Comedy panel game podcast guests, Daniel Peake, Lizzy Skrzypiec, and Bill Sunderland discuss shoe safes, safety signs, sinuous streets, connections between buildings and New York City's history, misinterpreted theme and toga costumes, unnecessary bends and roundabouts in Perth, and deer separation in Richmond Park.
Red deer in Czechia have been refusing to breed with other red deer a short distance away for over 30 years because of a learned behavior to not cross the area where an electric fence used to be.
A facility in Perth, Australia added bends and roundabouts to a local road to prevent pilots from mistaking it for the runway, showing how design can influence behavior.
Deep dives
Interbreeding resistance between Red Deer
For over 30 years, Red Deer in Czechia have refused to breed with other Red Deer a short distance away, despite there being only forest and open land between them. The reason for this is a learned behavior passed down from generation to generation. A national border that used to have an electric fence separated Czechia and Germany. Even though the fence has been gone for longer than any living deer has been alive, the deer have been taught by their parents not to cross into the area where the fence used to be.
Refusing to cross an empty road
In Perth, Australia, a large facility added unnecessary bends and roundabouts to a local road, even though there were no obstructions and it was safe to drive on. The reason for this is that pilots on international flights had mistaken the straight road next to the runway for the runway itself. To prevent this confusion, the bends and roundabouts were added to ensure that the road did not appear as a direct extension of the runway.
Deer's resistance to interbreeding
Red deer in Czechia have been refusing to breed with other red deer a short distance away for over 30 years, despite there being only forest and open land between them. The reason for this behavior stems from a learned behavior passed down through generations. Once an electric fence divided Czechia and Germany. Although the fence has been absent for longer than the lifetime of any current red deer, they have been taught by their ancestors not to cross the area where the fence once stood.
Safe evacuation directions in Indonesia
While staying at a hotel in Indonesia, Sarah notices two emergency signs pointing in opposite directions. One sign has yellow and blue parts, while the other sign has red and white elements. The signs indicate the direction to evacuate in case of certain emergencies. The sign with yellow and blue points toward the beach, indicating the direction to go for the tsunami evacuation. The sign with red and white points uphill, indicating the direction to go for evacuation in case of a fire.
Daniel Peake, Lizzy Skrzypiec and Bill Sunderland face questions about shoe safes, safety signs and sinuous streets.
LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit https://www.lateralcast.com.