WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.000 Oh hey, it's your cup of coffee that you forgot about. 2 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:05.040 So it's lukewarm. But if you add more coffee to 3 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:06.559 warm it up, you're gonna have dat Moore creamer. And 4 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:08.720 then you're gonna have a full cup of coffee that's 5 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:11.480 Jewish coffee. But you do it anyway. Alleyword back with 6 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:14.320 a special episode of Ologies. I want to do this 7 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:16.519 one for a year, and I put it off, and 8 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:19.280 guess what bonus, I now have more material for it. 9 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:24.079 Nice holiday shopping. It's tough, but you know what's fun 10 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:28.920 to buy is books. Why get something plastic that's gonna 11 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:31.239 end up in garbage down when you can get wisdom 12 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:35.320 and a humor and history and potentially a better life 13 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:39.359 in a book. So so many ologists are also authors, 14 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.560 and they have just poured their souls and their brains 15 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:45.840 into amazing books. And so consider this episode kind of 16 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:50.119 like an audio catalog, just full of tidbits and previews 17 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:53.320 and some special selections, so you can get the gist 18 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:55.799 of their books and then get their books. And links 19 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:58.320 are going to be up at Alleyward dot com slash ologies, 20 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:01.000 slash bookworm, and and you can give maybe get one 21 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:04.079 for yourself or a loved one or an officemate, or 22 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:06.640 an in law or a stranger. But their books are 23 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:08.760 so good, and I thought I would put together a 24 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:12.159 compilation that's kind of like an audiobook mixtape. Does that 25 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:15.200 make sense? Okay, let's do it. But before we bookworm 26 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:17.439 a few thanks to all the folks on Patreon dot 27 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:20.000 com slash ologies who support the show. Thank you to 28 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:23.959 everyone wearing and buying Ologies merch from ologiesmarch dot com. 29 00:01:24.280 --> 00:01:26.760 Thank you to everyone who subscribes and rates, and of 30 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:30.120 course who reviews the show. You know, I gingerly creep 31 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:32.239 it and I pick a new one each week, such 32 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:35.280 as this week's from Ben Rox, who says, after an 33 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.000 old man in a national park told me that he 34 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:39.599 tries to be boggled at least three times a day. 35 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:42.640 I've been seeking how to get my fix of amazement, joy, 36 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:45.840 and most of all, hope. This podcast has me thoroughly 37 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:48.920 inspired and jazzed about life. I'm now looking into grad 38 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:51.760 school options. The only problem is that Ologies has expanded 39 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:54.040 my interests exponentially, so I need to decide what to 40 00:01:54.079 --> 00:01:56.840 go for. Thank you, Ben Rocks. A daily triple boggle. 41 00:01:56.959 --> 00:01:59.000 What a goal to have. Let's all adopt that goal. 42 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:03.640 I'm into it. Okay. Books. So not only is this 43 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.719 episode a trip down literary lane, but also if you 44 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:09.039 haven't listened to some of these ologists, this is a 45 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.840 great intro into the work. Go back and listen to 46 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:15.159 their episodes. So, without any further yammering from old Dad word, 47 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:18.680 let's get you some bookage in your ears and your brains. 48 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:21.840 Settle in for a story hour with this special episode 49 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:45.120 of book wormery of various author ologists. Okay, so this 50 00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:47.800 episode it's originally airing this is December. We're in December, 51 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:52.080 and earlier this summer we had on architect and cabinologist 52 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:55.719 Dale Mulfinger. Oh I love him. And now that it's 53 00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:59.080 cozy and snowy in the Northern Hemisphere, at least, let's 54 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:03.319 hear an excerpt from the book Cabinology, a Handbook to 55 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:06.719 your Private Hideaway, which is Taunton Press, published two thousand 56 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:09.680 and eight. You're gonna feel hooga as hell, You're gonna 57 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:12.520 get cozy as amfo. You ready, Okay? He writes, this 58 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:15.319 book of all things cabin will help you mold your 59 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:19.280 dreams into the reality of that glowing fireplace and that 60 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:23.360 pre dawn aroma of freshly brewed coffee into the pitter 61 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:26.520 patter of your loved one just rousing overhead in the loft. 62 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:28.919 He writes, in the early nineteen sixties, I went with 63 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:32.039 a college pal to his parents' cabin in northern Minnesota. 