1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius, the production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: I guess what will? What's that mango? Did you hear 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: about that pigeon that's sold at auction for over a 4 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:18,439 Speaker 1: million bucks? You know, I know you may find this surprising, 5 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: but I actually don't keep up with the world of 6 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 1: pigeon auctions. But seriously, that did somebody actually pay a 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: million dollars for a pigeon? It's actually slightly better than that. 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: Somebody paid one point four million dollars for a pigeon, 9 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: and they did it on this site. It's an auction 10 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: site called PIPPA, which is short for Pigeon Paradise, which 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: almost makes all of this better. But to be fair, 12 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: this was no ordinary bird. This high priced Belgian pigeon 13 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: is actually an esteemed champion racer and his name is Armando. 14 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: He's five years old. He's widely considered the best of 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: the best long distance pigeons in the world. So for 16 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: the buyer, having a champion bird as young as Armando 17 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: means plenty of chances to breed him and to hopefully 18 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: pass on his traits to future flyers. You know, I 19 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: actually don't think I realized that investing in pigeons could 20 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: be this lucrative. I know you should have got into 21 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: it years ago. Kid. Uh, most of us don't give 22 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: pigeons nearly as much credit as they deserve. I mean, 23 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: I mean, the ones we're used to seeing can look 24 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: drab or dirty. But the truth is, pigeons are exceptionally 25 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: smart animals and they've been using that brain power for 26 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: the good of mankind for thousands of years. So in 27 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: light of that, I thought we could use today's episode 28 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: to give pigeons their due finally, from their roles and 29 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: scientific breakthroughs to all the times they delivered mail for us. 30 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: So there's a lot to cover. Let's dive in. Y 31 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: Hey their podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm 32 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: Will Pearson and always I'm joined by my good friend 33 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: Mangesh Ticketer And on the other side of that soundproof 34 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: glass showing off his dance skills by doing the Kuku pigeon. 35 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: That's our friends and producer Tristan McNeil. And I have 36 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: to say Burt may have invented this dance and may 37 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: have made it famous on Sesame Street back in the seventies. 38 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: I think it was, but Tristan I don't know about you, Maga. 39 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: I feel like he's perfected it. He really has, you know, 40 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: gave actually sent me some research on this on doing 41 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: the pigeon And apparently in the original opening, Burt is 42 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: just hanging out watching home movies of pigeons projected on 43 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: his wall, and then a few seconds into the footage, 44 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: he tells the viewer, I love pigeons more than anything 45 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: else in the world besides oatmeal. And then he busts 46 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: out doing this whole choreograph, dancing and routine and and 47 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: I just remember any of that, but it sounds so good. Well, 48 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: I can't speak to his oatmeal obsession, but Bert's right 49 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: about pigeons. I mean, they are much cooler than we think. 50 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: Just as an example, I was reading this week that 51 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: pigeons are actually capable of understanding abstract concepts including space 52 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: and time. Are you with me on this? And it's 53 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: pretty interesting, So it's definitely not something that you'd guessed 54 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: just by looking at them. But a couple of years back, 55 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: there was this team of scientists at the University of 56 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: Iowa that showed just how smart pigeons really are. So 57 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: the team tested a group of pigeons by placing them 58 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: in front of computer screens, and then they would show 59 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: them one of two lines, either this six centimeter line 60 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: or a centimeter line, and each of the lines was 61 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: paired with its own symbol, So anytime the pigeons saw 62 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: a line, they were supposed to pick the symbol that 63 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 1: corresponded with the correct length. So whenever the birds got 64 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: it right, the scientists fed them this treat is a 65 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: way to reinforce that they had chosen, you know, the 66 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: correct answer on this, which shows that pigeons can tell 67 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: the difference between different line lens. But you said pigeons 68 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: perceived time as well, right, Yeah, So this is actually 69 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: where things get really interesting, because the scientists tested the 70 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: pigeons not only on the length of the lines, but 71 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: also on how long they were displayed for, so either 72 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: two seconds or eight seconds, and the results showed that 73 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: pigeons connect the incepts of space and time in this 74 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: really interesting way. So whenever the birds saw a short 75 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: line displayed for eight seconds, they would pick the symbol miant. 