Real Life Superheroes!

comic books, superpowers and people with superhuman abilities? Today we'll be looking at the real life animal and human counterparts to famous superheroes and maybe some super villains to discover this and more as we answer the age old question what's the best radioactive animal to be bitten by? So? Are there superheroes or supervillains secretly living among us? In November, American diplomats in Cuba felt they were under attack by

some sort of supersonic weapon. They were plagued by a constant, high pitched sound, followed by some sort of mysterious illness. They were racked with headaches and nausea. Some of them were even found to have symptoms of having had a concussion. So what was this? Some covert attacked by Cuba? Maybe it was a rogue superhero with supersonic yells like Banshee, the X Men, or Black Canary, or well, crickets really

freaking loud crickets. A recording of the mystery sound was analyzed by a couple of biologists, and they found that it matched with the Indies short tailed cricket. These crickets produced loud, droning patterns to court females, So there's a strong possibility these diplomats have been tormented by the cries of crickets yelling comebook this thanks a lot horny crickets. You almost started a war with Cuba. But is there

such a thing as a supersonic weapon? As we'll find out, not only is there a real life version of Banshee, but there are plenty of superhero animal analogs. With me today is Sore and Booie, American dad writer, co host of Quick Question with Soren and Daniel, and he used to be my supervisor. Yeah that was your boss, Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, those good old boy. Was I a handful. You're always getting into scrapes being a real pro,

real stinker. Um, So if you could be bitten by a radioactive animal of your choice and gain their powers, what would it be I mean beaver, Okay, interesting, I think beaver at any other point in my life, I would have gone with something else, like snow lepperd is a really enticing choice. Those are cute, They're so cool, and everything about them is cool. It's like they live in a different dimension, Like they're like they live on a different plane than us. They're going completely on a

diagonal and or like vertical face. We don't ever see them. I also do think they warp in and out of the fourth dimension because it's so hard to find them. Impossible to find. We didn't even have footage of them till the two thousand's right, Um, so that would be a really cool choice. But as I've gotten older, I've realized, like, if they have to be a better steward of this planet, and beavers are cool lynchpin species, and I think that

I could. They can basically create entire habitats single handedly. They Yeah, they're like responsible for terraforming the environment exactly. They also have iron enforced teeth. That's why their teeth

are yellow. I mean, that's gonna be a bonus that I didn't realize what I was getting a bit I get I guess it depends on where I'm bit too, because I could do some serious damage, right right, well, I mean yeah, but then then you would have the teeth the beaver even so you know, and you could uh, I don't know, because that's how they chopped down wood with their teeth. Um, you could be like that James Bond the metal bites McGoo. Yeah, I mean we're circling.

I will find it. Mr Bites sounds closer warmer, um, but yeah, they if I had that power, I mean, I guess that the teeth would be a cool uh icing on the cake. But I think that being able to tear form environments would be a super helpful fun thing to do and I don't have to fight bad guys that way, which I think you get into a situation where with a lot of other ones where you're forcing that situation, and as a beaver's um, that's a

very responsible choice. Um. I kind of would want to be bitten by what's called a desert rain frog and it's and don't worry, it's it's not too bad. But they're like the super super cute animal version of like Banshi or the black Canary. For the non nerds out there, Uh. Those are like superheroes who use their super voice to like blast enemies away. Um, And we have a couple of animals like that, but this one is the cutest one.

They're super super adorable. They're like, uh, I'm gonna show you a picture, or they're like just a little they look like a little pokemon. Yeah, they're like the frog version of a pork. That's true. I didn't notice that before, but you're totally right. So, um they live on the coast of South Africa and Namibia. Jesus. Uh. They are only a couple of inches big. They're basically like a little balloon with legs. Uh. And um, they absorbed water

through their tummies. That's how they drink. Yeah, because they like um yeah, a little Tommy straws. And they don't hop. They waddle because they're and well, they have a battle squeak and you're about to hear it. This is the this is the squeak they make when they're very angry. So he's super piste off. It looks like c G I. Yeah,

it's it doesn't move like a normal animal. It's got it looks like somebody's like all right, well, let's think of something really cool for an alien, but like something kids would also buy. Yeah, it looks like a Jim Henson puppet from like The Dark Crystal where it's just like, you know, you know, a little furry one where it's just like a furry ball. But this one's like a frog. So it's like, I'm confused about its eyes. It's got

like sideways eyes or its eyes are always shut. Um No, that's just uh, it's it's um did not like that question. It's just that it's pupils are are sideways. Um. I don't know how that's helpful. I mean, you know, just letterbox vision. But are they always cover? Is that sand? That because they like to kind of bury themselves into

sand to absorb moisture through their skin. Um, So they kind of like dig down in there and then they soak up moisture through their tummies and then waddle around and squeak real mad at things like that's their whole life. Have you ever heard of pika? Yes, so pike is. They're very territorial and they have a sound that's very similar to that. Um. If you get like above timberline, you'll run into a bunch of them, and they're they're in their rabbit family, I think, and they just adorable

little squeak. It's like it sounds I know that they're doing it to be like hey, funk off, funk off, but it sounds like they're It's like if something was going to eat them and it heard that, it would be like I gotta find something less adorable to eat, and they just move on, which is also a great defense. Yeah, they're I think they're also related to the hidracks, which they also do. The super squeaky thing. It's really there.

It's so cute. So now onto something a little more horrifying, just a little dose of cute before we get into the nasty things. So that squeak is it's very cute. It's I think it's the power of cuteness that would compel predators not to eat it. I don't see that being intimidating. It's like it's like, I can't eat you. It's a baby cat that hasn't even a kitten, it hasn't This battle squeak of there's is nothing compared to the call of the water boatman, which is a small insect. Uh.

It's the loudest animal relative to its body size. Uh, and it has a singing penis. So what so the water boatman, it's an insect. It's about the size of a thumb tack. Um. They have limbs shaped like oars. You may have seen one if you've ever been near pond or like a fresh body of water. They're the ones that have like those little oars and they kind of like, um, row along the water. I'm pretty sure. Yeah, yes,

I think you're right. I forgot that. Um. And it's like, but it in that movie, they would be singing with their penises it, I know, like just like have um Will Smith play a water boatman with a singing penis and he's blue. So uh. They feed on algae and they're mostly peaceful. Um. So you know they're they're not really too threatening, except that the male uh lesser water boatman can sing mating calls that are at nine decibels,

which is about as loud as a jackhammer. Um. So like they fortunately they sing underwater, so that's what spares us from just like constant jackhammers coming from ponds. Um. But even still like water can absorb like of the sound, but even submerged, you can still hear them from outside. Uh so, the way that they make these noises is

not too different from a jackhammer. They rubbed their penises against their ribbed abdomen, kind of like you know those like bossa Nova instruments where you take a wooden run. You're like, they're they're rubbing their penises on their six path. Yes,

that's so cool. Yes, uh well, it's like it's like those you know what are the it's like the weirdos, the thing where it's like I remember in school when interesting instruments would get handed out, Yeah, and you nobody wanted the weirro a weird percussion one that was like all I can do is make the zipper noise, right right, but you do do the heck out of it. Um So, I have an audio clip of it singing, uh in here we go. It sounds like a cricket. But I just want you to keep in mind that's its penis

rubbing against it's washboard abs. Gives it a whole new dimension. Is it doing that to attract me? Yes? Yes it, um you know, it's it's comfunct us like like it's always it's usually that like the singing of crickets. Yeah wow, So okay, what a great like simplistic. The world is so simple at that level, it's like, well, I need to remind potential mates out there that I have a dick, Right,