64 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:34.280 I didn't note at the time, but that's when I 65 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.879 became a cabinologist. I was a prairie farm boy who 66 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:41.120 knew something about nature, weather, and the seasons. But when 67 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:44.599 I visited that cabin on Lake Vermilion, my eyes were 68 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:47.439 opened to some of nature's finer points. You know what 69 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:49.759 I mean. The way the night sky out there is 70 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:53.439 ridiculously bright with stars, the deep quiet of the woods 71 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:56.719 before anybody else's up, the smell of wood smoke, the 72 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:59.360 startling tug of a fish on a line. For me, 73 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:04.000 that tripper a new world. All the images, feelings, experiences 74 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:06.800 of cabin life sank in deep and never left me. 75 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:09.280 I was hooked, and I wanted a cabin of my own. 76 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:12.080 I'm an architect in Minnesota, he writes, where if you're 77 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.080 nuts for cabins, there are worse jobs to have and 78 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:18.439 less advantageous places to live. Years ago, not long out 79 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:20.519 of school, I designed and built a cabin for my 80 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:23.920 young family, just an hour from our Minneapolis home. It 81 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.639 was simple and practical and not much more than a 82 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.759 screened in sleeping porch in the woods without a house attached. 83 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:31.800 But it let us get away from the traffic and 84 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:34.040 television for a weekend or for a week and lives 85 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:37.800 simply or simply live. It wasn't the tiny cabin, but 86 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.680 nature weather the seasons at least spring, summer, and fall. 87 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:44.759 When we used it, that drew us out there. Covered 88 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.040 from the rain. We read to each other and played 89 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:50.160 checkers under the rattling roof. When the sun came out, 90 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:53.720 we hunted mushrooms and scanned the poplars for chickadees and 91 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:56.560 wax wings. We went to bed early and got up early. 92 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.000 It was a treat. About the same time, I designed 93 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:02.279 my first cabin for a clock. It was larger, more complicated, 94 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:04.480 and better equipped than mine. But it taught me that, 95 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:07.319 unlike a lot of city houses, it's rare for any 96 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:09.720 two cabins to be quite the same. Since then, I've 97 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:14.399 designed more than fifty cabins, cottages, lodges, and camps. That's 98 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:16.800 something else I learned. What you call a cabin depends 99 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.120 on where in this country you live, and I, as 100 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:21.199 I write this, have several more on the drawing board. 101 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:23.959 Safe to say, I'm hooked on cabins as I was 102 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:26.920 forty years ago, he writes. My objective is to get 103 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:29.920 you from here your dream to there, an actual cabin. 104 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.759 I'll share the lessons I've learned while designing, building and 105 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:35.240 hanging out in cabins all over. When you're finished with 106 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:37.319 this book, you can get started on the real thing. 107 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:39.639 Or maybe the dream will have to remain a dream 108 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:42.040 for a while until your kids finish college or you 109 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:44.480 win the lottery. That's okay too, I'm ready when you are. 110 00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:47.519 So that is cabinology is the name of the book 111 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:51.240 by cabinologist Dale Mulfinger. So now that you're all cozy, 112 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.519 let's hear what doctor Chris Winter of the twenty eighteen 113 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:57.879 two part sum Knowlogy episode on sleep has to say. 114 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:00.879 Here's an excerpt from his book The Sleep Solution, Why 115 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:02.959 Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It, which 116 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:06.439 was published by Berkeley in twenty seventeen. In it, he writes, 117 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:10.279 according to researcher Raymond Rosen, most physicians have received less 118 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:14.439 than two hours of training about the entire field of 119 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:18.399 sleep in their four years of medical education. Minhei Toyota 120 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:21.800 rescue and sleep specialist Ronald Sherman's research from two thousand 121 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:26.319 and seven revealed sleep is dramatically underrepresented in medical school textbooks. 