Laura: Hello, and welcome to another smooth edition of Lex Education, the Sunday night Monday morning podcast where smooth comedian me, Laura Lex tries to learn science from her smooth younger brother, Ron.
Laura: Hello, Ron.
Ron: Hi.
Ron: I'm smooth in the more literal sense that I've been waxed.
Laura: Have you?
Ron: No, but have you ever been waxed?
Ron: I think as a.
Ron: How old would I have been?
Ron: Maybe 1213.
Ron: I once woke up after sleeping at older sister of the podcasts, Sarah's older sister, the podcast out.
Laura: Our older sister's called.
Ron: And her younger sister of the podcast had put a wax strip in.
Laura: Between my eyes because they cruel to be kind, though.
Ron: Yes.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: I was weird, as I think many boys are at that age.
Ron: I was resistant to plucking, and now I do it.
Ron: Most days I'm going to have my.
Laura: Eyebrows professionally shaped and sorted.
Laura: About once a year, I get someone to just reset on my eyebrows and sort them out.
Laura: And it's happening this Tuesday, and I'm very excited.
Ron: Yeah, go down to the landscaping company.
Ron: Alan Titchmarsh comes out with a strimmer.
Laura: I've also decided, Ron, I think I'm gonna change my hair.
Ron: Oh, really?
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: I'm gonna shave the other side.
Laura: No, but I think I'm gonna go a bit shorter on the long side.
Ron: Okay.
Laura: For the first time in, how long have I had this haircut now?
Laura: Seven, eight years?
Laura: I'm a bit bored.
Ron: Yeah, that's fair.
Laura: So I think I'm gonna go a bit shorter.
Laura: Why not?
Ron: I've always been on that, you know, one way trip to Ursula Ville.
Ron: And I think the short hair before it goes gray is probably good.
Laura: I think you go, like, white too.
Laura: That, like, purpley white.
Laura: That's all cool with a Billie Eilish crew, but then my eyebrows will stick out like dead caterpillars.
Laura: Yeah, I've got brows that need dark hair with them.
Laura: I can't have pale hair.
Laura: I once had to go blonde for that play that you came down to see.
Laura: Do you remember when I did importance of being Ernest?
Laura: And I had to be blonde for it, and there was a line in the play where Ernest says something about the natural beauty of my hair, and the entire audience just p***** themselves laughing.
Laura: F****** massive.
Laura: Great black slugs above my eyes.
Ron: I do not remember you ever being blonde.
Laura: Do you know what?
Laura: You came to see that play, though?
Ron: I remember seeing that play vividly because he's like, yeah, yeah, I was blonde.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: Don't remember you being blonde at all.
Laura: Yeah, good times, man.
Laura: I loved being in that play.
Laura: I wish I did more acting?
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: I've got a new voiceover agent, though, Ron, I might be doing some more adverts soon.
Ron: Oh, cool.
Laura: Let me sell you a holiday.
Laura: Would you like to go on holiday without the kids?
Laura: Get in the pool for cheaper with splash holidays.
Ron: The problem with being a fan of Pappy's Flash s lambda is now every third advert I hear, I'm like, how the f*** did they book this?
Laura: I find that now I listen to, well, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks all the time.
Laura: But when then, like, my car is finding the phone or whatever, I have classic fm on.
Laura: So sometimes it's adverts.
Laura: And I think every other one is Josh Pugh.
Laura: He's just doing all the adverts now.
Laura: It's like, people, when he's popular, he can sell everything.
Laura: And you're just like, is this.
Laura: Should one voice be able to sell us all?
Laura: It feels like a cult.
Ron: My thing that I was gonna pitch.
Ron: Well, not pitch, but see if you feel the same way.
Ron: You've been on Twitter recently.
Ron: All this love for Conan O'Brien going, why is that?
Laura: Is he dying?
Ron: No, he was on hot ones, that show where they eat wings, and he was hysterical on it.
Ron: It's really funny.
Ron: He just pretends that it's not affecting him the whole time, but he's going like, puce and just screaming and, yeah, it's really, really funny.
Ron: I recommend.
Ron: I've only seen the clips.
Ron: I recommend watching it.
Ron: And then everyone's just being like, you know what?
Ron: Conan's actually an absolute legend.
Ron: Let's all just all share our favorite moments.
Laura: He's had some cool british comics over.
Laura: He had, like, sloss over and that sort of, I think maybe started to launch Sloss's career in the US.
Laura: And he also, like, had Garrett Millerick on Conan.
Laura: I think, like, he's had some cool esoteric.
Laura: Not esoteric, because that's not fair to them.
Laura: They've got big careers, and sloth, obviously, is massive.
Laura: He's got a bigger career than Garrett.
Laura: I don't think Garrett would mind me saying, but, like, you know, it's cool that they look for comic.
Laura: You don't have to be absolutely enormous with the biggest pr machine behind you to.
Laura: For him to put you on the show.
Ron: Yeah, I was just thinking, I always found it weird that we don't have that late night show culture as much here, apart from Graham Norton, but even that's a bit different.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Cause that's way more about the guests and less about funny man.
Ron: Always a man funny man sits and tells jokes at a desk and occasionally interviews people.
Laura: Yeah, we never really.
Laura: It's funny.
Laura: The tv scene is so different.
Laura: I think us to UK, they have so much more, like, they have pilot season and they have like, yeah, the late night show, but they also have much more of an improv scene.
Laura: Like, they have that.
Laura: I think.
Laura: I think, and I'm not an expert in this, so I don't know.
Laura: It might be interesting to discuss online with people that know more, but I do believe the US has a much better nurturing system of its writers.
Laura: Like, in the UK, you know, I've written several sitcom pitches and a couple of books and stuff.
Laura: I have yet to go and sit in a writer's room on a scripted sitcom or a drama or anything like that.
Laura: I've had several hundred meetings with studios that like what I do and want me to pitch them my own show.
Laura: But it's like the only way to launch yourself as a writer is to get the idea you've had commissioned, which Americans, I think, would find insane, that you don't get the chance to build up six or seven years of experience in writer's room ready to pitch your own thing, that your first experience of writing in the UK is often your own show getting optioned.
Laura: And it's mad.
Laura: I think the US has a better feeder system of once somebody big, like, and this is just an example.
Laura: I do not know.
Laura: But, like, let's say Quinta Brunson with Abbott elementary, I'm fairly confident if you looked through her IMDb, you'd probably find her in the writer's room of a ton of brilliant things or come through SNL or something like that.
Laura: We just don't have that.
Ron: Let's use the example that we were just talking about Conan O'Brien, who's a writer for the Simpsons.
Laura: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Laura: We just don't have that unionized over there, maybe.
Laura: I don't know.
Laura: Honestly, I don't know what it does.
Laura: But we don't have these long running shows that people can really write on.
Laura: Like, our long running shows tend to be things where people write their own material because they're panel shows or guest shows or soaps.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: And that's drama.
Laura: Like, we don't have that school, really.
Laura: And even the things, the drama shows that people cut their teeth on, doctors and hollyoaks, they're permanently the axe over their necks.
Laura: And it's like, it's where people go to get started and get going, but we just, we don't give people those chances here, and we're weird here about like, how we pull people off the stand up circuit and into it.
Laura: Whereas the US, maybe it's because the US, you can't make such a living from being alive before.
Laura: And, like, the geography of it makes it different.
Laura: So people do have to be a bit different with it.
Ron: But yeah, yeah, you're a local comic until you're literally huge, I imagine, in the US.
Laura: Yeah, I think so.
Laura: Well, you go to LA and you have to get in on the writing scene because you can't make a living gigging.
Laura: So you have to make a living writing.
Laura: But I have heard it talked about a lot that us writers find it insane that here you'd get a show commissioned without ever having written on other shows.
Laura: But in our system, it's like, oh, yeah, this person's just had their idea turned into something and.
Laura: Yeah, but the UK, in my opinion, is fundamentally broken in the way it looks for and pushes talent.
Laura: Yeah, but hey, that's just me.
Laura: I've just.
Ron: Well, I mean, if this podcast can receive a one star review, then everything.
Laura: In this nation is f*****.
Laura: I can't wait to see if they've written anything with that one star review or if it is just a one star, like, because charitable takes a while to, like, put, put any text with it.
Ron: I would love to know.
Ron: I hope they have bring it on.
Laura: I sort of hope it's something that we've done that actually.
Laura: We're like, f*** you.
Laura: Like, if it's there, like, in my head, I've already had several online arguments where it's like, it used to be good, but now they're too woke and then we can be like, f*** you, you know?
Laura: Whereas if it's just like, they eat all the time, I'd be like, you are correct.
Laura: Actually.
Laura: Actually, one star is what we deserve.
Ron: Yeah, but, like, I mean, sure, we did a lot of gay bashing in the first couple of EPs, but you can't keep going back to the.
Ron: Well.
Laura: Yeah, I mean, it kind of like, I'm actually quite happy to have a negative review because now it makes.
Ron: Me feel a bit more real, doesn't it?
Laura: Yeah, it does, because we've had so many lovely reviews, but I'm kind of like, well, obviously they're from the fans.
Laura: They're not going to be mean.