76 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: For a long line, because the line had been displayed 77 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: for a longer period of time, the pigeons actually judged 78 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: it to be longer in length. Than it really was. 79 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: And this way of thinking also persisted when the birds 80 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 1: were tested on long lines being displayed. So anytime the 81 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: pigeons saw a long line displayed for just two seconds, 82 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: they would pack the symbol mint for an eight second duration. 83 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: Because the line was longer in length, the pigeons thought 84 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: it existed for a greater amount of time. So that 85 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: would mean pigeons actually perceived time in relation to space, right, 86 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: which is what humans do, like using the number of 87 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: people in the line to gauge how long a weight 88 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 1: might be, for instance. Yeah, that's exactly right, and studies 89 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: have shown that elephants and a few other primates tend 90 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: to connect these concepts as well. The only thing weird 91 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: here is that pigeons actually lacked the part of the 92 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: brain that processes space and time that other animals have. 93 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: So pigeons are making these same abstract connections that we are, 94 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: but they're doing so through some other method that we 95 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: actually haven't figured out yet, which is pretty amazing. It 96 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: actually reminds me of this study I read about a 97 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: while back where this Japanese psychologist who's named Shigeru Watanabe, 98 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: he trained a bunch of pigeons to distinguish between paintings 99 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: done by Picasso and one's done by Monet, and the 100 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: birds got so good at recognizing the two different styles 101 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: that they could even sort out works of Cubism and 102 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: Impressionism done by other artists. I mean, it kind of 103 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,359 Speaker 1: makes you wonder if they preferred one style over the 104 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 1: other when they were looking. I mean, it's funny because 105 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 1: the same researcher later conducted a different pigeon experiment where 106 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: he trained a group of them to judge the artwork 107 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,720 Speaker 1: of elementary students. And apparently he showed the birds two 108 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 1: dozen paintings made by students in Tokyo, and he taught 109 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: the pigeons which of the paintings could be considered good 110 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: and which one should be labeled bad. I mean he 111 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: did this by by taking the grades assigned by the 112 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: school's teachers and a panel of other adults. And anyway, 113 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: once the pigeons had a grasp on what made a 114 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: good painting or a bad painting, they were presented ten 115 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: new paintings, and amazingly, the pigeons were able to correctly 116 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: identify which these paintings would get low marks by the panel. 117 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 1: And what's interesting is that the findings suggests that pigeons 118 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: can naturally categorize things based on shape, color, and even texture, 119 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: which is impressive because you know, not a lot of 120 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: other species have that trade. Yeah, that's true. I guess 121 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: it's one more unexpected thing we have in common with them, Right, 122 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: and this list keeps getting longer. Apparently there's one more thing. 123 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: Pigeons are the only non primates we know with ability 124 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 1: to recognize letters. So in a two thousand and sixteen 125 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: study this comes out of New Zealand, a team successfully 126 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: trained four pigeons to recognize dozens of English words, including 127 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 1: whether or not they were spelled correctly, and the smartest 128 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,239 Speaker 1: pision in the group learned to staggering fifty eight words, 129 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: which it was able to distinguish from roughly a thousand 130 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,840 Speaker 1: made up words. In contrast, the dullest pigeon, or maybe 131 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: the least motivated of these birds, still managed to build 132 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: an impressive twenty six word vocabulary during its time in 133 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: the lab. All right, so these birds weren't actually reading 134 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: the words right like they They didn't learn what the 135 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: words meant or anything. They just memorized what the words 136 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: look like. Is that right? Yeah, that's right? So they 137 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: didn't have the meanings of its just spellings. But you know, 138 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: while wild pigeons are smart enough that they can learn 139 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: all these neat tricks, it's not like they're ever really 140 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: called upon to be art critics in the wild. And 141 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, it does sort of 142 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: seem like pigeons have all these powers of perception, but 143 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,239 Speaker 1: maybe aren't living up to their potential in the wild. 144 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: I mean, but there's got to be a reason that 145 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: they're capability skills, wouldn't you think? Yeah, I mean it's 146 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: true biologically, but in all the experiments we mentioned, the 147 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: pigeons were kind of making distinctions based on things that 148 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: humans taught them, like impressionist art has all these features, 149 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: or the word banana looks and a spell like this. Yeah, 150 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I can imagine there are cases where recognizing 151 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: visual patterns might help with pigeon, you know, forage for 152 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: food or a vata predator, Like maybe one notices their 153 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: nest isn't the way they left it and that tips 154 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: them off that something dangerous is in the area or 155 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: something like that. But going back to what you said 156 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: about humans guiding and rewarding pigeons behavior, what's funny is 157 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: that you know something we unconsciously do, like including outside 158 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: the laboratory setting. For instance, back in two thousand eleven, 159 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: there were these two researchers in Paris, and they discovered 160 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: that pigeons can remember the appearance and behavior of specific people. 161 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: So here's how it went. Over the course of multiple sessions, 162 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 1: these two researchers went to a local park and they 163 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 1: fed the same flock of pigeons. So the first time 164 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: they go out, one researcher fed the birds and then 165 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 1: just stood there while they ate this food, I mean, 166 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: while the other researcher put some food down and then 167 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: immediately turned hostile and chase the pigeons away. I'm sure 168 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: everybody else in the park was enjoying this. But the 169 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: researchers then repeated the experiment again and again, except during 170 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: the subsequent visits, neither of them chased away the pigeons. 171 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: And here's the thing. The pigeons actually remembered which researcher 172 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: had been nice to them and which one had showed 173 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: them away, And so whenever the researchers returned, the pigeons 174 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: continuously avoided that researcher who had shunned them. In the 175 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 1: first place, even though he hadn't done anything like that 176 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: on any other occasion. That's pretty interesting. So what kind 177 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: of like visual cues were the pigeons picking up, Like 178 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: was the hostile researcher bigger or more intimidating or facial 179 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: hair that, like, what what was the distinction? Yeah, when 180 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: I was reading about this that that was what I 181 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 1: had assumed as well, is that maybe one researcher just 182 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: look less threatening or was wearing more attractive color or 183 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: something like that. But they actually accounted for all of this. 184 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: In the experiment. The researchers were the same sex, age, build, 185 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: skin color, they dressed similarly. It's true that each wore 186 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: a different colored lab coat, but you know, I mean, 187 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: they also switched lab coats on different visits, and the 188 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: pigeons could still always tell which researcher had been hostile 189 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: on that first encounter. So the most likely explanation for this, 190 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 1: according to experts, is that pigeons recognize the researchers by 191 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: their faces. So not only does that show how pigeons 192 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: might use their perceptive powers in the wild, it also 193 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,319 Speaker 1: shows that pigeons are really smart about which visual information 194 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: to keep track of like you know, take the different 195 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: colored lab codes for instance. It seems like the obvious 196 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 1: feature to remember, like since the lab code would have 197 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: you know, covered like of their body. But it's like 198 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: our version of feathers, you would think at least. And 199 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 1: yet the pigeons zeroed in on the researchers facial traits, 200 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: which is something that couldn't easily be changed day to day. 201 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 1: And so according to these researchers, that distinction is likely 202 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: something pigeons have picked up on, you know, over their 203 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: years of living in cities and around other humans, which 204 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: makes a ton of sense. And I'm actually glad you're 205 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,559 Speaker 1: bringing up that city connection. We we've talked a lot 206 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:40,679 Speaker 1: so far about the science of pigeons, So what do 207 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: you say we change gears in and talk a little 208 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: pigeon history and how they came to cities in the 209 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: first place. That sounds good, But before we get into that, 210 00:10:46,640 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. You're listening to Part Time 211 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 1: Genius and we're talking about all the amazing things you 212 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 1: never knew about the humble pigeon. And speaking of which, 213 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: one thing I was surprised to learn this week is 214 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: just how far back our relationship with pigeons actually go. 215 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: For instance, archaeologists have uncovered figurines, mosaics, and other works 216 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,319 Speaker 1: of art depicting pigeons at dig sites in modern day 217 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:23,839 Speaker 1: i Rock, and those artifacts are thought to date as 218 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 1: far back as b C. There's also