122 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:29.879 Given that our psychiatry lecture about men who fantasize about 123 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:33.360 their wives footwear lasted thirty minutes, you can see just 124 00:06:33.399 --> 00:06:37.879 how dramatically underrepresented the whole of sleep medicine was in 125 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:41.519 our curriculum, again, less than two hours training in their 126 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:45.199 entire four years. So despite what's often minimal education about 127 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:48.199 sleep medicine, it's among the most common problems physicians are 128 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:51.439 asked to address. To criticize a primary care doctor for 129 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:54.560 failing to treat sleep difficulties effectively, as like being upset 130 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:57.839 at a pathologist for a difficult labor and delivery. It's 131 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:01.040 not her job. So what can you do? Get smart 132 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:05.040 and quit getting your sleep information from Cosmo, from sleep 133 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:07.839 books that make a simple subject complicated, and from your 134 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:10.040 next door neighbor. It's time for you to stop complaining 135 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:12.920 about your poor night's sleep and throw your misconceptions about 136 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:16.120 sleep out the window. You can understand sleep and why 137 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.879 yours ain't working, So gather up, you're over the counter 138 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:21.439 sleep aids and toss him down. The drain school is 139 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:23.360 about to begin. So if you want to get that 140 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:25.560 book and fix your sleep, or get it as a 141 00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:29.160 gift for someone who struggles with snoozing, put The Sleep 142 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:32.720 Solution by Chris Winters on your gift list. Now you 143 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:35.839 can raise a glass to good sleep, even though booze 144 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:38.079 doesn't help you sleep. You're gonna learn that in his book. 145 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:43.240 But okay, how about mixology. The mixology episodologist Matthew bien 146 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:46.959 Canalo talked about his own kind of origin story as 147 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:50.600 a cocktail wizard, and this excerpt is from his book 148 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:53.839 Eat Your Drink Culinary Cocktails that was put out in 149 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:56.839 twenty sixteen by d Street Books. He's also about to 150 00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:59.639 release a new book called Oma Cocktail, and I will 151 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:02.360 link that and the episode notes as well. But this 152 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:04.800 is from his first book, Eat Your Drink. He writes, 153 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:08.720 I grew up with an alcoholic mother, and alcohol became 154 00:08:08.839 --> 00:08:12.519 a very negative and painful experience for me. I associated 155 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:16.040 it with the ultimate path of destruction and being behind 156 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.839 a bar was the last place I thought I'd find myself. 157 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:21.279 So a year and a half into mixing cocktails and 158 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:24.160 witnessing the effect I was having on the guests, I 159 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:26.800 understood that I was slowly one drink at a time, 160 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.920 rescripting my relationship with alcohol, making it something that was 161 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:34.799 beautiful and fresh and needing to be savored. And through 162 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:38.679 this repetition, I intentionally was able to heal my wounds, 163 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:42.000 freeing myself to dive even deeper into my craft. My 164 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:44.440 favorite thing to hear from customers is not that this 165 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:46.559 is the best drink they have ever had, but that 166 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:49.399 they have never had anything like it before. And I 167 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:52.879 hope this book can shatter this myth of mixology a 168 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:55.360 little bit. A lot of my work can look intimidating 169 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:58.279 for the home bartender to do, but my drinks actually 170 00:08:58.279 --> 00:09:02.039 follow a simple formula. The true art and passion come 171 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:05.159 from the individual's choice of ingredients. It is a passion 172 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:07.879 that's reignited every time I stroll the farmer's market or 173 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:10.840 encounter a guest for the first time. Very lucky to 174 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:14.000 be around the greatest markets in the world, which consistently 175 00:09:14.039 --> 00:09:16.519 surprised me with each season and allow me to stretch 176 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:18.879 my imagination in ways I didn't even think were possible. 