WEBVTT - Listener Q's: A Giant Voltron of Babies 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:09.720 Welcome to Creature Future production of iHeartRadio. I'm your host 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:14.640 of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology and evolutionary biology, 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:17.560 and today on the show, it's a quick little listener's 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:21.840 Questions episode. Now, do not worry. I have a bunch 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:25.320 of really cool guests lined up that I am scheduling. 0:00:25.360 --> 0:00:30.080 So it is happening, folks, and I'm super excited. But today, yes, 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:34.519 a little listener questions episode. You guys wrote to me 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:38.600 some pretty amazing questions and I would like to answer them. 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:43.000 So let's take a moment to dive into a think 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:48.120 hoole and answer some questions. Hi, Katie, I was recently 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.440 re listening to the lemon and grapefruit episodes of Secretly 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:55.200 Incredibly Fascinating, and in those episodes, Alex springs up that 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.600 citrus can cross breed and mutate easily with each other. 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:01.000 I would like to know if there are any other 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:04.840 genuses of organisms that can cross breed and mutate as 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:08.240 well or better than citrus. Also, are there any specific 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:13.600 genes or structures in organisms that facilitate mutations? Overall? I 0:01:13.680 --> 0:01:16.760 was thinking and wondering if an organism's ability to more 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:20.440 easily mutate would be an evolutionary advantage. Thank you for 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:24.120 the great podcast, Daniel. Thank you so much, Daniel. This 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:27.960 is really a fantastic question. Also, thanks for the secretly 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:31.200 incredibly fascinating shout out. That is a show that I 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.600 do with Alex Schmidt where he teaches me about wild 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:39.400 stuff every week. So let's tackle this question one part 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:45.240 at a time. So can animals cross breed and facilitate evolution? 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:50.440 So can there be a hybrid animal that progresses evolution? Yes, 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:54.760 this can happen as long as the animals are closely related. 0:01:55.160 --> 0:02:01.080 So this is called hybrid speciation when you have two 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:04.480 different species who create a hybrid, and then that hybrid 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:09.079 goes on to propagate and create its own species. So 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.440 in plants it is far more common than in animals, 0:02:12.800 --> 0:02:17.359 likely because hybridization is less likely to make them infertile. 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:21.799 You also have more rapid reproductive cycles in a lot 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:27.280 of plants. In animals, the reason hybridization often causes the 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:31.799 offspring to be sterile is when the number of chromosomes 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:36.480 don't line up. Say one animal has twenty chromosomes and 0:02:36.520 --> 0:02:39.639 the other has twenty one, and then when you add 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.600 those together, the hybrid is going to have an uneven 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:46.360 number of chromosomes, say forty one, and when it tries 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:49.000 to split that in half and create its own gameats, 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:52.079 this odd number of chromosomes means that it doesn't have 0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:56.839 pairs that can recombine properly, like not missing the other 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:59.360 half of a zipper, so that when it goes through 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:03.520 myosis in the creation of its gam meats, it can't 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:07.160 create viable gameats even though it was able to be 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:15.760 created by its parents. Sometimes hybrids can be created have 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:20.280 an even number of chromosomes because the two species ended 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:24.760 up having matching sets of chromosomes the matching numbers, and 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:28.079 then they can reproduce and then so this hybrid, which 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:32.000 is viable and not sterile, could become a new species. 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:35.760 Doesn't always, so this is the case for Koi wolves. 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:40.880 So coyotes hybridized with red wolves, who are becoming very 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:47.040 quickly more common in eastern North America, potentially displacing red wolves, 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:53.240 and so this could be a case of hybrid speciation. 