The Hero Shrew

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Bill Stanley tells us all about the weird and wonderful Hero Shrew, and reveals his latest discovery!
Read more about Thor's Hero Shrew (Scutisorex thori) : bit.ly/1bKOpwe
Facebook: / thebrainscoop
The Brain Scoop is written and hosted by:
Emily Graslie
Created By:
Hank Green
Directed, Edited, Animated, and Scored by:
Michael Aranda
Huge thanks to Bill Stanley for helping to make this episode possible!
Filmed on Location and Supported by:
The Field Museum in Chicago, IL
(www.fieldmuseum...)
Closed captions by Luca Vittone, TBSkyen, Alexander Austin, Tony Chu, Mariano Cepeda, Míchaela Medková, Anne-Sophie Caron, Seth Bergenholtz. and Marie-Elsa Beaudon. Thanks a million!

Опубликовано:

30 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 416

@SaiyanHeretic 10 лет назад

"Watch me stand on this animal" usually ends up being a person's last words.

@ragnkja 7 лет назад

The list of animals that a human can stand on for five minutes and both the human and the other animal survive is pretty short.

@AuChoco 5 лет назад

Unless if it's in BDSM

@joescott 11 лет назад

Man #1: "Hey, that's a huge shrew!" Man #2: "Watch me step on it!" Science.

@ss4kaioken295 4 года назад

Make a video on it

@ebob4177 3 года назад

Hi Joe 🖐️

@Teth47 8 лет назад

See, now that's the spine we should have as upright bipeds.

@mobspeak 8 лет назад

Super soldier future shit.

@Hypatia4242 7 лет назад

As someone who has had back surgery: YES

@boscorner 7 лет назад

Teth47 ikr our lame human spines suck

@Rainkit 5 лет назад

Nature's like "Just be happy with your hips damn it."

@The_Practical_Daydreamer 3 года назад

Hero shrews have trouble bending forward because of that spine. Imagine being upright and not being able to bend over.

@evabeezero 11 лет назад

How on earth did someone learn you could stand on a shrew for five minutes? And I have to wonder what went on in those five minutes. Was it just awkward silence. Did they have conversations? "So, how's your kids? How's the shrew?"

@learningftw6559 9 лет назад

Just people looking at each other awkwardly, like, "Uh, man, I don't think that's a good... uh... sir? Sir? Maybe you should get off... there's nothing oozing out from under your foot... sir? OK. OK, guess this is happening."

@raizin4908 8 лет назад

You only need to step or fall on it one time and see it scurry away unscathed for the curiosity to be lit. The locals probably lived alongside the shrew for hundreds of years, so it's not a wonder someone at some point found out, and made a party trick of sorts out of it.

@jimday666 6 лет назад

maybe someone stepped on it accidentally, and it didn't die. They tried it again and observed that the shrew has strong bones...

@Nemoticon 5 лет назад

Any human being with a brain... could come up with a million legitimate reasons how and why. Only a fool would jump to the stupid explanation like that.

@Coyoteari 4 года назад

It almost definitely started with a failed stomp lol

@WireMan7620 11 лет назад

This is one of the coolest thing I've seen all year! Aesthetically, the vertebrae look incredible, but the strength! Who else wants to pack up their camera bag and go film palm trees in the Congo?

@javierhillier4252 2 года назад

if we had a spine like that we could carry our god damn house with use lol

@here2watch08 9 лет назад

I have never seen a spine like that. I never thought a spine would even exist like that.

@gotisc 8 лет назад

Forget spiders, I want to be bitten by a radioactive hero shrew! Seriously though, this is awesome.

@Ellie-uf4qc 10 лет назад

I love how there's hardly any nasty comments on this video. Emily could make anyone find science fun and exciting.

@LaceNWhisky 9 лет назад

R.I.P. Bill Stanley.

@XavierMahele 8 лет назад

Eric Nash thank you bill for flicking my switch

@ginacerulli524 8 лет назад

"This is so exciting. I feel so honored!" "Wanna hold it?" "This is the only one..." *drops it*

@mrbigoofs9820 7 лет назад

Dang it we had the same Idea.

@mrbigoofs9820 7 лет назад

And I wrote it as a comment.

@mrbigoofs9820 7 лет назад

crap

@Akaryusan 6 лет назад

*floor breaks*

@Kalaloo 10 лет назад

I would've been scared to hold those little skeletons. Those ribs look so fragile I would have been afraid of breaking them so easily.