177 00:09:19.080 --> 00:09:21.440 I hope this book inspires you as much as writing 178 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:25.279 it has inspired me. And again that is mixologist Matthew 179 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.679 bian Canello from Eat Your Drink Culinary Cocktails and his 180 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:32.080 new one out is Oma Cocktail. So Matthew's book makes 181 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:34.600 you thirsty and also hungry. Maybe you can drink some 182 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:36.960 rum out of a pumpkin, or just some water. You 183 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:40.399 gotta keep hydrated. What else can you do with a pumpkin? Well, 184 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:44.960 let's ask cu Cure Patology guest and Copeland. Oh and Copeland. Oh, 185 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:48.919 I love her so much. She loves freakin' pumpkins to 186 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:53.519 her core. And after her episode Cucurebatology aired this past October, 187 00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:57.840 her self published book Pumpkin Pumpkin Folklore, History, Planting Hints, 188 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:00.360 and Good Eating shot up to the top ten of 189 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:03.000 the cooking books on Amazon. It made me so happy. 190 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:05.639 So if you're making a pumpkin pie or a stew, 191 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:07.679 or you just want to hug a pumpkin with your 192 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:11.080 whole heart, get all up in her book Pumpkin Pumpkin. 193 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:13.840 I'm going to read you an excerpt from the introduction, Oh, 194 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:17.120 she's the cutest person alive. It reads, Driving along a 195 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:20.320 back road in Virginia, one bright October Day many years ago, 196 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:22.799 with a good friend, I suddenly said, pumpkins. We're coming 197 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:26.720 to pumpkins. My friend seemed confused, because I really wasn't 198 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:29.039 familiar with that part of Virginia at all. I had 199 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:31.480 never been there before. But as we rounded a curve 200 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:34.879 there was a great field of large, golden pumpkins. I 201 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:37.799 guess I've always had a special affinity for pumpkins. Pumpkin 202 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:40.639 season has always been more than a time to dawn masks, 203 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:43.240 carved jack o' lanterns, and put out treats for tricksters. 204 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:46.120 It is a season that, in my mind, lasts long 205 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:49.679 beyond the last pumpkin pie of Thanksgiving. The season of 206 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:53.000 the pumpkin is something of a paradox. At a time 207 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:56.440 when many growing things are resting and bear, the pumpkin 208 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:59.440 is at its peak of abundance under the autumn sun. 209 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:02.159 Each year, the selecting of the pumpkin has been one 210 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:05.240 of my special adventures. I never know until I see 211 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:08.919 the just write pumpkin what its characteristics will be. A 212 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.879 good pumpkin, I have determined over the years, must always 213 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:16.320 have at least one slight flaw in its otherwise perfect complexion. 214 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:19.559 This much I know each year, although what the flaw 215 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:22.200 will be remains a mystery until I see it. Also, 216 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:25.120 a pumpkin is a berry, so listen to Cucurebatology episode 217 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:27.279 for more on that. It'll blow your gourd. Hey, have 218 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:30.519 you ever grown a pumpkin or had one, maybe on 219 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:33.360 your cabin porch, and you wondered what was gnawing on 220 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:35.879 it while you were sleeping in after a nightcap? Well, 221 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:37.559 if you live in southern California or you know of 222 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:40.519 someone who does, get this next book. It's called Wild 223 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:43.919 La Explore the Amazing Nature in and Around Los Angeles. 224 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.360 It's put out by Timber Press, just put out this year, 225 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:51.080 twenty nineteen, and it's co written by Entomology episode guest 226 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:55.679 Leela m. Higgins. Also Greg Polly, Jason Goldman, and Charles 227 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:59.240 Hood all contributed. They all work with my beloved favorite 228 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:02.679 museum that I've host, Museum in La County. And this book, 229 00:12:02.759 --> 00:12:06.440 Wild La needs to be on every shelf in every 230 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:10.039 La home. It details all the flora and fauna in 231 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:13.080 a city most people do not know is recognized as 232 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:15.679 a biodiversity hotspot, one of the few in the world. 