1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to has To Works Now. I'm your host, Lauren Vogelbaum, 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: a researcher and writer. Here it has To Works. Every week, 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: I'm bringing you three stories from our team about the 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: weird and wondrous advances we've seen in science, technology, and culture. 5 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: This week, a suggestion has arisen for improving Trump's potential 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: border wall, making it a host to a hyperloop, and unrelated, 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,319 Speaker 1: a study has found that there aren't enough calories in 8 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: the human body to fully explain cannibalism. But First Senior 9 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: writer and forward Thinking host Jonathan Strickland explores the controversy 10 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: surrounding a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation facial recognition program. 11 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: The Bureau has access to a huge number of Americans photos, 12 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,919 Speaker 1: even those without criminal records, for use in criminal investigations. 13 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: If the FBI had an unlabeled photo of you and 14 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: ran a search using facial recognition technology, do you think 15 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: they'd find you if you're an adult living in the 16 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: United States. The answer is they'd have a fifty fifty shot. 17 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: We know that because Georgetown University's Center on Privacy and 18 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: Technology research law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology and 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: found one in every two adult Americans has an image 20 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: stored on some official agencies database. Some of the images 21 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 1: in these databases are from criminal investigations, but others come 22 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: from applications for licenses, official identification cards, security clearance forms, 23 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:36,199 Speaker 1: and other non criminal sources. Depending upon the type of search, 24 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: your photo could end up in an FBI virtual lineup 25 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: without your knowledge. The practice is problematic for many reasons. 26 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: Perhaps most troubling is there are no official laws or 27 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: regulations that set parameters for conducting facial recognition matches. Each 28 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: agency has its own set of guidelines, but they vary widely, 29 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: and in many cases there's little to no oversight. Critics 30 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: say this could potentially violate Fourth Amendment rights, which protect 31 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: against unreasonable search and seizure. To complicate matters, these various 32 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,959 Speaker 1: agencies rely on different software vendors for facial recognition technology. 33 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: Most of these agencies have no system in place to 34 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: audit the technology to make certain it is accurate. Several 35 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 1: agencies require human analysts to look at potential matches between 36 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: a probe photo and their search results, but Georgetown University's 37 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: research showed humans make the wrong call on these matches 38 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: fifty percent of the time. Chances are you don't want 39 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: the FBI investigating you for a criminal act because of 40 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: a bad coin flip. There are a lot of other 41 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: potential issues with facial recognition searches. In March two thousand seventeen, 42 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: Congress held hearings about the FBI's use of these databases. 43 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,679 Speaker 1: The discussion became heated, with members of both major political 44 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: parties criticizing the implementation of facial recognition procedures without first 45 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: establishing the legality of them in an investigation. It's likely 46 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: that we'll see a call for regulating law enforcement's use 47 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: of facial recognition software in the near future. That doesn't 48 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: change the fact that for more than five years, the 49 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: FBI has used this tech to identify and pursue investigative leads, 50 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: but regulations will help prevent future misuse of a technology 51 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: that has the potential to restrict civil rights to a 52 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:28,799 Speaker 1: significant degree. Next up, staff editor Eaves, Jeff Coote and 53 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: our freelance writer Michelle Konstantinovski dig into one group's plans 54 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: to give the proposed border wall between the US and 55 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: Mexico and extra dimension of speed. They want to use 56 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: the structure to build hyperlink In June, the Trump administration 57 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: plans to announce ten companies it wants to hire to 58 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: build prototypes of this planned border wall between Mexico and 59 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: the United States. A group of fourteen Mexican and American engineers, 60 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: urban planners, ecologists, and architects, dubbed the Made Collective, hopes 61 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: it will be among them. While dozens of private contractors 62 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: likely took heat of the Customs and Border Protections request 63 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: for design prototypes depicting a solid concrete barrier between nations, 64 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: the main collective offered and alternative, a hyperloop. A hyper 65 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: loop is a type of mass transit that uses low 66 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: pressure tubes and transports people and goods at lightning fast speeds. 67 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: Based on SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's original concept, hyper loop 68 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: pods will hypothetically travel over seven hundred miles per hour 69 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: or about one thousand, one hundred kilometers per hour. In 70 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 1: the main collectives version, the hyper loop system would stretch 71 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: one thousand, two hundred fifty miles or two thousand kilometers 72 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: from San Diego and Tijuana across the Texas Mexico border. 73 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: But this chunk of land wouldn't just be a standalone 74 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: transit system. According to the Make Collectives proposal, it would 75 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: also become an entirely new territory called Ultra Nation. That's right. 