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Oct 13 2015

How Vestigial Organs Work

44 min 8 movies discussed
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Darwin asserted that seemingly useless organs and behaviors are left over from our evolutionary history. But as more are found to have a function, the idea has become a flashpoint for the battle between science and religion.

AI Summary

In this Stuff You Should Know episode, Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating world of vestigial organs - those mysterious body parts we still carry around even though they no longer serve their original evolutionary purpose. They explore everything from wisdom teeth and goosebumps to appendixes and that weird little grasp reflex babies have, while also touching on how these leftover traits became a surprising battleground between creationists and scientists. It's a fun journey through human biology that'll have you looking at your own body parts in a whole new way.


Movies Discussed

CHiPs
CHiPs
1977
★ 6.8
"I worked a job, a commercial job with punch from Gyps once — Chuck mentions working on a commercial with Erik Estrada, who played Ponch on the TV show CHiPs." — Chuck
Fresh Air
Fresh Air
1921 22m
★ 0.0
"I think it was on Fresh Air — Josh references hearing an interview about dolphin research on this NPR radio show." — Josh
Hey Dude
Hey Dude
1989
★ 6.8
"stars of the cult classic show, Hey Dude — Referenced in an ad for a podcast about 90s nostalgia hosted by former stars of the show."
Nashville
Nashville
2012
★ 6.6
"I'll watch Nashville. Actually, that's not true — Chuck discusses his wife's TV viewing preferences and admits he doesn't really watch Nashville." — Chuck
Poltergeist
Poltergeist
1982 1h 54m
★ 7.2
"and the dial-up sound like poltergeist — Used as a comparison to describe the sound of AOL dial-up internet in the 90s."
Pontypool
Pontypool
2009 1h 36m
★ 6.5
"But I saw a Pawnee pool on the Grabster's recommendation — Chuck mentions watching this horror movie on Netflix based on a recommendation." — Chuck
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
2009 1h 31m
★ 5.2
"if I were a mad scientist of the human centipede ilk — Josh uses the horror movie as a reference point for discussing what kind of mad scientist experiments he might conduct." — Josh
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
1970
★ 6.8
"Like Ruben Kincaid in the Partridge family — Referenced when discussing someone who could move their forehead muscles in an unusual way." — Chuck

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