1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, you welcome to Stuff to Blow 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: your mind. My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas. 4 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 1: And we're in the day of the turkey here, the 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: age of the season of the turkey, I guess you'd say. 6 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 1: Here in the United States, Thanksgiving is upon us, and 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: so it's all about this big, at times delicious bird. 8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: Well and and uh it's usually the turkey, but sometimes 9 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: that there's the turn duncan. Yeah, this is what you do, right, 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: since you don't eat the meat anymore. Yeah, I stuff 11 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: a chicken into a turkey, right, confused with fury to furkey, 12 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: which is different. I do not do be to furkey. 13 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: What's your thoughts, Well, I just feel like there are 14 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: many things that a vegetarian can make and bring in 15 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: their completely acceptable and really wonderful tasting. And you don't 16 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: have to go the toe freaky route unless you want 17 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: to get the side eye from your guests. Okay, Okay, 18 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: some people may feel differently about to freaky. That's just 19 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: my take. Well, certainly, my whole thing is that Thanksgiving 20 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: me all great. There's lots of fabulous side items I love, 21 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: like broccoli casserole. I love. Oh what are the little 22 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 1: guys that you're supposed to not like as a kid? Um, 23 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,759 Speaker 1: Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts, you have. Brussels spouts are delicious, Um, 24 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: sweet potatoes, all of it, you know, all the side 25 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: dishes are great. And then at the center you have 26 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: this big cook turkey that even if it's cooked well, 27 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: even if it's not too dry, even if it's seasoned properly, 28 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: it's still like the least interesting thing for me on 29 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: the table. But it's a tradition, so everyone has to 30 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: eat it. It's the star of the show, even though 31 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: the supporting cast is really just bringing it a lot 32 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: more than the actual turkey. Um. I will not malign 33 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,559 Speaker 1: turkey because I could go on for for a while 34 00:01:57,720 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: as just say, like, we spend so many hours trying 35 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: to incus edible, but um, I think that it would 36 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: be better if we spent some time talking more about uh, 37 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: this creature and how it's kind of amazing and um, 38 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,519 Speaker 1: how we've gamed it, how we have manipulated its DNA 39 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: and it's become part of our culture here in the States. 40 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, I'm sure, every every podcast it's 41 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: out this month is it's it's probably doing like a 42 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: turkey episode, and they're hitting some of the usual things. 43 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: But it's worth noting that, I mean the turkey that 44 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: was the bird of Benjamin Franklin said, forget the eagle. 45 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: The eagles kind of a jerk, Let's go with the turkey, 46 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: because the turkey silly. The turkey is I believe his 47 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: words were, um, yeah, a little vain, a little silly, 48 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: a bird of courage that would not hesitate to attack 49 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: a grenader of the British guards who should presume to 50 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: invade his farm yard with a red coat on. So 51 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 1: he he liked people the turkey. He thought the turkey 52 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: was a more noble creature. And now but though when 53 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: he is thinking or when he was talking about that turkey, 54 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: it was a wild turkey, which is very different from 55 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: what we think of today. Yes, and we'll get into 56 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: some of the cross of it between wild and domestic 57 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: turkeys as we go. For Another big American thing with 58 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: turkey is the pardoning of the turkey. That's right, the 59 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: president pardons the turkey so that the turkey may live 60 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: another year, which I know it's something like people love it. 61 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: I guess that I always find it just kind of 62 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: distasteful because it's like the president's partying pardonering one bird, 63 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: all the other birds are not getting pardoned, And then 64 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: there's a lot to be said to about the use 65 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: of capital punishment in the United States, and it's it's 66 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: a little tacky for me. Well for me, it's a 67 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,959 Speaker 1: little out of time. It feels very vaudevillian, like, why 68 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: are you turkey? Don't worry about it? Yeah, yeah, we 69 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: have no other pressing issues at the moment, so we 70 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: were pardon a bird. Yeah. But I guess it's a 71 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: nice act. It's an altruistic act, even though there's another 72 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,119 Speaker 1: turkey that will take its place at the presidential dinner um. 73 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: But it is an interesting thing, and it all points 74 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: back to this idea that it's the turkey is so 75 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: steeped in tradition. But when you think about it, the 76 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: first Thanksgiving that we hear about, that we read about 77 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: in tech books was not really uh as traditional as 78 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: we think. In other words, historians have tried to piece 79 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: it together, have tried to figure it out. The various 80 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: resources available to the pilgrims, to the these Puritans English 81 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: Puritans that were relocated here in the United States, and 82 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: they have figured out that it is probably not the 83 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 1: turkey that was on the table. In fact, it may 84 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: have not have shown up at all, because more likely 85 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: the feast would have looked like something like shellfish venison. 86 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: Those would be the sources of protein that would have 87 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: shown up on the table. And so you know, you 88 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: kind of think about that in this other content. Yes, 89 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: as well as corn, right, because the Puritans had the 90 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: benefit of being instructed by American Indians on how to 91 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: cultivate food. Because remember they arrived here rough conditions, drought, etcetera. 92 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,559 Speaker 1: They weren't having a lot of luck. So this first 93 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving really was a feast of harvest time to celebrate 94 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: the bounty that they are actually instructed how to grow. 95 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: And of course this sort of celebration, this harvest time celebration, 96 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: is not anything that is unique to the United States, 97 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,359 Speaker 1: and we've seen this in all different cultures across time, 98 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: celebrating the sort of bounty that comes in. Yeah, the 99 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: harvest rolls in. We're in an agricultural scenario or even 100 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: you see this even in groups that are not agriculturally driven. 