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.120 But in order to become a new species, the hybrid 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:58.640 has a pretty difficult task. It has to both be 0:03:58.720 --> 0:04:02.480 fertile and more fit in order to become its own 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:07.120 viable species, particularly one that takes over the evolutionary niche 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:11.880 left thereby its predecessors. So, in terms of what kinds 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:16.760 of animals are really good at creating hybrid speciation, insects 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:20.120 seem to be the best at it in terms of 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:23.840 creating new hybrid species that then becomes their own species. 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:27.120 So this is probably due to just the sheer quantity 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:32.680 and diversity of insects, making viable and successful combinations much 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:37.360 more likely. So one example is fruitflies. Fruitflies are a 0:04:37.440 --> 0:04:42.840 family that seems to hybridize and specie pretty well. So 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.800 onto the next part of your question, So are there 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:52.560 specific genes or structures in organisms that facilitate mutations? And 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:56.920 would an organism's ability to more easily mutate be an 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:01.520 evolutionary advantage? So let's talk about the second part of 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:06.960 the question. First, is more easily mutating a good thing 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:09.839 for a species because it makes you more likely to 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:15.160 evolve faster. So mutation is a bit like genetic gambling 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:20.200 or maybe an investment portfolio, where there's, you know, the 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:25.159 bigger the risk, perhaps the bigger the reward, but also 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:32.120 the bigger the downfall that you might have. So most 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:38.560 mutations that occur are actually either neutral or actively harmful 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:43.760 to an animal. Only rarely is a mutation actually beneficial. 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:48.960 So the more dramatic the mutation, say a mutation that 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:53.279 makes you just not have a head right, the more 0:05:53.520 --> 0:06:01.160 dramatic the problem. So if you're if you have a mutation, 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.360 like there's a very low chance that it's going to 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:09.480 be helpful, there's some chance that it's going to be neutral, 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.919 and it could get passed on, and then there's a 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:16.520 pretty good chance that that mutation is actually going to 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:21.360 negatively impact your survival. So it's very very rare that 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:25.719 like a dramatic mutation would be beneficial and then lead 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:29.720 to a sudden jump in evolution. It can happen, but 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:33.479 it's very very rare. So if you're an animal, do 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:37.719 you want there to be a higher chance of genetic errors? 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.960 And I would say probably not. So, in addition to 0:06:41.480 --> 0:06:46.560 many mutations being harmful to offspring, greater risks for genetic 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:50.160 errors would potentially increase the risk of cancer because cancer 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:57.080 is a result of genetic mishaps genetic errors that causes 0:06:57.160 --> 0:07:02.320 the cells to reproduce uncontrollably and not go through cell death, 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:07.800 which is called apoptosis, So having a genetic error that 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:13.720 creates these like bad immortal cells is not good. And 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.880 so yeah, it would not necessarily be advantageous to have 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:21.600 a greater rate of mutations in order to facilitate evolution. 