why don't I have my dick? Make noise? It's like if if guys would just like like guys who are um you know DTF just like went around helicoptering their doing, just slapping it from thigh that noise has a very particular sound, that would be amazing. Animals are a lot more forward than people. Um, did you watch Iron Fist? The I didn't. I didn't either. Um, I don't understand the superhero I it seems like he's got a real fist. I don't either, So let's be let's guess. Let's guess

with this. Well, I think it's that he has magic inside his fist that makes it real good at punching. Yeah, I think the heat will Iron Fist suggesting that you're probably right. I think that he it's not even like a real superpower that he he learned it from a Tai chee master or something like that, and it's it makes his fist glow. And everyone knows that when something glows, it's stronger. Yes, that's true. I think that that is true. Like, is it both fists or one doesn't think he'd be

called Iron Fists if it was both. That's true. That is absolutely true. So it's got to just be the one fist. So like like if he's like, he's like, come on, arm wrestle me. No, No, not that one, not that one, the other one. Sure, man, I don't know, but I'm a lefty. Oh you don't want to do it anymore? Okay, well, so I think we can both agree that Superhero kind of sucks, but the animal kingdom is much better at this. Uh, there's a little guy called the Boxer Crab way cooler than Iron Fist. They're

teeny tiny crabs um. They're about the size of a large coin. They live in the Indo Pacific Ocean, and they have a symbiotic relationship with enemies, um, which means that they wear the enemies on their fists to use for punching. Oh my god. They're also called pom Pom crass because they look like cheerleaders. That's better. Oh man, I thought you're gonna show me like a crowd that had that giant, massive claw. But this is way cooler.

Than that. So this is one of it fighting off a puffer fish with its little so see those are its little uh attached to its fists. It really does look like it's just wearing a little boxing gloves, little boxing gloves. Um. And then it, uh, you know, here comes a puffer fish and it's like these are teeny tiny crabs. They're like the size of little like coin coin side. Yeah, I'm getting down from the puffer fish. Yeah, and then the puffer fish is just this giant thing

looming above it. Um. And then uh so, normally a crab this size would not stand a good chance. Puffer Fish actually have really strong beaks, so they can crack right through that shell. But wait for it, Boof just like punches him right in the sneers and he keeps them up like a boxer. They wave them around like like loves and guy like a boxer. Yeah, he like raises one fist in the air like like it's just

so funny. It's so cute. That's adorable. And so those things are those an enemies deadly poisonous or what's the deal? They're well, they're not necessarily deadly. Um, they can be too fish small enough, but so they have a stinging toxin in them. Um, the enemies have stinging cells. If you've ever touched one, you can like because like I do that all the time when I'm on the when the tide pools are out, you touch them like they kind of close around, because like that would be how

they would capture prey. But you can kind of It's it's also to like protect them, but like you can feel just a little you touch them, you feel just a little like like, oh, it's like a little numbing thing for the little tiny enemies. Uh yeah, the ones that when you touch them they coil in. Yeah. Yeah, um, but like for a fish, Um, that's gonna suck real bad. And also I think I feel like if you touched a big enemy, that would be a bad time for you. Yeah.

I've always been curious about them because when you see them all the time, you see in the title pools or or if you ever been snorkeling or anything, they're everywhere. I've I never know if they're good or bad for me. I don't think they're don't trust me add percent on this. I don't think they would really hurt you, but they

might not be pleasant, like to touch a real big one. Um. But also don't go around and touching them because like it's good, it's not good for what do They just squirt some sunscreen on them, Yeah, just like some like feed them some doritos, just like here you go, you look hungry. Um. So they attach the boxer crabs attach the nenemies to little hooks found on their close because their claws are they're not like big meaty crab close. They're like little They look like little tweezers. They just

like little dell get things. And they put on these big boxing gloves. Uh. And then um, they can wave them around and that's sort of like their coloration and like the motion of them waving it and like can kind of intimidate predators. And if that doesn't do it, they whoop them, give them a little punch and then that those stinging cells can ward them off bhoop on the nose. Well. So, but don't the crabs need those pinchers to eat. No, they actually use the an enemies

to collect food particles. Uh. So they're they're two and ones. And then what happens is they'll eat the food and then like allow the n enemies to eat the remaining scraps, and there's some studies that suggest they actually control the amount of food that gets to the an enemies, so they can keep them bon siye sized to fit on their claws. They're also um one of the only known

animals to encourage asexual reproduction in another animal. Um So, like, if the crab only has one an enemy, like a shitty um iron fist character, he'll split it into and then put the other half on the other fist and then they eventually both grow back to full size. Um So that's that's because an enemies can like reproduce by splitting, but it's actually being like it's it's helping it reproduce for its own gain. But still that that's good for

the an enemy in some sense. That's so cool. Does the crab can't It's not like on a conscious level doing this. Is this is instinct instinct? Yeah, that's still pretty cool. That is really cool. So one more animal superhero before we move on. It's called the hairy frog uh and it's the wolverine of the Animal Kingdom. Uh.

Frogs don't have hair, Katie. The amphibians damn it got me, um, So they're called hairy frogs because they develop what looks like hair, but it's really just dermal papilla, which is bumps in the skin. Well, you'll, uh, let me show you a Let me show you a picture of one of these these guys. You can see the hair is like weird. Um. They look like super weird kind of wiry growth. Um, but it's it's not gross. These frogs

have what looks like really coarse side burns. Down there's the size of their body, which is funny because they're also known as wolverine frogs. We'll get into that, but first of all, why they have that hair is it's actually um. So it's skin that has arteries in it, and it's thought that it helps increase the surface area of the arteries to help store oxygen for when they're underwater. Um so like almost like external gills, but not really.

It's like to keep because I'll like get a big gulp of oxygen and then there their red blood cells and arteries store the oxygen in it so they can stay underwater for longer. They're like the opposite of a camel. Yeah, came store water in those they think it's mostly fat um. So they're also known as wolverine frogs because they'll break their own bones and push the bone shards through their

skin to use his claws in defensive combat. Yes, it's like they have special like bone node that they can like break off and then they just like use muscles to push the shards through their their their hands and feet and then like just like just like wolverine, like Hugh Jackman does, they give themselves a little compound fractures and then fight with those. Yes, it's so cool, very

metal um. And it's also been specular. These are not they haven't been researched too thoroughly, but it's been speculated that the damaged tissue can heal and regenerate because like a lot of frogs can heal up and regenerate their tissue um. But live specimens have not been studied in a lab. They're in Central Africa. Okay, so I won't I don't get to go find one anytimes. I mean you can go to you could go to Central Africa and be like, bring me your frogs. Frog. I want

to fight it. I want to replace its skeleton with metal. But yeah, I mean like originally because like Wolverine, like yeah, he gets the metal skeleton. But first, like in the first iteration, he just shoves bones out of his skin. Yeah, he has what are I mean, even more rudimentary cat claw. It's like it's actual bone that comes out of his bones somehow. Finger. It's always confused me because it appears that the bones come from between his knuckles. Oh, so

it's in his wrist. They live inside his wrist and then they shoot up through his wrist out between his knuckles. But okay, because but you have no support behind something like that, like you if you had a retractable thing like that. Once it's out, there's no bone structure behind it. Yeah, I don't understand. I don't really understand because like we don't. There aren't a bunch of bones in your wrist. It's