76 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: In response to Trump's call for designs, the group offered 77 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: to create an independent nation that the U S and 78 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: Mexico share. The full proposal was submitted to both governments, 79 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: with the budget costs to the US of about ten 80 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: billion dollars to fifteen billion dollars. The Main Collective's proposal 81 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: also includes the additional eleven billion dollars Trump has earmarked 82 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,799 Speaker 1: for the border wall to be reinvested into healthcare, education, 83 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: and the arts in the United States. In addition to that, 84 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: it proposes plans for stations throughout the hyper loop network 85 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: to serve people from all nations, and for solar farms 86 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: to power the system. The group's members laid out their 87 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 1: full plan on a dedicated Ultra Nation website, and they've 88 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: also launched a change dot org petition to replace the 89 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: border's current fencing with this hyper loop design. On this website, 90 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: the group calls the hyperlop plan a trans national new 91 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: deal and says it will be built on local economic empowerment, 92 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 1: energy independence, and revolutionary infrastructure and transit. The group hops 93 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: to plan will get people on both sides of the 94 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,280 Speaker 1: border talking, but it remains unclear whether the proposed wall 95 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: will ever be a reality. Trump initially assured Americans that 96 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: he would stick Mexico with a construction bill, but he 97 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: has since turned to Congress to ask for funding. The 98 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,359 Speaker 1: plan has also been the subject of skepticism and scrutiny 99 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: from both Democrats and Republicans, and some people suspect US 100 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: taxpayers would actually be forced to foot the bill, which 101 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: an m I T study estimates could cost anywhere from 102 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: twenty seven billion dollars to forty billion dollars. Finally, this week, 103 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: staff editor Christopher Hassiotas and our freelance writer Laurie L. 104 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: Dove bring us the results of a slightly strange study. 105 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: The researchers set out to discover exactly how nutritious human 106 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: flesh is, and therefore how likely it is that ancient 107 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: humans eight other ancient humans to survive. By this point 108 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: in our still young century, you've likely heard of the 109 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: Paleo diet thousands of times. That trendy regiment's name is 110 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: short for Paleolithic, the Stone Age, and supposedly mimics the 111 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: nutrition of ancient humans who lived about ten thousand years ago, 112 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: although it really doesn't, but that's another story. Cave people 113 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: ate meats, seafood, nuts, and a few fruits and vegetables 114 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: and one other food source that doesn't show up on 115 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:38,119 Speaker 1: today's protein focused food blogs other people. Archaeologists in Western 116 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: Europe have evidence that the precursors to modern humans ate 117 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: their neighbors during the Paleolithic era, particularly due to butchery 118 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: marks found on human bones. Most experts, though, debate whether 119 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: cannibalism was part of a balanced diet of our ancestral 120 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 1: hominins or whether it was something more ritualistic or ceremonial. 121 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: To be classified as nutritional cannibalism, the people that Paleolithic 122 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: clans eight needed to be well nutritious, So just how 123 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: many calories are in a human thigh or an ear? 124 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: Archaeologist James Cole of the University of Brighton in England 125 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: wondered the same thing, and so, being a scientist, he 126 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: decided to find out. Think of the diagrams of cattle 127 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: and pig that illustrate different cuts of meat you might 128 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: see in a butcher's shop, Cole mapped out the human 129 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: body in much the same way, then determined the caloric 130 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: count within each segment, showing how much energy each would 131 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 1: transfer to an eater if consumed, publishing his findings in 132 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 1: the journal Scientific Reports. A human thigh, for instance, contains 133 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,839 Speaker 1: a hefty thousand, three hundred and fifty calories, while the 134 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: spleen offers up only a modest one hundred and thirty calories. 135 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: If you're more of a head and torso diner, that'll 136 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: let you about five thousand, four hundred and twenty calories, 137 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: and those upper arms seven thousand, four hundred and fifty 138 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 1: calories total. Overall, the average human body has anywhere from 139 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: one thousand to a hundred and forty four thousand consumable calories. 140 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: Some parts may take longer to digest. You'll rack up 141 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: ten thousand, two hundred and eighty calories from human skin alone, 142 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: while others are snacks, eyes like the kidneys, containing just 143 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: three D eighty calories. The brain, spinal cord, and nerves. 144 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: We're thinking of stew might be the most appropriate cooking 145 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: method for that will provide you two thousand, seven hundred calories, 146 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: and human bones contain about twenty five thousand, three D 147 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,719 Speaker 1: and thirty bone broth is so on trend right now, 148 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: after all, Despite all this talk of ancient eating habits, 149 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: Cole concluded that other humans are probably not a regular 150 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:34,319 Speaker 1: meal of choice, eaten for nutritive value. Disappointment is other people, 151 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: after all, and it turns out that that holds true 152 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: for nutrition, especially when compared to competing available food sources. 153 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: The carcass of one single wooly mammoth, for instance, contains 154 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: a whopping three point six million calories and would have 155 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: given an entire tribe food for about eight weeks. A human, 156 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: on the other hand, would have provided enough calories for 157 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: a tribe to subside on for only a half day, 158 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: leaving everyone to wonder what's for dinner after just a 159 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: few hours. Cole concludes that because of the relatively meager 160 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: calorie counts of human body, people ate other people only 161 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:09,839 Speaker 1: for social or cultural reasons, not for their own health. 162 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: Modern paleo dieters be glad the recipe books skip this 163 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: particular ingredient. That's our show for this week. Thank you 164 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Further thanks to our audio 165 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,840 Speaker 1: producer Dylan Fagan and our editorial Liaison's Christopher Hasiotas and 166 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: Alison louder Milk. Subscribe to now Now for more of 167 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: the latest science news, and send us links to anything 168 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: you'd like to hear us cover. Plus who's your favorite 169 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 1: Star Wars character? I might be seriously in love with 170 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: Triple Zero from the Darth Vader comics. Let us know. 171 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 1: You can send us an email at now podcast at 172 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com, and of course, for lots 173 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: more stories like these, head on over to our home planet, 174 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:57,199 Speaker 1: now dot how stuff works dot com.