1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Hey, I'm Chuck and I'm Josh and we're the host 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: of Stuff You should know, the podcast that's right and 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: if you're into understanding cool and unusual and seemingly ordinary 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: and even boring things that are made interesting, you should 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: check us out. Please and thank you. We're on iTunes, Spotify, 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 1: Google Play Music, anywhere you get podcasts. Welcome to how 7 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: s to Works Now. I'm your host, Lauren Vogelbaum, a 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: researchurn writer. Here at how Stuff Works. Every week I'm 9 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: bringing you three stories from our team about the weird 10 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: and wondrous advances we've seen in science, technology, and culture. 11 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: This week, a market research forecast predicted that robots will 12 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: eliminate six percent of all jobs in the United States 13 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: over the next five years, and unrelated, a clinical review 14 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 1: of cat behavior suggests that providing indoor pets with simple 15 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: puzzles can improve their health and their catty attitudes. But 16 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: First Senior writer Robert Lamb explores some of the the 17 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:06,559 Speaker 1: predate and in some cases have directly inspired the modern superhero. Specifically, today, 18 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: we're talking about superhero teams and ancient Chinese legends, from 19 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: the Avengers in the Justice League to Suicide Squad and 20 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: The X Men. Moviegoers love it when superheroes team up 21 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: to take on adversity, but as with a lot of 22 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: Western inventions, the Chinese may have beat everyone to the 23 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: superpunch centuries ago. Granted, modern comic books didn't enter the 24 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: world tool around the nineties, or possibly eighteen forty two 25 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: if you stretch the definition, but tales of superpowered humans 26 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: are older than recorded history. Really, who are mythic heroes 27 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,759 Speaker 1: like Hercules, Argina or Sampson if not the Cape Crusaders 28 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: of old. Yet mythic heroes are often lunars in their 29 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: quest of play kate the gods. Outside of the epic 30 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: family feuds, you rarely see heroes pool their magical resources 31 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: for a greater good. The Chinese legend of the Seven 32 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: Brothers bucks that trend entirely. You've probably heard some version 33 00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: of the tale before, though the exact number of brothers 34 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: there as in the oldest known version of the tale, 35 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: dating back to the sixteenth century, seven brothers each possess 36 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: a unique superpower, superhering supersides, super strength, iron bones, stretchy limbs, 37 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: cooling blood, and flood producing tear ducts. When threatened by 38 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: the might of a tyrannical emperor. They triumph over overwhelming 39 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: odds through teamwork. It's quite a popular story, spawning multiple 40 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: Chinese film and TV adaptations, children's books, and of course, 41 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: an r E M song. According to Cornell University Chinese 42 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: history professor Robin McNeil, the tale makes its earliest known 43 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: written appearance in a playful collection titled Hanshi Sashu by 44 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: Ming Dynasty author and scholar to be in June. The 45 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: Proto Superteam's oral storytelling roots may extend even further back 46 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: through time, and Neil points out that there are many 47 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: precedents in Chinese folklore leading up to two's influential spin 48 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: on super teamwork. Sisters and brothers who demonstrate great compassion 49 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: and sometimes spiritual powers in this Two may have based 50 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: his unique spin off older folk tales. The Ten brother 51 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: variant of the tale became popular in the twentieth century, 52 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: and many Western readers discovered the characters and Claire Hutchett 53 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: Bishop's children's book The Five Chinese Brothers. Though illustrator Kurt 54 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: Wes's yellow face character depictions earned a great deal of 55 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: criticism in the seceding decades. Margaret mah He's nineteen nine 56 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: book The Seven Chinese Brothers features vastly improved illustrations by 57 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,799 Speaker 1: Taiwanese artist Jean and most Scene Singh as a proto 58 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: superhero team. However, perhaps the Brothers were always destined to 59 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: land in the very comic books they preceded. In two 60 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: thousand six, Scottish comic book writer Grant Morrison, known for 61 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: his use of myth and counterculture, reimagined the Ten Brothers 62 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: as the Great Ten for d C comics. With names 63 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: like August General and Iron, Celestial Archer and Ghost Fox Killer. 