Laura: And I forget to give myself credit for the fact that we've earned ourselves fans.
Laura: So now that somebody that has obviously listened to it, and I hate this enough to leave, like, because lots of people have listened to it and gone.
Laura: This is not for me.
Laura: I shall not return.
Laura: Fine.
Laura: Somebody's listening to it and hated it enough that they've gone one star.
Laura: I need to warn others not to tread their ears here and now.
Laura: I feel really like.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: Like the people that like it have our taste, like they've chosen us.
Ron: The other thing I'd love to know is how long they listened before doing that, because ultimately it could have been less than a minute.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Before we turned someone off that much.
Laura: Hundred percent.
Ron: Do you know what it is, though?
Ron: I think with the fans, I think.
Ron: And it's because of your career and stuff and, you know, like, we took, obviously loads of people from the book club, we had fans from day one, which is why we take them for granted so much with all of our chewing and whatnot.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: Because we've really put them through a lot.
Laura: Oh, my God, Ron, I ate three eggs before this episode.
Laura: I've done a half eggathon because, look, I'm really tired, if I'm totally honest.
Laura: My mental health is in the toilet and Tom's at work.
Laura: I've just put the child to bed.
Laura: It's been a long day and I just made eggs and toast for dinner.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: With a bit of smoked salmon and some lemon juice.
Laura: I had a lovely time.
Ron: Yeah, no, see, that sounds nice.
Ron: I just ate three eggs.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: I did have a slightly mad moment where I picked up one egg and it was smaller than the other two eggs, but it felt heavier and I was like, f**** up with this egg.
Laura: And then I weighed all three eggs and the smaller one was the heaviest, but not by a significant amount.
Laura: And I was like, I still don't trust this egg.
Laura: It feels different.
Laura: I cracked it into a glass rather than putting it straight into my pan because I didn't want to have to wash up my butter if it was wrong.
Laura: I think it just had a thicker shell than the other eggs.
Ron: What?
Ron: I think you did a really.
Ron: I think you handled that exactly right.
Ron: Apart from the bit where you weighed them.
Ron: That was probably unnecessary.
Laura: Here was my hypothesis, Ron.
Laura: If I was going to write this up like a science experiment, my hypothesis was it might be a double yoker.
Ron: Right?
Ron: Sure.
Laura: And had it been a double yoker, I wanted to be able to tell you I had weighed it first to see if it was significantly heavier because it felt heavier in the hand.
Ron: I'd wager a double yolk actually would be lighter.
Laura: Do you reckon?
Laura: Does the yolk weigh less than the albumen?
Laura: Well, Albumin, Ron, I just spat albumin into the world.
Laura: Well done.
Ron: Well done.
Ron: Albumin is a protein, and I think proteins are heavier than fats, muscles.
Ron: Heavier than fat.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: So that's why I'm saying that.
Ron: But you know what double yolk scientists write in?
Laura: It doesn't feel like the white would be heavier than the yolk.
Ron: No, because the yolk's luxury.
Ron: It's a little bit of Lexus.
Ron: It's the better bit of the egg.
Laura: Doesn't albumen sound like a job for, like, a middle century peasant back in the 13 hundreds?
Laura: He's the albumin.
Ron: Get over here.
Ron: The albumen's coming down the path.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: Oh, my God, Ron.
Laura: Last night I was gigging in Oxford, and I was gigging in a fancy part of town, and there were lots of student types, and somebody in the front row was a physicist, like, worked on atoms or something, and I did some science material.
Laura: Yeah, yeah.
Laura: I told them all about the sad boys.
Ron: That's not material.
Ron: And I think.
Ron: I don't think that you should do that.
Laura: Maybe that's why we've got the one star review.
Laura: Actually, it's probably that guy who told him all about the podcast and about the sad boys.
Laura: He probably jumped straight online and was like, stop this.
Laura: Stop it.
Ron: You know what that would be?
Ron: The only thing that would p*** me off about that review is if they were like, I came here to.
Ron: For actual scientific knowledge and all of this nonsense, that would.
Ron: That would actually p*** me off, because.
Ron: F*** off.
Laura: Do you know what, though?
Laura: Those ones really make me laugh, because I kind of see those as a badge of honour.
Laura: Like when.
Laura: When complete guide gets a negative review, and it's because they're like, I wanted to hear about the new Batman film, and it's just these two idiots talking about Long island and Billy Joel, and I'm like, ha ha.
Laura: You f***.
Laura: You don't get the job.
Laura: They make me happier, because when I'm looking at a podcast, if I know it's a comedy podcast and somebody's reviewing it as if it's not a comedy podcast, a I go, if you've started on the latest episode and are moaning that you don't get the in jokes, f*** off, buddy.
Laura: No one's allowed to come in on season nine and get in on it.
Laura: But two, it just makes me kind of go, it's got a lot of positive reviews, and this one jump doesn't get it.
Laura: I'm going in.
Ron: Yeah, that's fair.
Ron: Well, we shall see.
Laura: When the worst case scenario is somebody going, I wanted a comedy podcast where two people ate and burped their way through the AQA syllabus.
Laura: Hopefully related to each other with a lot of tangents.
Laura: But this one didn't do it for me.
Laura: That's the only way this one star review is going to hurt me.
Ron: Yeah, well, fingers crossed we find out.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: How exciting.
Laura: And if it's you and you still hate listening, let us know.
Laura: Lexeducationmail.com.
Ron: We'll have you on a Patreon app.
Laura: Oh yeah, let's do that.
Laura: We haven't sorted out the hundredth episode yet and it's in three weeks.
Ron: The one star review.
Laura: Yes.
Laura: Anyway, this episode, if you're here for the science, you're gonna have a lovely time.
Laura: If you're here for us being light hearted.
Ron: Dry, dry, dry.
Laura: It is a bit of a dry.
Ron: Episode, but I struggled to find any clips.
Ron: Cause it's not that funny.
Laura: We just focused on the science.
Laura: We just did science.
Ron: We just chatted out, you know what, one star.
Ron: Give this one a go, see how you feel.
Laura: Or don't.
Laura: You know.
Laura: Sorry, I've got the burps now.
Laura: The eggs are coming up.
Laura: I've left my bed sheet in the garden.
Ron: Worst, it's Sunday.
Ron: Good day to do a bit of laundry.
Ron: I live in a house.
Ron: I've got four housemates.
Ron: Managed to bag the washing machine on Sunday morning.
Ron: Great.
Ron: Good day for laundry.
Ron: Just put all my clothes in there.
Ron: Washing up liquid, not washing up liquid clothes, washing up liquid.
Ron: Fabric, fabric softener.
Ron: The nice smelly stuff.
Ron: Just didn't put it on.
Laura: Just oh, wrong.
Ron: Slammed it shut and walked away.
Ron: Came back after a nice afternoon out, hanging out with my friends, playing the little Britain ps two game and then came.
Ron: And then I was like, I was hanging stuff up and it was all quite dry and I was like, well, I did leave it in there so maybe the guys put it on a dry cycle because then, you know, so that, because I've done that before to their clothes, so I don't feel like I have to hang it up.
Ron: I'll just dry it in there for them.
Ron: Then I was hanging some of it up and I was like, it also smells really bad.
Laura: It's still got baked beans down it.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: And then, yeah, like the indignity of kind of checking your pants to see if they're clean whilst cooking.
Ron: Someone's cooking their dinner in the room.
Ron: No, it's on again now.
Ron: And that means I have to stay up for like another 2 hours.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: I feel when you miss time, the domestic chores, there's nothing worse yesterday, right?
Laura: Boring.
Laura: I was very tired and I had to go to work that night.
Laura: So I was like, when charter the podcast goes for a nap, I'm gonna go for a nap.
Ron: Well, that's what you should have been doing this whole time.
Laura: It's what I often do if I'm working that night because I don't want to be a danger on the road.
Laura: So if I've got to drive, I will try and, like, even just lie there with my eyes closed because then the eye muscles are having a rest, you know?
Laura: But I'd miss time.
Laura: Putting some bread in the oven, Ron.
Laura: And it needed to come out the oven.
Laura: Smack, bam.
Laura: Halfway through her nap.
Laura: Absolutely goofed.
Ron: Yeah, but you know what?
Laura: I don't goof.
Laura: Today's episode.
Laura: Enjoy.
Laura: I'm really glad it's biology because I don't know why.
Laura: For some reason I thought it was chemistry.
Laura: And as much as I loved the last episode, I thought, that's come around quick.
Laura: But that's because it hadn't.
Laura: It's biology.
Ron: Indeed it is.
Ron: And, oh, my God, I'm loving this new, streamlined life where we haven't had to do a quiz before this record.
Laura: Yeah, just one record.
Laura: That's when I was thinking, because I've got to go swimming.
Laura: And our session starts at 230, which really means, like, getting started to leave at two.
Laura: It's five one now.
Laura: And I was like, oh, no, I've completely screwed up.
Laura: And then I was like, no, if we're just recording a lesson, that's like 50 minutes max, buddy.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: I mean, like, over the weeks, it's going to cause some more confusion because sometimes it'll be intro, sometimes it will be a quiz sometimes.
Laura: Absolutely.
Laura: But, hey, it keeps it fresh.