101 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: But suddenly there's there's a surplus of food, and what 102 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: do you do. You have yourself a feast tonight we 103 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: sort of truly eat, which is really beautiful because I mean, 104 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: it really is about fellowship and getting together and and 105 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: and celebrating and taking at least one moment. Even certainly 106 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 1: in cases where you can actually store the food and 107 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,039 Speaker 1: provide for the next day. In the day after that 108 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: and the day after that, yeah, you're gonna you're not 109 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:50,840 Speaker 1: gonna want to eat at all, but there's enough to 110 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: at least engage in a feast for one day. And 111 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 1: then in other situations you might not be able to 112 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: preserve the food, so you might as well just go nuts. 113 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: So eventually the turkey, though, takes this place on the table. 114 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: And um, what I wanted to mention is that there's 115 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: another myth about turkeys and Thanksgiving that we should probably 116 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: put to bed. Most people probably know this that l 117 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: tripped a fan. This is an amino acid, which is 118 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: a natural sedative, is found in turkey. So it was 119 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,600 Speaker 1: thought that because tripped a fan helps the body produce niacin, 120 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 1: which in turn helps the body produce serotonin, a chemical 121 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,359 Speaker 1: that acts as a common agent in the brain. It 122 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,919 Speaker 1: was thought that if you ate a lot of turkey, 123 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: that this would account for how tired, how sleepy, and 124 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: just like this food coma feel come over to you. 125 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,720 Speaker 1: That this was attributed to eating turkey. Yeah, I mean ignoring, 126 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: of course, the fact that after Thanksgiving meal, you've you've 127 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: probably consumed three thousand calories of fat. You've probably you 128 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: may man, I've had some wine in there, You've had 129 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 1: a very rich meal. So of course your body is 130 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: going to shut down. You're gonna collapse on account somewhere. 131 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,479 Speaker 1: But but yeah, this myth ends up. It's still you 132 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 1: still see it circulated around and sort of laughed about 133 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: over the over the dinner table in no small things 134 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: to sign felt because they had a whole episode, of course, 135 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: where people were pulling out boxes of wine and turkey 136 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: to essentially roofy one another. Okay, well again, there are 137 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 1: different things that play here. You would have to eat 138 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: a huge amount of turkey. If you think you eat 139 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: a lot of turkey and Thanksgiving, you would have to 140 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: probably quadruple that, eliminate all the side dishes, and just 141 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: stack up the cold cuts on an empty stomach, on 142 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: an empty stomach, because that's the other thing. L Trip 143 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: de Fan needs to work on an empty stomach to 144 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: really get the effects that we are that that are 145 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: attributed to a turkey feast. And still the sleepiness that 146 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: will occur has a lot to do with the daunting 147 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: job ahead for your gastro intestinal tract, because it's gotta 148 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: break all that down. So I just wanted to mention 149 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: that put that turkey to bed. I also wouldn't be 150 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: surprised if there's a certain amount of sebo effect here, 151 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: because obviously people eat turkey at other times. You can 152 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: go and get you know, turkey cold cuts at the 153 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:00,040 Speaker 1: Dali and you put it on a sandwich. And I 154 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 1: remember in the past when I would like take a 155 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: cold cut sandwich with turkey on it to work. I 156 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: would I would be thinking in my mind, it's like, 157 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be sleepy after this because it's loaded with 158 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: the helfan. But but of course that's not the case. 159 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: Unless I really went into it with that mentality, I 160 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: guess I could conceivably allow myself to get a little 161 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: sleepy afterwards. Well, I would say to that, it's a 162 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: great excuse to go take a nap and escape family. Yeah, 163 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: it's family's great. It's great. But when you stuff each 164 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: other into the same house, especially when you're adults, right, 165 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: you know, for a twenty four hour period, it's you 166 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: need the break. Yeah, it's like there's nothing for me 167 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: to do now, becaucept laid down and watch football for 168 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: a couple of hours. Sorry, yeah, that turkey. Oh, I 169 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: gotta go take a nap. By the way, the turkey 170 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: that would have in my sandwich. Haven't picked this up 171 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: in years, But I was really partial to the boar's 172 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: head Cajun turkey, which my wife hated because she thought 173 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:56,559 Speaker 1: it smelled really awful um and and would joke. I 174 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 1: think she was joking that I needed to keep it outside, 175 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: like in a cold box. Anyway, This just doesn't seem right, 176 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 1: But but it goes back to what I was saying 177 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: earlier about the turkey. Turkey meat itself being not all 178 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: that exciting and it needs like some Cajun spice in 179 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: there to really, you know, make it good. It needs 180 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: to be Uh. You actually sent me some recipes and 181 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: I said that that's exactly what needs to happen. It 182 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: needs to be marinated in the hell pit fires and 183 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: then exhumed eight hours later like I always think Tandory turkey, 184 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: that would be great. I would far rather do a 185 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: Tandorri turkey. But you can't because you have all this 186 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 1: a you have family members that are going to be like, 187 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: what's the tan Dori? Oh my goodness, this is hot? 188 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 1: I can't possibly eat this. And then also you start 189 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: thinking about it where it's like, well, if I had 190 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 1: complete control over my Thanksgiving meal, I why stop there 191 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: with the Indian food? Why not just ignore the turkey 192 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: entirely and just have a lot of delicious pin here 193 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: and stuff? I know, right, because I mean that in 194 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: and of itself is a meal, all right. So the turkey, 195 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,719 Speaker 1: the humble, the humble turkey as an organism. It is 196 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: worth noting that even if the turkey wasn't present at 197 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: the Thanksgiving meal, the initial Thanksgiving meal, and if the 198 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 1: Pilgrims weren't, we're actually just eating oysters and deer jerky. 199 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: The turkey itself is is an American original, which makes 200 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:11,440 Speaker 1: it sound like it's running for office, but no, it 201 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: goes back, of course, the prehistoric times, and then the 202 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 1: domestication of the turkey goes back pretty far as well. 203 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: So imagine a pre Columbus America. Alright, you have few 204 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,080 Speaker 1: domesticated animals in general, just just human wise, there are 205 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 1: few domesticated animals, all right. Most big animals can be tamed. 