evidence that pigeons 219 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 1: were a staple food in the Middle East and Europe 220 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: for thousands of years, and when you take all of 221 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: that together, it's likely that the common rock pigeon, which 222 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: is the species you find in most cities, may have 223 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: been the very first bird that humans domesticated. And if 224 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: I remember, did that happen mainly because pigeons were an 225 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: easy way to like source meat or something, well, I 226 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 1: think that was certainly their main appeal at first. Wild 227 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,680 Speaker 1: game was often seen hard to come by in Mesopotamia, 228 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: so these protein rich rock pigeons would have been a 229 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: godsend in all likelihood, though some hungry ancient farmer probably 230 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 1: noticed the birds milling around his crops and decided it 231 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,079 Speaker 1: would be better if he let the birds roost on 232 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,199 Speaker 1: his farm rather than drive him away. But one of 233 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: the side effects from spending so much time in close 234 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: quarters was that humans started to take liking to the birds, 235 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 1: and not just the way they tasted. Against all odds, 236 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: humans started seeing reflections of their own humanity and pigeons, 237 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: for instance, Unlike other animals, the pigeons were monogamous and 238 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 1: couples working together to raise their offspring. They were seen 239 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:28,559 Speaker 1: as intelligent and fiercely protective when necessary, but also peaceful 240 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,320 Speaker 1: and calm when left to their own devices. And all 241 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: these cultures kind of adapted the pigeon as a religious 242 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: symbol or a deity as a result. For example, um, 243 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:41,679 Speaker 1: there are three different goddesses that were symbolized by the pigeons, ishtar, Aphrodite, 244 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: and Venus, which spans Babylonia and Greece and and Roman culture. 245 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:50,320 Speaker 1: And in Christian iconography, which I know a ton about, 246 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 1: the pision is used to represent the Holy Spirit, or 247 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 1: at least that's what I read now. I know we 248 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 1: probably have a lot of listeners thinking here that you're 249 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: getting your birds mixed up, because didn't those religions use 250 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 1: doves as symbols, not pigeons. So prepared to have your 251 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: mind blown, because scientifically speaking, the words dove and pigeon 252 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: refer to the same animal. Uh, they're actually one of 253 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: three eight different bird species in the Columbida family. All Right, 254 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: so you're telling me that the pure white dove, a 255 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: universal symbol of peace, is really just another kind of pigeon, 256 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,439 Speaker 1: and vice versa. The gray rock pigeon you saw in 257 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,439 Speaker 1: the park the other day is also known as a 258 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:32,560 Speaker 1: rock dove. Al Right, So what about the birds themselves? Like, 259 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 1: how did every city in America wind up overrun by pigeons? Yeah, 260 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: I mean overrun is actually a good word for it. 261 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: Rock pigeons are actually an invasive species. They were originally 262 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,079 Speaker 1: native only to Eurasia and northern Africa, but that changed 263 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 1: in the early sixteen hundreds when European settlers like the French, 264 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:51,440 Speaker 1: introduced the birds to North America for the very first time, 265 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: and the domesticated birds have been brought along as a 266 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: source of food or in some cases, just to be 267 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: raised as a hobby. But somewhere along the way, many 268 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: of them escaped to cities and made new homes from 269 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: themselves on the ledges of buildings, which probably reminded them 270 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: of the cliffs back home that they nest in the 271 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 1: wild on. And from that point on, pigeons became a 272 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,680 Speaker 1: fixture in American towns and cities really thriving in parts 273 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:17,559 Speaker 1: because pigeons aren't picky eaters. They don't have special diets 274 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: like many other birds. So whatever trash or leftovers they 275 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: found on city streets that kind of suited their taste 276 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: just fine. Which I don't know why I always think 277 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,600 Speaker 1: about this quote, but there was that thirty Rock line 278 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,520 Speaker 1: where Tracy Jordan's sees a pigeon eating trash and he 279 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: just goes stop eating people's old French fries. Pigeon have 280 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: some self respect, don't you know? You can fly, which 281 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: is so good. But that lack of self respect has 282 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: benefited them over the years. Uh. The world pigeon population 283 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:49,600 Speaker 1: is estimated at four million, with seven million pigeons living 284 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: in New York City alone. That's almost a bird for 285 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 1: every New Yorker minus the bronx. I was gonna say 286 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: the population in the areas about that, that's pretty crazy. 