Laura: I just had some of my homemade granola onions.
Ron: Oh, yeah.
Ron: Delicious.
Laura: Off the back of what we were.
Ron: Delicious.
Laura: No, off the back of what we were discussing in the last chemistry episode.
Laura: I was thinking about other areas of my life.
Laura: I can cut out dairy in the spirit of.
Laura: I love a little bit of dairy milk and tea.
Laura: I love a little dairy milk tea.
Ron: Like a mocha.
Laura: Oh, my God.
Laura: I would.
Laura: I mean, I dip it in the dairy milk tea, but I was like, well, I put yogurt on my granola.
Laura: I wonder where we're at with plant based yoghurt now.
Laura: So I got, oh, they're great.
Laura: Well, it hasn't got that satisfying tang that I like.
Ron: Oh, I don't like the tang.
Ron: So I love the vegan yogurt.
Laura: Yeah, it's fine.
Laura: And I think I will switch to it, but it is missing a little bit of that tang.
Laura: So if anybody's got a recommendation on a vegan yogurt that's got a bit of that tang to it, maybe I need to go, like, vegan natural yogurt rather than a vegan vanilla yogurt because it's a little bit too much like a toffee yogurt.
Ron: Yeah, that's fair, I think.
Laura: Hey, another area I can cut dairy out of my yogurt consumption.
Laura: Now.
Ron: I think I've decided what I might do is, like, I still will never.
Ron: I still wouldn't call myself vegan because, you know, like, I go to someone's house and they offer me some cheese or something, I might eat it.
Ron: But I think what I'm gonna do is basically, like, always go for what looks to be the vegan option, but then not, like, spend that much time looking through ingredients and stuff, you know?
Ron: Like, I wouldn't be upset if I found out egg was a part of something, but I'm not gonna have, like, an egg sandwich, if that makes sense.
Laura: Interesting.
Ron: See what I mean?
Laura: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ron: Oh, my.
Ron: Can we talk about it?
Ron: This episode does come out after the staff room episode.
Ron: Can we talk about it?
Laura: But I'm worried if we talk about it, Ron, we're gonna blow our powder before Friday when we do the episode.
Laura: Look, we're already discussing it in the WhatsApp group with younger sister of the podcast.
Ron: No, we're discussing it.
Ron: They are looking on as if they're trying to terminate the family.
Laura: Younger sister has joined in occasionally.
Laura: Older sister is not interested in his hiding.
Ron: Well, she sent one news article.
Laura: Maybe she's just busy with two children buying a house and a job.
Laura: Jesus, some people are not multitaskers like we are, Ron, I love how interested the discord has got.
Laura: It's really making me laugh how pretty much everybody in the discord has gone.
Laura: I wasn't into this at all until you used to started whanging on about it, and I was like, I'm down this rabbit hole with Kate Middleton's children.
Laura: Like, yep, welcome to the club.
Laura: I can't remember even, Ron, how you got into it was me banging on about it, and then you were like, can you just explain it?
Laura: What are you talking about?
Laura: And now you're like, mm, mm, mm.
Ron: T t, I was interested in it.
Ron: I can't remember what it was that completely radicalized me.
Ron: Cause, yeah, there was just something I saw online, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna buckle.
Laura: Yeah, it's very fun.
Laura: I'm gonna be really sad, though, if she really is her ordered, because it will take this, like, absolutely victimless gossip thing that I've been enjoying and make it serious, and I don't really want that to happen.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: I mean, it's.
Ron: I genuinely am worried for her.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Because they.
Laura: Especially, given that video I just played you about, maybe that photo was taken in November.
Ron: Yeah, I mean, like, they killed the last one.
Laura: So is my Thursday night is.
Laura: I'm literally.
Laura: I'm gigging in Birmingham on Thursday.
Laura: I'm gonna do my gig and then I'm gonna make the best notes you've ever seen in your life.
Laura: For this episode.
Laura: Max is going to be shot.
Laura: I'm going to walk in like a lawyer in a film with a briefcase full of evidence and set it down.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: Where you can just do that in my room?
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: Could you bring your microphone?
Ron: I think it's better for recording around it.
Laura: Yeah, sure.
Laura: You supply lunch.
Laura: I'll bring the microphone.
Ron: Sounds good.
Ron: What do you want to have?
Laura: I don't know.
Laura: Let's have royal gin, like, burrito things.
Laura: Make a mexican spread.
Ron: Burrito things.
Ron: Burritos.
Laura: Yeah, but with all the little bits that you do.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Guac.
Ron: And I might not for a Friday lunch while I'm working that I'm already spending.
Laura: I thought you were taking the day off.
Ron: I might take the afternoon off.
Laura: Or you're taking the Tuesday off when I come down for Bristol.
Ron: No.
Laura: Oh, okay.
Laura: You're taking the Wednesday off to deal with the hangover.
Ron: No, I took the day off for your f****** child's birthday.
Ron: And then you went in for.
Laura: Yeah, and then you untook it off.
Laura: Oh my God.
Laura: Now you know how I feel about this brunch.
Ron: No, that's not the same.
Laura: How is it not the same?
Laura: You're behaving in exactly the same way.
Laura: You came to Brighton to stay with.
Ron: Me because my niece's mother.
Laura: So did older sister, and then you two went out for a brunch without me.
Ron: Yeah, we spent a couple of hours together in a week that we were spending together.
Ron: The big difference being we never f****** invited you to brunch, so it's quite hard to invite you.
Laura: Also, I didn't uninvite you.
Laura: I merely just explained to you the full details of what you were walking into and you backed out like homer into her head.
Ron: No, that's not true.
Laura: That is true.
Laura: I said to you, you're so super welcome to come.
Laura: Here's what's going down, though.
Laura: Up to you.
Laura: And you chose not to come.
Laura: I did not in any way say, ron, you can't come anymore.
Ron: True.
Laura: Did I say, Ron, don't come?
Ron: No, but you made it very obvious.
Laura: No, I didn't.
Ron: You didn't want me to.
Laura: I was saving you, Ron.
Ron: No, that's not.
Laura: Also, I thought you'd just come another day, and you haven't, so.
Ron: No.
Ron: We do need to organize that.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: Child of the podcast thinks all earbud headphones are yours, so.
Laura: As well as the water being Ron's water.
Laura: No, they're mine.
Laura: These ones that I've been wearing, yours are here.
Laura: And are yours like a sort of brown, sort of gold color?
Ron: I can't remember, but I have lost them.
Laura: Well, she definitely broke some white ones.
Laura: I don't know if those were yours.
Ron: Hang on.
Ron: I just need to read something very, very quickly.
Laura: If this is a tweet about Kate Middleton.
Ron: No, I've been edit this out, please.
Ron: If this is your edit.
Laura: Yeah, it's yours.
Ron: I will edit this happen.
Laura: Hi, babes.
Laura: Hi, love.
Ron: Anyway.
Ron: Okay.
Laura: Hi, babes.
Ron: Cool beans.
Ron: Cool beans.
Ron: Cool beans.
Ron: Right o.
Ron: Laura, we're ready.
Laura: We're doing more planet squares.
Ron: No, we're moving on from that.
Ron: Really?
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: We just nailed that so hard.
Ron: Yeah, it was quite a tough one to prep for, to be honest, because I don't know at all what sort of speed we're gonna go through this.
Laura: Yeah, because I smashed the last one so hard.
Laura: You must be like, she's practically the teacher.
Ron: Yeah, and we've done a couple of lessons on it as well, so, you know, a lot of the talking points and stuff already, because, as we found out, you're, uh, fact retention is better than anyone thought it would be.
Ron: Um, so, Laura, we're moving on to four.
Ron: 6.2.
Ron: Are you reading tweets about Kate?
Laura: No, I was looking at a picture of a car.
Ron: Why?
Laura: I don't really know.
Laura: Because my facebook, I have never liked or really done anything.
Laura: It's literally just a work tool I post up on.
Laura: I don't follow anything, so the algorithm doesn't really know what I'm into, so it just sort of offers a selection of stuff.
Laura: And sometimes I will have hovered over things for a while, so.
Laura: So it just gets really confused about what I might like.
Laura: And it's really interesting to me what it tries to offer.
Laura: And at the moment, it's the doll men's club, and it keeps showing me, like, really pedantic posts about things you.
Ron: Do, like dole men yeah, yeah.
Ron: Ooh.
Ron: Oh.
Laura: Sometimes it gets it absolutely right.
Laura: But I think because I still never interact with anything, particularly it doesn't know.
Ron: New segment, Laura.
Ron: Ron, stocks update.
Laura: Oh, and the sun's come out.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: So we've got child of the podcast.
Laura: Can say sunshine now.
Ron: Cute.
Ron: Next era.
Ron: Energy up 3.2% from when I invested.
Ron: That is gains of eight pence for the big man.
Ron: Huge green coat.
Ron: UK wind down 1.6%.
Ron: That's a loss of four pence for the big man.
Laura: Still four pence up overall.
Ron: Yep.
Ron: And then first solar up 1%.
Ron: That's five pence for the big man.
Ron: We are up a total, including trading fees of nine pence on the portfolio.
Ron: Huge love and life.
Laura: Stick another tenor in, mate.
Ron: I'm gonna do a tenner every month until I get bored.
Laura: I love it.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: All right, where were we?
Laura: We hadn't started.
Ron: Distractor unid at the moment.
Ron: Too much going on.
Ron: Can I have a sip of tea?
Laura: I just finished my cup of tea.
Laura: I went on a two hour walk with Mackie today.
Ron: That's lovely.
Ron: That's.
Ron: That's your happy place?
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: I did manage to get her out for a walk yesterday and she got the zoomies this morning, like, right round the house, around the whole loop of the house.
Laura: And I thought, this dog needs an exercise today.
Ron: Yeah, fair, fair.
Laura: It was so misty, though, there was no good views.
Ron: That's a shame.
Ron: Yeah, weather was a bit s*** this morning.
Ron: I went for a run and the river in Bristol was the highest I've ever seen it, to the point that I couldn't run down the path I usually run.
Ron: It was completely flooded.
Laura: Oh, you have to start running in your welly boots.
Laura: Made famous by Wellington of Somerset fame.
Ron: Right, Lauren.
Ron: So we're doing 4.6.2 variation in evolution, starting out, obviously, with four, six, 2.1 variation.
Ron: Now, Laura, variation.
Ron: Tell me what you know about variation in a population at the moment while I have yet another sip of tea.
Laura: So, like, let's take humans as an example.
Ron: Big oggy, eugenics.
Ron: Always.
Ron: With this kid, I could.
Laura: Eugenics.
Laura: Birds or kangaroos.
Ron: Well, don't do spoilers, because we will be talking about selective breeding in four, six, 2.3, which is essentially eugenics for animals.
Laura: All right, my specialism.
Laura: So you're looking at things like height.
Laura: You know, humans sort of tend to, on the bigger scales, what, like seven and a half feet is the biggest human, down to about one and a half, 2ft.
Laura: So there's a lot of variation there, generally, like the average is somewhere between five and six ish.
Laura: I think you got variations in, I guess, things like bone density, muscle mass, skin color, eye color, hair color, hair type.
Ron: Yep.
Laura: So all sorts of things like that.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: So you've got variation in.
Ron: In things like.
Ron: Yeah, bone density and strength and stuff like that.
Ron: That's just going to be sort of like your.
Ron: Your general fitness.
Ron: Your general fitness of a population will fall on a bell curve and then.
Ron: Yeah, like you say, like certain, um, more kind of decorative things, there'll be variation in that that will often be a bit more discreet, kind of as we've discussed with, like, eye color and hair color and stuff, you know, some.
Ron: There.
Ron: There are different genes that change that.
Ron: A bit more of a sort of binary way, this variation.
Ron: Good, Laura, is that a good thing for a population?
Laura: Yes, absolutely.
Ron: And why is that?
Laura: Because it gives variation.
Ron: Yeah, variation is good because it gives variation.
Ron: Why is that good, though, inherently?
Laura: Because you don't want everybody to have the same genes and alleles as each other, because then you end up, like, passing on the same stuff and you don't have the same spread of abilities and so finding new ways to do things.
Ron: Yep, absolutely.
Ron: But let's.
Ron: Let's take, let's take, you know, a creature that lives in a desert, a beautiful desert, ibex.
Ron: They need to cope with heat really well and, you know, lack of water and stuff like that.
Ron: Why is it good that there would be variation in those kind of things in a population like that?
Laura: Because they can cope with extremes of things.
Laura: So if there's a heat wave or excess of food or lack of food, you've got animals that can cope with different things in different ways.
Laura: So not everything that's happening affects them all the same and kills them all or makes them all strong and good at the same time.
Ron: Yes.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: I think basically what you're hitting on there is what I was trying to lead you to, which is essentially, it makes a population better at reacting to change.
Ron: So, yeah, like you say, when there's a heat wave, that's.
Ron: That's conditions outside the norm.
Ron: And then being on that bell curve allows them to.
Ron: Allows the population to survive, even if the conditions then aren't necessarily sort of aimed at the.
Ron: The bulk of the population, like they are 90% of the time.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Where does variation come from?
Laura: Recessive and dominant genes in the gene pool.
Ron: Yep.
Ron: So that's.
Ron: That is.
Ron: That's very astute, actually.
Ron: And not one of the points that is made in the.
Ron: In the syllabus here.
Ron: Absolutely.
Ron: We all carry two.
Ron: Well, two different versions or two different.
Ron: Yeah, two different versions of every single gene we have.
Ron: So we carry a little bit of variation within ourselves at the moment.
Ron: Where do those different alleles come from, though?
Laura: Different combinations of parents.
Ron: Yep.
Ron: That is one thing that breeds a lot of variation in a population.
Ron: That's why animals sexually reproduce, to mix things up and stuff.
Ron: But your parents had to have those different alleles to then give them to you.
Ron: So how did the different alleles have come about in the first place?
Ron: Survival of the fittest will influence it.
Ron: But what is survival of the fittest?
Ron: Kind of, you know, the evolution.
Ron: Evolution, yeah, absolutely.
Ron: And what's the driver of evolution?
Ron: Where.
Ron: Where does the change come from?
Laura: Necessity.
Ron: No, that's bears.
Laura: I thought it was necessity.
Laura: Like those monkeys with the sticks, like when we have to, we change.
Ron: Um, yeah, yeah.
Ron: But, um, literally, my.
Ron: The DNA is changing.
Ron: What's driving that?
Laura: Mutation.
Ron: Mutation, yeah, absolutely.
Ron: So that's, that.
Ron: That's what?
Ron: So all aspects of kind of one strand of where variation comes from.
Ron: And you've gone into a lot more detail there than the syllabus says we should.
Laura: Thanks.
Laura: Live shows.
Ron: Well done, Laura.
Laura: All about that.
Laura: Ikea.
Ron: Where else can a population get variation from?
Ron: Are you just on a path from the moment you're born because of the genes that you've been given?
Laura: No, there's nurture as well.
Ron: Yep.
Ron: What's.
Ron: Talk more to that.
Laura: So learning from other things or your environment or, like, levels of intelligence, letting you try different things.
Laura: So, you know, if you.
Laura: I think if you're a relatively intelligent species, like, we're talking about primates, they can learn to use tools or see other animals doing things and copy it.
Laura: But I guess if you are a less intelligent species and you're doing things more by instinct, even though instinct is a form of intelligence, I don't know if that counts as less intelligent, but, like, say you're an ibex or something, and you jump away from a crocodile just flinching and you survive and your thing doesn't, you're like, hey, I'll do that every time I see one of those.
Ron: Yeah, it's so fascinating how you humanize stuff so much.
Ron: I find your first instinct is to always like, like your brains just gone there to like learning and sort of like how your experiences kind of build up, kind of like who you are and stuff, like, in terms of your brain.
Ron: That's really, really interesting.
Laura: Well, what else is it?
Laura: Well, for example, what else is nurture other than learning?
Ron: Well, it's so broader than nurture.
Ron: We're just talking about how the conditions around you really would breed variation.
Laura: But is that not learning?
Laura: No.
Ron: So, like, okay, so imagine we've got, like, the, we've got the vast expanse of the siberian tundra, and we've got timberwolves running all over.
Ron: Okay.
Ron: Timberwolves have different.
Laura: I love those wolves with the really flat faces.
Laura: You know, the ones that, like, the tibetan ones.
Laura: Yeah, tibetan mountain foxes.
Ron: We'll say.
Ron: Tibetan mountain foxes in Tibet.
Laura: That's so cool.
Laura: They've got really, like, a doop doop doop doop doop faces.
Ron: I love animals where you see them and then clearly, like, they've kind of affected the culture of a place and stuff because they're the ones that are kicking around.
Ron: And then, like, those wolves just kind of look tibetan, you know?
Laura: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Laura: They're so cartoony.
Laura: They would hang out with horseshoe magnets.
Ron: They really look like that fox that Johnny cash plays in the Simpsons.
Laura: I don't know that bit.
Ron: Anyway, so, yeah, we've got tibetan foxes all over Tibet.
Ron: And let's.
Ron: I don't know this for a fact, but let's imagine that they've got different territories, so they don't tend to stray.
Ron: One of the fox's territories, let's say it has an abundance of, like, rabbits or something in it.
Ron: And the other one is a bit lean.
Ron: Lean?
Ron: Lean.
Ron: At the dragon household there.
Ron: What variation would that breed in those creatures?
Laura: So the one that had surplus of food could have larger packs or family groups.
Laura: So could have a different method of seeking prey and hiding from predators because they can have lookouts and stuff and hunting packs, whereas in a leaner place, you might have to have smaller family groups and solo hunting and stuff.
Ron: You see there how you've instantly brought it back to learning and their techniques and their family groups and stuff.
Laura: I didn't say they'd learn it.
Laura: It's just like, when you've got more food, you have more babies.
Ron: Yeah, no, but no, you said they'd have different techniques for hunting, which they'd have to learn.
Ron: I'm not attacking you with this.
Ron: I genuinely find that really interesting because what I was getting at is, like, the ones in the place where there's loads of rabbits, they can be bigger and healthier and maybe have, like, yeah, like, bigger litters of children and stuff.
