Expert Spotlight: Dr. Phil Lobel

Anyone who’s anyone is familiar with the Most Interesting Man. His smile is so contagious, the CCD created a vaccine to shield against its irresistible effect.  It has been fabled he beat God himself in an arm wrestling match. He amassed and sold off the only collection of beanie babies to ever be worth more than five dollars. But has the Most Interesting Man ever lost part of his hearing launching a grenade at a shark?

On the most recent episode of You’re the Expert, we talked with Dr. Phil Lobel, an ichthyologist at Boston University who may in fact be even more interesting than the World’s Most Interesting Man.  For the past 40 years, Dr. Lobel has studied the sounds that fish make, and he was one of the first scientists in the world to record fish video and sound synchronously under water.  His deep sea discoveries include the recognition that fish are both genetically disposed toward excellent auditory capabilities and very strategic in the way they produce sound, including the propensity to beat on a ‘swim bladder’ during the mating process. Dr. Phil provided us a sampling of these spawning bladder beats, which sounded a lot like an underwater Avicii concert.

Dr. Lobel began studying fish at a very early age, inspired by his father who was an avid fisherman. At the age of 17, he secured his first academically aquatic position at the University of Hawaii firing grenades at sharks to keep them away from the fish being studied by university scientists.  If you think that sounds dangerous, don’t worry. Dr. Lobel tends to regard sharks in the same way many of us think about sitting in traffic, or about creating a powerpoint presentation. They’re kind of a hassle, but are a necessary part of doing one’s job.

Not only is he an accomplished grenade thrower and noted shark puncher, Dr. Lobel has also lead several expeditions to film and record new species of fish, and to test aquatic environments for pollutants. One expedition led him to the northern part of the Congo where he received grant money to look for a particular species of fish, but also to investigate Congolese rumors of modern dinosaurs. Dr. Lobel and his field team determined that the supposed dinosaurs were actually sixty foot pythons, which he casually mentioned may be up to 120 years old. Even Harry Potter couldn’t stare down a giant immortal snake without a great deal of angst and trepidation.

Let’s be honest, we all want to know a little bit more about fish sounds from a man who seems to have no fear. So to borrow a line from the man formerly known as the most interesting, when it comes to drinking from the cup of ichthyologic knowledge: Stay thirsty, my friends.

- Lee Stephenson, Production Associate

If that hasn't already whet your appetite, check out this epic rap video Dr. Lobel created with colleagues about fish spawning:

Expert Spotlight: Dr. Alexandra Horowitz

“Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear.” – Dave Barry

Dr. Alexandra Horowitz of Barnard's Dog Cognition Lab

While we may be the ones holding the leash, animal cognition researcher and dog guru Dr. Alexandra Horowitz says it’s pretty clear who’s actually in charge. At her dog cognition lab at Barnard College, Dr. Horowitz spends her time trying to understand what life is like from the perspective of a dog: the sights, the sounds, the smells…oh, the smells. While there are lots of things we still don’t understand about man’s best friend, one thing is crystal clear: they’ve got us wrapped around their little paws.

This week on You’re the Expert, Dr. Horowitz explains that dogs are furry anthropologists, masters at reading and interpreting human behavior to figure out what makes us tick. Or more importantly, what makes us pull out the liver treats. Dr. Horowitz says dog owners often assume they can understand what their dog is thinking or feeling based on how they’re acting. In reality, canine behavior toward humans is motivated more by what they’ve evolved to do over some 14,000 years as our companions than what they intrinsically feel like doing.

Take this classic example: you come home after an evening out to find the contents of your trash can strewn across the kitchen floor. There’s Fluffy, cowering in the corner with her tail between her legs, unable to make eye contact. Clearly she feels terrible for what she’s done, right? Well, maybe not. According to Dr. Horowitz’s research, Fluffy doesn't actually feel guilty about making a mess. But she may have learned that if she acts a certain way, she’ll get scolded less. (Could you yell at a pooch who looked like this?) Owners tend to project human emotions, thoughts, and feelings onto dogs to better understand them, but more often than not, we’re reading way too much into those big puppy dog eyes.

To learn more about what it’s like to be a dog – and why their noses are always wet – listen to the full You’re the Expert episode with dog cognition specialist Dr. Alexandra Horowitz here.

-Lydia Dallett, Production Associate

For more on Dr. Horowitz, check out this interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120823716 

Expert Spotlight: Margaret Geller

Whoever says size doesn’t matter has clearly never spent twenty years studying the universe.

On the latest episode of You’re the Expert, Harvard scholar Dr. Margaret Geller confirms that size does in fact matter when you study physical cosmology, or, the application of physics to the study of the universe.  Through field and lab research, Dr. Geller and her team have determined that one can measure precisely how big the universe will grow based on the rate at which the space between galaxies expands. Turns out that the expansion rate of the universe has been accelerating over time, causing the space between the galaxies that comprise our universe to widen. So all we really have to worry about is the universe accelerating at a velocity that causes matter, and all human life as we know it, to rip apart faster than the speed of light.  Science. Is. Terrifying. 

Terrifying, that is, for someone without five honorary doctorates for their achievements uncovering scientific truth about the vastly mysterious universe. And when it comes to scientific rigor and determination to uncover truth, Dr. Geller is no wimp – unless you are talking about someone who studies Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or W.I.M.Ps. By that definition, she is the highest achieving WIMP at Harvard. 

Along with her team of like-minded scientists, Dr. Geller spends the majority of her time formulating various hypotheses, designing units of measurement by which to study universal matter, and conducts research mostly using a very powerful telescope in Tuscon, Arizona. She then uses computer generated 3-dimensional charts to map slices of the universe into galaxies, which naturally arrange themselves into patterns that resemble bubbles. Giant monster space bubbles.

It is a remarkable accomplishment to devise ways in which to scale the cosmos down to a meaningful and scientifically digestible size. But it would be a mistake to underestimate the magnitude of this effort, because, to quote Dr. Geller, “Size does matter, and the universe wins every time.”

For more on Dr. Margaret Geller, check out this interview:

Or look at this interesting timeline of cosmological development featuring Dr. Geller.

- Lee Stephenson, Production Associate