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:26.360 You want some chance of mutation without it being too 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:29.560 much of a risk, like having a you know, kind 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:33.920 of diversified investment portfolio instead of something that's very very 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.840 you know, wild and chaotic and volatile. I don't actually 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:42.240 know much about investment. I can't give you advice, probably 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:44.520 both legally and also just I'm not good at it, 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:49.760 so don't listen to me. So there are some ways 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:53.560 to increase your chance of positive genetic mutations. One is 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:57.960 a greater genetic library. So the more genes and the 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:01.240 more diverse genes that a species has had, the more 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:04.960 it has to kind of randomly pull upon in response 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:10.040 to environmental pressures, and more stuff to kind of play with, 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.400 like more legos in a giant bin that could be 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:21.760 used to create new mutations or new characteristics. So like 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:24.000 kind of think of your genetic code as an archive 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:28.200 full of like blueprints, only some of which are actually 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:31.200 used and copied over to build things. Actually a lot 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:35.600 of it is not generally used. But say like there's 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:38.800 like an earthquake or something and a blueprint falls next 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:43.199 to another blueprint and changes the design. The more blueprints 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.480 you have, the more chances you have to find something 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:49.720 that might actually address a certain issue. Like, say an 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:54.880 earthquake happened, all your bridges got damaged, and this blueprint 0:08:55.720 --> 0:08:57.640 that kind of fell off the shelves next to this 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:01.000 other one gives you an idea for more flexible bridge, 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.439 which maybe it's a little weaker, but in this situation, 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:05.920 in this type of environment, with a lot of earthquakes, 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:10.440 having the more flexible bridge is actually better. So so 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:12.960 for an animal, what this means, right, is if you 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:17.679 have a large sort of genome, a large genetic lot 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:21.800 of genetic diversity, a big genetic library, and then also 0:09:21.920 --> 0:09:24.560 other members of your species who have their own sort 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.800 of large genetic library, there's a good chance that, say 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.840 there's an environmental pressure, right, some change in your environment, 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:36.480 maybe a disease or a new predator, there's a greater 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:40.480 chance that you're going to randomly Again, none of this 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:44.400 can be planned, right, It's all a random mutation that 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:49.880 happens to be able to address some environmental pressure. Even 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:53.800 though most mutations are either neutral or bad, once in 0:09:53.840 --> 0:09:57.640 a while you might happen upon a mutation that's actually good. 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:01.920 And it's those rare cases that advanced evolution. And that's 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:07.160 why evolution is so so so slow. Millions and millions 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:11.680 of years to get to where we are at the 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.400 very least, you know, like like a thousand years on 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:20.280 the evolutionary timescale is very short, so hundreds of thousands 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:23.800 of years. It might take like hundreds of thousands of 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:27.440 years to address a certain evolutionary problem, right, So it's 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:32.640 very very very slow. It's hard to have really rapid evolution. 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:36.040 It can happen, like there are cases in which animals 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:44.080 adapt to situations quite quickly, it's just that's not super common, right, 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.960 Especially the more dramatic the change has to be, the 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:51.160 less likely it is to be happening really rapid, because 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:55.760 the more dramatic the change, the more likely it's going 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:58.680 to mess up that organism in a way it can't survive. 