just the two ones. And they're actually kind of cool because you have these, uh, these two arm bones that kind of like wrap around each other and like when you're moving your arm, they kind of rotate and it's it's neat. But you can't I don't m Maybe he's got he's got like chimp wrists, like those wrists that can't bend shoots out. It sits at the end of the bone on the so like structually at the very end,

it would be very strong. But sitting on top of it, it's useless, right because like if you if you were wolver and you like rotated your risk, when don't you just like slice off all your fingers? Yeah, I mean yeah, if they're coming from because like if they were, I would buy it if it was like your knucklebones could like grow really long, because then that makes sense. Then you've just got like, you know, iron knuckles, but by

super bony knuckles. Oh man, Yeah, And I did never really consider that that he I mean, I know he makes fists when he's got those claws out, but that's got to be from a life of getting it wrong. He's not doing that and his hands are open, Like imagine running with those claws and then tripping and falling. You your instinct, would you just bet your put your

hands out and you just cut off your fingers. I mean, he can grow them though, that's because he's probably I mean you imagine he's probably done a lot of things, like he's flossing and he's startled, and you just like slices his like nose off or something. Uh man, what if when he has to be startled and he startled. Yeah, what if when he's wiping I think that I would.

I mean, if I'm going to be Wolverine and in that fight, I as soon as i get my claws out, the first thing I'm doing is cutting off my fingers because I'm like, get this out of the way. I don't even have to think about it from his fight. These are gone for the fight, these claws, right, Yeah, And then you have and then you can be real intimidating because it's like it's like, you know, let me give you a pointer, and you start throwing fingers at

you the guy, and they're like, oh, that's disgusting. I'd like to I'd like to get in the ring with you. Is that is that his ring? Fingers? Let me file this index under you're defeated finger joke. It would just delicately place the thumb on his head. You're under my thumb, philandic olad, you're not fighting me. Have you ever wondered how Wonder Woman was well born? The Amazonians are an island of only women, so do they reproduce? Does life?

Uh find a way? Well? In the comic books, it's unclear how Wonder woman's race of warrior women were created. They may have been created by gods, or in a more contentious storyline, they found some sailors, got pregnant and then killed all the sailors. But there's a real life instance of Amazonians, although they're a lot more scaly than gal gadot. The desert grassland whiptailed lizard is an all female species of lizard. They're about five inches long and

have a yellow racing streak down their sides. They're not really Amazonians, they're Arizonans. Their habitat is in southern and central Arizona and near the Rio Grand in New Mexico. And yes, they're all female. They reproduced video parthenogenesis, a sexual reproduction where an emperor creo grows without fertilization. Surprisingly, whiptails offspring are not clones, and they're capable of more genetic diversity than you normally get with a sexual reproduction.

The original whippedtail lizard was a hybrid of two species of lizard and somehow got three sets of DNA rather than the usual set of two and most sexual species. Then, in the process of parthenogenesis, the lizards recombine these sets of DNA into new genetically distinct offspring. Also, have you ever wondered if Amazonians get it on with each other, well whiptails do, They'll still engage in courtship behaviors and

pseudocopulation that actually helps stimulate their ovulation. Jeezus, better not give any ideas to horny comic book nerds will be right back with more superheroes after a few brief messages. In the comic books, mutant powers always seem pretty cool. In real life, the issue is much more complex. There are in fact human genetic mutants who have incredibly cool powers, but that can also come at a price. Consider the condition known as sclerostiosis, a rare genetic condition that causes

bone overgrowth. The result is an extra strong skeleton, one that could fare far better and say a car accident or fall. However, the condition also causes impacts on quality life, such as facial paralysis and fingers being pieceed together. But most importantly, it can be fatal when skull overgrowth causes intracranial pressure, which in some cases can cause sudden death

and patience. But a silver lining, there's a heroic patient who has this condition who is using his powers for good doctor Tim Dryer is a researcher working to find a treatment for his rare condition. It turns out the real superpower was the human mind all along. But also, as we'll discuss, there are also powers like the ability to eat sharp objects or not having to sleep in a lot of other stuff. Uh so sore, and what's your superpowered? Like your real one? I can cut onions

without crying. Really, that's a good one. I don't know that it's super useful in like a bank robbery situation, but at home, well, if you disable everyone else with onions, but you're fine. I mean like like you you go to a bank and you pull out a knife. Everyone screams and you start cutting onions and like I can't see, I'm blinded by tears. It's like, can you describe the suspect? No, my eyes were full of onion tears. Yeah, maybe be

more suited to be a villain that way. That's a good one though, I mean, like, oh, yeah, I just assumed you're like, help out a bank robbery. I just assumed you meant help rob That's where my mind is that um garlic gets me too, actually, yeah, like onion garlic, anything like it's Yeah, it's something that's I've just never died. I mean, so I didn't erupt you go. Um, that's a good one. That's a good one. I I really

thought about this. I tried to think of what my superpower is, Um, if I want to be um sort of h I guess like empowerment about it. It would be O c D because of like like, well, I'm very observant, but not really, it's not it's it's kind of it's more of an albatross. I think we did an article back in the day and Uncracked about like how why it was beneficial evolutionarily to have autism occasionally

in some situations like why it's people. I mean, it gets so it gets demonized as like this, uh, like there's something wrong with somebody, but it's actually there's all kinds of benefits to it in some ways, like they see the world in ways that other people don't know. We're going to talk about that. There's a really cool example that I think everyone should know. Um and yeah, so I'm really excited to talk about that. Um. So, Uh,

there's a bunch of people who have really surprising superpowers. Uh, here's one of them. His name is Aero Mantieranta probably didn't spell that right, and he's Swedish or something. I'm sorry, Sweden. I don't know how. I don't know how to do it. He probably won't even be Swedish. It's probably like another country in the Netherlands that are like, oh, I'm sorry, he's not Swedish. I'll say I have my name is Scandinavian and you nailed it. But you've been my I've

not used. He was finished. I'm sorry, I'm apologized to everyone in Sweden. And no, I mean you're giving the credit to the swedishog the finish sorry finish UM. I guess they finished last. So he was a four time Olympian and multiple medalist in cross country skiing UM and

he was accused of blood doping. However, uh well, because like his performance was really incredible and they also found like they tested his blood and found like high red blood cell counts there like your blood doping, which is UM, that's when you pump in extra blood, like I think you save your own blood and then pump it in later so you have a higher red blood cell count which like we discussed with the Hairy frog, like the more red blood cells you have and the more stuff

like you can, you know, keep oxygenated, and it improves your performance. I think you can also take the blood of when they're like toward France and stuff, when they're doing high altitude biking. You take it the blood of somebody who's lived at that altitude their their life, and it just oxygen blood of a virgin who has lived at that altitude. Yes, um, and you drink it right, that's what you have to lap it up. It's important, like a kitty um uh so. Uh So they're like, hey,

you're doping. He was like, no, I'm not, and he wasn't. He actually had what's called primary familial and congenital police simia. Anyways, it's a it's a genetic condition that causes an increase in red blood cell counts and hemoglobin um. So he was just genetically better at cross country skiing um and there, and he was like, no, I'm not doping. Um So he was vindicated until nineteen seventy two when it turned

out he was also doping the horbone. So the first time he wasn't lying like he was not blood doping. He was like clean and he's like, no, no no, I just have a genetic condition. And then in nineteen seventy two he's like, I'm doing hormones. I lost the stuff. I had to find some way to get it back. Uh. That's I mean, it makes sense if there's going to be people who have You're you're constantly dealing with deformations in the in like the genome er like, and so

some of them are going to be bad. A lot of them are going to bad and not advantageous. Most likely they're going to be bad, but sometimes they're probably good, but not necessarily good enough that they're going to continue on with the species after that point, but like pretty good, probably good. Yeah, I mean being able to cross country ski. Several people enjoy that teens. Um. So here's another superhuman.

