If you could talk to an animal, what would you say? Well, we sat down for a beer with Professor Rob Magrath, who kinda actually can talk back to birds! Listen to find out more!

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed. 

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed.

Science stories for people who sit up the back of…

The Wholesome Show

If you could talk to an animal, what would you sa…

Can You Actually Kinda Speak Bird? A Beer With Ornithologist Professor Rob Magrath

Have you ever seen someone in public and you swear you know them from somewhere, you just can’t pick where? Are they an old school friend? The guy who delivers bread to your local cafe? You feel like you know them but it would probably be weird if you started a conversation. Well, that’s a glimpse into the life of a small percentage of the population who recognise with freakish accuracy every face they’ve ever seen. People with this extraordinary gift can find themselves in awkward social interactions due to their detailed memories of people they’ve actually never met. Yes, it can look a tad stalker-ish...



Yenny Seo is one of these unique people (not a stalker). From a young age, she demonstrated an uncanny ability to remember faces - strangers on the street she had seen weeks ago, extras in movies, every person in her university lectures and people in photos on her social media feed. She even caught a serial shoplifter by recognising his face on CCTV.



In 2017, Seo got curious about her skills and stumbled upon the University of New South Wales (UNSW) face test online quiz. Her exceptional performance put her in the top 0.05 per cent of all participants, confirming she was a Super Recogniser. That’s right. Yenny officially has superpowers. And she’s not alone either.



SOURCES:
The super-recognisers of Scotland Yard - New Statesman
‘I’d keep it on the down low’: the secret life of a super-recogniser | Science | The Guardian
Could super recognisers be the latest weapon in the war on terror? 2016 David James Robertson
Super-Recognisers in the Metropolitan Police
DJ Robertson et. al. February 2016 Face Recognition by Metropolitan Police Super-Recognisers PLOS ONE 11(2):e0150036 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0150036
What is it like to remember all the faces you’ve ever seen? | Psyche Ideas
QPS Super Recogniser Network helps crack 1,000 cases - Queensland Police News
It is widely believed that humans are rather good at recognising faces

Have you ever seen someone in public and you swear you know them from somewhere, you just can’t pick where? Are they an old school friend? The guy who delivers bread to your local cafe? You feel like you know them but it would probably be weird if you started a conversation. Well, that’s a glimpse into the life of a small percentage of the population who recognise with freakish accuracy every face they’ve ever seen. People with this extraordinary gift can find themselves in awkward social interactions due to their detailed memories of people they’ve actually never met. Yes, it can look a tad stalker-ish...
 
Yenny Seo is one of these unique people (not a stalker). From a young age, she demonstrated an uncanny ability to remember faces - strangers on the street she had seen weeks ago, extras in movies, every person in her university lectures and people in photos on her social media feed. She even caught a serial shoplifter by recognising his face on CCTV.
 
In 2017, Seo got curious about her skills and stumbled upon the University of New South Wales (UNSW) face test online quiz. Her exceptional performance put her in the top 0.05 per cent of all participants, confirming she was a Super Recogniser. That’s right. Yenny officially has superpowers. And she’s not alone either.
 
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2016/08/the-super-recognisers-of-scotland-yard">The super-recognisers of Scotland Yard - New Statesman</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/16/id-keep-it-on-the-down-low-the-secret-life-of-a-super-recogniser">‘I’d keep it on the down low’: the secret life of a super-recogniser | Science | The Guardian</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://theconversation.com/could-super-recognisers-be-the-latest-weapon-in-the-war-on-terror-56772">Could super recognisers be the latest weapon in the war on terror?</a> 2016 <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-james-robertson-163796">David James Robertson</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ifsecglobal.com/video-surveillance/super-recognisers-in-the-metropolitan-police/">Super-Recognisers in the Metropolitan Police</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">DJ Robertson et. al. February 2016 Face Recognition by Metropolitan Police Super-Recognisers PLOS ONE 11(2):e0150036 DOI:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0150036">10.1371/journal.pone.0150036</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://psyche.co/ideas/what-is-it-like-to-remember-all-the-faces-youve-ever-seen">What is it like to remember all the faces you’ve ever seen? | Psyche Ideas</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2023/03/01/qps-super-recogniser-network-helps-crack-1000-cases/">QPS Super Recogniser Network helps crack 1,000 cases - Queensland Police News</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/130/1/hancock-tics-2000.pdf">It is widely believed that humans are rather good at recognising faces</a></li>
</ul>

Super Recognisers: People with a mug memory like no other!