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:01.520 So like, hey, if there's a lot of flooding around us, 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:04.360 why can't we evolve gills in a few generations, Well, 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:08.360 you mess with our ability to breathe. The most likely 0:11:08.440 --> 0:11:13.079 outcome is our offspring is just gonna die and not 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:17.439 be able to function. So going from something really dramatic 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:23.280 whereas like say having more of a say more say 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:25.360 the sun gets really bright, right, and then we end 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.960 up having more brown eyed people because they end up 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.280 being a lot more well suited to a lot of 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:34.400 harsh light or something. This is just an example. I 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:38.079 have nothing against blue eyed people. I have blue eyes myself, 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:42.800 but in that case, perhaps brown eyes might become more common, 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:46.400 right Like if somehow having really in a situation. Now 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.040 we live in a society right where we have sunglasses, 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:50.839 so this would not happen. I want to be clear, 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:53.880 but say, you know, we're an antle that really relies 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:56.040 on our site, and then say, if you have blue eyes, 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:59.120 you're a lot more sensitive to light. Then maybe blue 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:03.600 eyes might start to phase out a little bit more quickly, 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:08.040 right because eye color is something is a trait that 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:12.760 could say mutate or change really quickly without it being 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:16.160 devastating to the whole body. Right Like, like certain there's 0:12:16.200 --> 0:12:21.960 certain sort of more superficial or minor changes to the 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:26.040 body that could be could happen more rapidly, like hair loss, right, 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:29.800 hair gain, or hair loss that's not necessarily going to 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:33.360 doom an animal. Right, So you might have changes in coat, 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:37.640 changes in coat color changes, you know, slight changes in size, 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:40.320 things like that can happen much more quickly over an 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:44.040 evolutionary timeline than say, whether you have lungs or gills, 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:48.839 whether you have legs or tentacles. Right. So, yeah, so 0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:54.520 evolution just happens really really slow because mutations are definitely 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:58.880 not something you typically want. You typically don't want a 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:02.640 mutation typically that would be bad news or at the 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:05.840 very least neutral. It's super super rare for there to 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:09.320 be a mutation that's actually beneficial, that's actually going to 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:14.120 make the offspring more viable than its parents. But it 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:17.520 does happen, and that's the whole reason that evolution works. 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:21.920 So that's why it's really slow. Now onto the next 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:25.199 part of the question. Are there certain genes and structures 0:13:25.240 --> 0:13:33.480 more prone to mutations? Absolutely, there's structures and genes more 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:38.600 prone to mutations, both in bad ways and potentially very 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.400 rarely in good ways. So these are genetic hotspots that 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:47.240 are more prone to mutation. Usually well, especially this happens 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:52.680 in DNA strands with many repeating sequences which can cause 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:56.400 that little enzyme that runs along your DNA to copy 0:13:56.480 --> 0:14:00.800 it called a polymerase, to kind of like when it 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:05.440 like decouples from the DNA and then reattaches and it 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:08.320 can actually sort of like lose its spot more easily 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:13.679 if you have repetitions of certain sequences. So it's kind 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:15.920 of like if you're trying to memorize a really long 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:22.080 sequence of numbers or letters, say, like you know, you're 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.640 memorizing a pin or a telephone number, and then like 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.320 there's like a bunch of fives, and it's like, I 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.640 can't remember how many fives there were? Were there four 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:34.400 fives or five fives? That's sort of not on an 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:37.560 intellectual level, right, a polimeraise can't think. But on a 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:43.240 physical level, the reattachment is more likely to happen erroneously 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:49.280 in slip when you have repeating sequences, So this is 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:53.160 more likely to result in a mutation. This is actually 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:57.000 something that could be you know, like in terms of practicality, right, 0:14:57.040 --> 0:14:59.840 like you may have DNA hotspots that are prone to mutation, 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:02.840 and that can be a bad thing, like be more 0:15:02.920 --> 0:15:06.520 likely to result in say certain types of cancers. But 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:09.840 you know you also have say like if you have 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:17.000 cells that are certain characteristics of somatic cells, that means 0:15:17.040 --> 0:15:21.240 like cells that are not involved in creating offspring. Somatic 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:27.040 cells in generally are more likely to mutate, right, because 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:31.640 they only affect really that cell and then that cells offspring. 