His name is Michelle lo Tito. He's a French entertainer who would eat anything, and I mean anything, bicycle parts, shopping carts, televisions, chandeliers, computer and skis, which must have really piste off our pious um. And he it was like partially like you know, there's like some strategy to it, like he would he wouldn't just shove a whole bicycle in his face but he would like take it apart

and like like choose smaller parts of it. Um, but very methodically such that he could have like two pounds of metal and glass and whatever a day. Uh and uh So doctors are like, that doesn't sound correct. So they checked him out, and they found that he had abnormally thick lining in his stomach and his intestines that allowed him to eat sharp metal without injuring his insights. Uh. And he reportedly had no problem passing the stuff, which he's telling us he doesn't have bloody poop. What about

his esophagus? That was okay, I mean the us yes, yes, um, but yeah, I mean I think he was fine with that too. I think he had a method of also of like and he used some mineral oil to help loupe things up. Um. He also had a he had more powerful digestive juices than average, which meant he could break down unusual materials. And it also meant if he tried eating something soft like a banana, he would get a heartburn because it's like he's like got like some

real powerful acids in there. It's like a banana that's not enough. I need a car tire man that it's the stomach turns into the perfect storm because it's so upset by not having something, not having bolts and screws in there. I wish someone told him he could just eat kale, though, because like, you don't need to eat a bicycle. Put some KALs basically the bark of a tree. Yeah,

I know. Have you ever tried and chewing on it? Yeah, it's the only food where you actually have to break it down before you eat, Like you need to put some juice in it to break down. I mean, like with just rock Hill, like I would wear that as a parachute. I trust that material very good as a parachute. Not in my mouth though, That's that's so, I mean, was there surely there was someone in his life who was like, listen, you have a lot going on. You don't have to do this. You have to do this

for everybody. He actually, I think he reportedly also had pika, the condition where you eat stuff that is not normal eaches and things like yeah yeah, or like nail polished once I saw, which is kind of crazy because I'm like, because there's that horrible show, very exploitative, but I still sometimes look at it the the like my strange addiction thing where it's like it's like I eat diapers, and it's just I feel very bad about that show because

that seems like exploiting people. Um, but it's also just like, wow, you can survive eating diapers, Like you can live through that. That's kind of you know, wow, Yeah, it's it is a shock. We're so used to only consuming things that are intentionally supposed to be consumed that it is really surprising when you find out somebody ate like no, right, Like I get worried when I accidentally eat like a sunflower hole, like a sunflower seed shell. I'm like, oh,

that's not going to be good down there. But I mean, like, it would be really nice to see this guy who had decide he's going to be a superhero, has already got the costume and everything, and then just him in the costume, sitting on the edge of his bed being like, Okay, how am I going to fight crime with this? I'll eat their getaway vehicle, and like they're coming back to the currents, like hold on, I'm still working through the room. So let's let's move from the more visceral superpowers and

into the realm of the mind. Nerd um. So. There's a condition called hyperthymesia, where people have an almost supernatural autobiographical memory. They can remember in excruciating detail and abnormal amount about their lives. So like if I ask you, what did you do five weeks ago at five o'clock on Monday, I know it would take me a very long time. I'd have to track. I have to like work out from a mic macro sense right and get down to like, okay, well it probably was this right, right.

But people with this uh, this like super autobiographical memory can can do that like, oh yeah, I was, I was wearing like my yellow card again and I was like chilling at you know, uh, Hansen's board Shop or whatever people do. I don't know what activities people enjoy. Very popular among them this condition. They go to Hanson's board Shop. Yeah, that's a that's a that's a surfboarding shop here in uh in California. I don't know why I brought it up, because I don't I certainly don't serve.

And so one such person with this condition, Rebecca Sherrik, explains that it's not always beneficial. Here's a quote from her. She says, if I'm remembering an incident that happened when I was three. My emotional response to the situation is like a three year old, even though my mind and conscience are like an adult. So that's crazy to me.

Where like because you remember stuff sometimes and you're kind of like, oh, yeah, I was like three and I was really upset because I didn't want to eat banana. But then I ate it and I hated it or something, and then you feel kind of like you understand what you felt at the time, but then to like refeel that three year old feeling because like emotions were so

raw you're a little kid. That would be really tough also for like childbirth and things like, oh god, your brain is so good at tricking you into forgetting that type of stuff in general, right, yes, yes, emotional and physical pain like we kind of we lit the sounds of time kind of erode that a little bit, take

the edge off. But yeah, She said that it can be really distressing, like to remember things she remembers moments of embarrassment or um social situations that didn't go well, and she like re feels those emotions and that you ascribed a childhood trauma of your own. To her, the bananas thing I forgot. I had probably already told you that story because like, uh, when when we worked, when you were my supervisor, I was being bullied with bananas,

remember that. Yeah, it was really a problem, honestly, banana bully And so I was being harassed with bananas. People would leave them on my desk and I didn't appreciate that because I don't like bananas to almost a phobic point. Um not quite not, not like I think once you're like are you are you actually upset about them? Like it's fine, but um but yeah, when I was a kid, well,

like I said, I was traumatized because I ate a banana. Really, all I remember is I ate it and I started crying and banana got like up my nose and like snot and tears and banana and that just all it became associated with sadness, you know. No, I mean I completely get it. People do with sicknesses all the time.

I got food poisoning once when I was a child, and it was not related to skittles, but I had happened to be eating skills last and off the table for me, and that's that goes the same for me, except seaweed salad, like I got, I got food poisoning, and now I can't anymore. Um, But yeah, that's well, that's really interesting because that makes sense. So like we when we have something like food poisoning or something bad happen,

we have this very crystal clear memory of it. We create this very strong association to the point where it's like, oh, I got sick eating skittles. Now if you smell or look at or taste a skittle, that feeling of sickness comes back to you. Um. But then imagine that. But just like for everything, like mundane things, so like their memories are the people with the hyperthymesia they can just

like that. It doesn't have to be a important event for them to remember to remember the sort of visceral thing. So it's like something so researchers have looked at it. They found that the temporal lobe is larger in people with the condition um, as is the CAD a nucleus, which also happens to be associated with O c D, which is interesting to me. Um, I don't know. I mean, well, I have O c D, but I don't have the hyper because like I can't remember five seconds ago let alone. Like, uh, now,

my my memory is very averag ridge. Um, but I would imagine how awful you'd be if you didn't have it. Maybe this just even due out, I know, I know, but like that is true because I'm sort of apsent minded sometimes. But I think the O c D kind of like kind of even because like one of the things I'm like, I'm like, oh, I'm always checking the stove to make sure it's turned off, and like and one time I was checking it, it was like, you know,

a uh evenment was slowly burning. It was like thanks so c D. That oh that kind of positive reinforcement is super dangerous. So I had a roommate who left the gas on and so that was just confirmation to me that I need to uh check everything at all times. Up. Yeah, but but I'm not dead yet, so that's good. Um uh So there's a this is kind of a related thing. Have you heard of human calculators. These are the people that go on like David Letterman. David Letterman will be like,

hey do this multiplication. They're like okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, David. It was just like interesting, yeah that stuff. We have a guy who can catch popcorn as throwing at thirty ft in the air. Do you remember like sort of the last days of David Letterman where he just like seemed kind of checked out. It was a yeah, he's like he's already. You could tell he was like wanting to work on that beard already. It was just like it's like, what are you your ski and squirrel? Great?