233 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:19.399 It's also just a gorgeous book. It's so handy, so 234 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:21.519 many beautiful pictures. It's great when you want to know 235 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:25.759 what that flower or lizard or bug is. City wildlife, 236 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:28.559 you guys, it exists. Here's an excerpt from that book, 237 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:32.120 written in part by Lenla Higgins, entomologist. Los Angeles is 238 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:35.720 full of nature. When Miguel Ordinana was little, he loved 239 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:38.879 going to the University of Southern California football games with 240 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:41.519 his mom, Adelia. He cheered for the Trojans and dream 241 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:44.440 about becoming a football star. That dream changed eventually into 242 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:47.600 becoming a wildlife biologist, but he still likes watching games. 243 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.200 In the twenty fifteen season opener, he sat with his 244 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:53.080 mom and two little brothers, the whole family rooting for 245 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:56.519 the Trojans to beat the Arkansas State Red Wolves. For 246 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:59.200 more on red Wolves see the Lupinology episode side note. 247 00:12:59.320 --> 00:12:59.440 Now. 248 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.519 During the game, Miguel's thirteen year old brother Aaron, spotted 249 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:05.240 a creature flitting above their heads in the night sky. 250 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:09.279 Miguel bat. He yelled, shifting his attention from the field 251 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:11.480 to the sky. Miguel looked up and spot at the 252 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:14.879 bat then another and another. They were swooping and arcing 253 00:13:14.919 --> 00:13:17.960 in front of the stadium's massive lights. Hunting bats love 254 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:20.879 to eat moths, and because these testy bugs are attracted 255 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.919 to light, all a hungry bat needs to do is 256 00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:26.080 hang out near a bright spotlight and wait for dinner. 257 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.159 Miguel was prepared for moments like this. He pulled a 258 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:32.360 bat detector from his pocket, plugged it into his iPhone, 259 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:34.840 and waited to see if it could pick up bat 260 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.639 sounds over the screaming fans. Miguel's bat detector contains a 261 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:42.480 miniature microphone tuned to the frequency's bats used to echo locate, 262 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:45.879 and because each type of bat makes different calls, scientists 263 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:47.759 can use recordings of the calls to figure out which 264 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:49.840 species made them. Back in his office at the Natural 265 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:53.360 History Museum, Miguel used special software to analyze the one 266 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.399 hundred and five bat sounds he recorded during the game. 267 00:13:56.600 --> 00:14:00.240 Half came from just one species, the Mexican freetailed bat. 268 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:03.159 Los Angeles County is home to at least twenty different 269 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:07.679 bat species. Most prefer more undisturbed areas like Griffith Park 270 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.440 or the Santa Monica Mountains, but the Mexican freetailed bat 271 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:13.000 is really good at adapting to the big city. It 272 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:15.720 can make a home for itself by roosting inside man 273 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:20.399 made structures instead of caves. Before twenty thirteen, nobody realized 274 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:23.759 that freetailed bats spent time near Exposition Park, But thanks 275 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:26.080 to Michel and his brother, we now have a better 276 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:29.480 understanding of how these animals interact with our city. The 277 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:31.679 bats at the football game are a good reminder that 278 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:35.320 wildlife can be found anywhere. There's no line where nature 279 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:38.720 stops and city begins. Nature can be found under your 280 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:41.879 sofa where an alligator lizard has snuck in and cornered 281 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:45.120 a cricket, or in the potted plant on your balcony 282 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.200 where Lady bug Larva showed down on aphids, or in 283 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:50.320 the park down the street where a Cooper's Hawk turns 284 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.559 a pigeon into breakfast. Gaze down on the landscape from 285 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:55.879 above and you'll notice Los Angeles is more than just 286 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:59.360 paved roads and manicured lawns. It's a patchwork of tame 287 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:02.960 and why old spaces, rugged mountains give way to carefully 288 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:07.279 groomed beaches, and surging rivers are enclosed by tons of concrete. 