@theshuman100 5 лет назад

Proceeds to stand on it

@cole3662 9 лет назад

RIP Bill, we'll miss you.

@wildescience 11 лет назад

"this is so exciting, this is science"

@AliHSyed 7 лет назад

Lool "firmly grasp it"... greatest Patrick moment.

@DysnomiaFilms 10 лет назад

The shrew must have had strong feet to hold up it's ribcage or a very strong ribcage to prevent it's organs from being crushed... or perhaps that story is a bit of a legend.

@typacsk 10 лет назад

Damn, that reminds me I have a shrew in the freezer. (Seriously.) Just a regular one, though.

@kylegorman2530 10 лет назад

I get shrews sometimes from cat kills if they are fresh enough

@KitKat_Studio 5 лет назад

You got a shrew. I got a gopher lol

@RachelTraintracks 11 лет назад

Wow I love learning. This whole channel has helped me figure out what I want to do with my life.

@pertaterful 10 лет назад

In my genetics class, we talked about the homeobox and HOX genes which control how an animal's anatomy develops. I don't remember much more than that, but I was thinking that maybe a single mutation in the homeobox of a shrew could produce excess vertebra like that. It would be like punctuated equilibrium, where a big change happens in a very short amount of time. There would not have to be many or any missing links.

@MarkScherz 10 лет назад

It is quite possible that a homeobox mutation is involved, but it is definitely more than just that. Typically homeobox mutations result in drastic changes in other parts of the body, especially in the face. Very specific mutations would be required to just add vertebrae, and not result in other drastic mutations. Nevertheless, the adding of the vertebrae could, as you say, happen over a very short period of time. However, the expansion of the lateral processes of those vertebrae in such a complex fashion is less likely to have occurred rapidly, as we must infer selection for greater lumbar reinforcement, which undoubtedly happened over millennia.

@cscha101 10 лет назад

Dang, I love the backbone and the fact that she's able to access to these rare and beautiful and quirky objects and shows it to us. Thank you

@servals2384 10 лет назад

Wow. That is a truly amazing spine! {However, I am wondering what could possibly have forced this animal to evolve such a complex spine? It's not like shrews are often exposed to death by being stepped on..... are they?}

@servals2384 10 лет назад

Spoke to soon; my question was answered

@shellinboots 10 лет назад

i LOVE emily's constant enthusiasm. makes me want to be excited about scienc-y things :DD

@e_b_ 9 месяцев назад

A built-in crowbar, hahahahhaha😂😂😂😂

@LaxLune 11 лет назад

I feel like before watching mental floss I just found it extremely interesting. Now I find myself rooting for Emily. Preparing and ant eater, handling the one shrew. I can't wait to see where the brain scoop and Emily go! ;)

@SartiseGarcia Год назад

Amazingly, a person would be able to stand on the back of this animal for that long without this animal's breathing being compromised or the animal being harmed. (Is it possible that maybe this animal can hold its breath while being stood on because I'm sure it would need to breathe- could this also be evolution where it can hold its breath for a long period while being stood on)?

@johnclavis 10 лет назад

"Hero Shrew" is my new favorite Pooh Corner character! What a great video. You rock! I will watch more now!

@h.sagefeatherston2813 10 лет назад

Hi Emily! I saw the video you hosted on UpWorthy and decided to check out your videos and -WOW-...You've got some stellar topics under your belt! Usually, I'm pretty bored with living things (from a science perspective) but I'm definitely fascinated by this little critter. I'm definitely going to have to take a trip to Chicago to see this museum now... Looking forward to more!

@MagicTurtle643 11 лет назад

That was an awesome episode. My back hurts just imagining having all those bones in there. Although if I actually did I suspect my back would be super powerful.

@mrbigoofs9820 7 лет назад

4:41 "and your holding it right there?" "Yep, Im holding it in my left hand" "wow, I feels so honored to be talking to right now!!" "You can hold it." "Oh my gosh" (drops specimen.)

@emilyblack7342 10 лет назад

C'mon guys! Lets go to the Congo! We've got shrews to step on!

@kristinfletcher4183 11 лет назад

Needs to learn difference between "less" and "fewer" vertebrae.

@ebd_ 5 лет назад

"It looks like a triscuit!" I fucking died.

@MrsJoriBug 8 лет назад

If it lives around coconuts it probably needed a way to not be instantly crushed when coconuts fell from the trees since they could be easily pulped otherwise, especially considering their size. The nuts and other debris can kill a full grown human, let alone an unprotected shrew. Though the crowbar idea does make more sense seeing as the chances of them getting struck by a coconut are rather slim.

