168 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: that the gut cavity of the scorpion extends through the 169 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: entire tail and then poops out just short of the 170 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 1: stinger itself. That's fascinating. So then picture in your mind 171 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: if it was typically where you would think it would 172 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: be on on any creature. So move its back legs 173 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: all the way up to the fifth segments you know 174 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: of of the stinger and that's it would It would 175 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: be almost like a like a doc sinto like a 176 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 1: big long winer dog body. And yeah, that makes sense 177 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 1: in its own strange way. Yeah, And it's it's so 178 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: different from what we tend to expect from animals that 179 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,959 Speaker 1: have not not even similar morphology, because it's not like 180 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,559 Speaker 1: not like a cow is similar to a scorpion in 181 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: in most major concerns. But but you know, there's a 182 00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: there's a certain rhythm to the way things are laid out. 183 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: You you grow to expect to find the anus in 184 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: certain positions compared to the tale of a creature, especially 185 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: when it seems so consistent. Yeah, now this is already 186 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: pretty weird. But the kicker to all of this is 187 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: that there is a rare group of South American scorpions, 188 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: and Young points this out that practice auto Tommy. This 189 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: is the act by which a creature can shed parts 190 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 1: of its body, typically a tail. The most famous example 191 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:30,679 Speaker 1: of this our little little lizards like backyard skinks and 192 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,440 Speaker 1: so forth. That I think if you, if you grew 193 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: up in a world where lizards were running about, you 194 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: were familiar with this because occasionally you might catch a 195 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 1: lizard and its tail would fall off, or you would 196 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: find that tail. Perhaps you'd find a bird or a 197 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,719 Speaker 1: cat playing with the tail as it's still kind of 198 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: bops around with some last you know, last ounce of energy. 199 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 1: And of course this is generally about enabling a better 200 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: chance of survival for the creature. And I think there 201 00:10:57,559 --> 00:10:59,200 Speaker 1: I remember talking about this in the show in the past. 202 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: There a few different ways of looking at this. It's 203 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 1: kind of a distracting lure. If a lizard jettison's a 204 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: tail and that tail still moving around, while that distracts 205 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: a predator, it also is kind of a bribe, like 206 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: you're not gonna eat me, but here, here's a piece 207 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 1: of me. Have at it. I'm delicious, but I'm also 208 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 1: running away. So we have this rare group of South 209 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: American scorpions that can do this. They can shed their tail, 210 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: but since their anus is on the fifth tail segment, 211 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:32,439 Speaker 1: they also lose that as well. Um and I believe 212 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: in the case of these scorpions we're talking about the 213 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 1: the the shed occurring, the the uh that they lose 214 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 1: the tail somewhere at the second or third segment, which 215 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: which also seems crazy, right because it's like, come on, scorpions, 216 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,720 Speaker 1: if you just you could have the anus on the tail, 217 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:51,440 Speaker 1: but maybe just an earlier segment, and you could still 218 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: do this without losing your ability to poop. But no, 219 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: there they have the anus on the fifth segment. They're 220 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: losing their tail at the second or third segment, and 221 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: so it leaves the scorpion without a tail and without 222 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,199 Speaker 1: an anush to live out the rest of its life, 223 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: because it does continue to live and and I believe 224 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: that we're talking something like maybe eight months more of life, 225 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: but still enough life to where these scorpions are still 226 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 1: going to continue hunting for food, feeding, and even successfully breeding. Wow. 227 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, it's like you're saying, if there was 228 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: a focus group to redesign the scorpion, we should either 229 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 1: move its anus further up on these segments of the 230 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 1: tail or um have the portion of the tail that 231 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: does disconnect begin after the fifth segments. But but but no, no, 232 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: it's just just kind of a sad Cronenberg situation. Yeah, so, 233 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: I don't know what the the creation has taken. All 234 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:54,960 Speaker 1: this is. I actually don't don't care what the creation, 235 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:57,319 Speaker 1: but it seems like it would it seems like it 236 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: would pose some some some questions. Yeah. So as though, obviously, 237 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: what happens when a creature cannot poop but it's still 238 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: continuing to live and eat, well, it begins to swell up. Uh. 239 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:13,319 Speaker 1: And they're actually you can find images I think Ed 240 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,440 Speaker 1: Young has some of these in his his article where 241 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: you can see these like white globs through the skin 242 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:22,199 Speaker 1: of the scorpion. And this is the scorpion swelling up 243 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: with its own extrement because it cannot poop. It reminds 244 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 1: me of seeing um, perhaps a crab getting ready to molt. 245 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 1: You know where we're like you can see like it's 246 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 1: exterior kind of they're they're getting very uncomfortable. In fact, 247 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: I actually just saw some footage last night of a 248 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,679 Speaker 1: of a blue crab. It was given its favorite food, 249 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,559 Speaker 1: and it wouldn't eat any just simply because it didn't 250 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 1: have room for its body to expand after eating. And 251 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:50,120 Speaker 1: so what it would do I believe it was a 252 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: piece of mango that the crab would just kind of 253 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,920 Speaker 1: put it in its mouth to taste it and then 254 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: just set it back down because they didn't have room 255 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: for the food inside it's it's too small body. It 256 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: had to wait until it molted to be able to finish. So, 257 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: as Young points out in this article, the scorpion is 258 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: on borrowed time. At this point, it's defensive and offensive 259 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: powers are reduced, plus again steadily swelling up with poop, 260 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: so much so that the swelling apparently sometimes pops off 261 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: one of the remaining tail segments or stumps. They're kind 262 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: of like a vest button bopping, you know, popping off 263 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: of a stuffed human diner in a cartoon. So here's this, 264 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 1: this steadily swelling scorpion, no tail, no stinger. They have 265 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: to end up having to prey on smaller prey because 266 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: they can't handle the bigger stuff without their their main bioweapon. 