289 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:10.919 Oak trees hundreds of years old rest beside newly laid 290 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:14.039 soccer fields. As you'll see, it's not just bats who 291 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:17.200 find a way to thrive in this patchwork landscape. Of course, 292 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:20.159 we're going to hear more from chiropterologist Merlin Tuttle, but 293 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:24.159 that was an excerpt from Wild La. Now what about snakes? 294 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:26.840 Do you hate them? Do you know somebody who hates them? 295 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:29.440 Do you love and respect them? As doctor David Stein 296 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:33.120 does enough to write an entire book about them so charmingly, 297 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:37.159 gruff dryly hilarious. You know doctor David Stein from Twitter 298 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.919 as alongside wild and from the Herpetology episode, and perhaps 299 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:44.240 from his brand new book Secrets of Snakes The Science 300 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:48.360 Behind the Myths I'm a Snag, which was put out 301 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:51.919 by Texas A and M University Press. The first edition just 302 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:54.320 came out in late September, so it's brand new. And 303 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:57.120 I emailed him asking for his favorite excerpt, and he 304 00:15:57.159 --> 00:15:59.480 wrote back he recommended that I read you the dedication, 305 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:04.639 which goes, there are tons of danger noodles, nope ropes 306 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:09.480 and long boys throughout our streams, our forests, and our backyards. 307 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:13.240 They silently live alongside us every day, but could not 308 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:16.480 care less about what we think. This book is dedicated 309 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:19.120 to all the people wanting to learn more about them anyway. 310 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:21.919 In these pages, I've tried to answer the most common 311 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:26.080 questions about snakes, not just by explaining the relevant biology, 312 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:29.279 but by plucking the latest science out of obscure journals 313 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:31.720 and putting it right here. In some cases, I try 314 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:34.559 to explain how the scientific method has been used to 315 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:37.639 learn more about snakes, and what research we still need 316 00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:39.720 to do before we can produce an answer to a 317 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:43.000 question in a satisfying way. Sometimes I don't know the 318 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:45.600 answer when it comes to snake myths. I have tried 319 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:48.639 to avoid saying that anything is impossible, but I have 320 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:52.039 no problem saying something is inconsistent with what we know 321 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.000 about the world. Finally, I provide some helpful tips for 322 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:58.960 those of us who are not necessarily enthusiastic about snakes 323 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:02.559 around our homes and are looking for environmentally friendly ways 324 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:05.000 of keeping them away. I view this book as the 325 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:08.000 culmination of my science communication efforts, which span more than 326 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:10.880 a decade and have reached hundreds of thousands of people. 327 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:14.799 It's not a comprehensive tome about snake biology, nor is 328 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:17.920 it a field guide. Rather, each chapter represents a topic 329 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:20.839 that I've learned is important after hearing from you. By 330 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:22.519 the time you finish this book, I hope I have 331 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:25.960 helped you learn more about these slithering creatures around us, 332 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.400 and I hope you have gotten a refresher on how 333 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:31.759 scientists answer questions. And most importantly, I hope I have 334 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.720 provided you with ammunition that you can use next time 335 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:36.960 you get into a debate about whether the snake that 336 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:39.880 just fell into your canoe was a cotton mouth. Ooh, 337 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:44.039 gotten mouth and again. Doctor David Stein's book is Secrets 338 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:47.400 of Snakes, The Science Beyond the Myths. Now, what if 339 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:51.279 you prefer fewer scales, more fuzzed. Perhaps bats are your speed. 340 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:54.480 You're like that bad story from before loved it. Maybe 341 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:57.480 you know someone who is fascinated at dusk watching these 342 00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:02.400 airborne mammals just vacuum up mosquitoes with their squish face noses. Well, 343 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:04.759 you're going to want to get all up in Doctor 344 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:08.240 Merlin Tuttle's books, including The Secret Lives of Bats My 345 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:12.279 Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals, which was put 346 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:16.119 out in twenty eighteen by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt now Merlin. 