@Teth47 8 лет назад

+Jori Corulli That was my first thought as well, I feel like a shrew that lived under palm trees would have a significant selective pressure toward uncrushability...

@nickc3657 7 лет назад

Jori Corulli I thought that too, but then I realized they're probably not coconut palms, they're probably some other kind

@theappleman005 10 лет назад

"This is so exciting. This is science!" Yes, yes, it is.

@Glasichor 11 лет назад

YO BRAINSCOOP! TELL BILL THAT BEARD LOOKS WICKED AND ALL SMART-LIKE!

@Baud2Bits 11 лет назад

Truly inspiring to see a potential transition like this.

@Onami3 11 лет назад

Been catching up on my Brainscoop! Love this show so much, you're doing so much to inspire people around the globe, and especially women! Thank you for everything you're doing Emily, and for being generally awesome :)

@halnicholas 11 лет назад

No, she moved to Chicago. There is an episode about it

@GiffysChannel 5 лет назад

Ben G Thomas sent me here. Anyone else?

@StoneOfMoon 5 лет назад

I love Emily’s enthusiasm and love for science. It’s so contagious ❤️

@ElfyBean 10 лет назад

This is really neat! OH! Emily! Would you guys like from African Soft-Furred rats? (Mastomys natalensis) I have a colony, and was planning a large cull. I could send some your way, if the museum would like some? I can send several sizes and sexes, to round out your data. :)

@MakeMeFly 11 лет назад

I love this show so much, it's so freaking interesting and well done and it made me love animals even more than I already did but I have to say something. I don't care if I'll come out as shallow but I HAVE to say it after so many months of being a subscriber. ... Emily, you have such a pretty face. Like, SERIOUSLY, you have one of the most sweet, feminine and interesting features I've ever seen and you're so beautiful ^___^ (sorry if that's out of context but.. yeah... .___.)

@GrimReaper-dh8yc 6 лет назад

If we ever genetically modify humans, you just know we're going pick this up as soon as possible.

@nmkloster 11 лет назад

There was a misrepresentation of evolution at 2:00. Only rarely will two related species have another living species as an intermediate between the two. People may think of evolution that way, but that's not how it works.

@paulidin 11 лет назад

Ahhh, that is so amazing! The only one in the world!!! I started getting goosebumps and a bit choked up by the time the skeleton started to glow. Nice FX that. :)

@LostTimeLady 11 лет назад

Considering that Dawkins in an advocate for atheism and evolution I'm somewhat confused by your argument. You are correct that *carbon* dating on *fossils* won't work as they're too old but then you use other systems of dating like Uranium-Lead or Potassium-Argon, but C-14 dating does work on anything less than 10,000 years old (as a rule). Please show me testable, repeatable scientific data that disproves radiometric dating as a form of geochronology and I will consider it.

@Oracle428 11 лет назад

...I'll take my previous comment a step further... the aforementioned mutation just happens to be helpful, adaptive, and increases survival in some way... here is where the slower form of evolution kicks in... the non-mutated members may end up dying out, leaving only those with the mutation to pass on their genes... that mutation may continue to evolve and become more specialized over longer periods of time.

@alanadyson6528 11 лет назад

Hello Emily and fellow talented scientartists! I recently moved to Florida, and the flora and fauna are gobsmackingly awesome, obviously. If you have ever been to Flotida, you will have noticed the ubiquity of the GECKO. The girl part of me thinks they are adorable, but the grown-up knows they are an invasive species. I guess i want to know if i should love or hate them and whether i should attempt any action or not. Anyhow, keep up the GREAT WORK!

@notexactlypaul 11 лет назад

This is by far the best educational RU-vid channel thus far. Since moving to the Chicago Field Museum, thebrainscoop has had the closest, direct access to *real* science. This channel showcases the day-to-day investigation of zoology/biology. I am filled with great hope that subsequent channels will follow this model to help disseminate the ideas that are required to make further scientific discoveries, rather than simply perpetuate the ideas of old. Democratization, acceleration, progress

@OrAngeAnArchy 11 лет назад

it would be so cool to do a full scan of the vertebrae into 3D and scale it up and make it able to move as it functions then print it on a 3D printer with plastic resin at double or triple size so people can see how it articulates and how it is able to have that much strength. That spine looks so cool and bizarre and interesting...i would totally reference that spine onto some scifi creature.