Ron: And, like, you know, if you have an abundance of food, then you can have selection for bigger litters because then, you know, you have enough food to feed them all, whereas where there's less, you're gonna be smaller and scrawny, and maybe you're gonna have selection, like bringing down weight sizes, because you don't have enough food to support them.
Ron: Smaller litters and stuff.
Ron: Hmm.
Laura: I think because we were talking about nurture, I was thinking about behavior more than physical stuff, but, I mean.
Ron: Yeah, behavior is a very interesting discussion in variation.
Ron: It's like we were talking about with killer whales and the variation in their techniques.
Laura: Oh, my God.
Laura: Yeah, yeah.
Ron: So we can have the genes affecting.
Laura: Were you there the other day?
Laura: Was it at the funeral week, or was it just when mum and dad were here?
Laura: But we were watching this thing called secrets of the whales on Disney, and there was a really interesting bit.
Laura: This is a total tangent just because you said Wales, but there was a really interesting bit where some belugas adopted a narwhal, and this narwhal had become separated from all of its other narwhals and would have died alone because they're not solitary animals, but then spent more than a season with this pod of belugas and just sort of became an honorary beluga.
Laura: And it was like this amazing thing that they'd barely seen in the wild before of a different whale species just going like, ah, close enough.
Laura: Come on in.
Ron: That is awesome.
Ron: But I guess.
Ron: I guess it's, like, means to an end, right?
Ron: Safety in numbers doesn't really matter necessarily, who those numbers are, like.
Laura: And that one's got sticks.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: Maybe they just thought it was a cool beluga.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: That is interesting.
Laura: I've seen a thing before about some killer whales in the norwegian fjords and these two different pods alternating care of a whale that had a spinal deformity and so couldn't hunt, and they would.
Laura: That whale would switch its time between the two pods because, like, to alleviate the pressure of caring for something that couldn't help the pod.
Laura: And that was the first time they'd seen, like, an animal species purposefully take care of something that couldn't contribute in inverted commas to the like.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Good of the pod.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Which was kind of incredible to see.
Ron: Love whales.
Laura: Yeah, it's on my.
Laura: It's on my bucket list to see killer whales in the wild.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: So we've got jeans.
Ron: They obviously affect stuff, and then we've got the conditions that you develop in that's, you know, maybe I'll be taller or, you know.
Ron: And it will affect me in different ways, depending on different things.
Ron: These people outside my house.
Ron: Hang on.
Laura: Who were those people, Ron?
Ron: So it was an Amazon delivery at my house.
Ron: Not something I bought.
Ron: I don't shop there.
Laura: Oh, you should.
Laura: It's really convenient and cheap.
Ron: Oh, yes, but I like things to be faffy and expensive.
Ron: But next door was also getting its windows cleaned, so it looked like loads of people outside my house when it actually was one.
Ron: And then people outside next door.
Ron: Anywho, so we've got genes.
Ron: Genes obviously, affecting the variation in a population.
Ron: Then we've got the conditions that each individual is subjected to affecting the population as well.
Ron: Can you think of another way that we can get some variation into this population?
Ron: Do you remember the conversation we had in one of the live shows about dutch hunger?
Laura: Was it a real live show or the Leicester one?
Ron: It was, yeah, it was the one at cheerful ear for.
Laura: No, I don't remember it.
Ron: What's a way that we can affect which genes we're sort of expressing and stuff, but without changing the code in there?
Ron: Epigenetics.
Laura: I love the word epigenetics.
Ron: So basically, what does it mean?
Ron: So it comes from the greek epi, which means outside, like the epicenter of something.
Ron: And it basically means outside genetics.
Ron: So it is, you know, you've got.
Ron: We described it as genes being recipes for stuff.
Ron: And then at the beginning you have that sort of blog that kind of advertises what's in the recipe.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: So epigenetics is mainly sort of concerned with that portion of it.
Ron: You can basically apply sort of tags to it and stuff.
Ron: And it basically says, don't make this, we don't actually need this.
Ron: But you're not getting rid of the gene.
Laura: Oh, yeah, yeah.
Ron: Because mutation and changing your genes there takes a really long time.
Ron: But epigenetics can have large changes over a course of time, over a shorter period of time.
Ron: It's also like how you.
Ron: How a lot of it's involved a lot in sort of cell differentiation.
Ron: So, you know, the genes that you need in a liver cell will be turned on via epigenetics and the ones that you don't will be turned off and vice versa in different cells.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Yes.
Ron: Environment.
Laura: So the tags bit was real.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: I'm so blurry now as to what was lesser and what was the other ones.
Laura: You've really f***** yourself with this, Ron.
Ron: Yeah, that's fine.
Laura: I can't believe you made something good and that I was into one of the trickos.
Laura: In fact, it's the second time you've done it with biology.
Laura: And I hate you for that so much.
Ron: Well, because if I, it wouldn't be fun with any of the other ones, would it?
Laura: It's not fun if you don't know what we're talking about.
Laura: Get on the patreon and listen to the Lester live show.
Ron: But basically, the conditions that you're under can affect your, the genes that you're expressing.
Ron: So, yeah, it's essentially, epigenetics can cause a lot of variation.
Ron: So the, the dutch hunger example is that there was a famine in the Netherlands, I think, in like, the forties or something, and the babies, women that were pregnant didn't get a lot of food.
Ron: And then the babies that they had would, like, just absolute chunkers would just like, pack on the weight because of something that happened to them when they were in the womb, and then they were sort of, like, affected by that their whole life.
Ron: But, you know, you could have a creature that was, you know, is colder, and then epigenetics turns on the genes that makes it have a fluffier coat or something like that.
Laura: Okay, so the notes I've made here, just to summarize this, this is the simplifying, but epigenetics is like, your conditions can sort of do a faster override of your genes than breeding different genes in there.
Laura: Epigenetics is the do or don't tag.
Ron: Yeah, exactly.
Laura: Cool.
Ron: So, like, you know how everyone in our family tans really well?
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: Like, except older sister's face.
Ron: But, like, we, we've got south african people in our, in our family tree.
Ron: Like, epigenetics can change things on a very quick scale like that.
Ron: So they lived in a hot country for a bit, and you'd learn how to tan well, because all you have to do, really, is turn on the sort of the genes that go make melanin, and then you can do it really quickly.
Laura: Okay.
Ron: Stuff like that.
Laura: So, child of the podcast could be really funny because she's in a household with lots of people putting in her sides and stuff, so she'll turn on the.
Laura: Hey, do a quick comeback.
Ron: The funny jeans.
Ron: Yeah, maybe.
Laura: I love it.
Ron: Right, where do we get to.
Ron: Does every mutation lead to variation Laura?
Laura: No.
Laura: Some of them would lead to death.
Ron: Or.
Laura: What do you mean?
Ron: Are there any other options?
Ron: You change or you die?
Laura: Oh, no.
Laura: Some of them might just not get passed on.
Laura: Like, one person might mutate a bit, but it wouldn't really go into the population because population is a bell curve.
Laura: Evolution is a bell curve.
Ron: But even if everyone had a baby, what?
Ron: Even if everyone had, you know, everyone.
Laura: Passed on, their genetic information still could be recessive.
Ron: Does every mutation.
Laura: Are you tapping your microphone?
Ron: Yes, I'm playing with the wire.
Laura: Stop it.
Laura: Shut up, dad.
Ron: Does every mutation lead to a change you could notice or measure?
Laura: No.
Ron: Why not?
Laura: Well, because I might just be like slightly better at processing alcohol in my liver and it's barely noticeable, but it's a little bit.
Laura: But it might mean, oh, I don't get cirrhosis, but it's not going to be something we comment on.
Ron: So no, the answer is no, but not because of a decreased chance of cirrhosis.
Ron: So we wouldn't notice it because most of your genome doesn't do anything, remember?
Laura: Oh, yeah.
Laura: It could just be a mutation in one of the bits that we're not using.
Ron: The vast majority of them are, yeah.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: So it sums it up quite nicely, actually.
Ron: In the syllabus here it says very rarely a mutation will lead to a new phenotype if the phenotype is suited to an environment.
Ron: No, that's not the bit I wanted.
Ron: All variants that arise from mutations, most have no effect on the phenotype.
Ron: Some influence phenotype, very few determine phenotype.
Laura: What's phenotype?
Ron: Like we're brown hair phenotype.
Laura: Oh, yeah.
Laura: Okay.
Laura: Yeah, there's too many words in this.
Ron: All good on all that stuff?
Laura: Yeah, I think so.
Laura: I like this stuff.
Ron: Yeah, I like.
Laura: Biology's in a good place at the moment also.
Ron: I care about it and I can explain it nicely.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: And I just understand it naturally.
Ron: No, not naturally.
Ron: Through hard work.
Ron: You've done well.
Laura: Thanks, Ron.
Ron: Four, six.
Ron: 2.2.
Laura: Laura, have you been working with a therapist on like praising people or something lately?
Ron: No, I just.
Ron: You know how like when I say we're in a space of bad episodes or something so people know I'm being genuine when it's.
Ron: It's like a good episode.
Ron: I feel like I need to praise you when you're doing well, so you know that I'm being genuine when I say you're being dog s***.