206 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: You can treat them to not fear humans, but to 207 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: actually domesticate something, it's beyond that. You need an animal 208 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: that doesn't fear humans, and you also need an animal's 209 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: gonna breed a lot and allow you to select for 210 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: certain traits. You want a bigger animals so you can 211 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: eat it. You want a tamer and tamer animals so 212 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: that it doesn't mall you or gore you or what 213 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: have you. But few animals are actually capable of being domesticated. 214 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 1: Humans have only ever domesticated twenty five mammals, and also 215 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 1: roughly a dozen birds and possibly a single lizard, which 216 00:10:57,720 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 1: I'll touch on in a second. And then you also 217 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: have arguably some insects like the honeybee, the silkworm, etcetera. 218 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: All right, so just six of these, uh, These animals 219 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: existed in pre Columbia America, and they were mostly minor creatures. 220 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,360 Speaker 1: You had dogs that were eaten in Central and South America. 221 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: Dogs that were used as labor, pulling sleds. And whatnot 222 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: in the far north, delicious guinea pigs in the Andes 223 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: along with llamas and alpacas to haul stuff around um 224 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: South America's muscobe duck, and some say to get back 225 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: to the lizard, some say that the iguana was also 226 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: domesticated because it was it farmed in Mexico and Central America. 227 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: But then, of course this also leads us to the turkey, 228 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 1: which was apparently domesticated in in Mexico as far back 229 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,679 Speaker 1: as three hundred BC to a d according to a 230 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,600 Speaker 1: two thousand twelve University of Florida study where they actually 231 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: we're finding evidence of this in Mayan ruins. And then 232 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:58,079 Speaker 1: in the sixteenth century, right, it was traded or actually 233 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: it was transported to your up and you know, there's 234 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 1: a long tradition there of domestication and turkeys and eating them, 235 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: which brings up another really interesting thing about the turkeys. 236 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: From why do we call him a turkey? Right? Why 237 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 1: why is this ancient bird that came from North America? 238 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: Why don't we why is it seemingly named after a 239 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,320 Speaker 1: country on another continent, Why it has nothing to do 240 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: with turkey? Right? Turns out there two theories about this 241 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: Robert Crowitch, one of the post of Radio laps. He 242 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:29,679 Speaker 1: he did a piece, uh, you can find it on NPR. 243 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,239 Speaker 1: I'll link to it in the blog post accompanying this episode. 244 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: But he examined this question. He found there basically two 245 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: theories about this, right. So one of the theories is 246 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: that in the fifteen hundreds, when the bird first arrived 247 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: in Great Britain, it was shipped by merchants in the 248 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 1: in the East, mostly from Constantinople, and they had of 249 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:49,079 Speaker 1: course brought the bird over from America. But since it 250 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 1: essentially came from Turkey, the British referred to it as 251 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,559 Speaker 1: a quote Turkey cock. That's c o q uh and 252 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: that means chicken, Turkey chicken in other words. Uh. But 253 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:02,199 Speaker 1: the thing is that the British is referred to anything 254 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 1: from the East as its Turkish, so Turkish rugs, Turkish flower, 255 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 1: Turkish bags, um, Turkish baths, you name. It is just 256 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 1: sort of a generic catch all for something that was 257 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:15,200 Speaker 1: quote unquote oriental. And then there's another theory, uh. Theory 258 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:17,520 Speaker 1: number two, the Corolla, which lays out is that long 259 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: before Christopher Columbus went to America, Europeans already had a 260 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 1: wild fowl that they like to eat. It was from 261 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 1: Guiana and Western Africa, and it was a guinea fowl 262 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 1: imported to Europe again by Turkish merchants, so they ate 263 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,319 Speaker 1: this in London. They loved it. So it got the 264 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: nickname turkey cock because it came from Concantinople. And then 265 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 1: when people were introduced to similar birds, then well what 266 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: do you call it? I guess it's a turkey cock. 267 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: It's worth pointing out that it wasn't called a turkey 268 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: and other parts of Europe. In Russia it was called 269 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,720 Speaker 1: in Jushka, which means bird of India. In Poland it 270 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,199 Speaker 1: was in yik set. Again I'm butchering that because it's 271 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: like I n y c z k a, but that 272 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,319 Speaker 1: again means bird from India. Um. So it's it's really 273 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 1: fascinating when you when you look at it all comes 274 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: to not where the bird came from, but where it 275 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: came through. What was the initial port of call in 276 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: this new land? You know, I'm gonna go with number two. Yeah, 277 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: it's just because I feel like if you if you 278 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: look at the United States and you look at all 279 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 1: the city names, that so many of them that they 280 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: actually took from Britain and from the cities in Britain, 281 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: and then they just you know, lapped it. You know, 282 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: they just said, okay that you're going to be you know, 283 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: New York, the New New York, so on and so forth. 284 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: Um So I feel like they probably did the same thing. 285 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: They looked in the woods and they were like, oh, look, 286 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: it looks like a turkey. I could be wrong, but 287 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 1: as long as we are talking about turkeys of our past, 288 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: we are still someone of our present. Wild turkeys. That's 289 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 1: what we need to talk about. Yes, wild turkeys. So yeah, 290 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: there's a definite difference between domestic turkeys and wild turkeys, 291 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 1: just on a very physical level. First of all, domestic 292 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: turkeys cannot fly, can't even run very fast. They're easy 293 00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: pickings for a predator because they generally they don't have 294 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 1: to deal with predators there. Domesticated animals, you can comment 295 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: them with a hatchet, a hammer, just some strong words 296 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 1: that take them out. Their neck, skin or wattles are 297 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: heavier than wild turkeys. The snoods, which are the fingerlike 298 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: appendages that you know when you make a turkey fake 299 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: turkey out of a glove or something. Those are snoods 300 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: um that hang over the bill. Uh. They're longer on 301 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: domestic turkeys, and the breasts are much larger and broader 302 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: because we've bread these things to eat. And they also 303 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: possess a temperament that's more suited to confinement. Okay, they're 304 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: not freaking out every time they see human. They're a 305 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 1: little more comfortable around humans. But then you have the 306 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: wild turkeys. These things are sleek, they're alert, they are 307 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: built for speed and survival. These are they're not living 308 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: in a pin somewhere. They're living out and about. They're 309 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: having to deal with predation. They are surprisingly tall when 310 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: you encounter them. Because my mom's house occasionally see them 311 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: out there. And you, I mean you see them also 312 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: in the Atlanta area. And I know, people you get 313 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: turkeys in your yard, you live in a turkey zone. 314 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: I live in a poultry zam. And I guess you 315 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: could say a lot of people have chickens in their backyards, 316 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 1: but I know I've never seen one in my I 317 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:08,040 Speaker 1: have heard reports of them hanging out near the railroads, 318 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: probably with bendel sticks. But their senses they're sharpened. You know, 319 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: They're they're not gonna just sit there and stare at 320 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: the sky, and they're actually dealing with with dangers around them. 321 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: And this makes them one of the harder animals to 322 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: actually actively hunt because they're very afraid of humans. Well, 323 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 1: and because they can fly, they can roost up in 324 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: the tree and it can get away from people. Unlike 325 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:30,360 Speaker 1: the domestic they can actually use those wings for something. 326 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: In terms of how they appear, I think of them 327 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: as like the traditional image of a thanksgiving turkey, right, 328 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: because when you look back again textbooks from when you 329 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: were a little it was this turkey, at least for me, 330 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: that was presented as the thankshiving turkey, as this big, 331 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: just gloriously feathered animal that was usually black and brown 332 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: and just fat as all get out, like just an 333 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: enormously fleshed creature. Yeah, and like Buddha with feathers. Feathers, 334 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: but not that the thin Buddha, but like the press 335 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: on Kaji Buddhist monk that is that has gained all 336 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: this weight to keep women from distracting. And well that's 337 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 1: a whole another story. Yeah, and that is and maybe 338 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 1: that's what these turkeys were trying to do. You never know, 339 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: but because their display is so amazing, it probably won't 340 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: strike anybody as this being on. There are twenty thousand 341 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: feathers at play here with wild turkey, and if you 342 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,880 Speaker 1: look at the domesticated turkey, you're looking about thirty five 343 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: hundred feathers. So this really is a glorious display of feathers, 344 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:36,440 Speaker 1: and some of those feathers can have different colors. Um, 345 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: they're just so cool looking to me, and to me 346 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:43,359 Speaker 1: they're also a little bit more formal looking in a 347 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: little scary because they kind of look like the skexies 348 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: from the Dark Crystal. I mean, I guess the skexies 349 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,240 Speaker 1: in the Dark Crystal kind of look like turkeys since uh, 350 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: turkeys were there first. But you know, they're kind of 351 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 1: the they're especially when you're close up there, far bigger 352 00:17:55,680 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 1: than you expect. Also worth noting male domestic turkeys they 353 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: are they're gonna gobble a lot more. They're in they're 354 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:05,159 Speaker 1: in a safe environment, so they're just gonna talk their 355 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: heads off as much as they want. Yeah, females just click, 356 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,920 Speaker 1: but but male wild turkeys not so much, because they again, 357 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: they're in a situation where they have to deal with predation, 358 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 1: they have to deal with actual dangers and surprise, surprise. 359 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:20,720 Speaker 1: If they stand around talking all day, something's gonna know 360 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: where they are and shoot them or eat them or both. Yeah, 361 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,479 Speaker 1: they have plenty of natural predators like skunks, boxes, and snakes, 362 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 1: but humans are the number one killer of wild turkeys. 363 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,440 Speaker 1: So here is one really cool thing about these turkeys 364 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: is that they have a kin ship, a sort of 365 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: packed at play, and it has to do with our 366 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: mating rituals. So we're gonna take a quick break and 367 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:45,919 Speaker 1: when we come back we will talk about the wingmen 368 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:54,200 Speaker 1: of the Turkey mating world. Okay, we're back and we're 369 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,360 Speaker 1: talking about mating in the Turkey world. So we've talked 370 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,479 Speaker 1: about cuttlefish before, which is a bit of a departure, 371 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: but as you remember, there's this whole scenario with the cuttlefish, 372 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 1: and again this is the cephalopod squid like creatures that 373 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: change their colors are fabulous and they range from cute 374 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: to kind of cathulu esque looking kind of like bearded 375 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:16,199 Speaker 1: men with with tentacles. But you encounter the scenario and 376 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 1: they're mating where you'll have the big bowl beefy uh, 377 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:22,199 Speaker 1: muscle dude on the beach type of cuttlefish and then 378 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: you'll have the slender maybe a little effeminate if you will, 379 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: because that comes into play here. You know, it's a slender, 380 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:31,320 Speaker 1: weaker cuttle fish. And so when it comes time to mating, 381 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: the big male cuttle fish is out there and he's like, 382 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:35,640 Speaker 1: I'm mating with this one and this one. Everyone else 383 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: hands off or I will fight you. But this is 384 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: a zebra pattern, yes, which kind of reminds me of 385 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: wrestling pants. But go on, yes, yes, wrestling zebra pants. 386 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: Um gosh, there's one guy in Japan who wore those. 387 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 1: I can't remember it. His name, Ogawa zebra pants. He 388 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: was a little guy, so it doesn't really that's a 389 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 1: big guy in zebra pants. So but the little guys, 390 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: they realize, if I'm gonna have a chance at mating 391 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,399 Speaker 1: and passing on my jeans in this evolutionary game, I 392 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:03,680 Speaker 1: need to be sneaky. I need to sneak in there, 393 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 1: pretend to be a female. And then the big bowl 394 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:11,360 Speaker 1: beefy um, you know, muscular beach dude cuttlefish. You'll be like, oh, 395 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 1: another lady, line up, I'll get to you next. And 396 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:17,879 Speaker 1: while he's busy defending his turf, then this gender bending 397 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 1: cephalopod gets in their mates with the female and passes 398 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: on his jeans. So you end up with cuttlefish. You 399 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 1: have a mixture of lineages here. You have you have 400 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:28,520 Speaker 1: cuttlefish that are born that have those beefy, beat people 401 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 1: up mentality and also the sneaky and careful and deceptive nature. Well, 402 00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 1: you have the dominant and the non dominant trying to 403 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: figure out ways in which they can mate best. Whereas 404 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: with these wild turkeys you have a very interesting dynamic 405 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: going on. And uh, it is actually related to kin. 406 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: So let's say you have two brothers, one wearing wrestling pants, 407 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: one not. Okay, so we're talking to dominant and the 408 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: non dominant, and they display something called kin selection. Now okay, 409 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: both of them. You have to to remember, have they 410 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 1: they share a great deal of d n A. Right, 411 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: They're they're bros. They're killing. So the non dominant takes 412 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: the position that if his brother and his wrestling pants 413 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: can successfully mate, well, then in a sense, his own 414 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: genes are being propagated. His victory is mine and uh 415 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,439 Speaker 1: and I should really, if anything, live vicariously through his 416 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: conquests and help him out. Hence the wingman and not 417 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:32,080 Speaker 1: get in there and try and score for myself, because 418 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:33,879 Speaker 1: that was one of the things that the two thousand 419 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 1: five you see Berkeley study from the Museum Vertebrate Zoology. 420 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: They looked into this because that was kind of the 421 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,080 Speaker 1: question are these waynman turkey are they really they're supporting 422 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 1: their bro or are they going into business for themselves 423 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,400 Speaker 1: on the side, because it was really hard to tell 424 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:49,719 Speaker 1: what's going on in the bush. It's one thing to 425 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 1: sort of form these theories, but who knows what's happening 426 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 1: in the underbrush. So what they did is um and 427 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,920 Speaker 1: this is explained by Alan Karkaer. He is the lead 428 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: author on this study. They captured, tagged, and obtained blood 429 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: samples from male and female turkeys, and then captured flightless 430 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: young scavenged broken eggshells from abandoned nests, or lifted eggs 431 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,679 Speaker 1: from unattended nest to obtain the DNA of offspring. So 432 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,639 Speaker 1: this is how they could confirm what was happening. But 433 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: what I think is really interesting is that Carkard said, 434 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: you know, this is this is something we thought was 435 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 1: going on in the wild, but we really needed to 436 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: prove that there's this this kinship selection at play and 437 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,639 Speaker 1: so he explains this the scenario, and he says, it's 438 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: really interesting because while the dominant male was strutting, the 439 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 1: sub subordinate male might continue to display, as he says, 440 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: like a backup singer, or even chase away the other 441 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,719 Speaker 1: males that got too close. So provide a little muscle 442 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: if someone else comes up to the bar to interfere 443 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 1: with the date. But also don't be afraid to do 444 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:54,239 Speaker 1: a little dance in there. Just too excited a bit. 445 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,400 Speaker 1: Now you had you had talked about turkeys being called 446 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,639 Speaker 1: turkey coke c Q. So is this the turkey cloke 447 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 1: block cock block? Yes, Okay, I just had. I'm sorry 448 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:10,160 Speaker 1: it was poorly executed. The joke needed to be told, 449 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: So yeah, croc Our sums it up in this wonderful 450 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 1: quote says, basically, since subordinate males and dominant males shales 451 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: share some portion of their DNA, the subordinate males benefit 452 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: indirectly by helping the relatives breed. A subordinate partner gains 453 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: more by giving help than it would by going off 454 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: on its own and trying to breed by itself. So 455 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 1: it's really a remarkable amount of cooperation going on there 456 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,680 Speaker 1: and where they're actually like, all right, this is our best, 457 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 1: this is our brightest. We're gonna do everything we can 458 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: to make sure he gets out there and gets it done. 459 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 1: There we go, another example of how humans and animals 460 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: are alike. All Right, so we've talked about wild turkeys, 461 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: We've talked about these wingmen. Let's talk about domesticated turkeys. 462 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:55,679 Speaker 1: The star of the show, the star of the plate. 463 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: The average American eats seventeen point five pounds of turkey 464 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,880 Speaker 1: each year in one setting. Or is this yes, yeah, 465 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:06,880 Speaker 1: that's the that's how large the turkey is. Um. Turkey 466 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,439 Speaker 1: consumption by Americans has increased one hundred and sixteen percent 467 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: since the nineteen seventies. Over forty five million turkeys are 468 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 1: eaten each Thanksgiving. And well, if you look at that 469 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 1: in pounds, that's a hundred that's a six D seventy 470 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: five million pounds of turkey eaten each Thanksgiving. In the US. 471 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,400 Speaker 1: It can get really competitive trying to get a turkey, 472 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:29,680 Speaker 1: especially if you're trying to get into like an organic bird. Um. 473 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 1: Like last year we got one from a little grocery 474 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,120 Speaker 1: in Oakhurst. They were gonna get some turkeys in and 475 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,640 Speaker 1: so we were like calling every day. If you ordered 476 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: the turkeys, you know when the turkeys are gonna come 477 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,399 Speaker 1: because you're trying to down that turkey list so you 478 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: can get a good, you know, organic bird that you 479 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:45,639 Speaker 1: know was pampered during its life or something. Yeah. I 480 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: saw that Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago. They 481 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: had a pamphlet out about the turkeys that were coming in, 482 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 1: and the whole message was don't wait, these wonderful turkeys 483 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 1: will be snatched up. Because again, a lot of it 484 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: it comes back to that whole tan DOORI turkey discussion earlier. 485 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:02,200 Speaker 1: There are a lot of us out there that might 486 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,879 Speaker 1: otherwise not really want to get a turkey for Thanksgiving, 487 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:08,679 Speaker 1: but you have to. You you have certain obligations to 488 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: family and tradition, and you find your So I imagine 489 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:15,040 Speaker 1: there's a market there for the turkey that is that 490 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 1: you don't necessarily find that many people uh that are 491 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:19,720 Speaker 1: that are gonna have to maybe break a little out 492 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 1: of their their normal eating routine and normal diet to 493 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:24,919 Speaker 1: get a bird. So they're gonna be a little more selective. 