@tuseroni 11 лет назад

(cont)generally if something isn't needed but isn't detrimental it won't be selected against, and if it is nature tends to select for something which simply undoes it. so for instance if the hero shrew evolved into sandslash(i couldn't resist) i mean the intermediary then what we would expect to see is the same number of bones but they would each be smaller and fused together to seem like one(assuming the number of bones is important and not simple the mobility which might be achieved else-wise)

@goliathprime 11 лет назад

I just learned about these little guys the other day! That's an interesting hypothesis about the fulcrum/crowbar mechanism. Do their arms or shoulders show any signs of greater muscle mass? I would think they would need a lot of physical strength to work in the way described because they aren't going to have much in the way of distance to make the most efficient use their backs as a fulcrum.

@nathanong 11 лет назад

I just spend the rest of the episode imagining the researchers freaking out when a full grown man stepped on a little hero shrew.

@Callordin 11 лет назад

I have a friend to whom I sent Brain Scoop's link who is confused how nature's diversity could have developed from a shared glob of primordial ooze. His eyes glaze over when I talk. Can you do one of your amazingly fun and informative videos on the essentials of evolutionary theory, and/or refer us in links to similarly excellent resources?

@CardboardCreative 11 лет назад

The hero shrew vertebral column has such a weird and fascinating morphology. I study human osteology, but this specific species is of such interest to me. I'm glad to see it's been shown on thebrainscoop! Also, I bet Bill Stanley would talk forever if you let him... about phenomenal stuff, but still... Forever...

@DunkRyan 11 лет назад

It would have been nice to see some good, clear macro shots of the things Bill was actually describing. The view we have makes it clear the shrew has strange morphology, but I would have liked to be able to actually see the vertebrae up close to compare them- the zoomed in shot at around 1:45 isn't clear enough to really facilitate an understanding.

@Kram1032 11 лет назад

This is really interesting but I noticed quite a few technical terms when you were talking about the spine with which I am not familiar. Now maybe it's just because I'm not a native speaker and native speakers wouldn't have those problems at all, but I wonder if you could do some kind of text overlay for special terms in future episodes? Like it's done in, say, SciShow?

@KoalemosTheAtomizer 11 лет назад

A scientific theory summarizes a hypothesis or group of hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing. If enough evidence accumulates to support a hypothesis, it moves to the next step-known as a theory-in the scientific method and becomes accepted as a valid explanation of a phenomenon.

@Kram1032 11 лет назад

That's what I figured. Case in point: Short explanatory text overlays would go a long way. It's especially not helpful with things as small as this. It's a bit difficult to even get a proper camera angle to show what they are pointing at along with the technical terminology.

@KennyCutout 11 лет назад

Man these animals are so incredible. I would love to learn more about their spines like how flexible they are or how their muscle tendons attach to them. I'm so fascinated because I wonder why this is so exclusive to the hero shrew.

@JorgCAlexander 11 лет назад

My video likes could potentially be positively correlated with the presence of angelic halos and accompanying music for skeletons for all videos on youtube going into the future. I'm sure other creators will thank you for that :P

@Ross_mo 11 лет назад

Movkturtlesoup1 it really depends on what gene mutated and how. It could very well be possible if an important gene were changed even slightly. It's also perfectly likely that years and years of chance mutation built up to produce this species.

@RobKinneySouthpaw 11 лет назад

to help: A process is anything that sticks up off the bone (the little spines). Dorsal process would be the one sticking out from the center of the back. Lumbar is the lower back. Vertebrae are the actual whole individual bones.

@drowmonk 11 лет назад

I've seen this shrew talked about on SciShow, and from what I understood (I may be totally wrong) it still articulates but the extra bones make it VERY hard to break. It's like a bundle of sticks, each piece is fragile but the whole bundle is hard to break.

@AtticusAmericanus 11 лет назад

Ba duh da duh! Hero Shrew! Here come's Hero Shrew, the slayer of Giants and King of The Worms. Will he save us from predatory destruction? Will his super spine bear the burden? Watch and see! Rated B, for Brain Scoop. Released 2014. Trademark Marvel.

@himbocialist 11 лет назад

Could it be possible that there were at one time many mammals with spines like this lost to history, and then, similar to like the chicken with the gene for dinosaur teeth, there was a mutation that randomly brought it back?