That's awesome, Cool, it's so done. Um. So there's this guy Scott Flansburgh who can do huge calculations in his head in record breaking speeds at calculator accuracy. Uh. In fact, he can sometimes work faster than someone with a calculator. And he's just like, oh, so they it takes the amount of time it takes for them to punch in the numbers is slower than slower than he can do in his head. Yeah, nerd, that's like magic to me. I'm I'm terrible at math and even like basic subtraction.

I'm playing darts or something like that. It's embarrassing. Yeah, so that's pretty incredible. Well I was. I mean I was always a pretty good mouth student. That didn't mean I could do simple addition or subtraction. Like it's they're kind of separate skills, um, like being able to understand the concept of proofs and math and stuff is kind of it's it's different. Well, it's just learning a different language, knowing how the language works, like what's what goes next

to each other and operations and things like that. But like if you're like, what's five minus three, I'm like why to Um here's another cool one. Researchers found a genetic mutation that allows people to survive on very little sleep. Um. So they have a few case studies where people will go to bed at like ten thirty and wake up at four am and feel super well arrested. H And they found that there's like a specific genetic mutation they

believe is responsible for this. I honestly think that my wife's dad has this really interesting He can't get up. He gets up at four thirty every single morning when he can't sleep past that, he has to get up. There what time does he get to bed, Like you can go to bed, he goes like when we do, so it's like ten, ten or thirty. Yeah, and he's like totally well rested every single day. Yeah, it doesn't snap in the middle of the day, just as somebody who needs less sleep and is um has no concept

of the fact that other people do. It's making making smoothies at four o'clock in the morning. Yeah, well, he's a whistler, but like intentional whistling or like a whistler. Oh no, no, he's he's an intentional whistler. But I don't think he's conscious of it. In fact, he whistles the same song a lot, and it frequently sounds like the first few notes of Legend of Zelda. He goes, he goes, just like and I always want to go.

But he's he gets up so early, and I think that it took him a long time to be convinced that other people weren't just lazy like it was him. Yeah, but he's got this. I think. I think I have the opposite, because I could if you allowed me to just sleep, I would sleep like indefinitely, Like I could sleep quite a long time, and I get to bed early.

Uh you know, not, I'm not like you know, And I could be in the best of moods and like be like I'm really excited for tomorrow and then like like you try to get me up at a normal time like eight o'clock and I'm just like I could sleep just for five more hours, yes, um, And I could nap pretty much at any time, and it doesn't it seems independent of when I get to bed. So I'll get to bed really early to try to be

able to wake up earlier. And it's still just like I would love I would love five more hours of sleep. I am exactly the same way. Yeah, I can. I need a lot of sleep. My ideal amount of sleep each night is ten hours. I can't get that obviously with a child job. But it's it's like it's almost painful when I have to get up before then it's it can't eat anything because like my stomach doesn't feel good that earlier. And someone who can just snap anywhere as long as I'm allowed to lie down, I can

nap anywhere. When we used to shoot sketches and stuff like that, I would just find somewhere quiet on the floor and lie down with my arms crossed over me like a fucking vampire sleep there and his eyes were still open. I know. I used to be on those those shoots, like the overnight ones. Just like your eyes are open and then when you wake up, you just kind of lift your upper corso, um, so one more super human. His name is his name is Whim, but

I think it's William untrustworthy. Former Katie was Katie of the past, was not me. I don't know that Wim is if now I'll feel really bad if that's his real name, and I'm just like so incredulous William potentially the iceman off can withstand cold to world breaking to grees get it degrees. Anyways. He attributes it to his breathing techniques and meditation. But he has a twin brother. So scientists were like, hey, let's test you guys, because like the Iceman was like, oh, because I live in

high altitudes and I do all this stuff. And they actually found that they can both do it pretty well. Um, when they do the breathing techniques. Like the breathing techniques definitely help. It's like some kind of like sort of fast breathing followed by it's like some weird, weird thing. Um. But like they found that they both have a lot of the brown fat, which is a type of adipose tissue that is like full blood vessels and stuff, and

it helps you regulate heat. Um. And so they had more of this than the norms, so that it's like almost like an extra layer of like protective. I don't want to say blubber, because that's not that's a different thing, but human blubbers. The purpose what what are they? What are this he doing with this? Well, he's like sitting in a bunch of ice and being like, hey, guys, look at this. He's not like trapes in to the Arctic and no, I think he's doing that too, But

I think it's like he's done. It's like definitely there's an entertainment aspect, like he's done some Guinness Book of World Records things where he like sits in a vadadvice and he's like check this out. Okay. I think he teaches a class of how to be better at cold. That's not fair, but he but like it's also because

like he's genetically better. That's like Harry Potter teaching close up magic right right right, right right right, like here here be good at first of all, have this genetic mutation and then also breathe real weird now sitting nice, and then like there's his students are just like I'm still really cold. That's a I mean, that's certainly feels like a tangible superpower that you could use that could

be beneficial, but with global warming. Man, this I love this podcast, your narrative like this, The little the right write ups that you do are full of puns. Oh yeah, that's I wrote that ahead of time for sure. Can human superpowers ever be used for the good of animals? Well, just ask Temple Grandon. Temple Grandon is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Brandon has a brilliant

mind and one that's non neurotypical. She's on the autism spectrum, and her writings on the subject have proven vital in destigmatizing autism. In her book Thinking in Pictures, she describes how she speculates that her thought process is different from those not on the autism spectrum. She's able to think in complex visuals such as building construction designs in her mind, but in order to mesh with her neurotypical counterparts, she's been able to learn and understand not only her own mind,

but the minds of others. She almost works as a translator, being able to relate her experience being on the spectrum to those who don't know what it's like to have a non neurotypical brain. Her incredible powers of observation and analytical empathy allow her not only to get inside her own mind and the mind of other people, but into

the mind of animals. She discovered this while working as a ranch hand, where she was able to consider life from the perspective of the livestock, identifying stressors that were frightening the animals that our coworkers couldn't see, such as reflections from bodies of water or hanging chains that made noise. Her ability to empathize with animals has helped create more

humane innovations in the livestock industry. Well that was a non inspiring story, but hey, when I get a little evil, Well, after a few quick messages kind of joining on the dark side of the pod. Well, we've talked about goody goody superheroes. What about an anti hero? Not not an ant here Oh sorry, Paul Rudd. I'm talking about the naughty ones like Deadpool, the trash talking mutant with an advanced healing power that allows him to regrow his tissue

and he'll from what should be mortal wounds. Are there any real life Deadpools? Well, sure, there are reptiles that can regenerate their tails. But what about mammals, Well, there's this freaky little rodent called the African spiny mouse. Spiny mice are one of the only mammals that can completely regenerate damaged tissue. They're also prone to looking extremely disfigured, like deadpool. Their skin is actually extremely brittle and easily

torn off their bodies. This is actually a survival technique, better to escape the jaws of a predator, even if it means leaving up to six of your skin behind. And yes, that's a real percentage. They can shed that much skin, and they don't just scar over and heal. They regrow hair, follicle, skin, sweat glands, fur, and cartilage. In fact, they appear much better at healing their skin than dead fool so sor in curse of I want

to add to the spiny mice thing. But they're in the pet trade a lot, which is weird because one of the problems with owning a spiny mouse, aside from like, you probably shouldn't own exotic animals it's bad, but like, their skin is designed to tear off, so like, if you handle them incorrectly, you risk a quote degloving injury. Yes, accidents before h um, yeah, don't don't wear rings when

you're not climbing people, Oh my god. But like, yeah, but the mice, their skills just they're very fragile in a way because if you, like with normal mice, you can pick them up by the scrap of their necks and like, you know, pet them, pet the mousey. But like if you try to, like Lenny ask pet one of these mice, the skin will just slough off if it tries to dart from your hands and your your instinct is to hold tighter. Yes, squirts right out of its own skin, just like a banana out of a feel.