287 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:00,080 Speaker 1: And all those birds in the US are descended on 288 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: that initial crop of European runaways. Yeah, they're they're all imported, 289 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: But to be fair, that wasn't always the case. So 290 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: when rock pigeons were first brought to American shores in 291 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:13,119 Speaker 1: the seventeenth century, the content actually had its own thriving 292 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: indigenous pigeon species, and that's the passenger pigeon. And according 293 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: to Mental Flass, as many as five billion passenger pigeons 294 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: lived here during the colonial era, accounting for somewhere between 295 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: twenty five of all birds in the entire country. However, 296 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,640 Speaker 1: as you probably know, that's not the case anymore. Over. 297 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: Hunting and habitat loss, all of that kind of brought 298 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: an end to the passenger pigeon in the early twentieth century, 299 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 1: with the last of their kind, this domesticated female named Martha, 300 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: passing away In all right, this is probably the strangest 301 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 1: transition that I'm going to make today, but you queued 302 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: it up so nicely for me. So, speaking of dead pigeons, 303 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 1: one thing I've always wondered is, if New York is 304 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: so chock full of them, then how are there not 305 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 1: dead ones everywhere you look like? At least, not that 306 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: I'm complaining about this, but if you're thought about that, 307 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: you know I I haven't thought about it. But but 308 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: now I'm curious what you learned, Like, did you get 309 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: an answer for this? Well, it turns out that pigeon 310 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: corpses really are something of a rarity in American cities, 311 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: and the biggest reason for this is that the sheer 312 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: number of predators that pigeons are up against in urban 313 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: areas is greater than you would think. Like, as someone 314 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: at the Smithsonian Ones put it, rats, cats, raccoons, foxes, possums, 315 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: they all love them. Some pigeon is what they said. 316 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: That is Sacha Smithsonian thing, so Smithsonian. So you're saying 317 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: most pigeons get eaten up by predators, But what about 318 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: like the old timers. I mean, there have to be 319 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: some pigeons that make it to old age. So where 320 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: did those guys end up? Well, you're definitely talking about 321 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 1: the minority here. I mean, most wild pigeons survive for 322 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: five or six years on average, and it's compared to 323 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: fifteen years or even longer in captivity. So the ones 324 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: that aren't eaten, like the lucky ones, who have a 325 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: lot more control over their debts, they tend to choose 326 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: these peaceful nooks and crannies for their final resting places. 327 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 1: So maybe the air ducts of a building or the 328 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: corner ledge of a skyscraper some whether it's you know, 329 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: not quite as visible. So I guess it really does 330 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:08,920 Speaker 1: depend on where you look. Yeah, I mean, you've got 331 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 1: to really want to find a dead pigeon. I guess 332 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: it's a heck of a scavenger hunt. But you know, 333 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,240 Speaker 1: the whole time we've been talking about this, I I 334 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,119 Speaker 1: keep thinking of that story about Nixon's inaugurations. Do you 335 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: remember this one? I don't think I do remember this 336 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,359 Speaker 1: Affairly had a tough go at his first inauguration in 337 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: nineteen six nine, like the Vietnam War was in full swing, 338 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 1: and Nixon's motorcade wound up being pelted with tomatoes and rocks. 339 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,400 Speaker 1: So when his second inauguration came around in seventy three, 340 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,320 Speaker 1: Nixon remembered how messy things had gotten the last time, 341 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 1: and he wanted to take every possible precaution to avoid 342 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:45,400 Speaker 1: another embarrassment. And this is how far he went. Right. 343 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: He had his people paint the branches of trees along 344 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 1: the parade route with this special chemical called roost no more. 345 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 1: It was this gooey chemical that was supposed to make 346 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: a pigeon's feet so itchy that it one't want to 347 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 1: above the motor kid, I guess. And yeah, and obviously 348 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: he was trying to avoid um droppings falling on the car. 349 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: But as you can probably tell about the fact that 350 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: I'm telling you this story, things did not go as planned. 351 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,760 Speaker 1: So for starters, the pigeons didn't mind their itchiness of 352 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 1: roost no more, I guess. And what's worse, they didn't 353 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,680 Speaker 1: mind the taste of it either. So so many pigeons 354 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: ate this highly toxic paste that the day of the parade, 355 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: the entire route was like littered with dozens of dead 356 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: and dying pigeons, which is so much worse than dirty windshields, 357 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: No kidding. Can you imagine being there? That would have 358 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 1: been weird? All right. Well, now that we've seen the 359 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: time when pigeons and humans didn't get along so well, 360 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:39,919 Speaker 1: I feel like we should take a look at a 361 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: few examples of the opposite, you know, the times when 362 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: pigeons and people lived in perfect harmony. Yeah, let's do that, 363 00:18:46,160 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 1: But first another break. Welcome back to part time genius Samango. 