Over the millions of years of evolution, we humans have developed into a highly intelligent species. We’ve developed the ability to communicate, we’ve created social order, and established norms and protocols that facilitate a (mostly) harmonious coexistence. Take, for example, the fact that we all know how to stand in line to order a beverage.



But now, after millennia of humans lining up and waiting their turn, it seems all of a sudden there’s an entire generation that doesn’t know how to queue. They loiter in the vicinity of the line, they leave long gaps between them and the person in front, making the queue, if there even is one, ambiguous at best. Are they in the queue? Are they out of the queue? It’s all very unclear and to be honest, when all you want is your coffee, it’s wildly frustrating for us olds.



Now this is making a huge generalisation about a large group of people in society, but someone needs to say it. Sorry Generation Z, we love you, but it seems like you don't know how to queue properly. What’s going on?





CHAPTERS:
00:00 Why can’t Gen Z queue properly
03:33 Queue research: Cultural, Social and Psychology studies
05:33 Cultural Differences in Queuing 
08:50 Gen Z Don’t Care About Queue Jumpers
10:11 Is Social Media to Blame?
13:06 The Legendary AFL Queue of 1965
16:16 Why Queue Fitness Has Dropped
20:42 The Art of Queue Jumping
24:18 Generational Differences and Social Norms
25:45 The Magic of the Seventh Son
30:17 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show



SOURCES:
A global guide to queuing philosophies, from Wimbledon to São Paulo, Quartz
Generation Z more likely to queue-jump and let others do the same, poll claims
No, Argentina's president did not adopt a Jewish child to stop him turning into a werewolf by Uki Goni in The Guardian
Queue Culture: The Waiting Line as a Social System, by Leon Mann in the American Journal of Sociology
The Psychology of Queuing, in Psychology, by A Furnham, L Treglown, G & Horne, G.
What’s Up Doc? Seventh Sons in Victorian and Edwardian Lancashire, by Simon Young in Folklore

Over the millions of years of evolution, we humans have developed into a highly intelligent species. We’ve developed the ability to communicate, we’ve created social order, and established norms and protocols that facilitate a (mostly) harmonious coexistence. Take, for example, the fact that we all know how to stand in line to order a beverage.
 
But now, after millennia of humans lining up and waiting their turn, it seems all of a sudden there’s an entire generation that doesn’t know how to queue. They loiter in the vicinity of the line, they leave long gaps between them and the person in front, making the queue, if there even is one, ambiguous at best. Are they in the queue? Are they out of the queue? It’s all very unclear and to be honest, when all you want is your coffee, it’s wildly frustrating for us olds.
 
Now this is making a huge generalisation about a large group of people in society, but someone needs to say it. Sorry Generation Z, we love you, but it seems like you don't know how to queue properly. What’s going on?
 
CHAPTERS:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">00:00 Why can’t Gen Z queue properly</li>
<li aria-level="1">03:33 Queue research: Cultural, Social and Psychology studies</li>
<li aria-level="1">05:33 Cultural Differences in Queuing </li>
<li aria-level="1">08:50 Gen Z Don’t Care About Queue Jumpers</li>
<li aria-level="1">10:11 Is Social Media to Blame?</li>
<li aria-level="1">13:06 The Legendary AFL Queue of 1965</li>
<li aria-level="1">16:16 Why Queue Fitness Has Dropped</li>
<li aria-level="1">20:42 The Art of Queue Jumping</li>
<li aria-level="1">24:18 Generational Differences and Social Norms</li>
<li aria-level="1">25:45 The Magic of the Seventh Son</li>
<li aria-level="1">30:17 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show</li>
</ul>
 
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://qz.com/quartzy/1322666/a-global-guide-to-queuing-philosophies-from-wimbledon-to-sao-paolo">A global guide to queuing philosophies</a>, from Wimbledon to São Paulo, Quartz</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/generation-z-queue-jump-baby-boomers-uk-poll-a8456286.html">Generation Z more likely to queue-jump and let others do the same, poll claims</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/29/argentina-kirchner-adopt-child-werewolf">No, Argentina's president did not adopt a Jewish child to stop him turning into a werewolf </a>by Uki Goni in The Guardian</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2775696">Queue Culture: The Waiting Line as a Social System</a>, by Leon Mann in the American Journal of Sociology</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=99238">The Psychology of Queuing</a>, in Psychology, by A Furnham, L Treglown, G &amp; Horne, G.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0015587X.2019.1618068">What’s Up Doc? Seventh Sons in Victorian and Edwardian Lancashire</a>, by Simon Young in Folklore</li>
</ul>

Why Can't Generation Z Queue Properly?