494 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:26,960 Speaker 1: They're gonna want to get that bird it's organic or 495 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:30,119 Speaker 1: free range or or in some cases made entirely of tofu. 496 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: That's true, very true. Um, so Americans are not the 497 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: only ones who are turkey crazy. According to World Poultry, 498 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: Russia's turkey meat market will increase fivefold over the next 499 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 1: ten years from the current one hundred thousand tons to 500 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,919 Speaker 1: five hundred thousand tons per year. So the bird is 501 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,560 Speaker 1: making gains and other parts of the world. Yeah, I mean, 502 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: certainly we've talked before about about the demand for meat 503 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 1: in the in parts of the world changes as the 504 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:02,159 Speaker 1: socio economic setting settings, their change and all domesticated animals 505 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: is worth remembering. These are animals that have essentially been 506 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 1: hijacked from the natural world, and they have they are 507 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,680 Speaker 1: they're certainly still organisms, they're still deserving of our compassion 508 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: and understanding, but they have largely become food sources. They 509 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 1: have become as much a food source as they are 510 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: an independent animal through human tinkering it or Yeah, and 511 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: let's talk about this domestication, because when we talk about 512 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: turkeys in the United States, the one type of turkey 513 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:33,240 Speaker 1: that is domesticated that dominates supermarkets is the broad breasted 514 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 1: white turkey. Now, we have an article about genetically modified turkeys, 515 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 1: and in it, the author describes this turkey as the 516 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: Ana Nicole sniff The turkeys um. The reason for that 517 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 1: is because they're bred for really large breasts. They have 518 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 1: white feathers. Um. And this really has its roots in 519 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties because that's when consumers were beginning to 520 00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,359 Speaker 1: favor white breast meat over dark meat, and the distry 521 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: began to respond by using something called selective breeding techniques. Now, 522 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: selective breeding technique is different from genetically modified. Yeah, selectively 523 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: bring that's just about all right. I like the kind 524 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 1: of this one's jib, and I like the kind of 525 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,959 Speaker 1: that one's jib, and I love eating the jib. So 526 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have those two, mate, and I'm going to 527 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:22,360 Speaker 1: try and encourage even larger jibs. Still, yeah, because you're 528 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:24,159 Speaker 1: selecting for the traits you want well, And I think 529 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:26,720 Speaker 1: about it in terms of cow so cows that produced 530 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: the most milk might be selected to breed and pass 531 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 1: that trade off to offspring so that you get cows 532 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,120 Speaker 1: that are really great at producing milk. Or if we've 533 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 1: talked about dog breeds before too, it's like I want 534 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: a pug that looks just completely ridiculous, and I don't 535 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: care how healthy or saying it is. So let's just 536 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: breach for those ridiculous qualities over and over again until 537 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:52,920 Speaker 1: I basically have a cushion that poops. I'm just gonna 538 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 1: let that linger. I love pugs, though, but seriously, take 539 00:27:57,240 --> 00:27:59,679 Speaker 1: a look at these guys, all right. So these monster 540 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: trick key trucks that we have, um, they are actually 541 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: genetically modified. And when we talk about genetic modification, we're 542 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,200 Speaker 1: talking about a high tech way to change the DNA 543 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: pattern and an organism, and it's used commonly in cotton, corn, soy, canola. UM. 544 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,680 Speaker 1: And with these techniques, you can take genes from any 545 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 1: organism and cross them to create something new. So hypothetically 546 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: you could cross genes with cotton and pigs. You could 547 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: genetically modify a pig to have some expression of the 548 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: genes of say something like cotton. Yeah. And uh, this 549 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:39,320 Speaker 1: brings me back to to the I listed some of 550 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: the animals and the numbers of animals, so we've actually 551 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: successfully uh domesticated that number. Those numbers don't include animals 552 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: that we've been able to domesticate through genetic tankering, because 553 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 1: certainly that opens the door for for even more domestication 554 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: in our creatures. So what happens when you have these 555 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 1: industry bread birds, particularly they're genetically modified, you have an 556 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:07,480 Speaker 1: unusually large breast and so it's disproportionate with the rest 557 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: of their body. And what that means is that they 558 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: often have trouble standing, uh, walking, and even mating. So 559 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 1: when that happens, to be in from wellmating, obviously they 560 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: have to then have or be artificially inseminated. The essentially 561 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,320 Speaker 1: at this point, yeah, yeah, and they begin life hatched 562 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 1: and incubators. They have their upper beaks and toenails clipped, 563 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: and they spend their days and nights eating fortified corn 564 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: in a barn full of hundreds of fellow turkeys. And that, 565 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 1: my friends, is a is a good reason to seek 566 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 1: out that organic for your range bird. That's true, it's true. 567 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: And you know, we have this idea that these these 568 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,160 Speaker 1: creatures are really dim witted. And the reason for this 569 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 1: is because this species of turkey that's been domesticated and 570 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: the genetically modified in some instances this they have a 571 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,719 Speaker 1: limited family tree and so that's bred them to be 572 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 1: somewhat dim witted and disease prone. Like the monarchy in 573 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,080 Speaker 1: some European country whe's the coolest, not that deep, and 574 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: and like a member of the of the European monarchy, 575 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: they don't really have to get out there and find 576 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: for themselves or make their way in the world. Their 577 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,000 Speaker 1: domesticated they don't need the sharpest senses either, so there's 578 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: nothing to eat them when they start getting stupid. What 579 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: does do you remember the rare blood disorder that the 580 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: current royal family they have the genetic predisposition for, like hemophilia, 581 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: I believe, I think so. Yeah, if we're wrong, someone 582 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:26,720 Speaker 1: let us know about that. But then you get the 583 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 1: idea right there. Back to the disease prone part of 584 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 1: turkeys is obviously that leads to a widespread use of antibiotics, 585 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: and we won't get into that here, but as we know, 586 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: that has had all sorts of ramifications, not just with 587 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: the meat itself but on humans. Again, another reason to 588 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: potentially choose an organic, free range bird over some sort 589 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,760 Speaker 1: of giant mammoth creature from the freezer box at the 590 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 1: local grocery. Now, it's also worth noting that I mentioned 591 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: earlier the idea of turkeys actually going out and ropping 592 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: banks and causing mischiff. Well, they haven't reached that point yet. 593 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 1: But you certainly do encounter uh, some violent or intimidating 594 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 1: clashes between human kind and turkey kind in the world. 