Are they cute, Yes, they're cute. Not when they're sleeved sleeve de sleeved. Yes, they look what you would expect them to look when they're missing their skin. They look like a mouse that doesn't have skin. And and is there do we know? Do we know? Is that really super painful for them? You know, that's a good question. I here's my take on it. My guess doesn't feel good. I don't know if they've actually studied whether they have pain receptors. I would guess it doesn't feel great. I

don't think it does feel good. People don't don't just get another mouse. Yeah, there's so many mince why would you want the ones that skin falls off. It's kind of like how we have these crazy dog breeds now where if they like, if they like breathe wrong, their eyeballs fall out every single pug. So, uh, do these they also have to then shed their skin regularly? Okay, they can just keep the skin as long as they

need it. And yeah, it's like it's like a lizard tail, where like the lizard tail will remain attached to the body unless unless you know, need it needs to rip and tear it. Yeah. Yeah, man, that's a pretty cool defense. It's it's also I mean it is probably related to lizards. Like they speculate that it's not they that they developed this as a new adaptation, but rather that there was sort of an atavistic throwback to like their reptile genes

that like got reactivated somehow. Interesting, which is kind of cool because it means that because we have reptile d day. Yeah, we basically go through the huge, the whole gamut of evolution when we're embryos. It's all those close. Yeah, we get we get tails. And gill slets which becomes like the ear it's really creepy. So sare if you were a super villain, what would your power be? Um, I mean obviously control time. Okay, that feels like the most

useful in any any situation. It does. It does feel good. Yeah, I mean like, well, so how would you use it controlling time? Uh? Well, if I'm a villain then uh, first of all, acquiring money is no problem if you can control time because you you can basically study you that Zach More's time out type of thing where no one's a cognizant of the fact that time has been paused and you can take whatever you want. Um. But

then also getting away is very easy. Um. And if you're controlling time, you can also if things go wrong for you, you just rewind it and you do it again, and you do again and again again until you get it right. And um it's like those those Aliens and Edge of Tomorrow that's a movie I've seen. Um yeah, or like the Groundhog Day thing where you can like go on a date with some and be creepily like no everything they like, but like you could I mean imagine,

because you could you could go beyond. You could like dominate the world in just a few days with that power because you could go through the chain of command and talk to every person, redo that social interaction again and again until you know exactly what to say to get them on your side, until you reach the president. There's it's like the possibilities are absolutely limitless, and you can control time. But I'm I'm being I mean, no, there's no superhero who just has the power of the

control chime. And that's just sort of like what they do. It's always like one specific way that they can control it. They can slow down or they can pause it. They can't go back and forth in it. But I'm saying I want all of it. Well why not? I mean, if you get to pick I didn't say what reasonable power would you have? Reasonable? And I guess I want to have that blubber and I can sit in tubs for a while. Yeah, what is yours? That's a good question.

I didn't. I didn't really think about it, actually, so uh, I feel like it would be fun to turn people into humiliating objects just because like like you're like talk you suddenly like anyone who pisces you off. You could just like turn into a cucumber, and people would just be so shocked. I think by that where it's like you can turn them back and forth into like a cucumber or something. It's like then you turn them back to a human, They're like, I've been humbled. Yeah I

was a cucumber for a few seconds. You destroy it, and you destroy the morale of any of it. I imagine you can turn like there's an army of like you know, people trying to fight you, all of them cucumbers just like fall to the ground, and then you're like, see what I can have wrots all of your cucumbers. Now. I think that you could also do, I mean, turn them into dogs for a second, and then the existential crisis of coming back to being a human right for

experiencing what it was to be a dog. It's like, how do you fight after that? To think about? Right? Yeah? Yeah, like uh, but they have they have dog mines at that time, so they're easily manipulated with like bacon strips. Um. So we're gonna there's some animal supervillains that I really love. Um. So, you know, you know those Marvel movies like Endless Wars and you know, I don't think that's it. Um, the big, the big, the big, great war that doesn't have an end.

That it's a bit I do on the show, on the show where I printed not to know the name of Infinity War. It's a real good it's a real popular one among the fans. We've got a whole shirt line that goes that goes big, big, big War. Um. So there's a real life the snap get it? Ultron Age of Ultron the Snap. Remember I didn't watch Age of Ultron. Wait, which is the on with a snap?

I don't even know what that is. Oh no, that's yeah, that's he wears the Magic Glove and he does a snap and then Spiderman, I'm gonna you know what I'll just do. Let's just translate it's the Gauntlet of the Infinity Stones. Spider Man. Uh and he gets turned into dust in the wind. Uh and that sounds right. Yeah, and then uh because he used his powerful, powerful snap to to do do a harm to people. You think, do you think that the big Purple Man Grimace, you

mean Muscle Grimmace. Muscle Grimace snapped and only Spider Man disappeared, and he was like, ah, job done. I mean, that's what I figured from all the tumbler meme. Um. So, pistol shrimp are little guys about four centimeters big. They're found worldwide and tropical and subtropical waters, which I don't know what the difference between those two things are tropical and subtropical. I just I guess we are in a

subtropical climate. I see, Okay, I'll take your word for it. Um. So they have one tiny claw and one huge giant claw and infinity claw if you will. Infinity claw, yes, yeah, okay, I mean, I'm here for you. Uh. And it has a deadly snap. The snapping claw can grow up to half the shrimp's body size. Uh. It's a really interesting mechanism. So only the top part of the claw moves, and it has like a hidden plunger that fits into the bottom socket of the claw. Um and that compressive force

it what is what causes the snap? Um sort of like when you snap your fingers. The snapping sound isn't the fingers rubbing each other, it's the the middle finger landing on your palm. That was mind blowing to me when I discovered that the little pad your thumb is. That's how I taught. I taught someone to stamp their fingers, and that's how I taught them. Like it's like, it's not that rubbing. It's like, if you care too much about the you're not a cricket, You're not or a

water boat. They were he was trying to snap with his penis. But how do you learn the potential? It's not the penis, it's the sound of the penis hitting the fig um so uh, pistol shrimp. Uh. They so they can um. They have a really powerful muscle that

can like have this really powerful compressive energy. Um. And then it closes, uh that that mechanism, that little plunger in the claw that goes in the socket closes over the water with so much force it creates a jet stream that travels at a hundred feet a second um. It's so fast that it creates a pressure differential cavitation

bubble that collapses. Uh. And for a fraction of a second, it reaches eight thousand degrees fahrenheit, which is almost as hot as the surface of the sun, and the snap rings in at about two decibels, and the shock wave that is a result of this snap can stunt or kill whatever is in its path like small prey. So it like once it stuns the prey and then it

drags it into its burrow and eats it. Um. There's a I know about this, the pistol shrimp, because there was a great radio lab about it where somebody It started with somebody sitting on the dock and hearing what sounded like soda in the water, like popping the carbonation pops. What is that? And like did a deep dive into it and found out that it was these pistol shrimp. They're very cool. But what I'm trying to look up the guy who does a Marvel character who just claps?