267 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: But they still managed to do it. They still managed 268 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 1: to mate and reproduce in their remaining eight months or 269 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 1: so on average, So this much was known. These latest 270 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: studies that are that are that are honored by the 271 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 1: Ignoble Prizes. They look specifically at the scorpions locomotion post autotommy, 272 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: So how are they moving around? How are they continuing 273 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: to function and reproduce after they've lost that tale? Now 274 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: why is it funny? I don't, Well, it's constipated scorpions 275 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: who threw away their anus, So I guess it's it's 276 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: inherently funny on some level or another. And why is 277 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: it important? Well, it is a crucial question about how 278 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: the creatures survive in the wild after losing their tail, 279 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: and given that mating still goes on after this point. 280 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: It's a question with ramifications of evolutionary concern as well, 281 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: because there the selection pressures are still applying. It's not 282 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: one of these situations where you could say, well, they've 283 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: lost their tail, but it's not like they're reproducing anymore. 284 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: You know, they're they're essentially dead. At this point. No, 285 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: they still have life to give and they give it. 286 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,680 Speaker 1: So again, a trio of studies that were honored here 287 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 1: by Garcia, Hernandez and Machado from one and I'm just 288 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: going to single out the key findings here. Um, we 289 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: read a couple of quotes from from the papers. First quote, 290 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: tail loss has no mediate effect on the locomotive performance 291 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: of scorpions. The long term decrease in the locomotive performance 292 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: of autotomized males may impair mate searching. However, because death 293 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: by constipation takes several months, males have a long time 294 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: to find mates and reproduce. Thus, the prolonged period between 295 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 1: autotomy and death by constipation is crucial for understanding the 296 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 1: evolution of one of the most extreme cases of autotomy 297 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,600 Speaker 1: and nature. Fair enough, and also they got to use 298 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: death by constipation twice there um, But then then it 299 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: gets more interesting as well. Quote. Although the male tail 300 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: is used during courtship and sperm transfer, autotomy has no 301 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 1: effect on male mating success. The combined effect of increased 302 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: mortality and reduced fecundity resulted in automatized females producing nearly 303 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: thirty five percent fewer offspring than intact females. In conclusion, 304 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: the negative effects of tail autotomy are clearly sex dependent, 305 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: probably because the factors that influence reproductive success in males 306 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: and females are markedly different. So the basic take home 307 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: there being that, yeah, it doesn't seem to really have 308 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: an impact on how males are mating, but it does 309 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: have an impact on the way the females are. And 310 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: then finally they point out the stinger loss reduced UH 311 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,719 Speaker 1: their ability to subdue both small and large prey, and 312 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: that tail autotomy is costly because it decreases predation success. 313 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: It just makes these little scorpions less good at being 314 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: little scorpions. Makes sense, So, you know, these are these 315 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,400 Speaker 1: are not studies that I guess um, they're not completely 316 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 1: groundbreaking or anything. They're not revealing something in the natural 317 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,159 Speaker 1: world that we didn't completely you know, there was just 318 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,400 Speaker 1: a mystery to us. But it does answer more questions 319 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: about this already weird situation that's occurring with UH, a 320 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: particular variety of scorpion in the wild. And it also 321 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: just broadens the mind in general. Like, for exact ample, 322 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: if you would have said to me, you know, I'm 323 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: gonna bet you fifty dollars that you can't show me 324 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: where a scorpions anus is. I would have taken that 325 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: bet before this study. I would have said, of course 326 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,960 Speaker 1: I know where it is. But but now now I 327 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: I just can't take these things for granted. You know 328 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: there there's a broad spectrum of physiology out there. Yeah, absolutely, 329 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: thank you. Let's move on to our second story here. Uh, 330 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:37,120 Speaker 1: this was the Ignoble Economics Prize. This. Let's see our 331 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,439 Speaker 1: our authors are researchers. I believe they're all from Italy, 332 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: So I apologize for my lack of pronouncing Italian names 333 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: as as well as I should. This is by Pluccino, 334 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: Beyondo and Rapisarda, and this is for explaining mathematically why 335 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:57,040 Speaker 1: success more often goes not to the most talented people 336 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: but instead to the luckiest. So a lot of Western cultures, 337 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: we can speak for us as two Americans here, but 338 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,439 Speaker 1: I think a lot of Western cultures are this way, 339 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,119 Speaker 1: are based on the idea that if you are talented 340 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: and work hard, you will be successful. That's that's the 341 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 1: thing that everyone tells you, whether it be a teacher 342 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 1: or a parent. Uh, that that's just how it is. 343 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: Work hard, you know, be, be, be more talented, be smarter, 344 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,440 Speaker 1: study hard, all that stuff. Uh, And if you want 345 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,320 Speaker 1: to really be successful, you need to be more talented 346 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 1: than everyone else and work harder than everyone else. If 347 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: you want to be a oh whoever, the billionaire dug 348 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,639 Speaker 1: or just picture them in your mind, whicheveryone you're thinking 349 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 1: of that one? Now, Um, is this true? Can we 350 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:47,879 Speaker 1: really break this apart? And can we do it with math? 351 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: I think is the most important thing that these three 352 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:54,199 