595 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: Act two of two thousand elevens Poultry Slam episode of 596 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:14,400 Speaker 1: This American Life. Every year around Thanksgiving they do a 597 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:16,840 Speaker 1: poultry Slam episode and it's all related to birds or 598 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: turkeys or whatnot, somehow marginally connected. Anyway, it's a great lesson, 599 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 1: and it's great. It's another great thing to listen to 600 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: on those road trips for the holidays. But on last 601 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 1: year's episode they talked about Tom the turkey who was 602 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 1: a menace in Martha's vineyard. We're talking like a turkey 603 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:34,960 Speaker 1: would come up to you while you're in your car 604 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:38,120 Speaker 1: and not let you out, essentially like the Kujo of turkey. 605 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 1: And and and it's a it's a factless story. I 606 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 1: won't ruin it for you, but go listen to it 607 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 1: because it involves tragedy and conflict. It's it's it's wonderful. 608 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 1: But certainly you do see turkeys as a menace in 609 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 1: some areas. While turkeys have made a comeback, even like 610 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: it said, urban areas, they have, they've been spotted in 611 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:58,440 Speaker 1: the Atlanta area. And it's interesting, as we mentioned before, 612 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:02,520 Speaker 1: the you're normal wild turkey is going to avoid humans. 613 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: It is a it is a cautious creature that does 614 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:07,640 Speaker 1: not want to get messed messed up in human business 615 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:09,440 Speaker 1: because humans will probably kill them and eat them. And 616 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 1: certainly if they watch TV, they know that's the truth. 617 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: So what happens though, is you will have rogue domestic 618 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 1: turkeys who have grown up wild, or you'll have hybrid 619 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 1: turkeys where it's a domestic and a wild turkey that 620 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 1: have made it and created this hybrid creature that has 621 00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: a lot of the physical attributes of both sides, but 622 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: also more importantly does not have that fear of humans. 623 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 1: So it can be a menace. It can kujo somebody 624 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,480 Speaker 1: in their car somewhere and not let them out. Um. 625 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,280 Speaker 1: And then certainly an agricultural areas, whild turkeys do like 626 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 1: to eat and they can be somewhat of a of 627 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 1: a menace to uh to farms. All right, So there 628 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:47,720 Speaker 1: you go, So be Um, if you encounter turkeys and 629 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:49,960 Speaker 1: they are not running from you, just be aware that 630 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: they might run after you. Okay, you know, I always say, 631 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 1: like this should be a horror flick. This should be 632 00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: Why isn't there a Thanksgiving marauding Turkey night if turkey 633 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 1: of the turkey? Yeah, there you go. Alright, So since 634 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,680 Speaker 1: we are abstracting turkeys this concept of turkeys, let's talk 635 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 1: about meat analogs, because surely meat analogs will be showing 636 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:20,160 Speaker 1: up at some tables this Thanksgiving. And I always meat 637 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: analog selection. I know it's the worst term, right because 638 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,360 Speaker 1: it's just it's so sterile um. But I want to 639 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:29,040 Speaker 1: mention that the global meat analog industry is beginning to 640 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,240 Speaker 1: gain ground in the meat market. So three and five 641 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: adults now eat eat meat free food so that doesn't 642 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,200 Speaker 1: mean that they're vegetarians, but that they eat regularly these 643 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 1: meat freed foods foods. And this is part of a 644 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 1: market that increased by eight between two thousand and five 645 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 1: and two thousand and ten. And so what's happening is 646 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: that we're very likely to see more and better quality 647 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 1: meat substitutes in the next ten years. And this is 648 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,760 Speaker 1: according to Florian Wild, who is the who is leading 649 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:01,840 Speaker 1: like meat and this is a European Union research project 650 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,840 Speaker 1: that is geared toward improving fake flesh as they call it. 651 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: I feel like I have to say that fake flesh. 652 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 1: He predicts two trends that on the one hand, the 653 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:14,080 Speaker 1: development of premium products with more fibrous, elastic and juicy 654 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:17,480 Speaker 1: textures with the potential to replace meat and good restaurants 655 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,640 Speaker 1: that this will happen. The other trend he sees is 656 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: that for lower qualities substitutes to come online because they 657 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 1: have the potential to replace five of today's meat market. 658 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:30,719 Speaker 1: And so he sees the potential for this uh in 659 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,640 Speaker 1: developing world and as well in the fast food arena 660 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:37,719 Speaker 1: in the form of burgers and nuggets, which is kind 661 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: of a no brainer, right um, because it contains no 662 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:45,360 Speaker 1: brain unlike a lot of nicely done yes yes uh. 663 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,560 Speaker 1: And to this uh, to this end, Twitter co founders 664 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 1: Evan Williams and Biz Stone, they have invested in a 665 00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:54,840 Speaker 1: new faue meat company called Beyond Meat, and this apparently 666 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 1: is taking the faux meat world by storm. Um. In fact, 667 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:03,000 Speaker 1: Slates far had mancho reviewed the product in the company 668 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 1: and he said he said that he would rate Beyond 669 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:10,600 Speaker 1: Meat as being as realistic as chicken, but in every 670 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 1: other way it's superior, superior. It requires far less energy 671 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,360 Speaker 1: to produce, it has no saturated fats, no antibiotics, and 672 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:20,560 Speaker 1: no animals are harmed in the process, as he says, 673 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,600 Speaker 1: So it's interesting to look at this, this industry and 674 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:29,320 Speaker 1: try to extrapolate what it means. By when we've talked 675 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:34,799 Speaker 1: about um, the dearth of land available to raise livestock, 676 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:39,040 Speaker 1: and the three point five billion more people who will 677 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:41,960 Speaker 1: exist on earth and how we will feed them and 678 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 1: some of them may some of those people maybe meat analogs. 