364 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:04,920 Speaker 1: I know it can be dicey to try and pin 365 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: down the etymology of a phrase. Any idiom you think 366 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: of can probably have a half dozen or so false 367 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:14,359 Speaker 1: origin stories, But there is one that I came across 368 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: this week that was just too interesting not to talk 369 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 1: about it. So you've heard the term stool pigeon before, right, 370 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,399 Speaker 1: like an informer or rat or whatever. That's right. And 371 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 1: it's kind of a strange phrase when you think about it, 372 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 1: because number one, how does the stool fit into any 373 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,640 Speaker 1: of this? And number two, pigeons aren't that talkative, and 374 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: you know, as far as birds go, they're actually pretty quiet. 375 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: So I hadn't thought about this before, but I'm pretty 376 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:39,720 Speaker 1: curious where does the term actually come from. Well, the 377 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: working theory is that the phrases this throwback to an 378 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: old sixteenth century hunting practice where pigeons were used as 379 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: decoys to lure in larger birds. As for the stool part, 380 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: there are a couple of options here. One is that 381 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:56,439 Speaker 1: these decoy pigeons were tied to actual stools, like the 382 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: idea of being that the live pigeon would flutter in 383 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: place catch the eye of these other animals. And then 384 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 1: the other option is that stool is really a corruption 385 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: of this word stole, which is an old word for 386 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,679 Speaker 1: tree stump. It's spelled s t o a l e. 387 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: And in either case, though, the stool was whatever you 388 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 1: tie the decoy pigeon too. And then sometime in the 389 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,399 Speaker 1: mid eighteen hundreds of Americans started applying the term to 390 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 1: a different type of decoy. Those would be these police 391 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: informers who hung around the criminal world or the criminal underworld. 392 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: Really and I'm not sure who first made that connection 393 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: or why, but that does seem to be where it 394 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: might have come from. Well, pigeons may not be very 395 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: talkative themselves, but they are pretty amazing when it comes 396 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 1: to delivering other people's messages. And that's thanks to their 397 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 1: innate sense of direction. You know, pigeons can find their 398 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: way back home from pretty much anywhere, even if scientists 399 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: still haven't figured out how they do it. Yeah. I 400 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: actually remember we covered some of these theories way back 401 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,919 Speaker 1: in that Superhero Animal episode, So if you guys are 402 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 1: curious about that, definitely check it out. Definitely. And and uh, 403 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: despite all the mystery around their navigational skills, the reality 404 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: is that humans have been using pigeons as messengers since 405 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: at least as far back as three thousand b c. UH. 406 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,639 Speaker 1: The ancient Greeks used trained pigeons to communicate the results 407 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: of the Olympics, and as you might recall from our 408 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: genghis Kan episode, the Mongols developed a whole pigeon based 409 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: postal system to help connect the growing empire. Yeah, and 410 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: from what I was reading this week, they weren't the 411 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,679 Speaker 1: only ones who put pigeons in charge of their posts. 412 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,119 Speaker 1: So the birds were apparently used to carry mail in 413 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: the Middle East. This was as far back as the 414 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,919 Speaker 1: fifth century b c. And pigeon posts still existed in 415 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 1: some regions until as recently as the early twentieth century. 416 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: You take New Zealand's Great Barrier Island for instance. They 417 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: relied on a handful of competing pigeon postal services for 418 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 1: the better part of a decade in the late eighteen hundreds, 419 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: and since the island is about sixty miles away from 420 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: the mainland, train pigeons were the fastest way for residents 421 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 1: to communicate back and forth. They even issued these special 422 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 1: stamps that were only valid for pigeon post and incidentally, 423 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 1: they're believed to be the first examples of air mail 424 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,919 Speaker 1: stamps in the world. So what about telegraphs, though, weren't 425 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: those around in the late They were, But you know, 426 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: even with that, service was spotty, and the birds were 427 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,360 Speaker 1: pretty resilient. Like in wartime telegraph wires could be easily 428 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: cut and you never knew, you know, who might be 429 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 1: listening in on this, you know, if they were kind 430 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 1: of tapping the line or something. So pigeon messengers became 431 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: this crucial means of communication. Actually, one famous instance comes 432 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: from a carrier pigeon named share on Me that flew 433 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: for the U. S. Army in France. This was back 434 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: during World War One. Now, Sharemy delivered twelve important messages 435 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: during his military career, but on his final mission, this 436 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: was October of nine, the pigeon was shot, actually shot 437 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,080 Speaker 1: both in the breast and the lag by enemy fire. 438 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 1: And despite this injury, Sharemy flew back to his roost 439 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: with the message capsule still tied to his wounded leg. 440 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,880 Speaker 1: It's just unbelievable, which is crazy, But what the message though. 