Speaker 1: researchers were trying to figure out. Now, if you if 353 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 1: you talk to one of these people, the people who 354 00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:01,120 Speaker 1: are extremely successful, a billionaire, let's say, they will tell 355 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: you that, you know, it's we worked hard, we we 356 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 1: really put our nose to the grindstone, you know. And 357 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 1: they'll talk about the virtues of the hustle. You know, 358 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: that's everything you gotta put in all those hours, neglect 359 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:17,440 Speaker 1: your personal relationships, etcetera, etcetera. They got where they are 360 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: because of a meritocracy. Well, our researchers are here to 361 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: prove that that's just not true using math. So the 362 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: first claim that the researchers will make is that if 363 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: we're primarily talking about two aspects here, which is talent 364 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: and success. They're going to need to find a way 365 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 1: to apply math to those terms. So talent, they are claiming, 366 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 1: has a Gaussian distribution. Now, I'm sure even if those 367 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: of you out there aren't mathematicians, you know more or 368 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: less where I'm coming from, even if you don't know 369 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 1: these terms. A Gaussian distribution, a k A and normal 370 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:58,360 Speaker 1: distribution is a typical bell curve along the X axis. 371 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: I'm sure most of you can picture that in your mind. 372 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: It's low on the left, it's high in the middle, 373 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: and it's low on the right, with a a cosine 374 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,399 Speaker 1: curve easing in and out of each point. This is 375 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: used all over the place to explain all kinds of 376 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 1: averages in numbers, but it's extremely common. Is this typical 377 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 1: Bell curve? Okay, so our researchers are using a Gaussian 378 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: distribution to equate with talent, which they're equating with intelligence 379 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,640 Speaker 1: because intelligence is a very measurable trait. Talent, of course, 380 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: much more difficult to measure. So so so get that 381 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,800 Speaker 1: in your head first. Everyone, picture a little chart, and 382 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,040 Speaker 1: this is for intelligence, and it's a little bell curve. 383 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,639 Speaker 1: There are people with very very little intelligence on the 384 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: left people with extremely high intelligence on the right, and 385 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: then the average most of us right in the middle. 386 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,119 Speaker 1: And that's where the big you know, the big body 387 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: of the bell is in that bell curve. Now, Rob, first, 388 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 1: is this a fair equivalence? Do you think? Do do? 389 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: Do you think equating talent and intelligence? Is that? Is 390 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:08,120 Speaker 1: that an assumption you would be willing to make? Um? Well, 391 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:10,160 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's one of those things where 392 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:15,639 Speaker 1: the alchemy of success and even things like talent and 393 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: intelligence on their own or or are far more complicated 394 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,160 Speaker 1: than something like this is going to really be able 395 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: to represent. But you gotta work with some sort of model. 396 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: You gotta work with some sort of a simplified and 397 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: version of reality in order to apply the mathematics improve 398 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:33,239 Speaker 1: things out right. And I do think that there is 399 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:37,159 Speaker 1: talents that of course it doesn't require you know, book learning, 400 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,439 Speaker 1: let's say, and um, perhaps something that you could have 401 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: a typically low intelligence by by all all tests that 402 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:47,840 Speaker 1: exist in the world, but perhaps are extremely talented in 403 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: your own ways which are not measurable. So so yes, 404 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: let's just go with this. If we're using a way 405 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: to measure talent and we're making that equivalency with intelligence, 406 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: you can measure intelligence. We get a very simple bell curve. 407 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,719 Speaker 1: So let's let's just go with that. We'll fall We'll 408 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: follow their logic on this. So next up, if we've 409 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: already measured our talent, next we're gonna start measuring success. Now. Now, 410 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 1: their way to find a formula for success is they 411 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: used um wealth, you know, financial gain, financial wealth as success. 412 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: Once again, I'll say, this is perhaps not something you 413 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: could really you know, one to one. You know that 414 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: there's there's personal success, there's creative success, and financial success 415 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: is certainly a type of success, but that's a very 416 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: specific kind. But once again we'll go with it. Okay, 417 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: So the next assertion for this math formula is that 418 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,199 Speaker 1: success are other aspect that we're really trying to measure 419 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:47,800 Speaker 1: here can be represented with a power law a k A. 420 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 1: The Parrito principle a k A rule. The Parrito principle, 421 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: named after the economist phil Fredo Parrito, specifies the eight 422 00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: percent of consequences twenty the causes um so. Assertions using 423 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,160 Speaker 1: this principle would be things like eighty percent of sales 424 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: come froment of the clients, eight percent of work done 425 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: is from you of the employees, and in the case 426 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: of this study, wealth distribution. So the world has a 427 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,160 Speaker 1: large majority of poor people and a very small number 428 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,119 Speaker 1: of billionaires. Um. But you can find examples of this 429 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,680 Speaker 1: principle everywhere. It's actually a very fascinating thing to look into. 430 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 1: So this study is positing that to a certain degree, 431 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: wealth equals success. I think there are all kinds of 432 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: successes we could have in this world. But again, we 433 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: need to hammer this down with one simple principle. Rob, 434 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:41,919 Speaker 1: what are your thoughts for the purpose of the study, 435 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 1: shure wealth can be success? Um? You know, I think 436 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 1: that you get into a larger discussion. I think it 437 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 1: is certainly a very Western uh idea that that wealth 438 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 1: is like the main market success. I've always liked, or 439 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: not always, but I've long liked the Chinese approach where 440 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: you have the three star gods of Fulu and Show, 441 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,879 Speaker 1: and each one represents a different sort of desired state 442 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: that sometimes I see also kind of translated as luck, 443 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: which is interesting getting into all of this. But one 444 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: represents happiness, one represents wealth, and one represents longevity. So 445 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: wealth is still very much a part of that. With 446 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: one of these three individuals shown, you know, looking very 447 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: much like a wealthy business owner, but on his own 448 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:34,719 Speaker 1: you're missing out on on on happiness and longevity, Like 449 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 1: these are two things that are also important. You don't 450 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: want just one of these three statues in your home 451 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,760 Speaker 1: or your business, you want all three because you want 452 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:45,560 Speaker 1: to balance of these three forces. Yeah, yeah, I mean again, 453 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 1: we're trying to measure this. So wealth is something that 454 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 1: can be measured. If you're talking about like artistic success, 455 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: perhaps having like you know, your your your your mission, 456 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: and your message be conveyed through art and aesthetics, that's 457 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: harder to measure. So so, but yeah, I feel like 458 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: in to a larger extent, I feel like, yes, in 459 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: the in the West, we have this idea that wealthiesical success, 460 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: and to a certain extent we can say that's true, 461 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: but also it's a it's a truth that ends up 462 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 1: muddying so many things. Like we get into it into 463 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: our heads that our hobbies also need to be things 464 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 1: that we make money at. That it's like like how 465 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 1: how can you be into a writing or painting or whatever, sculpting, 466 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 1: whatever your hobby happens to be if it's not producing money, 467 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,920 Speaker 1: Like that's that's not really how hobbies have to work 468 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 1: like I can. I cannot make money at my hobby. 469 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:40,920 Speaker 1: I can. I cannot be perfect at my hobby. And 470 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,439 Speaker 1: it's still fine. It's it's it's perfectly acceptable. But we 471 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,680 Speaker 1: can easily sort of fall into that commercial mindset and 472 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,199 Speaker 1: think of it the opposite way. And I think that 473 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: applies to most things, like, for example, physical activity, you know, 474 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 1: like I love running. I can have all these goals 475 00:26:57,840 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: in my mind, like oh, I'm gonna go this far today, 476 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to go this far without stopping to walk, etcetera, etcetera, 477 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: And that can be very successful at that. There's no 478 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,760 Speaker 1: money involved, I don't get I'm sure with you. You 479 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:11,359 Speaker 1: don't get paid to go swimming or to do your yoga, 480 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:14,439 Speaker 1: but you can be very successful at those things in 481 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: our own ways. So yeah, not not to not to 482 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: you know, harsh on people who do find a way 483 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 1: to turn a hobby or a passion into a business. 484 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:26,120 Speaker 1: But I think obviously it is not required. Yes, yes, 485 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:29,600 Speaker 1: So so we we will just accept these equivalences and 486 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: and and continue this paper. So let's picture both these 487 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: things in our mind. We're picturing the bell curve for intelligence. Okay, 488 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: so we're all seeing a bell curve in our minds, 489 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 1: and now for success, we are picturing this eight twenty distribution, 490 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: and if you kind of put those over each other, 491 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,719 Speaker 1: they don't really overlap. So it's like, wait, wait, wait, 492 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 1: I thought I thought we lived in a meritocracy. Shouldn't 493 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 1: these be one to one? And and that that's not 494 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 1: the case. So what is that mystery ingredient that makes 495 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,159 Speaker 1: all of this compute? Well, they mentioned it at the 496 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: very beginning of the thesis. It's luck. So from the paper, 497 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:06,879 Speaker 1: I really love this segment. Here. I'm gonna be uh 498 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: quoting most of it, but I'm paraphrasing a couple of 499 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:13,919 Speaker 1: places quote. There's nowadays an even greater evidence about the 500 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 1: fundamental role of chance, luck, or more in general, random 501 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: factors in determining successes or failures in our personal and 502 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:26,640 Speaker 1: professional lives. In particular, it has been shown that scientists 503 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: have the same chance along their career of publishing their 504 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:33,240 Speaker 1: biggest hit. You know, as an aside, you would assume 505 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,720 Speaker 1: that you would get smarter and smarter and smarter, so 506 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 1: eventually your biggest hit would come at the end of 507 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 1: your career. Turns out that's not the case. Oh and 508 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: of course, um in this paper, they've actually uh cited 509 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,480 Speaker 1: their sources for each of these claims. These are not 510 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:50,320 Speaker 1: just like random claims made by like some podcaster. No no, no, 511 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,240 Speaker 1: These these are well researched claims that all go back 512 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 1: to two sources. So if you look at the look 513 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: up the real paper, they actually have each of these 514 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 1: claims cited. So look it up if you're If you're curious, 515 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: I recommend it. So anyway back to it um, it 516 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 1: has been shown that scientists have the same chance along 517 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,360 Speaker 1: their career of publishing their biggest hit. That those with 518 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: earlier surname initials are significantly more likely to receive tenure 519 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 1: at top departments. That one's position in an alphabetically sorted 520 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:25,200 Speaker 1: list may be important in determining access to oversubscribed public services. 521 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 1: That middle name initials enhance evaluations of intellectual performance. That 522 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,240 Speaker 1: people with easy to pronounce names are judged more positively 523 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 1: than those with difficult to pronounce names. That individuals with 524 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,920 Speaker 1: noble sounding surnames are found to work more often as 525 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: managers than as employees. That females with masculine monikers are 526 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 1: often more successful in legal careers. That roughly half of 527 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: the variants and incomes across persons worldwise is explained only 528 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 1: by their country of residents and by the income distribution 529 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 1: within that country. That the probability of becoming a CEO 530 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 1: is strongly influenced by your name or by your month 531 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:09,040 Speaker 1: of birth, and that even the probability of developing some 532 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: sort of cancer might be cutting a brilliant career short. 