679 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:47,719 Speaker 1: By that point, does that mean we can eat them? Well, 680 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:50,239 Speaker 1: you could, I guess, but I would hope we would 681 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,799 Speaker 1: protect our our meat analog brethren from well from from 682 00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:57,879 Speaker 1: the predation. That's a fight to uh, it's a fight 683 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: to deal with in the future. Another the mentioned of 684 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:03,839 Speaker 1: the future, people were probably wondering, well, what about robot turkeys? Right, Well, 685 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:06,200 Speaker 1: let's what's the possibility of robot turkey's. Granted they're not 686 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:08,279 Speaker 1: they're not as good to eat, but truly there's been 687 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:13,839 Speaker 1: some work there and true enough Spring Turkey, who hilariously enough, 688 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,040 Speaker 1: on the m I T website they had enlisted as 689 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:24,080 Speaker 1: had dates, but that's when he was she was in service, right. 690 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:26,960 Speaker 1: The first walking robot at m I T. S Leg 691 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:30,279 Speaker 1: Lab was part of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. 692 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:34,120 Speaker 1: And it was essentially this biped this robot biped that 693 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 1: walked around and kind of turkey legs. So so there 694 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,319 Speaker 1: you go. If you ever wondered if there was a 695 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:43,600 Speaker 1: turkey robot, yeah, a pioneer one, I thought, all right, Well, 696 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 1: on that note, speaking of robot turkeys, let's call over 697 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:49,239 Speaker 1: our robot and see if he has any listener mail 698 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:53,000 Speaker 1: for us. I cannot leave me just called Arnold a turkey. Well, 699 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,760 Speaker 1: all right, this one comes to us from Nando. Nando 700 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:58,840 Speaker 1: rights in and says, Hi, Robert and Julie. I've been 701 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:01,359 Speaker 1: a listener for a while now, and finally I heard 702 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:03,920 Speaker 1: an episode in which I feel I can share an experience. 703 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:06,279 Speaker 1: I had heard about how some people would stare into 704 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:09,480 Speaker 1: mirrors and lose focus on the body and meditate. A 705 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:11,560 Speaker 1: few weeks ago I decided to try it. I used 706 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:13,759 Speaker 1: a full length mirror that I have in my living room. 707 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:15,799 Speaker 1: At first, I saw the edge of my face sort 708 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:18,480 Speaker 1: of fade away into blackness. After a while, I lost 709 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,600 Speaker 1: sense of my position in the room, meaning I thought 710 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:23,200 Speaker 1: I was standing where my reflection was. This kept going 711 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,680 Speaker 1: on for a few minutes, shifting focus on my side 712 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:27,880 Speaker 1: of the room and the reflections until I saw something 713 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:30,719 Speaker 1: that scared the living daylights out of me. After about 714 00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:34,160 Speaker 1: ten minutes or so, I saw the mirror become translucent, 715 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:36,640 Speaker 1: like when you turn on the light on the back 716 00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:39,120 Speaker 1: end of the two way mirror. There was a man 717 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 1: standing there. I became really scared and lost focus. My 718 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,160 Speaker 1: eyes felt really tired, and I had a really strong headache. 719 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,360 Speaker 1: Immediately after I tried to make sense of it. I 720 00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:49,799 Speaker 1: figured my eyes hurt from focusing on the mirror, which 721 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,520 Speaker 1: caused the headache as well. I couldn't explain what I 722 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 1: had seen. I don't recall the man's features that he 723 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:57,839 Speaker 1: had any and even now when I think about it, 724 00:37:57,880 --> 00:37:59,880 Speaker 1: my eyes start to hurt. I couldn't find the next 725 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,160 Speaker 1: nation online that didn't have to do with the supernatural. 726 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,520 Speaker 1: I'm glad I listened to your podcast. Now I know 727 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:06,839 Speaker 1: that other people have seen strain things and I am 728 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:10,280 Speaker 1: not losing my mind. Keep up the good work. So indeed, 729 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 1: that's awesome, because again that that whole episode Light is 730 00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:15,839 Speaker 1: a Feather Stuff as a Board was about some sort 731 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:18,920 Speaker 1: of slumber party Shenanigan. Supernatural tricks like the use of 732 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,000 Speaker 1: Luigi boards looking into a mirror and seeing bloody Mary 733 00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:25,560 Speaker 1: party levitation, that kind of thing. And the whole message 734 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,040 Speaker 1: is that even though an experience may seem kind of 735 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: spooky and supernatural and magical, it's all in our perception 736 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:33,320 Speaker 1: of it. And there are a number of things that 737 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,400 Speaker 1: play there, in the way that our mind works, in 738 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:39,000 Speaker 1: the way that um interpersonal relationships work, and in the 739 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:42,239 Speaker 1: way that that we remember what has happened, and all 740 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:44,480 Speaker 1: these things are in place. So certainly, anytime we can 741 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:48,640 Speaker 1: help people understand that something isn't really all that magical 742 00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:51,680 Speaker 1: but in actuality based in science, then I feel like 743 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:54,080 Speaker 1: we've done a good job. No, it's great feedback to 744 00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:56,760 Speaker 1: to see what his experience was like, particularly after ten minutes, 745 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,120 Speaker 1: because he could see the different stages that his his 746 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,080 Speaker 1: hirst sception was going. Yeah, and it sounded very creepy. 747 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: I would have been freaked out if that happened. That's 748 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:06,200 Speaker 1: exactly the reason why I was always too afraid to 749 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:09,000 Speaker 1: actually go in and ask about I was thinking about 750 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,359 Speaker 1: that when I read that. I was like, Oh, that's 751 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 1: what Robert was talking about, because that's what you don't 752 00:39:12,719 --> 00:39:15,239 Speaker 1: want to see. Yeah, And certainly if you you don't 753 00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 1: have an explanation for it, especially if you're say twelve 754 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:19,920 Speaker 1: and a pre internet age and you go with it 755 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 1: with two with that, who's going to have that answer 756 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:24,080 Speaker 1: ready for you? Well even if you are you know, 757 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 1: in an Internet age, right yeah, yeah, true, Like as 758 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:28,440 Speaker 1: he said he would and looked done online and there 759 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:31,160 Speaker 1: was just a bunch of bunks out there. So anyway, 760 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:33,720 Speaker 1: thanks for writing in, Nando. We love to hear cool 761 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:37,680 Speaker 1: stories about people's personal interactions with the phenomena that we 762 00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:41,520 Speaker 1: talked about, so certainly, if anyone has any cooky related 763 00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:43,719 Speaker 1: stuff they would like to share with us about their 764 00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:46,680 Speaker 1: own their own thoughts on Thanksgiving, to traditions, or about 765 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:49,520 Speaker 1: the bird itself, about our history with it culturally, or 766 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:52,360 Speaker 1: or or whatnot, then right in and let us know. 767 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:54,920 Speaker 1: You can find us on Facebook and tumbler. We are 768 00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 1: stuff to blow your mind on both of those, and 769 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:58,839 Speaker 1: if you head on over to Twitter you will find 770 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:01,520 Speaker 1: us under the handle blow the Mind and you can 771 00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:03,719 Speaker 1: always drop us a line at blew the Mind at 772 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:13,279 Speaker 1: Discovery dot com for more on this and thousands of 773 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: other topics. Is It how Stuff Works dot com m