64 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: Each member of the Great Tin draws on elements from 65 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: both the world of superhero comics and the rich tapestry 66 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: of Chinese myth. One team member could even split himself 67 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: into seven identical clones, thus calling back to the original 68 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: Ming Dynasty Tail. In a two thousand five interview with 69 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: news Arama, Morrison explained that the Great Ten were born 70 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: out of a push for more international DC superheroes, and 71 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: not only did he generate a team of mythically charged, 72 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: in relatable Chinese superheroes, he also corrected some of the 73 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: comic book world's previous failings in the depictions of Asian characters. 74 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: While the character egg Fou originally resembled a giant yellow 75 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: egg with a hideous fu Manchoo face, Morrison Ree christened 76 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: this nineteen sixties Yellow Menace character as shang Zou, a 77 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: sort of tech savvy mutant mad scientist. The Great Ten 78 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: made several appearances in DC's New fifty two series and 79 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: even spawned their own nine part series in two thousand nine. 80 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: The heroes haven't seen much action since then, but his 81 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,799 Speaker 1: controversy over whitewashed Asian roles in comic book and anime 82 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: film adaptations continue to stir up racially conscious audiences. Perhaps 83 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: it's time for this most recent incarnation of the legendary 84 00:04:53,920 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: Brothers to pool their strength once more. Next up, senior 85 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 1: writer Jonathan Strickland reports on a new prediction about exactly 86 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: how robots are going to be stealing our jobs in 87 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: the near future. According to market analyst Brian Hopkins of 88 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: Forrester Research, automated systems will eliminate six percent of all 89 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: American jobs by one and Furthermore, Walmart has submitted a 90 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: few patents that may get them a head start. Six 91 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: percent of all jobs is pretty significant, according to the 92 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: Bureau of Labor statistics, there are about one hundred four million, 93 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: five hundred ninety eight thousand jobs in the US today. 94 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,600 Speaker 1: Six percent of that is nearly eight million, six hundred 95 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: seventy six thousand jobs that robots would take from US 96 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: if general employment rates stay the same greedy mechanical jerks. 97 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: According to The Guardian, jobs that are poised for automation 98 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 1: include truck and taxi drivers and customer service representatives working 99 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: in call centers. And in a related story, it's sounds 100 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: like retail workers might have some similar issues in the 101 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: near future. Business Insider contributor Kate Taylor writes that the 102 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: retail giant Walmart has patented an automated system that could 103 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: potentially displace employees. The company is the largest employer in 104 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: the United States. Forbes reported in two thousand fifteen that 105 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: Walmart had two point two million employees. The patented system 106 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: sounds a lot like robotic shopping carts. The cards would 107 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: be able to maneuver through stores. Customers could summon a 108 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: cart when they enter the retail space. The cart would 109 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,359 Speaker 1: then follow the customer around the store, or even guide 110 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: customers to specific shelves. After a customer unloads the cart, 111 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,279 Speaker 1: it could whisk itself away to a garage. No longer 112 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: would you see abandoned shopping carts taking up space in 113 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: a parking lot. Beyond these features, the cart might be 114 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 1: able to perform some other tasks, such as moving inventory around, 115 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: retrieving requested products, and scanning merchandise. These are jobs that 116 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: human employees would typically perform, so it's possible these carts 117 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: could replace living, breathing humans. But it's also possible that 118 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: Walmart would reassign employees to act in customer facing jobs. 119 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: This could help cut down on problems the company has 120 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: encountered recently, such as shoplifting or violence in stores, and 121 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: that's an important thing to remember. Even if machines eliminate 122 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: six percent of jobs in the US, we may create 123 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: more jobs than we lose. It will probably be difficult 124 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: to transition people from one type of job to another, 125 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: but not impossible, so perhaps we aren't quite on the 126 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: brink of the robo apocalypse just yet. On the other hand, 127 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: that day is coming. Ultimately, pretty much every job is 128 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: destined to become automated. The ones that will be first 129 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: to go will be repetitive jobs that are easy to 130 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 1: replicate mechanically or digitally. The more complex and variable