533 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:17,360 Speaker 1: It's mainly due to simple bad luck. And um it's 534 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: it was. It was fascinating to go through all these 535 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: and to check all their their sited sources. But but 536 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 1: the one thing that all these things have in common 537 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: is that you have no control over any of these things. 538 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: No matter how how much you think you have control 539 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,440 Speaker 1: over any of these you you you really don't. You 540 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,160 Speaker 1: don't determine your own name. For the most part, you 541 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: you can't say what month you're born in. I suppose 542 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,720 Speaker 1: you could lie about some of these things, but but 543 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: but for the most part, you don't have any control 544 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 1: what country you're born in, etcetera, etcetera. You know where 545 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: where your name lands in the alphabets. Um. But but 546 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,520 Speaker 1: it is an interesting idea to think about, like parents 547 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 1: choosing their child's name based on like you know, how 548 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: how will I make sure that my son Aaron a 549 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: Aaron Sin is, as you know, at the front of 550 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: every list and has all the advantages I can possibly 551 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: provide for them. Yeah, I mean there's a lot to 552 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:13,280 Speaker 1: be said about about naming of children, and and different 553 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 1: ideas about naming of children, and yeah, the the downstream 554 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 1: results of those names. There's been so many studies and 555 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: about this. In fact, I think I I heard an 556 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:25,840 Speaker 1: NPR story about a new one just the other day 557 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,719 Speaker 1: that was quite fascinating. Um. But again, yeah, you generally 558 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 1: don't get to choose it yourself. Often you get to 559 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 1: tweak it later, or you or you do change it later, 560 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: but you're at least given that starting name that you 561 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:42,040 Speaker 1: have to deal with. Yeah, for most folks, they're unable 562 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: to change their name until adulthood. So in many ways, 563 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: the cards have already been dealt. You've already lived eighteen 564 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,480 Speaker 1: years of your life. You don't have much control over it, 565 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 1: perhaps until you're an adult. Yeah. So, because this is 566 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: a mathematics paper that I'm referring to today, there are 567 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:02,400 Speaker 1: a lot of equations, charts, and graphs, specifically twenty two 568 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: pages worth of testing away. In particular, because we have 569 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: the ability to track success based on their model, and 570 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: a way to track um talent based on their model. 571 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,200 Speaker 1: How are we going to determine luck? So they spend 572 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 1: twenty two pages determining that, which which will be very 573 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 1: hard for me to express on a podcast, but but hey, 574 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:28,600 Speaker 1: they did it. So I recommend you open up this 575 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: paper and you look at it. You'll see a wide 576 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 1: variety of of ways to measure um uh good luck 577 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:38,440 Speaker 1: and bad luck and um. If you'll kind of picture 578 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:42,360 Speaker 1: in your mind, it's a pretty random distribution. Honestly, Uh, 579 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: it's hard to equate because it's not a typical uh 580 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:49,719 Speaker 1: line like a like an twenty principle or a or 581 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:52,520 Speaker 1: or a Gaussian curve like these. This is a brand 582 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:56,120 Speaker 1: new thing to look at, which is the luck and 583 00:32:56,840 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 1: a lack of luck curve, which is um kind randomized. 584 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 1: So I recommend you look it up for details. But ultimately, uh, 585 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: the result is untalented people who don't work hard are 586 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 1: not successful. Okay, Also talented people who work hard are 587 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:22,720 Speaker 1: not successful. An average person who is averagely talented and 588 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: works an average amount and is lucky is successful. That's 589 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: how you are successful in this country, which, honestly, I 590 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:32,960 Speaker 1: think you could look at this in a couple of 591 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: different ways. Um. I think ultimately anyone who is lucky 592 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: and happened to just be a person in the world 593 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:45,000 Speaker 1: living their life, you know what I mean. Um. Not 594 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:47,200 Speaker 1: too long ago, we actually had a really interesting, uh 595 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:50,480 Speaker 1: episode of stuff to Blow your mind. It was called 596 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 1: Barbara Blatchley on Why we Believe in Luck? And it 597 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:58,240 Speaker 1: was really fascinating in particular because Blatchly she was she 598 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 1: was being interviewed in the episode, she was pointing out 599 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: that the biggest part of luck, honestly, there were a 600 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:05,240 Speaker 1: few factors, but a big part of it was just 601 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 1: just showing up, just being in the world and existing. 602 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:12,520 Speaker 1: So you are open to two lucky things happening to you. 603 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:14,799 Speaker 1: That that's that's that this an enormous part of luck 604 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: is just being a person in the world. So if 605 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 1: you're an average person with average intelligence, living an average 606 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: life where you just do your life day to day, 607 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,360 Speaker 1: you might get lucky and you might become one of 608 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:30,840 Speaker 1: these mythical billionaires. But if you are I guess isolating 609 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:32,640 Speaker 1: yourself too much, then then then you don't have the 610 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:36,680 Speaker 1: chance for for most kinds of luck. Yeah, they say 611 00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:37,759 Speaker 1: you've got to be in the right place at the 612 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:39,799 Speaker 1: right time, which means you've got to be you've got 613 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:43,320 Speaker 1: to go to places. Yes, that's true. It's true. Again. 614 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,479 Speaker 1: If you want to hear more about this, I really 615 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:48,839 Speaker 1: do recommend Barbara Blatchley on Why we Believe in Luck? 616 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:50,399 Speaker 1: Look it up in any of the stuff that blow 617 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:53,800 Speaker 1: your mind feeds. It's it's a fascinating episode. So coming 618 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:57,040 Speaker 1: back to why it's funny, um, I I think this 619 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 1: confirms what a lot of horror working people who are 620 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,000 Speaker 1: not as successful as they want to be I want 621 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:08,560 Speaker 1: to believe is true, which is that, hey, no matter 622 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:11,680 Speaker 1: how hard I work, this country and perhaps this world 623 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:16,440 Speaker 1: is not a meritocracy, I cannot just will myself or 624 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:19,840 Speaker 1: work hard enough to become a billionaire. In fact, in 625 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: the paper they go into this where they're like, Okay, 626 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,239 Speaker 1: how many hours of work can I put into this 627 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:29,719 Speaker 1: formula to ensure billionaire status? And it's not humanly possible. 