@bornnaked2928 10 лет назад

Hmm.. another possibility could be, if they only live near coconut-palms, impact protection. it would increase their survivability, even if they got bigger and slower, to a point where fleeing was useless... But Im just an amature with an imagination, nothing to support it with :)

@SPACE.KITTY. 9 лет назад

That's a great idea! Sounds plausible. :)

@saurabhmangal6322 7 лет назад

Thought so too the moment he mentioned palm

@DunkRyan 11 лет назад

The Field Museum is independent, not specifically connected to any university. I imagine he has published on this and that probably includes hi-res images, but it would still aid the video to have such a shot included, imo.

@Aznagroth 11 лет назад

I know the university museums in my country have put photographs of many items out for the public to browse. Maybe it's like that in the states too? Sorry I can't help you with what university to contact though.

@schootingstarr 11 лет назад

that was not my point. my point was, that I can't believe that there are people who believe that evolution means a racoon with *no* antlers would just one day give birth to a racoon *with* antlers

@shri03992 11 лет назад

you should come visit the Natural History Museum in Vienna, I just read an article about their wide range of taxydermied animals including quite a few species which were made extinct by man

@victoriacwintal4863 6 лет назад

i miss Bill :(

@Mockturtlesoup1 11 лет назад

so is it possible that a single mutation could cause that drastic a change to the spine, or at least got the lineage started to natural selection to modify it into what it is now?

@RobKinneySouthpaw 11 лет назад

And it's not necessarily a native-speaker thing. I know plenty of English speakers without a life science/ health science background who don't know what any of those terms mean either.

@phaze2010 11 лет назад

i just checked their website and it looks like they're open: "The Field Museum is not operated by the federal government. We will be open in the event of a government shut down. "

@primmese 11 лет назад

This just makes me so happy. Happy not in a funny way, but happy in a I love life and the universe and science and this show. Makes me thankful I'm alive. Thanks so much.

@schootingstarr 11 лет назад

no, evolution does not go from species A to species B in *boom* there it is it is a great many of small, subtle changes that eventually usher into a different species.

@eesulbee 11 лет назад

I just learned/memorized the human anatomy and the mechanisms of evolution this week, so this is generally a super fantastic video and a awesome review for me (: thanks!!

@Dack105 11 лет назад

I was thinking that the shrews had evolved a strong backbone so it didn't get squashed by coconuts... the bark things sounds more plausible, but I like my hypothesis better.

@thats2kewl 11 лет назад

For most other channels, I stop the video when it hits the credits...with this channel, the video is not over until I hear Emily say "it still has brains on it." :)

@RazorSharpClaws 11 лет назад

As soon as he said "base of palm trees" I thought that maybe they have such strong spines because they hang out where coconuts are falling, and they don't get smooshed!

@dpricebrooks 11 лет назад

Is a single specimen large a large enough "n" to determine that it is a new species and not just a one off mutation? I always thought you needed lots more than that.

@Herstead 11 лет назад

You know this is a great idea, the Field Museum sponsoring these videos, until watching the Brain Scoop I had never heard of it, now I really want to visit.

@snowym12 11 лет назад

That was fascinating! I never imagined a spinal cord that looked like that, but I guess I never imagined a lot of things I've seen on thebrainscoop so far.

@CardboardCreative 11 лет назад

Couple million years of selective pressure, I'd wager. Or, if you don't like waiting, maybe a dandy new metal exoskeleton from Japan in the next few years ;)

@DanielleWarby 11 лет назад

The best thing about these videos has always been Emily but more and more the focus has shifted. Let her do most of the talking and add the guests for colour.

@LolaG07 11 лет назад

You could make a 15 minute video, with 14 of those minutes being black screen and silence, and I would keep watching until Emily said 'it still has brains on it'.

@Ninjaslikelamas 11 лет назад

cool idea! Though I think they would have to find some sort of fossils, or some other strong evidence, to show that those spines have existed before

@AnneloesF 11 лет назад

An inbuilt crowbar

@MakenzieMergard 11 лет назад

All I could think of for the entire video was some guy going "Hey, we found a cool species of shrew. LET'S STEP ON IT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS." Hahahaha

@imbored742 11 лет назад

I wonder if there are potential medical applications for something like this; there seems to be a lot of potential for reducing risk of spinal injuries.

@runescaper1459 11 лет назад

i never thought i would ever be exited to see bones but the way you guys were talking about it and he way you were so exited got me really pumped haha

@DunkRyan 11 лет назад

Oh, of course! Thanks for that, I should have known to check the video description. That bottom picture really shows the difference; it's insane!