Laura: Okay, cool.
Ron: 4.62.2.
Ron: Laura.
Ron: Evolution.
Laura: The theory of evolution.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: Where did life come from, Laura?
Laura: God.
Ron: Before that.
Laura: There was nothing before that.
Laura: See, now he's killing you for your skepticism.
Ron: Sorry.
Ron: God.
Laura: So, like, right back in the back is energy from the big bang, isn't it?
Laura: And then let's go from the start of life.
Laura: So you have oxygen levels?
Laura: No, you have light energy.
Laura: Making algae.
Laura: Algae was the first thing.
Ron: It's not true.
Laura: I thought it was.
Ron: Where did you get that from?
Laura: I can't remember now.
Laura: I thought it was you.
Ron: But, no, no, I wouldn't have told you that unless it was in or around April.
Laura: I thought algae was first.
Ron: No.
Laura: Hmm.
Laura: Well, some cells splitting off and becoming no single celled organism first.
Ron: But where did the single celled organism come from?
Laura: Oh, I don't know, mate.
Ron: No, nobody does.
Ron: We don't really know how life started, but it would have been basically just simple molecules that replicate themselves, and then those can evolve over time.
Ron: Polymers.
Ron: Do you know how long life's been a thing?
Laura: Billions and trillions of years.
Ron: Not trillions.
Laura: Oh, just billions.
Ron: Just billions?
Ron: Yeah, three.
Ron: About three over 3 billion years.
Laura: I don't think we can know that.
Ron: Why do you not think we can know that?
Laura: I don't really understand all this aging things.
Ron: Why is that?
Laura: How can we know?
Ron: Science.
Laura: But what do you mean by that?
Ron: So, fossil record.
Ron: We can learn.
Laura: Yeah, but how do you know from the fossil how old is.
Laura: So, like I said, I'm looking at a fossil.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: And then what am I doing?
Laura: I'm carbon dating.
Laura: Is that what it is?
Ron: Carbon dating is a big part of it.
Ron: We know how.
Ron: Wait, wait, wait.
Ron: We know where things are because of, like, the strata of which they've been buried, like, the minerals and stuff around them.
Laura: Okay, but then how do we know that those minerals were there from that long ago?
Ron: Because we understand a lot about how the geology and geography of the world has changed over the years.
Laura: But how do we know when those changes took place?
Laura: Like, the first thing that we're measuring all these times against and using as a marker, how do we know when that was?
Ron: I imagine carbon dating.
Ron: And, like, there are laws to these things in terms of, like, how rocks change and degrade and move.
Ron: We know how the rate at which things happen.
Ron: So you can extrapolate it back.
Ron: And carbon dating and other radioactive things like that are really quite rock solid in terms of how they work.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Because that's radioactivity, which isn't affected by outside conditions.
Laura: Okay.
Ron: How.
Ron: What can you tell me about speciation, Laura?
Ron: How does something become a new species?
Ron: And when do we know when it's a new species?
Laura: I guess it would become a different species via the population sort of slowly isolating itself.
Laura: So you've got, like, one troop of apes or whatever, and then they become increasingly isolated into two groups, and the variations develop.
Laura: How do we know?
Laura: I guess it's from looking at the genetics and seeing, like, a distinct marker that exists in one and not the other that differentiates them.
Ron: So, yeah.
Ron: So on the first point, you're there and that is a way, like, separating populations is a surefire way to get speciation.
Ron: If we split up a population and dump half of them on an island and half of them on the mainland, eventually, just because they cannot intermix, they will become different species.
Ron: You think about the ocean.
Ron: It's quite hard to split things up in the ocean, but.
Ron: And yet we have millions of different species in there.
Ron: Can you think how that would come apart?
Laura: Specialisms in feeding or surviving in specific ways.
Ron: Yep.
Ron: Take it further.
Laura: So, like, I don't know, you're really good at hiding in a coral reef, and you become smaller and smaller and smaller because that becomes your main escape.
Laura: So the ones of you that are particularly good at that become the leading breeders because you've survived so well and you get smaller and smaller where the ones that were better at biting things become sharks.
Ron: Exactly.
Ron: Yeah, 100%.
Ron: We actually.
Ron: So this is.
Ron: There are different definitions of a species, and, like, we learned when we were at Twycross Zoo, you know, they've just reclassified bonobos as their own species rather than being pygmy chimpanzees and stuff.
Ron: Like, it's not always clear, but the definition that gets given a lot is basically when they can no longer have a viable offspring together, they're not the same species.
Laura: Right.
Ron: Viable, meaning fertile.
Ron: So obviously, like, a lion and a tiger can have a baby, and that's a liger.
Ron: But ligers are infertile.
Ron: Same with.
Ron: Same with mules.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Why does that happen then?
Laura: Why do they become infertile?
Ron: I actually don't know.
Laura: So, in theory, and this is kind of a gross question, but purely scientifically, in theory, could, like, a cat get pregnant with a dog's baby, or would the embryo just not be able to develop?
Ron: Yeah, they're way too far apart.
Laura: Okay.
Ron: You have to be quite bloody closely related to get even that far.
Laura: Right.
Laura: And.
Laura: But not because the gametes wouldn't fertilize each other, but because the embryo wouldn't survive.
Ron: I.
Laura: Or would they not even know how to fertilize?
Ron: Yeah, I'd be surprised if they even got that far.
Laura: Could different species of, say, mice interbreed with each other?
Ron: Depends on when they split off from each other, but.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Right.
Laura: Because lions and tigers are fairly far from each other, aren't they?
Ron: Let's find out.
Ron: When did lion and lions and tigers split?
Laura: But, I mean, like, in terms of their development, they seem very different.
Ron: Yeah, but if you think lots of that is quite fe, you know, it's quite just outside stuff, isn't it?
Ron: Like, they're basically just different colors and one's stripey and they, you know, one's in groups and one's not.
Ron: There's not that much actually different between them.
Ron: 6.4 million years ago.
Ron: So lions and tigers actually split less, closer ago than we did from chimps.
Laura: So we could breed with a chimp.
Ron: No.
Ron: Cause we.
Ron: Well, I don't know if anyone's tried and I pray for them not to, but we.
Ron: No, we were longer ago than that.
Laura: Oh, sorry.
Ron: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we were longer ago than that.
Ron: I mean, you know, there's other different things that, like, there's other different, like, things with it than just how long?
Ron: Because also we've got really long gestation periods, so you have to hold the features for a long time.
Ron: But it's not just that.
Ron: That is the test that we've come up with.
Ron: Like, you do a squeaky pot for hydrogen.
Ron: If you think two creatures that can't have a fertile child physically cannot be a population, so they can't be a creature because they could.
Ron: They'd just.
Ron: They'd f*** a lot and then they'd have loads of kids and then those kids, I guess, would f***, but then those kids would all.
Ron: That would be the last generation because they couldn't have more children.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: So it just doesn't work when that can't happen anymore.
Ron: How long have you been recording?
Laura: 40 minutes.
Ron: Perfect.
Ron: Well, we shan't move on to four.
Ron: 6.2.3 selective breeding.
Ron: Then we will save that for next time on Bobby.
Laura: Saving you, Yannicks for next time.
Laura: I loved this, Ron.
Ron: Yeah, that was fun, wasn't it?
Laura: Yeah, I love this subject.
Laura: This is fun.
Ron: Yeah, I love it, too.
Ron: It's just.
Ron: Let's.
Ron: Let's make sure we're monetizing conversations we're having.
Laura: Okay.
Laura: Recording.
Ron: What should we do for the eggathon this year, Laura?
Laura: Oh, how about not an eggathon?
Ron: No, we have to egg a thon.
Laura: Do we have to?
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Um.
Laura: Okay, what should we do for the egg a thon?
Laura: How about we could do a year in review of our personal lives?
Ron: When do we eat the eggs?
Laura: Every time something s***** happens?
Laura: No, it's been a tough year.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: It's not been great, has it?
Laura: Eggathon, what we did last year, we did, like, a quiz, didn't we, about ourselves.
Laura: What about?
Laura: So we could pick some of the stuff we've done from the Patreon and quiz each other on that?
Laura: Like, we listed our favorite board games and we did Bob Dylan and cricket and stuff that we're each into.
Laura: We could quiz each other on the Patreon content.
Ron: Oh, I know.
Laura: You have to sing a song whilst eating an egg and the other one has to guess it.
Ron: Let's do that too.
Ron: But what about, like, what about because you were a mastermind this year?
Ron: What about if we did like a mastermind thing?
Ron: So we get some general, some Jenny knowledge questions, but then we have specialist questions as well.
Ron: And then eggs.
Laura: So exactly what we did last year.
Laura: What?
Ron: No, because that was about us and stuff.
Laura: Oh.
Laura: What?
Laura: So we each.
Laura: So we write each other a general knowledge quiz and then a specialist subject?
Ron: Yeah, we do master.
Laura: Get it wrong, you eat an egg.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: All right.
Laura: Okay.
Ron: Yeah, we could do that.
Ron: Huh?
Laura: I mean, yeah, I would like to get them all right, though.
Laura: I really don't want to eat a lot of it.