441 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: It was from a battalion of a hundred and ninety 442 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: four soldiers who had been isolated from other American forces 443 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:08,640 Speaker 1: and people just assumed that they were dead. And so 444 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:10,959 Speaker 1: thanks to share on Me, the army learned of the 445 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: soldiers whereabouts and they were able to get them to 446 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: safety back behind American lines. And I mean, I know 447 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: in the bird's mind he wasn't trying to rescue a 448 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 1: bunch of soldiers. He just wanted to make it back 449 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: home alive. But I mean, it's still pretty incredible. I mean, 450 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 1: it is a little surprising. The enemies were like clever 451 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 1: enough to slice telegraph wires, but they didn't think to 452 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:32,159 Speaker 1: like bring in a few hawks to like feed on 453 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,879 Speaker 1: the pigeons and disrupt the communication. It feels like a 454 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 1: similar solution. But you know, here's another thing I had 455 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: no idea about until this episode. Do you know that 456 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:44,919 Speaker 1: two pigeons unknowingly helped establish the Big Bang theory. I 457 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:46,680 Speaker 1: hate to ask this question, what are we talking about 458 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 1: the sitcom or like the model of the universe, because 459 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:51,920 Speaker 1: one of these seems way more plausible than the other, 460 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:56,160 Speaker 1: so weirdly, it is the ladder. Before I get into 461 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:57,920 Speaker 1: how the pigeons fit into this, let let me give 462 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:02,399 Speaker 1: some quick background. So back to scientists in New Jersey. 463 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:07,119 Speaker 1: Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias were experimenting with their radio 464 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,680 Speaker 1: telescope and they were trying to measure the minimum brightness 465 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 1: of the sky. But to their dismay, something was interfering 466 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 1: with their readings and whatever it was, it was producing 467 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: a pronounced hissing noise now spoilers. What they actually heard 468 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: that day was an ancient cosmic background radiation, or as 469 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,040 Speaker 1: Smithsonian calls it, quote, an echo of the universe at 470 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: a very early moment after its birth. So, although they 471 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:32,400 Speaker 1: didn't know this at the time, Wilson and Penzias had 472 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 1: just found what would ultimately become the first proof for 473 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,159 Speaker 1: the Big Bang theory. And in the moment, though the 474 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: men weren't sure what they were hearing. They thought it 475 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:42,800 Speaker 1: could be a stray signal from nearby New York, or 476 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: maybe their equipment was faulty. It really could have been anything, 477 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,240 Speaker 1: but at one point the most likely suspects were actually 478 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:51,959 Speaker 1: a couple of pigeons that had set up shop in 479 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: the antenna array, and when the scientists discovered the birds Ruth, 480 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,480 Speaker 1: their hopes were dashed. It was starting to look like 481 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 1: this hissing sound was really just this embarrassing revelation that 482 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: it was a couple of pigeons mucking about their instruments. 483 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:08,159 Speaker 1: I kind of love that this is what it boiled 484 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 1: down to, like it's either the afterglow of the birth 485 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: of the universe, or you know, some birds just go 486 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:14,400 Speaker 1: into the bathroom. It's one of the other who knows, 487 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 1: I know, but Wilson and Fansias couldn't rule it out, 488 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: like they had to get to the bottom of this. 489 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,719 Speaker 1: And so here's how Robert Wilson later described what they did. Quote, 490 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,199 Speaker 1: we took the pigeons, put them in a box and 491 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: mailed them as far away as we could in the 492 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 1: company mail to a guy who fancied pigeons. He looked 493 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,120 Speaker 1: at them and said, these are junk pigeons and let 494 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 1: them go. But before long they were right back again. Wait, 495 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 1: so the same pigeons came back and like after being 496 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,840 Speaker 1: mailed across the country. Yeah, because they have those homing 497 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,160 Speaker 1: systems so they can find their way back from thousands 498 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: of miles away or whatever. But you know, thankfully the 499 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:50,520 Speaker 1: scientists were eventually able to get the array cleaned out, 500 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 1: and after a year or so of experiments, they concluded 