628 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 1: It's it's it's not. You can't track that same thing 629 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:37,759 Speaker 1: with um all of the aspects. Really, if you can 630 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:40,760 Speaker 1: go through with the individual elements and be like, how 631 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,960 Speaker 1: can I become a billionaire and you can't determine it. 632 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,359 Speaker 1: The luck has to be there. It's it's it's the 633 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:52,359 Speaker 1: only factor that is truly determining this crazy segments, So 634 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:57,880 Speaker 1: you can't discredit it. It's it's all you can really do. So, um, 635 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,560 Speaker 1: I guess it's self fulfilling. It makes the most of us, 636 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,360 Speaker 1: meaning you know, the majority of us who are not 637 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:06,520 Speaker 1: as successful as we think we should be. It's a 638 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:09,520 Speaker 1: confirmation of saying, don't worry, it's not your fault. That's 639 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:13,040 Speaker 1: why it's funny to me. Yeah, But the kind of 640 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: the flip side is that it's also humbling as well, 641 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,480 Speaker 1: because it's like, well, you're you're in the place you 642 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:21,440 Speaker 1: are as well because of luck, Like you're here and 643 00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 1: not in some more dire situation of which there are 644 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 1: plenty of of of examples to look at, Like I'm 645 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:33,040 Speaker 1: I'm not there just because of luck as well, I'm 646 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,359 Speaker 1: I was in the right right place and right time 647 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:38,399 Speaker 1: to be here, Uh, even if I'm not up here 648 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 1: in this billionaire room. And that's why I think it's 649 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 1: important coming to that last segment here, it's that, Um, 650 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:46,400 Speaker 1: first of all, it's impressive that they were able to 651 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 1: determine this through math and really kind of cut out 652 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:53,680 Speaker 1: some um, some possibilities that people who do believe in 653 00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:58,560 Speaker 1: the hustle would claim. It's it's shutting down those arguments. Uh. 654 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:00,480 Speaker 1: And it's also a great reminder that the world is 655 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:04,040 Speaker 1: sadly not a meritocracy. Luck is a huge factor. Your 656 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:07,600 Speaker 1: successes are not entirely your own, and neither are your failures. 657 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:10,839 Speaker 1: You know, it's just an important thing to remember. So uh, 658 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:14,520 Speaker 1: I think it does confirm what we already think. But 659 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:16,759 Speaker 1: it's good to know that through math they were able 660 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:26,920 Speaker 1: to determine its for sure. Yeah. Thank all right, le, 661 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,680 Speaker 1: let's move on to another one of these prizes. I 662 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: decided to go with the physics prize here. Uh. This 663 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,360 Speaker 1: one is a lot of fun. The physics prizes often, 664 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: like a lot of these studies, revolve around things you 665 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:42,320 Speaker 1: might not expect um. And this one went to Frank Fish, 666 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:46,479 Speaker 1: Zi Ming Wan uh Ming lu Chen Live Being, Guy 667 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 1: Uh Chun Yan Yi and Atla Incessic for trying to 668 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:54,359 Speaker 1: understand how ducklings managed to swim in formation. So the 669 00:37:54,400 --> 00:38:01,520 Speaker 1: physics of ducklings swimming information uh um. And the the 670 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:06,080 Speaker 1: actual paper that's referenced here energy conservation by formation swimming 671 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 1: metabolic evidence from ducklings by fish at all published in 672 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: the book Mechanics and Physiology of Animal Swimming. So yeah, 673 00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:20,920 Speaker 1: this is ultimately an older work here, but finally getting 674 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:25,839 Speaker 1: the the the acclaim that it deserves. So first of all, 675 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,200 Speaker 1: why is it funny? And I think it's obvious because 676 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:32,120 Speaker 1: it concerns ducks, not only ducks, but ducklings. Um ducks 677 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:36,880 Speaker 1: studies are somehow intrinsically humorous, perhaps simply because ducks are 678 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:41,680 Speaker 1: intrinsically humorous if memory serves. A study about duck necrophilia 679 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,200 Speaker 1: from I think two thousand three, or at least honored 680 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:47,279 Speaker 1: in two thousand three, was also featured in the ig Nobles, 681 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:51,800 Speaker 1: but various other topics have at least brought up ducks. Furthermore, 682 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:54,520 Speaker 1: this study is about ducklings and revolves around a complex 683 00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:58,360 Speaker 1: attempt to understand something that ducks simply do. Like I 684 00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 1: feel like most of us have probably seen a mother 685 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:05,200 Speaker 1: duck followed in the water by her ducklings, and we 686 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 1: might say something like, oh, isn't that cute? Or oh, 687 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,920 Speaker 1: look at those ducklings, isn't that sweet? But we're probably 688 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:13,280 Speaker 1: not turning to the person next to us and going, oh, 689 00:39:13,360 --> 00:39:16,319 Speaker 1: my lord, how are they doing that? For? How is 690 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,120 Speaker 1: that possible? And yet, at the same time, the study 691 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:22,360 Speaker 1: is important because, as the study itself states, quote, the 692 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:25,200 Speaker 1: study here sheds light on the importance of the fluid 693 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:29,800 Speaker 1: mechanics on animals behavior and potentially evolution. So there's always 694 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:32,480 Speaker 1: something I always find find it kind of amusing when 695 00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:37,160 Speaker 1: we have these cases of of physics, very serious physics 696 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:41,680 Speaker 1: being used, being applied to something that is seemingly mundane 697 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:45,520 Speaker 1: and thus revealing the hidden complexities of the thing. I 698 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:50,320 Speaker 1: often find fluid mechanics of papers very interesting for this reason. 