job is, 131 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: the more challenging it is to automate. Finally, this week, 132 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: I've got some cat science for you. This story comes 133 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: to us from one of our freelance researchers, Melanie red 134 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: Zekeie McManus, So thank you to Melanie. Modern animal health 135 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: advocates like the American Humane Society recommend that cats be 136 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 1: kept indoors, but being cooped up is unnatural for kiddies, 137 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: and they're not as low maintenance as we think. Fortunately, 138 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: it's pretty easy to provide enrichment for our feline friends, 139 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: and I'll tell you how. Keeping your cat indoors is 140 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: recommended for her safety and the safety of the other 141 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: critters in the neighborhood, but it's not necessarily good for 142 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: her physical and mental health. Indoor life has been associated 143 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: with everything from feline diabetes and joint problems to aggression, misbehavior, 144 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: and over grooming, and there's good reason for that. The 145 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: closest wild ancestor to the domestic cat is the African 146 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,319 Speaker 1: wild cat. In the wild, they hunt several times a 147 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: day and procure small meals for themselves about half the time. 148 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: When domestic cats are deprived of this basic instinct to 149 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: frequently hunt for their food. They can become overweight and 150 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: stressed out, leading to poor health and the negative attention 151 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: seeking behavior you hate, like litter box avoidance, biting, and 152 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: incessant mewing. So what's the responsible pet owner to do? 153 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,959 Speaker 1: A clinical review published in the Journal of Feline Medicine 154 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: and Surgery says the answer, too happier indoor cats may 155 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: be as simple as food puzzles. A food puzzle is 156 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:26,840 Speaker 1: an object that can hold food and then release it 157 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: when the cat interacts with it. It can be mobile 158 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: or stationary. The mobile types are objects with holes that 159 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 1: can be pushed or rolled. After placing kibbler treats inside 160 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,679 Speaker 1: the object, you give it to Fluffy. As he bats 161 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: the object around, bits of food fall out. A stationary 162 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: puzzle has a sturdy base and cubby holes for your 163 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: feline friend to fish out his food. Food puzzles were 164 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: originally created for animals housed in zoos and labs. They've 165 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 1: been empirically shown to increase activity levels and reduce problem 166 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: behaviors in dogs. The reviews author who are researchers and 167 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: veterinary doctors, reported a veritable kibl ton of case studies 168 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 1: in which indoor cats of all ages and breeds have 169 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,959 Speaker 1: benefited from food puzzles and other forms of enrichments such 170 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: as play spaces and new toys, and perhaps the best 171 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: news for cat owners, you don't have to buy an 172 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: expensive food puzzle toy. You can make a mobile toy 173 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 1: out of something as simple as a cardboard tube or 174 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: a plastic water bottle. Just cut a few holes in 175 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: the sides that are a little bit bigger than your 176 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,079 Speaker 1: cat's solid treats or kibble, fill the container three quarters 177 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: full of food, and tape over the ends of the 178 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: tube or seal up the bottle. First stationary puzzle, you 179 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: can add a little dry or wet food to each 180 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,440 Speaker 1: cup of a muffin tin, nice cube tray, or empty 181 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 1: egg cartaon for fluffy. Fishing or licking the food out 182 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: of each well is more stimulating than just showing down 183 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: on a big bowl. Start by offering your pet easy 184 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 1: puzzles containing plenty of food and placed in their usual 185 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: dining spot so they won't get frustrated. It may take 186 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: a few tries to get kitty interested. Try different puzzles 187 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,839 Speaker 1: or tastier treats if need be. Once your cat has 188 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 1: mastered the beginner's puzzle. You can make them harder by 189 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: cutting smaller holes, fewer holes, or adding less food. Science says. 190 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: So that's our show for this week. Thank you so 191 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: much for tuning in. Subscribe now for more of the 192 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: latest science news, and send us links to anything you'd 193 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 1: like to hear his cover plus your favorite cat mean. 194 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: You can send us an email at now podcast at 195 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: house to works dot com, and for lots more stories 196 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 1: like these, head on over to our home planet, Now 197 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: dot house to works dot com.