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:37.360 It doesn't affect an entire like new organism and new offspring. 0:15:38.080 --> 0:15:41.040 So like you know, skin cells or muscle cells, right, 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:44.760 are much more likely to have some kind of like 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:50.080 mutation than germline cells. So germline cells meaning cells involved 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.520 in creating gam meets, and those gam meats are what 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:58.520 then create offspring, right, sperm and eggs. So it's much 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:01.800 more likely you have mutations in cells that are happening 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:05.000 like happening in your body, then you are to have 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:10.200 mutations that affect your offspring. And in general that's a 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:15.760 good thing because if you have a mutation of of 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:19.320 something important for your offspring, most likely that's going to 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:26.040 result in say like a spontaneous abortion, right, a miscarriage, 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:32.040 which is very natural, happens very often, and or you know, 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:36.920 in some some severe cases, right, the offspring has some 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.720 severe issue that makes it harder for it to survive. 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:44.760 So you know, it's it's a really it's a really 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:48.760 interesting thing. Evolution has to be really slow. If it 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:53.280 were too fast, basically, our cells would be mutating at 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:57.960 such a rate that we would have so many potential problems, cancer, 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:03.560 debilitating mutations that say, like, you know, like I said, 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.159 the example is like a mutation that like lops your 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:08.480 whole head off, right, Like you're born without a head. 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:12.960 You can't really do much. So mutations have to be 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:21.160 countered counterbalanced by, you know, some some slowness. Otherwise, things 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:23.760 that mutate too quickly are not going to last very 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:27.720 long because they're taking too many genetic risks. But like 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:30.920 I said, you know, having a lot of genetic diversity, 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:34.720 a huge genetical library is one way that animals can 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:39.199 instead of going for speed of mutations, going for a 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:45.400 higher probability of different types of diverse mutations and then 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.560 increasing the chance that one of those mutations might end 0:17:48.640 --> 0:17:55.359 up being something good. All right, on to the next 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:59.639 listener question. Hi, Katie, our three year old German shepherd Betty. 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.560 Sometimes we'll kick up the grass behind her after going 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:06.040 to the bathroom, both number one and number two. The 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:09.760 last time we saw this. My daughters Eleanor and Penelope 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:14.560 seven and ten almost tune and I try to figure 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.280 out why dogs do this. Their guesses were to either 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:21.960 spread the smell or conversely cover the smell. I suggested 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:25.399 maybe it is like doggy toilet paper, kicking up grass 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:28.880 and leaves and such to knock shake loose any hangers on. 0:18:29.280 --> 0:18:32.639 I further suggested, maybe Betty evolved to have a higher 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:35.200 likelihood of kicking dirt at me while I bent over 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:38.480 to pick up her poop. Any actual research on this topic, 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:41.880 what are your thoughts? Thank you? Patrick? Hi? Patrick, Yes, 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:44.800 there is actually some research on this topic. It is 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:50.119 a very common behavior among dogs. My dog does it too, 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:54.600 which is especially funny when she poops on cobblestone and 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:58.200 she tries to scratch at that nothing really happens. Also, 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:01.240 don't worry, I pick up every single dog turn she 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:06.119 leaves on the cobblestones because I am not a filthy degenerate. 