How Heredity Does and Doesn’t Work & How Your Cellphone Came To Be

Dec 21, 2023

Explore the complexities of heredity and how genetics, environment, and cultural influences shape our traits. Hear from Carl Zimmer, a writer for The New York Times, as he sheds light on this fascinating topic. Discover the history of cell phones and the father of the cellphone, Martin Cooper. From the early days to the future of cellular technology, Martin provides insightful perspectives. Also, dive into the captivating history of sneakers and their evolution over time.

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Introduction

00:00 • 4min

Understanding Heredity: Genetics, Environment, and Cultural Influence

04:08 • 6min

Understanding Heredity: Past and Present

10:22 • 5min

Understanding Heritability and Genetic Traits

14:56 • 11min

The Evolution of Cell Phones

26:23 • 19min

The Fascinating History of Sneakers

45:15 • 2min

There is one word in the English language that has more meanings than any other. A lot more! And the word is only 3 letters long. I begin this episode by revealing which word it is – and there is a good chance you have said the word multiple times today. https://www.rd.com/article/most-complicated-word-in-english/

Can you really inherit your mother’s laugh or your father’s temper? It is a little confusing because some traits you can inherit genetically, but other traits you get from them may just be because you grew up in the same house. Height is something genetically passed down – still not all tall parents have tall children, so how does that work? Heredity is often misunderstood and there is a lot about heredity we just don’t know. Here to explain this fascinating topic so it all makes sense is Carl Zimmer. Carl writes for The New York Times and is author of the book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions and Potential of Heredity (https://amzn.to/2IG8KKR).

Does anyone know who made the first cellphone call? Not only do we know, we have him here as a guest and you are about to meet him. Martin Cooper is considered the father of the cellphone. He helped to develop the whole basis for cellular technology when he worked at Motorola and did in fact place the very first cellphone call. Martin joins me to recall the early days of the cellphone and has some great terrific insight on the future of cellular technology. Martin is the author of the book Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity (https://amzn.to/38aXwIV).

Sneakers or tennis shoes are the footwear of choice for many of us. So where did they come from? Interestingly, it took quite a while for them to cross over from the world of sports to everyday casual wear . Listen as I explain the history and who the players were that brought sneakers to the forefront. https://www.factmonster.com/culture-entertainment/fashion/history-sneakers

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