Why this biologist loves unpopular animals, and more…
4/17/202654 min
We tend to think of animals like snakes, rats and even cockroaches as pests, but in her new book, biologist Marlene Zuk says there's a lot we can learn from these less than desirable creatures, if we just give them a chance.
PLUS:
A case of mistaken identity: The truth about the world's 'oldest' octopus fossilFrom the archives: Carl Sagan on the worlds beyond our solar systemThe evolutionary cost of our relationship with fireWe're not speaking as much as we used to — and scientists are concerned
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKatie Simpson0:00
This week on Two Blocks from the White House, the political fallout from Saturday's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Speaker 10:06
A suspect has been charged with attempting to assassinate the U.S. president.
Katie Simpson0:10
Does this reflect growing political violence in America?
Speaker 20:13
Join me, Katie Simpson, and my fellow Washington correspondents, Paul Hunter and Willy Lowry, as we break down U.S. politics from a Canadian perspective.
Speaker 10:22
Find and follow Two Blocks from the White House wherever you get your podcasts, and watch us on YouTube every Wednesday. [upbeat music] This is a CBC podcast.
Bob McDonald· Host0:33
[upbeat music] Hi, I'm Bob McDonald. Welcome to Quirks & Quarks. On this week's show, our technological times mean we're speaking fewer words out loud every day.
Speaker 40:49
That adds up to over 3,000 words that we have lost in the estimate of how many words we speak in a day.
Bob McDonald· Host0:55
And how our ancestors dealt with fire shaped our ability to tolerate burns today.
Thomas Clements· Guest1:01
We are likely all descended from human beings who burnt themselves, probably, survived, and passed their genes on to the next generation.
Bob McDonald· Host1:11
Plus, a Guinness World Record-holding ancient octopus isn't an octopus at all. A trip through our archives with Carl Sagan, and a scientist makes the case for us to love and appreciate outsider animals. All this today on Quirks & Quarks.
Unknown speaker1:28
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