Ron: What's your specialist subject can be.
Laura: What do I know loads about?
Ron: Do something that we did on the Patreon to link about to that so we can get people to pay for it.
Laura: Well, the eggathons on Patreon anyway.
Ron: Oh, yeah.
Laura: I'll have a think.
Ron: Okay.
Ron: I have a think, too.
Laura: All right.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Do me a quiz for episode 95.
Ron: Sure.
Ron: 95.
Ron: The year I was born.
Laura: Is it?
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: 1995.
Ron: I was born.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: You are young.
Ron: Not anymore.
Ron: Not anymore.
Ron: Been running.
Ron: Been doing a bit of running.
Laura: And you're a manager.
Laura: You're a mister manager.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: I'm a middle manager at a software company that feels quite old.
Ron: And I've been running because I'm a tubby boy.
Ron: Tubbier than I'd like.
Ron: Oh.
Ron: So I run.
Ron: I run to fight the tub and.
Ron: And my knees hurt.
Laura: Now, it's not actually episode 96.
Laura: 95.
Ron: Run.
Laura: It's 96.
Ron: Oh.
Laura: Because the special wasn't in there.
Laura: Whoops.
Laura: So just discount all of that stuff about Ron.
Laura: Yeah, don't worry about him.
Ron: We could talk about Max or.
Ron: No.
Laura: Why are you stalling?
Ron: I don't want to record this episode after the quiz.
Laura: It'll be fun.
Laura: Ron making this quiz bad is not helping the fact that episode 95 is also going to be weird.
Ron: How am I making this quiz bad?
Laura: Because you're just banging on about your knees and literally no one cares.
Laura: Most of our listeners are older than you and therefore have more painful knees than yours, so just shut up.
Ron: What are we gonna call the episode that we just did?
Laura: The intro's outros for life's hard for the slacks.
Ron: That's a good bit.
Laura: We could call it homemade pun for my w*** last night, but I don't know if I want those clicks from people that find the podcast.
Ron: No, life's hard for the slacks.
Laura: You didn't even put that as a title option.
Laura: I added that when I was listening back today.
Laura: Did you?
Laura: Can't believe you missed it.
Laura: It was one of your best ever sentences.
Ron: Ah, nice.
Ron: Um.
Ron: Life's hard for the slacks.
Ron: Yeah, it's gotta be that.
Ron: All right, Laura, give three categories of the reasons.
Ron: What?
Ron: That give rise to variation.
Laura: Say that again, Ron.
Ron: Give three categories of things that give rise to variation.
Laura: This is the worst question you've ever asked.
Laura: This is the lowest input energy you've ever done.
Ron: No, I'm peaking so much, man, you're peeing.
Laura: Oh, he's a peeper.
Laura: Environment.
Laura: Genetics.
Ron: Yep.
Laura: And nurture by other things.
Ron: Try again with the last one.
Laura: Learning.
Ron: No, no, no.
Ron: A combination of the environment and your genetics.
Laura: Oh, well, then that's.
Laura: That's tricko question, isn't it?
Laura: Because there's not three, there's two.
Ron: No, there's your genetics, there's the environment, and then there's a combination of genetics and environment.
Laura: Ah, fine.
Laura: That feels cheeky, though.
Ron: We did talk about that in bulk.
Laura: Probably, and I probably thought, that's stupid, and dismissed.
Ron: Laura?
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Give me at least two reasons why not all mutations lead to variations.
Laura: Because it might be in one of the non flagged bits of the genetic code.
Laura: So like a bit that change used.
Ron: Okay.
Laura: Yeah, they have the little tags on them to say whether it gets used or not.
Ron: Oh, no, that's wrong.
Laura: I thought.
Laura: I thought you had loads of DNA, but hardly any of it was, like used.
Ron: Yeah, it's not about the tags.
Laura: It was that part of the tricko?
Ron: No, that was.
Ron: No, tags is real business.
Laura: See what the trick is?
Laura: Do to my brain.
Laura: Yeah, I hate you.
Laura: But, um.
Laura: So could be that, or could be.
Ron: No, it's not that, though.
Ron: It's not about the tags.
Laura: No, it's part.
Laura: It's a bit of DNA that there's a mutation, but it's in a bit of DNA that's not dominant, so it's not being used anyway.
Ron: It's not about dominance, but it's about it not being used.
Laura: All right.
Laura: It's not.
Ron: It's just a non coding DNA.
Laura: F*** sake.
Laura: Yeah, that's basically what I've said, isn't it?
Ron: No, bit you're doing.
Ron: It's kind of funny because as we're like, approaching two years of this podcast, you've started doing this thing where like you're just saying things, but you have learned quite a lot.
Ron: So you're sort of saying things.
Ron: Let me f****** finish.
Ron: So like you're just kind of saying things, but like you're.
Ron: But you're doing that within like an actual answer that you're giving.
Ron: So like you're right is like about is when it's a mutation in non coding, but then you just throw it in like the tags and dominant.
Ron: It's interesting.
Laura: And I'm still burping.
Laura: So the other reason would be the thing mutates.
Laura: What was the question?
Ron: Two reasons why not all mutations lead to variations.
Laura: Variations in an individual or a species.
Ron: Species population.
Ron: So you got one.
Ron: It's in non coding DNA.
Laura: It might be recessive so it won't get passed into the gene pool in a happening way.
Ron: But what if to what if one.
Laura: Of your ancestors just die?
Laura: Maybe the mutation killed them.
Ron: That would be a variation though, because I don't vary.
Ron: You give it up.
Ron: Yeah, do all with the codes that make that code for the amino acids.
Ron: Is there just one for each?
Ron: For each amino acid?
Laura: I don't know.
Ron: Do you remember the codons?
Ron: The triplets of the ga c t stuff?
Laura: No.
Ron: Oh, you're in a bit of a mood, aren't you?
Laura: I'm not in a bit of a mood, but I don't remember talking about that in this lesson.
Ron: No, we didn't.
Laura: Well then don't ask me questions.
Ron: No, we did this in the comedy festival live show.
Ron: The.
Ron: No, not the comedy festival one, the podcast festival live show.
Laura: Well, like seven months ago.
Ron: Yeah, in September.
Ron: Longer than seven months now.
Laura: And you just wanted me to have that today?
Ron: Just.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: How low are your expectations, Ron?
Ron: It's because like one of the.
Ron: What?
Ron: Like, you know, sometimes like an amino acid, GGG, but also like GGC might both code for them.
Laura: GGC.
Ron: And so that mutation wouldn't lead to any variation because it's leading to the same amino acids, you see.
Laura: Sure.
Laura: This quiz is ripe with dissatisfaction though.
Ron: Yeah, cuz you're in a mood.
Laura: No, you've done two for two questions that were un pharos.
Ron: How?
Ron: Why what?
Ron: I don't understand.
Ron: Please describe how speciation occurs.
Laura: What is speciation?
Laura: You tell me what it is, I tell you how it happens.
Laura: How about that for a plan?
Laura: Speciation and celebration.
Laura: I want the world to know my codons are alleles.
Ron: See, this is you just saying stuff.
Laura: Yeah, that was because that was a bit.
Ron: What do you think speciation is?
Laura: I don't know.
Ron: Is any part of that word that you might want to look in.
Laura: Making a species.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: What?
Ron: What do you want out of this podcast?
Laura: Money.
Ron: How much money?
Laura: Thousands and thousands of pounds.
Ron: Now, what's your goal like, when would you be happy?
Laura: I just want to hang out with you, Ron.
Laura: You won't hang out with me unless it's for this.
Ron: That's not true.
Ron: We hang out all the time because of this.
Ron: I saw you.
Ron: I saw you on Tuesday.
Ron: Yeah, yeah, yeah, because you needed a favor.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: And I was there.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: See, if it's not me begging, it doesn't happen.
Ron: But, um.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: What do you want out of this, Laura?
Laura: What do you mean?
Ron: Yeah, like, when would you consider this a success?
Laura: Now.
Ron: But what's, like, the next goal?
Laura: I don't have a next goal.
Laura: You can't.
Laura: I don't have goals for things that are outside of my control.
Laura: My goal for this is to keep making it.
Ron: No, Laura, I'm coaching you right now.
Laura: Okay?
Ron: Keep making it.
Ron: For how long?
Laura: Until I don't want to do it anymore because it doesn't bring me any joy.
Ron: Okay, now, what's your reality right now?
Ron: Where are you still getting joy of it?
Ron: How many episodes have we made?
Laura: We've made a 95 and a half episodes.
Laura: And, well, plus all the Patreon stuff, too.
Ron: And the live shows.
Laura: We done 21.
Laura: We've made like 108 episodes.
Ron: That's pretty cool.
Ron: So what are they having?
Laura: A lovely time.
Ron: What are the different options, Laura, to get from where we are now to your goal?
Laura: I don't have a goal.
Ron: No, you did.
Laura: I don't.
Laura: Why are we doing this weird pep talk?
Ron: No, I'm coaching you.
Ron: I'm using the grow method.
Ron: So we've identified your goal and then we talked about the reality.
Laura: When you've done training courses in the week and you try and business me.
Ron: No, then we.