347 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:19.200 Doctor Merlin Tuttle was the recent guest in the two 348 00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:22.880 part Chiropterology episode on bats, and it's safe to say, 349 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:25.160 if you listened, you're obsessed with him. I get it, 350 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:27.599 so am I. We're all obsessed with Merlin. I'm going 351 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:30.799 to read you part of chapter one, titled Teenage Discoveries. 352 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:34.599 I've always been fascinated by nature, So when at age seventeen, 353 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:38.160 I discovered thousands of gray bats now referred to as 354 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:41.119 gray miotis, doing things that, according to the books of 355 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:44.200 the day, they weren't supposed to do, I was immediately intrigued. 356 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:46.880 It all began in April nineteen fifty nine when a 357 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:49.519 high school acquaintance told me about a bat cave near 358 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:53.759 my home west of Knoxville, Tennessee. Boloney Cave was named 359 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:57.160 for its baloney shaped formations, and it was said to 360 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:01.920 sometimes shelter thousands of bats. Next weekend, I easily persuaded 361 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:03.880 my father, who was always open for a new adventure, 362 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:05.759 to help me find it. We headed out on a 363 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:09.200 beautiful spring afternoon. The sun was bright, the air was 364 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:12.839 scented with honeysuckle blossoms. As we followed a barely visible 365 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:16.000 trail along the fence then into the shade of stately 366 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:19.519 old oak and hickory trees. A half mile later, we 367 00:19:19.559 --> 00:19:23.599 found ourselves staring into a gaping pit about twelve feet 368 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:26.640 in diameter at the top sloping down like an ant 369 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:31.039 lion funnel. Limestone walls adorned in moss and ferns dripped 370 00:19:31.079 --> 00:19:34.680 from recent showers. This clearly was the cave my friend 371 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:37.440 had described. Wondering if the bats could still be there, 372 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:41.559 we carefully climbed down into the cooler entrance, jumping the 373 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:44.599 last few feet to the floor before venturing into the 374 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:48.640 dark interior. We retrieved our new miners caps and carbide 375 00:19:48.680 --> 00:19:52.160 lamps from our knapsacks and added fuel. Each lamp included 376 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:54.920 an upper and a lower chamber. We added quarter inch 377 00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:58.119 chunks of carbide into the lower ones and poured water 378 00:19:58.200 --> 00:20:00.960 into the upper ones. When water co tax carbide, it 379 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:03.920 produces a settlene gas, and when the gas exits through 380 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:06.920 a tiny nozzle in the middle of a shiny metal reflector, 381 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:10.000 it can be lit with a spark from an embedded flint. 382 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:12.920 This provided each of us with a half inch flame 383 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:15.599 for light. We could alter the brightness by adjusting a 384 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:18.680 lever which controlled the rate at which water dripped onto 385 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:22.079 the carbide. Even at their brightest, these lamps were dim 386 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.640 compared to today's led lights, but they were the best 387 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:28.880 we had. After allowing our eyes to adjust to the 388 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:31.359 yellowish glow of our lamps, we began to look around, 389 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:34.480 first noticing a room the size of a small bedroom 390 00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:38.880 on our left. It was strewn with old moonshine still paraphernalia, 391 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:42.920 broken mason jars, and parts of wooden barrels. The ceiling 392 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:46.519 was smoke blackened from the distilling process. Far more concerned 393 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.640 about finding bats, we would later regret having assumed that 394 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:53.240 moonshine stills in Bologny Cave were limited to the far 395 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:56.519 distant past. This was our first venture into a cave. 396 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:58.960 My father led the way and we stepped carefully around 397 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:02.720 slick spots on an uneven floor. Our hands often supported 398 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:06.279 us against the moist limestone walls. After going by several 399 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:10.079 side passages, my father exclaimed, Wow, look at this. We 400 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:12.279 were just entering a room the size of a two 401 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:16.720