699 00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:53,640 Speaker 1: In some cases, they may tackle something seemingly mundane, like 700 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:55,600 Speaker 1: it might be the way a coffee slashes around in 701 00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:58,120 Speaker 1: a mug or something like that, but it reveals this 702 00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:01,719 Speaker 1: strange world of visible and invisible fluids that we live in, 703 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,959 Speaker 1: not only like liquids that we're interacting in, but also 704 00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:09,040 Speaker 1: gases that we live in and and essentially are swimming 705 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 1: through throughout our daily life, that we're born into and 706 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:14,840 Speaker 1: that we die. And but again this this study is 707 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,000 Speaker 1: funny too, just because it's ducks. I mean, think of 708 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:19,719 Speaker 1: how many cartoon ducks that we have. It's quite a few, right, 709 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:22,080 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, for sure, and yeah, I mean picture they're 710 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:24,239 Speaker 1: funny walk. I'm sure that's that's the big part of it. 711 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:27,439 Speaker 1: And uh and they're funny little noises they make. Yeah, 712 00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:30,040 Speaker 1: I think they make funny noises and they walk funny, 713 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:33,759 Speaker 1: and that's that's amusing to us. Yeah, so it's why 714 00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:36,000 Speaker 1: we have Donald Duck. We have Daffy Duck, with have 715 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:41,719 Speaker 1: ducula darkwing duck, the rest, I mean the entire uh 716 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:45,520 Speaker 1: town of Duckberg, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, we have 717 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,480 Speaker 1: Scrooge mc duck and so forth. And I imagine there 718 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:51,759 Speaker 1: are a number of of less known duck car well, 719 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,520 Speaker 1: and think about this way too, Marvel Comics. You know, 720 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:58,439 Speaker 1: they have many serious superheroes running around doing their thing. 721 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,799 Speaker 1: When they want to commit to hero, how are the duck? 722 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:09,120 Speaker 1: That's so if you haven't seen this before, obviously when 723 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:11,439 Speaker 1: we're talking about ducks and ducklings in the wild, Yeah, 724 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 1: it's just a mother duck in the water followed by 725 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:17,880 Speaker 1: her ducklings in a straight line. And the obvious question, then, 726 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:20,200 Speaker 1: if you want to dive deeper, is why are they 727 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,560 Speaker 1: doing this formation? Is this the best formation from an 728 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:27,799 Speaker 1: energy perspective, because that's often a way of understanding why 729 00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:30,600 Speaker 1: in the animals do the things they do, why animal 730 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:33,000 Speaker 1: bodies are the way they are, why animal systems are 731 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 1: the way they are. I mean, there are some complexities 732 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,080 Speaker 1: that arise in some sort of dead ends that can 733 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:41,200 Speaker 1: occur via evolution, but for the most part, like energy 734 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:44,360 Speaker 1: is a great place to look because evolution is is 735 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:49,560 Speaker 1: essentially kind of lazy, and energy conservation is extremely important 736 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:52,799 Speaker 1: for any organism, like what is the most efficient way 737 00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:56,160 Speaker 1: to achieve some end? So in this case, the researchers 738 00:41:56,200 --> 00:42:00,880 Speaker 1: created a simplified mathematical and numerical model and calculated the 739 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:04,960 Speaker 1: wave drag on a group of waterfowl in a swimming formation, 740 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:09,840 Speaker 1: and they highlighted uh two interesting findings too important factors 741 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:13,520 Speaker 1: in all of this wave riding and wave passing quote. 742 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:17,120 Speaker 1: By riding the waves generated by a mother duck, a 743 00:42:17,200 --> 00:42:22,239 Speaker 1: trailing duckling can obtain a significant wave drag reduction. When 744 00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:25,719 Speaker 1: a duckling swims at the quote sweet point behind its mother, 745 00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:30,080 Speaker 1: a destructive wave interference phenomenon occurs and the wave drag 746 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:35,480 Speaker 1: of the duckling turns positive, pushing the duckling forward. More interestingly, 747 00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:39,040 Speaker 1: this wave riding benefit could be sustained by the rest 748 00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:43,239 Speaker 1: of the ducklings in a single file line formation. So 749 00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:46,279 Speaker 1: the the the answer then is that like this, this 750 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:48,680 Speaker 1: is the most energy efficient way to do it. And 751 00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:52,040 Speaker 1: the ducklings, by riding in in this formation behind the mother, 752 00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:56,240 Speaker 1: are able to essentially be propelled along to a certain degree. 753 00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:59,520 Speaker 1: Like they're they're, they're, they're, they're, they're basically that they're 754 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:03,040 Speaker 1: literally hiding in her wake. But the way that the 755 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:05,680 Speaker 1: wave function here works, uh, they're kind of getting a 756 00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:09,160 Speaker 1: little boost. You know. I play a lot of Mario karts, 757 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:11,960 Speaker 1: and I would have thought that that would have informed 758 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,560 Speaker 1: me that this this is how it goes. But no, no, 759 00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:18,040 Speaker 1: I mean I didn't consider drag and all that at all. 760 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:21,759 Speaker 1: Like like, if if I was thinking to myself, how 761 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:24,240 Speaker 1: do they follow in a line, I'd go use their eyes. 762 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:26,239 Speaker 1: They look at the duck in front of them and 763 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: they just follow that one. You know. But but this 764 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,719 Speaker 1: makes so much more sense. Well yeah, because you I mean, 765 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:35,279 Speaker 1: on one level, yes, it's like this is the mother. 766 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:37,600 Speaker 1: It pays to keep your eyes on the mother. You're 767 00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:39,799 Speaker 1: learning from the mother, and you need to go where 768 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:42,359 Speaker 1: she goes because she's also your protector. She's your source 769 00:43:42,400 --> 00:43:46,359 Speaker 1: of of nourishment and so forth. Um, But there does 770 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:48,560 Speaker 1: seem to be this added this added level to it, 771 00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:52,920 Speaker 1: this energy efficiency to it. Uh. It also gets interesting 772 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:57,239 Speaker 1: because the researchers here hypothesized that the energy efficiency of 773 00:43:57,239 --> 00:44:00,759 Speaker 1: this formation might be the driving force behind of course, 774 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,200 Speaker 1: it's use in duck evolution, the reason that ducks continue 775 00:44:03,400 --> 00:44:06,000 Speaker 1: continue and have continued to use this formation. But they 776 00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:10,520 Speaker 1: also ponder its connection to imprinting. So they charge that 777 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:13,800 Speaker 1: the importance of this practice may influence the duck's primal 778 00:44:13,880 --> 00:44:18,359 Speaker 1: instinct to follow any moving objects they see during this 779 00:44:18,440 --> 00:44:22,440 Speaker 1: crucial period. So imprinting it occurs usually during the first 780 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:27,239 Speaker 1: day after a hatchling emerges and young ducklings usually, of 781 00:44:27,239 --> 00:44:31,040 Speaker 1: course they're imprinting on the mother duck, but they can 782 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:33,759 Speaker 1: famously imprint on humans as well. There have been some 783 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:38,960 Speaker 1: very important studies in which ducklings have imprinted upon a 784 00:44:39,080 --> 00:44:42,360 Speaker 1: human being. Now, don't do this, do not attempt to 785 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:45,759 Speaker 1: go anywhere and have ducklings imprint upon you. Leave that 786 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:49,400 Speaker 1: to the scientists. But it's interesting to think about about 787 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:52,840 Speaker 1: this in in its connection to the swimming efficiency. This 788 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:58,160 Speaker 1: idea of following, what it means to follow the mother around? Uh, 789 00:44:58,239 --> 00:45:00,960 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's uh, it's beyond on just learning 790 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:06,400 Speaker 1: what she's doing. It's also benefiting, uh from from the 791 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:09,560 Speaker 1: energy efficiency of following her in the water. It makes sense, 792 00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:13,879 Speaker 1: it makes sense. It's it's it's wonderful with science like 793 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:16,400 Speaker 1: like like like like we were saying earlier, this is 794 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:19,320 Speaker 1: the kind of study that I never would have considered. 