Really there is let's see if you google like Clappy Marvel. You know I'm going to do it. Clappy Marvel, Marvel hero, what does a good clap? Who does a good clap? Shock wave? Okay? His name that that makes that makes sense since that's the that is the name. They're usually quite literally named like matter eater Lad. There's a character named I think arms fall off Man, and he's exactly what he sounds like. Is this a bit I Marvel character?

And a lot of times you'll see that you can find frames of him just taking his arm off and then beating somebody with uh. Well, so the it can also use the snap to burrow into rock and it can like break glass too, So if you have one in a not great fish tank, you can probably break through that. Don't keep these, don't keep these as pets. Don't keep the mice with the skin that fall off or the shrimp that snaps real good. Those aren't good pets. So what it's creating is not actually it's a bubble

that collapses in on it all. Yeah, So it's kind of like um. So like when you crack your knuckle, that snapping sound, isn't it like popping out of the joint or anything like that. You've opened up the space in your knuckle that creates sort of this um chemical reaction of like allowing more um space for it for this bubble to form. Now, snapping sound is the bubble collapsing. So it's like the bubble forms and then collapses almost instantly. Oh, it's the tooth. The sounds of the tooth sides or

whatever collapsing are hitting each other. Yeah, it's it's like I mean, it's it's the Yeah, the sound of the force of like the um uh, like, you know, like when a if you pop a I don't know if popping a balloon is a good example. Actually I'm not sure if that's correct. But that's a good question. I'm a little out of my depth because I'm not, you know, physics person, But yeah, it's a good question. I have no idea. I guess I mean, if I was to guess it is that it's I think it's I think

it's the force of the air. Um, like like how you know there's a sonic boom with a plane and that's like the air collapsing on it's all. Yeah, yeah, I think that's what that is. Okay, so these crowds are creating a little sonic boom, yes, and it's it reaches temperatures almost as hot as the surface of the sun a fraction of a second. Yeah, um and a fraction of a second. But does that does that mean they can burn? We don't know. I don't know. That's a good question. I don't know if it would be.

I don't think it lasts long enough to like, yeah, I'm sure that water puts it out pretty quickly. Uh so have you heard of the DC super villain Mr Bones? He has a cyanide touch. Um, he's a skeleton. He's a skeleton who wears a suit. And he's also known as Director Bones. The way you're telling me, I think you're lying. I'm not lying. This is true. This is this is like arms fall off man. This is an an actual character. Um. I just like he's like either

Mr Bones or Director Bones. And like he's like says to his friends like, no, no, my father was Mr Bones. Call me Director Bones. Well, so let's get let's take a trip down imagination station, which is where we like to go on this podcast. Uh So, imagine close your eyes not people who are driving um or operating having machinery, and keep those eyes open. Um. But imagine you're hiking through the caverns of the Uthai Thani province in Thailand. It's dark and dank, and you hear the drippings of

stalag tights and stalagmites. No, not that one. Gravity doesn't go that way, and you're just admiring the cavern. Maybe you have a headlamp or something, um and and you smell almonds, the unmistakable scent of almonds. Bill's your knows in the middle of this cavern. Well, you gotta stop what you're doing and get the funk out of there because you have just entered the layer of the dragon millipede and you don't want to startle them. All right,

you're on board with this. Um, So dragon millipedes can actually shoot hydrogen cyanide at potential threats from special glands. Uh uh, there's it's got a pleasant almond smell too, because cyanide smells like yeah, that's how you hide cyanide in somebody's food. Yeah, with almonds, Like like, would you like this almond croissant? Like, oh no, it's fine, Please have this almond croissan What about that that other one? No? No, no the almonds? Where's it? Shoot it out of lands? Yeah?

But like it's just like gland okay, face not like they're not they're not one of the caterpillars that whip off their back and squirrel. No. I think it's front glance pretty sure, but to be to be frank, these look pretty similar from the front or the back, so I could beake um and uh it is actually kind of pretty Uh, let me get it to what end and what was it due to? You? If you get hit by this burn you it's sulfur science. It's a hydrogen si. Okay, so it's like an acid yeah, yeah, yeah,

and it's toxic. Yes, well it's an acid, so it burns you. Um. So that's what it looks like. That's not pretty, that's terrifying. I don't know. I think it kind of looks like a twizzler. It looks like a dragon with no head, yes, um And they're bright magenta and that that's actually aposomatic coloration. Uh So it's like warning them, like, hey, I got gland full of acid. Remember remember me, I've got I'm the one with with the acid. Well, what are the what kind of possible

predators because they have in those dank caves bats and stuff? Yeah, probably cave birds. That's what that's are called. Um So, but let's let's let's go back to imagination station. I'm sorry I didn't leave. Was that I supposed to get on a train link come back? I mean it's a round trip. Okay. So have you seen a new show

Charon Noble? Um, I haven't watched it. I do know about that whole incident though, Like I've read stuff about it, and it's the whole I don't know how deep in the show, do they go through the scenes of like people's skin falling off, and there's about there's one episode where it delves pretty deeply and darkly into that. The first responders in particular, Yeah, those are the guys who touched the graphite core. Uh. The other everybody else is sort of like exposed to the radiation and some bad

things happen them. But they Yeah, they go through the first responders and the first sponders, you know, they get very sick. Then they have to their clothes are I radiated, So it's just making them worse. And then slowly they their skin starts turning black and then translucent and then starts peeling off and nickrotic tissue turns black. Yeah, and then they it's everybody looks like if two Face had that horrible two Face on his entire body. That's not

that that's not a good one. I don't like that one. Um. But yeah, it's also the thing with radiation poisoning. God, I don't know, Like when I try to imagine having radiation poisoning, it's almost like I would I wouldn't. I would want to like just nope out of that situation, because like the because like, also your organs are melting inside.

They do address that a little bit too. There where there's one man who knows what actually happens to you, and he knows what it means to be there, and he's he's like trying to tell other people, like don't fly over the core. Don't do this, because you'll be dead in a week and you will want to put a bullet in your own head before that. Right, It's one of the the most painful, awful potential death you could have.

So like when I think of like, because I don't know, there aren't that many super villains that scare me too much, like their powers like I'm the Riddler, I will kill you with riddles um or like you know, like what's the one of them, Like I'll ice you to death. Like that doesn't seem like, yeah, that doesn't seem Mr Ice is actually pretty nice. I've heard, Yeah, Like I feel like that would be a not bad way to go.