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:10.720 I very much believe in picking up dog doodoes, to 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:13.320 the point where my dog probably thinks I'm obsessed with 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:17.240 collecting her poop. Okay, so you may notice that your 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:21.720 dog is more likely to do it when another dog 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:25.040 is around, right like after she's pooped or peed and 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:27.439 she sees another dog, maybe she's more likely to scratch 0:19:27.440 --> 0:19:30.159 at the ground, or even when you stoop down to 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:32.560 pick up the poop, that's when your dog suddenly decides 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:35.200 it's scratch and time, tend to kick up some turf 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:38.639 and possibly peepee or poopoo in your face. So this 0:19:38.720 --> 0:19:45.000 seems to be an instinctive territory marking response. So rather 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:47.480 than covering up the smell, which is a very good theory, 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.359 they seem to actually be trying to enhance it. So 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:55.760 they're likely using scent glands on their paws to make 0:19:55.840 --> 0:20:00.000 some smell markings. There might be visual cues like scratch marks, 0:20:00.560 --> 0:20:03.400 and given that it's more likely to be done actively 0:20:03.440 --> 0:20:09.159 in the presence of other dogs, according to studies, it 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:13.480 might be a form of visual communication too, so like hey, 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.040 look at me, I'm marking my territory. I'm doing it 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:18.239 in front of you, just so you know what's going on. 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:24.120 So my theory is that dogs feel pretty vulnerable when 0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:28.160 they poop and pee, so I suspect that scratching, even 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:31.040 growling after they use the toilet may be a way 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:35.439 of defensively marking their territory. But also not just in 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:37.919 terms of saying like, this is my spot, but a 0:20:37.960 --> 0:20:41.560 warning to other dogs who any dogs that might have 0:20:41.600 --> 0:20:43.800 an idea about messing with them while they're in such 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:48.040 a vulnerable potty position, just like, hey, I'm alert and 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:50.960 I'm aware and I see you and back off. This 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:54.640 is my toilet, like don't mess with me, essentially while 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:59.840 I'm doing my potties, which I can totally you know, 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:02.119 but I get it, like when someone's pounding on the 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:04.320 door when I'm trying to do my potties, I get 0:21:04.400 --> 0:21:09.320 very upset. So an anecdotal example is that my dog 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:14.159 primarily does the ground scratching behavior after she goes to 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:18.119 the bathroom when she notices another dog approaching. So I 0:21:18.160 --> 0:21:21.440 think that for her, she's feeling sort of insecure, and 0:21:21.560 --> 0:21:24.199 so it's not necessarily that she really wants this to 0:21:24.240 --> 0:21:27.280 be part of her territory as much as it's saying like, hey, 0:21:27.640 --> 0:21:30.800 I see you there, this is my toilet. Don't bother 0:21:30.880 --> 0:21:33.359 me while I'm doing my potties and don't try to 0:21:33.400 --> 0:21:35.800 take advantage of me when I'm in this vulnerable position 0:21:35.960 --> 0:21:38.359 like I'm on it and I want you to know. 0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:41.359 And other dogs that might pass by here know that like, 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:44.040 I'm aware, I'm on it, and I'm not going to 0:21:44.080 --> 0:21:46.600 tolerate anyone messing with me when I do my potties. 0:21:47.320 --> 0:21:50.200 So yeah, I think that if a dog is feeling 0:21:50.280 --> 0:21:54.199 territorial defensive, insecure, or simply wants to communicate this is 0:21:54.240 --> 0:21:57.760 my toilet, the kicking behavior helps them spread their scent 0:21:58.440 --> 0:22:03.080 and visually communicate that they're not going to tolerate interlopers 0:22:03.160 --> 0:22:06.480 or look at loose. So interestingly, there was a study 0:22:06.480 --> 0:22:09.720 that found that older shelter dogs were more likely to 0:22:09.840 --> 0:22:13.680 do the ground scratching behavior, which does lend a bit 0:22:13.840 --> 0:22:17.320 of credence to my theory that dogs who are more insecure, 0:22:18.160 --> 0:22:21.280 perhaps feeling that they don't have a stable established territory 0:22:21.440 --> 0:22:23.960 or that they're in an area that may be frequented 0:22:24.000 --> 0:22:27.119 by other dogs, that they might be more likely to 0:22:27.200 --> 0:22:30.280 do the ground scratching behavior in general. Now, I don't 0:22:30.400 --> 0:22:32.560 want anyone to like freak out and think, oh, no, 0:22:32.680 --> 0:22:35.600 I have an insecure dog. That's not necessarily what I'm saying, 0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:38.520 Like this might be more of a general rule, like 0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:42.159 if your dog may have no problems or not be 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:46.800 insecure at all, they may like have the sort of 0:22:46.880 --> 0:22:49.159 instinct to do it and then just kind of really 0:22:49.320 --> 0:22:52.000 enjoy the feeling of it, like the feeling of scratching, 0:22:52.040 --> 0:22:54.920 the feeling of security of like kind of securing their toilet. 