795 00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:22,399 Speaker 1: I never would have considered the fact that like, oh, 796 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:25,520 Speaker 1: these ducks do this more or less automatically through instinct 797 00:45:26,160 --> 00:45:28,719 Speaker 1: why you know, And it's it's just and then you 798 00:45:29,239 --> 00:45:31,680 Speaker 1: factor things in like, oh no, this is a this 799 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:35,040 Speaker 1: is an evolutionary trait that can be you know, that 800 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:38,000 Speaker 1: lead to to to their existence here in today's world, 801 00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:40,880 Speaker 1: you know, by by by following this, it's like, oh yeah, science, 802 00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:44,680 Speaker 1: you know, A plus B equals see, yeah, I got it. 803 00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:49,600 Speaker 1: And it it drives home why bio mimetics solutions are 804 00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:53,760 Speaker 1: are are often so effective because anything you see animals 805 00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:55,960 Speaker 1: doing like this in the wild, it's not just the 806 00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:58,359 Speaker 1: way they happen to do it. It's not it's not 807 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:00,360 Speaker 1: like you know, it's easy to compare to things like 808 00:46:00,440 --> 00:46:02,359 Speaker 1: human traditions where it's like, well, why do they wear 809 00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:04,520 Speaker 1: those funny hats? Well, we just wear these funny hats. 810 00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:07,799 Speaker 1: This is the tradition. It's important to us, but in 811 00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:13,080 Speaker 1: the animal world is especially These are these are things 812 00:46:13,080 --> 00:46:15,239 Speaker 1: that have been selected for These are things that have 813 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:21,719 Speaker 1: undergone like rigorous um uh, evolutionary forces over time and 814 00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:25,160 Speaker 1: so inevitably, like the way that the duck and the 815 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:27,719 Speaker 1: ducklings are behaving, like this is the most efficient way 816 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:30,279 Speaker 1: to do the thing. And I'm not sure off the 817 00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:32,239 Speaker 1: top of the top of my head, like where you 818 00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:35,920 Speaker 1: might be able to apply this particular scenario to engineering. 819 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:39,560 Speaker 1: And maybe there's some sort of like dinghy based um 820 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:42,919 Speaker 1: application here. But but it's the very reason that many 821 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:45,120 Speaker 1: cases we can say, well, will we have this engineering 822 00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:48,319 Speaker 1: problem to solve, how can we best do it? Well, 823 00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:51,759 Speaker 1: we could crunch out some numbers, we could we could 824 00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:55,360 Speaker 1: bust out some some some tests and some models. Or 825 00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:59,000 Speaker 1: we could look and see, what's a similar problem that 826 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:02,200 Speaker 1: has been faced in evolution, has been faced in nature, 827 00:47:02,920 --> 00:47:05,880 Speaker 1: and what lessons seem to have been developed there, what 828 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:08,960 Speaker 1: seems to be the evolved solution? And can we just 829 00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:12,719 Speaker 1: copy their work instead of doing it all from scratch? Here, Yeah, 830 00:47:12,760 --> 00:47:15,080 Speaker 1: it makes perfect sense. Let's say you know you you 831 00:47:15,120 --> 00:47:19,400 Speaker 1: are a robotics company who are building robotic freighters to 832 00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:23,040 Speaker 1: send freight across the ocean. For example, if you want 833 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:27,520 Speaker 1: to spend you know, less on on on fuel. However, 834 00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:31,000 Speaker 1: that may factor into your equation. Perhaps you should follow 835 00:47:31,040 --> 00:47:35,479 Speaker 1: a duckling following its mother formula, you know, perhaps using 836 00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:38,680 Speaker 1: that drag. Keeping that in mind, like one big freighter 837 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:41,200 Speaker 1: in the fronts and a few baby freighters behind it. 838 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:45,919 Speaker 1: Maybe that's the best solution. Who knows? Who knows? All right, 839 00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:48,799 Speaker 1: we're looking at the clock here and it looks like 840 00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:51,920 Speaker 1: we've about reached the time limit here for this episode. 841 00:47:52,239 --> 00:47:54,759 Speaker 1: But don't worry. We're gonna come back in the next 842 00:47:54,800 --> 00:47:57,160 Speaker 1: core episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, and we're 843 00:47:57,160 --> 00:48:00,239 Speaker 1: going to continue looking at some but not all, off 844 00:48:00,239 --> 00:48:04,759 Speaker 1: the two Ignobile Prize winners. Yeah, we've got plenty more 845 00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:07,399 Speaker 1: for you. We're looking at a big old list here. 846 00:48:07,440 --> 00:48:09,960 Speaker 1: Some we've already researched, some we still have to research. 847 00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:12,240 Speaker 1: But yeah, we've got a lot more fun on the way. 848 00:48:12,360 --> 00:48:15,920 Speaker 1: That's right, So yeah, check back in with us on Thursday. 849 00:48:16,160 --> 00:48:18,279 Speaker 1: Just a reminder that yeah, two season Thursdays are the 850 00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:21,320 Speaker 1: core episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. On Monday's 851 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:23,760 Speaker 1: we do listener mail on Wednesdays and short form artifact 852 00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:26,680 Speaker 1: or Monster Effect and on Fridays that's when we do 853 00:48:26,719 --> 00:48:28,839 Speaker 1: Weird How Cinema. That's there time to set aside most 854 00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:32,799 Speaker 1: serious concerns and just talk about a weird film. Uh, 855 00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:35,920 Speaker 1: let's see if you want to interact with other listeners 856 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:39,239 Speaker 1: other followers of Stuff to Blow your Mind. Uh, there 857 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:40,759 Speaker 1: are at least a couple of places you can go. 858 00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:44,359 Speaker 1: There is still a Facebook group called Stuff to Blow 859 00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:46,680 Speaker 1: your Mind Discussion Module. You can seek that out there 860 00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:49,080 Speaker 1: and uh asked to join, I think you have to 861 00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:52,480 Speaker 1: answer a very simple quiz to gain access. If you 862 00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:55,440 Speaker 1: would like to join us on discord, well email us 863 00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,560 Speaker 1: and I'll shoot that link out to you. And oh, 864 00:48:58,719 --> 00:49:01,120 Speaker 1: if you use letterbox, is L E T P E 865 00:49:01,280 --> 00:49:04,800 Speaker 1: R B O x D dot com. Well, Weird House 866 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:07,600 Speaker 1: Cinema has an account on there. It's just us, your 867 00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:10,359 Speaker 1: name weird House. You can follow us there and that's 868 00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:12,640 Speaker 1: where we keep track of all the movies we've covered 869 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:15,920 Speaker 1: on the show. As always, thanks to Seth Nicholas Johnson 870 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:19,239 Speaker 1: for producing the show and stitching it all together for 871 00:49:19,360 --> 00:49:22,400 Speaker 1: us and in this case also co hosting. And if 872 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:24,160 Speaker 1: you would like to get in touch with us via email, 873 00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:28,279 Speaker 1: well send us a message at contact Stuff to Blow 874 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:38,360 Speaker 1: Your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is 875 00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:41,080 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my 876 00:49:41,120 --> 00:49:44,160 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 877 00:49:44,200 --> 00:50:01,440 Speaker 1: wherever you're listening to your favorite shows. Past time a 878 00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:02,760 Speaker 1: time to about about