Ron: Then we've talked about your reality, and now we're talking about options, and then we'll talk about the w afterwards.
Ron: Okay, so what are the different options?
Ron: How can we get from where you are now to your goal?
Laura: We just keep making it.
Ron: All right.
Ron: Okay, now the w stands for Will.
Ron: Do you want to keep doing that?
Ron: Are you going to keep doing it?
Laura: Yep.
Ron: All right.
Ron: You've been motivated.
Laura: I was already motivated.
Laura: I've made loads of spreadsheets.
Ron: No, I've coached you there.
Laura: Oh, thanks.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Feels so motivated now.
Ron: Yeah, my new coach has coached me and now I've coached you.
Laura: Wicked.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: So how does speciation occur?
Laura: So if it's like, how does a species develop?
Laura: It's like you get mutations in the gene pool that slowly start to make certain groups of animals change and develop differently to a sort of another set of what was the same species but have like mutated in another way.
Laura: And so they get specializations and slight changes that can be behavioral or physical.
Laura: And they, over time, the genetics, they stop interbreeding with each other and sort of only breed with the ones that have got their own specializations.
Laura: And so those specializations make up a different set of genetics to the point where there are different species.
Ron: Gonna give you three out of seven for that.
Laura: Harsh.
Laura: You didn't, you just did is just ended.
Ron: Let's go through it again.
Ron: So do you have a goal now?
Ron: Is it getting that question right?
Laura: No, because I think I did really.
Ron: No, you didn't.
Ron: You didn't talk about selective pressures at all.
Laura: Well, you didn't ask me about.
Ron: I did because selective pressures is quite important when it comes to speciation.
Laura: Well, I just said what happened.
Laura: I didn't say why it happened.
Ron: But.
Ron: Yeah, but it's not right without that bit you said.
Ron: Didn't talk about like populations getting separated from each other.
Laura: Yes, I did.
Ron: No, you didn't.
Laura: I did.
Ron: No, you didn't.
Laura: I said they stopped breeding with each other.
Ron: Yeah, but why?
Ron: Sometimes they're like in different places.
Laura: Yeah, yeah.
Ron: So you have like a load of dogs on one boat and a load of different dogs.
Ron: Different boat.
Ron: Eventually.
Laura: Dogs can swim.
Laura: F***.
Laura: If they really.
Ron: Not in acid, they'd acid.
Laura: They would develop skin that could cope with the acid if they eventually.
Ron: But they'd be different species by then.
Ron: That's the end of the quiz.
Laura: You're rude today.
Laura: Well, I hated it.
Laura: Hey, Ron, you know the word unwieldy?
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: Do you know that that must mean that weildy means something's just easy to handle.
Laura: Like it's, well, wieldy.
Laura: And that comes wielding a sword, you know, to wield.
Laura: He wielded that mace.
Laura: And so now I've got like an image of like knights of the Round Table, like looking at a new sword and going, mate, that is well wieldy.
Laura: That is wieldy as f***.
Laura: You can wield the f*** that is wieldy.
Laura: Isn't that fun?
Ron: That's a fun image.
Ron: At the end of that path, we all.
Laura: It just doesn't sound like a word, does it?
Laura: It's one of those words where we've stopped using the opposite.
Ron: Ruthful.
Laura: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Laura: We've just stopped using it.
Laura: We should get Susie Dent on the podcast?
Ron: Ooh, yeah.
Laura: Would you?
Laura: Was that a bit of a sexy ooh, do you love Susie dent?
Ron: I think she's quite pretty.
Ron: But no, it wasn't a sexy ooh.
Ron: No.
Ron: I want to check if she's good mates with Rachel Riley before we do that.
Ron: Yes, because she can f*** off.
Laura: Yes.
Laura: She did not have an appropriate response, in my opinion, to the horrific attack in Australia this weekend.
Ron: She's been having inappropriate responses to things for the last five years.
Laura: I don't know.
Laura: Yeah, I probably agree with you.
Laura: I don't know.
Laura: Has anybody got a vegan yogurt suggestion?
Ron: I like the Alpro one.
Laura: Not you, though.
Laura: Rachel Riley.
Laura: But listen.
Laura: No, but Ron, you can't recommend one because as we discussed in the episode, we're looking for different things in here.
Laura: I want the tang.
Ron: Well, you like the tang.
Laura: Yeah, I want some tang.
Laura: I want some yogurty tang.
Ron: Oh, stocks update.
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Where's my phone?
Laura: Oh, and what did I think of?
Ron: I'm looking at you on my phone.
Laura: Uh, do not do that again.
Laura: I've edited it out so that you don't have to listen to it, um, listeners.
Laura: But Ron just made an absolutely revolting nostril noise.
Ron: Right.
Ron: The stonks are going bad beyond.
Ron: Meat down 16%.
Ron: Ecosynthetics down 6%.
Laura: Else nutrition this week I bought Linda McCartney and unbeliever.
Laura: Meat.
Ron: Else nutrition down 25%.
Ron: 1st solar up 15%.
Laura: The sun came out this weekend.
Laura: Yeah, it's gonna rain.
Ron: Fusion fuel green down 15%.
Ron: UK wind down 1.6%.
Ron: Next year, energy up 7%.
Ron: A total loss of ATP.
Laura: Jesus Christ.
Laura: Do you need to move back in with me?
Ron: No, but if you could lend me ATP.
Laura: I can, Ron.
Laura: It's the powerhouse of the cell.
Ron: So close.
Ron: It's the energy currency.
Ron: Yeah.
Laura: What are the odds that it's ATP?
Laura: You're down.
Ron: I know.
Laura: Ron, I wanted in place of.
Laura: I thought you probably hadn't got new scientist off nowhere and prepared a segment.
Laura: Right.
Laura: I wanted to ask you a question about a thing that frightened me on the Internet this week.
Ron: Sure.
Laura: The price of olive oil going up.
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: And that's because crops are failing in Greece because of difficulties weather.
Laura: So, like, we've been talking about how positive climate stuff is and changes and things, but how delicate is our food ecosystem?
Ron: Different bits of it are more delicate than others.
Ron: Think about a country like Greece where it's very dry and arid is, you know, a heat wave can, can upset that easier than other large swathes of it.
Ron: Also like, you know, olives grow on trees.
Ron: I imagine they're harder to handle.
Ron: I don't think we're on the verge of eat food system collapse.
Ron: Like, we produce so much food on this planet, we produce enough food for every single person to get 5000 calories a day.
Laura: I'm only allowed 1500.
Ron: Yeah, yeah.
Ron: And some people get far, far below that because of the inequality in the world, and that's not right.
Laura: Okay, thank you, Ron.
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: What we need to do, we do need to address our.
Ron: Our food systems.
Ron: There are several things we need to do.
Ron: People need to stop eating so much meat.
Ron: We need to stop growing crops to use them as biofuels.
Ron: That's not particularly healthy.
Ron: Like, there are things we can do, but we do need to do those.
Ron: But, yeah, I'm not worried.
Laura: Splendid.
Laura: Is there a register, Ron?
Ron: No, Ron.
Laura: Why?
Ron: I forgot again, Ron.
Ron: I'm well tied.
Ron: One star, one star.
Ron: Inconsistent segments.
Laura: Also, Ron, I think we're gonna put.
Ron: Off like, a wonky orange.
Laura: We're gonna put our first swear word in the title this week.
Ron: Are we?
Laura: Yeah.
Ron: Because you only think that's gonna bring the listeners back.
Laura: I don't care, actually.
Laura: I think.
Laura: I think I don't care.
Laura: I think I don't want this to be mainstream and popular.
Laura: I think I want it to just boil down to the dedicated.
Laura: And that's what I'm aiming for now.
Laura: Because I think you never pleased anybody by sitting on the fence, did you?
Laura: So I think let's just be our real, real selves now.
Laura: You only put two options in the thing for titles.
Ron: Yeah, I struggled with this one, man.
Laura: Five pence for the big man.
Laura: You offered and.
Laura: Sorry, God, now I have offered.
Laura: We never f****** invited you to brunch.
Laura: Which I think should be the title distractor.
Laura: Rooney'd.
Laura: Doop, doop, doop, doop doop faces.
Laura: Was it a real live show or a Leicester one?
Laura: Really good at hiding in a coral reef.
Laura: We have to egg a thon.
Laura: Lower your expectations.
Laura: You've been motivated.
Laura: A load of dogs on one boat.
Laura: Or dogs can swim, f*** head.
Ron: Are we doing these as part of the episode now?
Laura: No, I was just reading them to you this time.
Laura: Because I really want to call the episode we never f****** invited you to brunch.
Ron: Yeah, I'm happy to call it that.
Laura: Cool.
Ron: We could start doing this as part.
Laura: Of the episode we used to.
Ron: Did we?
Laura: Yeah.
Laura: But then you never wanted to do any social media work and I'm exhausted.
Laura: So I started using them as easy social media posts.
Laura: But if you want to record some more facts with Ron's videos, then.
Ron: Hey, I tried to start doing social media.
Ron: I was gonna do one post on Instagram a day.
Ron: It lasted two days.
Laura: Hey, that is longer than some of your segments.
Ron: One star episode dismissed.
Ron: Class dismissed.