501 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: that the hiss they heard was indeed cosmic radiation and 502 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,880 Speaker 1: not defecating pigeons. The birds confusing contra ribution to history, though, 503 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: hasn't been forgotten. And if you go to the Smithsonian 504 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:06,199 Speaker 1: Air and Space Museum today you can see the actual 505 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,760 Speaker 1: metal trap that Wilson and Penzi has used to trap 506 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 1: the squatter pigeons some fifty five years ago. That is 507 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: quite the honor, and I feel like a well deserved one. 508 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,399 Speaker 1: So what do you say we end on that note 509 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: and get right into the fact off. So here's a 510 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 1: quick one. Because birds such as pigeons have a much 511 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:33,919 Speaker 1: higher threshold for detecting movement, they would likely see a 512 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:37,199 Speaker 1: movie shown at today's industry rate as a series of 513 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: flashing slides like the frames we use. Twenty four frames 514 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: per second is fast enough to give the illusion of 515 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: fluid movement to our eyes, but pigeon vision has to 516 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: be able to see signs of fast moving prey, so 517 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,600 Speaker 1: twenty four frames per second is just way too slow 518 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: for the birds to perceive. All right, Well, pigeon vision 519 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 1: maybe based on ultra quick movement, But do you know 520 00:26:55,880 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: what's even faster than a pigeon? Mango? A lot of things, Okay, yeah, 521 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 1: a lot of things are, But I was specifically talking 522 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: here about bees because apparently back in a pigeon fans 523 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:12,439 Speaker 1: here and beekeeper had this friendly little contest in Germany. 524 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 1: They challenged each other's pet of choice to this grueling 525 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 1: three and a half mile race, and wouldn't you know it, 526 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 1: the b one by a full twenty five seconds. That 527 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,040 Speaker 1: is impressive, But I mostly want to know how this 528 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: contest happened in the first place, Like how board must 529 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 1: these guys have been to like organize a race like that? 530 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 1: It's in a question strange but okay, Sin, Since we're 531 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:36,160 Speaker 1: on the subject of pigeon losses, I have to tell 532 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 1: you that there are catfish in France that have learned 533 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 1: to lunge out of the water in an effort to 534 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,160 Speaker 1: hunt pigeons. And while the catfish aren't the most adept 535 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: hunters on land as you might imagine, they do pretty 536 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:48,879 Speaker 1: well for themselves in the water, and their success rate 537 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,160 Speaker 1: of catching pigeons is an impressive twenty eight percent. That's 538 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 1: a lot higher than I would have guessed, to be 539 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: honest with you. Since we're talking pigeons, I couldn't leave 540 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,920 Speaker 1: the episode without, of course talking about Nicolette Huslam, who 541 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:03,400 Speaker 1: you might remember was totally obsessed with pigeons. I feel 542 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 1: like that fact always has to come up here with 543 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: and one female pigeon in particular, so Tesla one set 544 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: of her. I love that pigeon as a man loves 545 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:15,879 Speaker 1: a woman, and she loved me as long as I 546 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,640 Speaker 1: had her. There was a purpose to my life such romance. 547 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 1: You know, I was looking up scientists and pigeons this 548 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: week too, And one thing I didn't realize was Darwin 549 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:28,600 Speaker 1: was also obsessed with pigeons. He belonged to a London 550 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:32,480 Speaker 1: fancy pigeon club, and he owned a flock, and in fact, 551 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 1: mental Flass reports his nine book The Variation of Animals 552 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:41,360 Speaker 1: and Plants under Domestication has two full chapters on pigeons. Meanwhile, 553 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 1: dogs and cats share a single chapter. That seems that 554 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 1: seems fair. So all right, well, here's what I really like. 555 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: This artist named Laurel roth Hope Crochet's suits for urban Pigeons. Well, 556 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 1: I already like where this is going. Tell me more. Well, 557 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 1: she basically creates these disguises that pige can wear to 558 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,480 Speaker 1: look like extinct birds. It's basically, you know, causeplay for pigeons, 559 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,680 Speaker 1: I guess, But I guess it's also to raise awareness 560 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: for what our parks could have looked like if we 561 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: were a little more careful with nature. I like the idea, 562 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: and I do hope I get to see some of 563 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 1: these extinct not extinct birds in the city. And I 564 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:20,080 Speaker 1: like the fact so I'm gonna give it to you 565 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 1: this week. Well, thank you so much, and it definitely 566 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:25,200 Speaker 1: wasn't easy, but I kind of like that fact. But 567 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: that does it for today's episode of part Time Genius 568 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: from Gay Tristan, Mango, Lowell, and me. Thanks so much 569 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: for listening. Part Time Genius is a production of I 570 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit 571 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you 572 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.