But when I think of like the scariest super villain, it would be like like radiation man, you could like make you get radiation poisoning and then you just know like once you get it, you're like, well, I'm going to die and it's gonna be like you know, like so like just imagine if you will. The supervillain has like fist shaped like hypodermic needles, and if you get within his clutches, he'll stab you with his radioactivity toxin um. But it also comes with like a paralytic toxin and

you can't move, so you're just totally helpless. And then you kind of you're like, oh, man, I want to scratch my nose because my nose is running. You can't move, and then you realize that's not your nose running, it's your brains lialifying out your nose. Yes, that super villain's name is sybel Bannis tomal neensis, a name that strikes fear. You try to pronounce this name. Why is it always going to be me? You try it? Okay, uh as I zibalbanous t linin nous, No, I had too many

ends to luminous this, Yes, the dreaded little balbinus. So there's a subalbanous tuminousness is a crustacean. We'll call him doctor doctor Melty, the crustacean. He spent His power is great. I want to power is great. But like he should spend a little more time on Doctor Melty. He's um described by smith Smithsonian biologist Jill Yeager as a creature with a body, elongate, slender, without eyes or pigment, cephalatic

shields small. I don't know what that is. Well, it's a it's a cephal pods that makes sense, but tapering slightly at anterior end. Trunk segments number increasing with age. Maximum number examined was thirty six segments and counting. Okay, um, I gotta I gotta picture of that. You can see? Um, yeah, Okay, it's it's a horrifying uh jet white jet white or is it just jet black? Is that the only thing that can be jet I think you can. I've seen

white ghost white jets. Right, it's a ghost white looks but like a water center like the dragon millipede, but it's white and it has no eyes. And well they're uh. They are found in and Keeling caves on the Yucatan Peninsula in the Caribbean Sea. They're blind, They're only about an inch long, but their process of feeding makes them super super not. I don't like them. No, it's front

claws resemble hypodermic needles. They're attached to venom filled reservoirs that can be pumped into their victims with special muscles. The then um contains a paralyzing toxin and digestive enzymes, rendering the victim helpless as its body liquefies. Oh no, oh, that sounds awful. So you digests you outside of its body and then drinks you up all right with its

horrible mandibles. There's there's a snail I think that does that, and it comes up to mollusks like clams and things like that, and it can drill a whole inside the whole of the clam and then just shoots some digestive fluid in there and treats the clamshell like its stomach and was like, oh, time's up, okay, and then slurps

it all up. It's actually kind of a that's a pretty common tactic of like um, like starfish do, or they like throw up their digestive juices on something and just waits for it to melt and then drinks it up and um. But to me, what makes this animal the worst is that it's hands are needles. I do not like that. Yeah, well, so I have a thing with like clinic blood in a clinical setting really unnerves me. Interesting. It's a real phobia of mine. Did you know that's

actually one of the more common phobias among men. Yeah, yeah, very basic. But I mean like out in I've I've encounter people who have compound fractures and things like that out in the wild, and that's way less disturbing to me, like bones sticking out of skin. You've seen you have an ankle yet and you have what and how and what?

We So the high school that I went to was very outdoor oriented, outdoor trips and and then we'd also lead a few trips and in doing so, like there was a man the French teacher who broke his ankle

and had a compound fracture. Have you seen that YouTube video of like I think they're like, uh, either football or basketball students, like they're on a team, and then they're like college students or something, and then like one of them is doing some exercise in his ankle breaks through his skin and like this room full of like these burly like sports guys like just run out screaming. It's uh that that's way less disturbing to me than seeing somebody put a scalpel to skin. Really I'm not.

I'm almost the exact opposite. Like for me medical stuff, I mean, part of it is I had to look like for my old job, I had to look at a lot of medical images and stuff. But like um, for me, it's the it's the out in the wild injuries that like makes me feel loozy because it's like, oh, that's so on sanitary where more logical sense makes way more sense. But like see, I mean it depends it also,

like super depends on the context. Like I can see most surgeries, but if it's cosmetic surgery, that gets me like like I can see something like open heart surgery, brain surgery, you know, the ends meet the means maybe like yeah, well like like with it. And it's not that I disapprove of cosmetic surgery. I don't think like, oh it's a bad thing and that's why I don't

like it. It's that it's like with liposuction, if I see that, that makes me so squeamish because it's like there's sucking your fat out of you, and it's like I feel like that's supposed to be in there. That's

how I feel it. Just the idea of drawing blood with needles in general really freak me out, and I have to look away even for shots at my age, and when blood is drawn from me, I have to mentally prepare the entire day to go have that done because seeing that blood leave me, I'm like, this is maybe like me loving myself too much, but I'm like, you see the blood leaving, I'm like, that's mine. Yeah, I know. I'm like, I'm actually okay with them pumping

anything into me. That's fine, Like you give me a shot, you know, like it, or like an infusion during like say like wisdom teeth that you want that that nice sleepy like that's fine. When it's taken out of me, Like when it's like blood that you're robbing from my body, I'm like pretty sure I need that. I'm pretty sure that's important to have inside of my body, not not out there. I made it and it's mine. Yeah. There's

actually it's called UM. If you ever feel faint, that's like called evasive legal response to UH, to blood being removed from you or seeing blood UM. And it's very very common. I used to have it a lot more until I started having to get my blood drawn a lot more and then it was like I guess I just got used to it. But um, but like one thing you can do is like if you clench your legs, like you clench your muscles or and like cross your legs and like clench them, that's supposed to help a

little bit. Um Yeah, for some reason it like I think it helps with your heart rate and your something with your parents. And next time I have to have blood drawn, I will, yeah, or just think of how much worse it could be with like getting getting injected by doctor melting, like like at least your insights aren't liquified like that the liquid that's coming out of you is supposed to be a liquid. Yeah, So I guess maybe being bitten by something that just paralyzes you and

then it consumes you while you're paralyzed. That also happens that I think we've covered that on a show before. There's a type of one of those uh parasitoid wasps that will attack spiders and they will drag it down into their dinners like pick the spider paralyzed but alive, and then it's young bulls slowly either over the course yea, and they eat the less vital tissues first, so that the spider survives longer. Actually, this might not be a

parasitical loss. It might just be a predatory loss. But it's like they select the non vital organs so that it survives longs that may help the fresh Oh h nature, So were We're so lucky, lucky that we're the only species that every single one of us the day we die because to all, something's eating our inside. Like everything else in the world dies while something is consuming it. Yes, it's we. We really want that lottery in terms of

which animal we are. Oh man, Well, thank you so much for joining me today, Sore, and this has been really fun. Um you got anything to plug? Yeah? Um. My first episode of American Dad airs July twenty nine, and uh Dan O'Brien and I Dan O'Brien from Cracked uh and now last week tonight and I do a podcast called put Question with Sore and Daniel. It's so great, Like I I listen listen to and like it's weird though, because I remember you guys having and this is when

Damn still lived here. Like I remember you guys having conversation. It was always so fun to listen to your conversations and now I'm like, I'm listening to you and I'm like like, I'm like laughing and like looking around. It's like, but they're not They're in my ear homes. You're not here physically. And Michael Store who also was it cracked for a long time as well. I won't say his nicknames, would It's Bacon. That's great. Where can people fall you? You can follow me on Twitter It's Soren s O

R E N Underscore Ltd. And that's pretty much it. Now. Oh that's good. Yeah, I like a good simple one social. You can follow us at feature feat pod on Twitter. It's feet at eighteen feet, like a hundred feet that the millipews have um and then we have a website feature feature pod dot com. Um. Instagram exists too, I think that's also creature feature pod. And you can follow me at Katie Golden on Twitter. And I'm also pretend to be a bird at Coburg Wrights or wait, no,

is it the bird whom pretended? Any human? Which you want to who's the real Katie? I've had trouble this entire time figuring out which bird to address in the room, just all over the place. We are, we are many, but we are one. And thanks to the Space Classics for their awesome song ex Alumina