0:22:55.560 --> 0:22:58.840 For instance, my dog really enjoys doing sort of scratching, 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:02.080 digging and real behavior in her bed and on the 0:23:02.160 --> 0:23:05.320 couch when she's really relaxed, So that is not a 0:23:05.400 --> 0:23:09.600 stress behavior. That's her relaxing and kind of settling and 0:23:09.640 --> 0:23:12.960 sort of like tucking herself in and feeling secure. So 0:23:13.160 --> 0:23:15.800 I don't think it's always a stress response, but for 0:23:16.280 --> 0:23:18.199 a lot of dogs it might be like when they 0:23:18.200 --> 0:23:21.960 are feeling a little vulnerable or a little insecure. It's 0:23:21.960 --> 0:23:24.639 not a problem though, Like it's it's not a problem 0:23:24.680 --> 0:23:27.600 behavior unless for some reason they it seems to really 0:23:27.680 --> 0:23:29.879 stress them out. Like it's very very common, So I 0:23:29.880 --> 0:23:32.240 wouldn't worry about it other than the fact that your 0:23:32.240 --> 0:23:35.160 dog it does seem to be kicking turf into your face, 0:23:35.200 --> 0:23:41.080 which you know is a little disrespectful, but hey, what 0:23:41.119 --> 0:23:43.080 are you gonna do about it? I think that she's 0:23:43.359 --> 0:23:47.880 made her point, which is you should, you know, give 0:23:47.880 --> 0:23:50.560 her maybe some reading materials while she's going to the bathroom. 0:23:50.560 --> 0:23:56.359 My newspaper think about it all right, onto the next 0:23:56.400 --> 0:23:59.200 listener question. Hi Katie. Every day in my seventh grade 0:23:59.320 --> 0:24:03.560 Life Science Clubs clssroom, I highlight some organism. Sometimes they're 0:24:03.600 --> 0:24:06.159 just living things I find cool or interesting. Other times 0:24:06.200 --> 0:24:10.000 the creatures related to the day's topic. Tomorrow we begin 0:24:10.240 --> 0:24:13.400 that middle school rite of passage, the cell model project. 0:24:13.520 --> 0:24:16.480 I remember that tomorrow's creature is going to be the 0:24:16.520 --> 0:24:21.159 Portuguese man o war. I'm highlighting this creature because it 0:24:21.240 --> 0:24:24.840 is a complex colonial organism with several zooids, which are 0:24:24.920 --> 0:24:28.760 multicellular little things that are specialized in work together. But wait, 0:24:28.880 --> 0:24:33.560 doesn't that mean the whole organism is multi cellular? Some 0:24:33.720 --> 0:24:37.639 internet person wrote it is colonial from the morphological, developmental, 0:24:37.640 --> 0:24:40.040 and evolutionary points of view. I have an idea of 0:24:40.080 --> 0:24:41.879 what that means, but don't have time right now to 0:24:41.920 --> 0:24:44.119 research the details of it. This is what made me 0:24:44.119 --> 0:24:46.399 think of you, because that's literally your job as the 0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:48.480 host of my favorite podcast. I would love to hear 0:24:48.520 --> 0:24:51.480 a show about this distinction and other examples of organisms 0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:57.720 that blur the lines between unicellular, colonial and multicellular. As always, 0:24:57.760 --> 0:24:59.639 I love the show and wish you the best. And 0:24:59.680 --> 0:25:03.040 this is from Amanda m Hi Amanda, this is a 0:25:03.160 --> 0:25:07.440 fantastic question, and I love the Portuguese Man of War. 0:25:07.480 --> 0:25:11.400 They are beautiful, They're amazing. They look like aliens, sort 0:25:11.400 --> 0:25:13.960 of like a cross between a jellyfish and a discarded 0:25:14.000 --> 0:25:17.760 shopping bag floating in the ocean. Definitely not something you 0:25:17.800 --> 0:25:22.359 said should touch, given their venomous stingers. And that's a 0:25:22.359 --> 0:25:24.320 great idea for a whole episode to do a show 0:25:24.320 --> 0:25:28.080 about colonial and multicellular organisms. I will probably do that, 0:25:28.160 --> 0:25:31.720 but for now let me answer your questions. So the 0:25:31.840 --> 0:25:37.440 difference between a unicellular and multicellular organism is straightforward, right, 0:25:37.480 --> 0:25:42.439 A single cell like a protozoan versus multiple cells. But 0:25:42.760 --> 0:25:48.080 what is a colonial organism and how does it distinguish 0:25:48.080 --> 0:25:51.800 itself from a multi cellular organism? So why is a 0:25:51.840 --> 0:25:55.840 man of war considered a colonial organism whereas a jellyfish 0:25:55.960 --> 0:26:01.480 is considered multicellular. So technically, a colonial organism is one 0:26:01.920 --> 0:26:05.879 made up of individual organisms that could, in theory, be 0:26:06.040 --> 0:26:10.119 separated from the collective organism and survive. And these are 0:26:10.160 --> 0:26:13.919 called zooids. So a human skin cell can't survive on 0:26:14.000 --> 0:26:17.720 its own, whereas like a zooid such as a part 0:26:17.840 --> 0:26:20.760 of a piece of coral like a coral polyp could 0:26:21.359 --> 0:26:25.000 in theory or in general, survive on its own. The 0:26:25.160 --> 0:26:29.199 reason the man o war is confusing is that it 0:26:29.280 --> 0:26:33.520 has progressed so far into being a colonial organism that 0:26:33.560 --> 0:26:39.040 the individual zooids now act more like little organelles, and 0:26:39.240 --> 0:26:43.919 it couldn't really survive on their own. So the distinction 0:26:44.119 --> 0:26:48.679