Humans love their independence. Wars have been fought for it, songs have been written about it, and history is filled with examples of individuals and communities seeking to raise a flag towards more liberating ideals. And some have taken the flag very literally. 



Project Minerva was an ambitious endeavour led by Michael Oliver in the 1970s to create a libertarian utopia on the coral reefs of the South Pacific. They got some coral, wrapped it in chicken wire, covered it in cement, and dumped it on the existing coral reefs which lay just a few metres beneath the water line. High above their man-made island, the flag for the Republic of Minerva flew proudly.



But do these libertarians think about the impact on indigenous populations? 



And would you really want to live in a country (or a planet) that is bankrolled and governed by the wealthy elite? Surely they have their own agenda, and it’s likely not the health and well-being of their citizens…


00:00 Shipwrecked on Invisible Reefs
01:27 Michael Oliver Escapes from Nazi Rule
03:28 Constructing a Libertarian Utopia: The Republic of Minerva
05:02 Exploring Libertarian Escapes with Professor Raymond B. Craib
09:09 Post World War II Market Libertarianism
13:27 Sealand: A Libertarian Exit with Longevity
18:15 Ethical Dilemmas of Libertarian Exits
21:42 Grand Schemes of Billionaires: Dreams vs. Reality
22:24 The Labor Dilemma in Utopian Projects
24:52 The Contrast Between Organic and Engineered Libertarian Projects
31:04 Ethical Quandaries of Libertarian Experiments
35:23 Reimagining Power and Governance in Libertarian Exits
42:43 The Cautionary Tale of the Republic of Minerva
45:58 Concluding Thoughts on Libertarian Utopias



SOURCES:
A Narrative of the Wreck of the Minerva, by Peter Bays 
Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital  Age, by Raymond Craib
Escape Therapy: On Douglas Rushkoff’s “Survival of the Richest”, by Raymond Craib, in LA  Review of Books 

Humans love their independence. Wars have been fought for it, songs have been written about it, and history is filled with examples of individuals and communities seeking to raise a flag towards more liberating ideals. And some have taken the flag very literally. 
 
Project Minerva was an ambitious endeavour led by Michael Oliver in the 1970s to create a libertarian utopia on the coral reefs of the South Pacific. They got some coral, wrapped it in chicken wire, covered it in cement, and dumped it on the existing coral reefs which lay just a few metres beneath the water line. High above their man-made island, the flag for the Republic of Minerva flew proudly.
 
But do these libertarians think about the impact on indigenous populations? 
 
And would you really want to live in a country (or a planet) that is bankrolled and governed by the wealthy elite? Surely they have their own agenda, and it’s likely not the health and well-being of their citizens…
 
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">00:00 Shipwrecked on Invisible Reefs</li>
<li aria-level="1">01:27 Michael Oliver Escapes from Nazi Rule</li>
<li aria-level="1">03:28 Constructing a Libertarian Utopia: The Republic of Minerva</li>
<li aria-level="1">05:02 Exploring Libertarian Escapes with Professor Raymond B. Craib</li>
<li aria-level="1">09:09 Post World War II Market Libertarianism</li>
<li aria-level="1">13:27 Sealand: A Libertarian Exit with Longevity</li>
<li aria-level="1">18:15 Ethical Dilemmas of Libertarian Exits</li>
<li aria-level="1">21:42 Grand Schemes of Billionaires: Dreams vs. Reality</li>
<li aria-level="1">22:24 The Labor Dilemma in Utopian Projects</li>
<li aria-level="1">24:52 The Contrast Between Organic and Engineered Libertarian Projects</li>
<li aria-level="1">31:04 Ethical Quandaries of Libertarian Experiments</li>
<li aria-level="1">35:23 Reimagining Power and Governance in Libertarian Exits</li>
<li aria-level="1">42:43 The Cautionary Tale of the Republic of Minerva</li>
<li aria-level="1">45:58 Concluding Thoughts on Libertarian Utopias</li>
</ul>
 
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/_/wMMNAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;pg=PR1">A Narrative of the Wreck of the Minerva</a>, by Peter Bays </li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&amp;p=1242">Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital  Age</a>, by Raymond Craib</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/escape-therapy-on-douglas-rushkoffs-survival-of-the-richest/">Escape Therapy: On Douglas Rushkoff’s “Survival of the Richest”</a>, by Raymond Craib, in LA  Review of Books </li>
</ul>

Can You Actually Kinda Speak Bird? A Beer With Ornithologist Professor Rob Magrath

In 1 playlist(s)

The Wholesome Show

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips