Learn about why children develop racial prejudice unless their parents teach them otherwise; why archaeologists studying Stonehenge may have found the largest prehistoric structure in all of Europe; and why cats have vertical pupils.
Learn about why children develop racial prejudice unless their parents teach them otherwise; why archaeologists studying Stonehenge may have found the largest prehistoric structure in all of Europe; and why cats have vertical pupils.
Children will develop racial prejudice unless their parents teach them otherwise by Kelsey Donk
Archaeologists discover a huge ring of deep pits near Stonehenge by Grant Currin
Why does my cat have vertical pupils? by Cameron Duke
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/teaching-kids-to-not-be-prejudiced-why-cats-have-vertical-pupils-and-a-massive-stonehenge-discovery
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about how children develop racial prejudice — and how to prevent it; why archaeologists studying Stonehenge may have found the largest prehistoric structure in all of Europe; and why cats have vertical pupils.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Children need to be taught a lot of things to make it in the world. I mean, nobody comes out of the womb knowing how to tie their shoes! So it might be natural to assume that if you don’t teach kids bad things like racial prejudice and discrimination, they won’t be a problem. Unfortunately, the evidence says no. Research has shown that children will develop racial prejudice unless their parents teach them otherwise. But those lessons are probably easier than you think.
Decades of research have shown that children learn racial differences and even hold racial stereotypes at a much younger age than you might expect. Babies as young as 3 months old not only distinguish faces on the basis of race, but they also show a preference for faces of their own race. And one study found that at age 3, white children given a choice of potential playmates preferred those of their same race.
This was regardless of their parents’ racial beliefs. The influences come from everywhere: stereotypes in media, lack of diversity in schools and neighborhoods, and the attitudes of the other people in children’s lives.
So how can parents reverse this trend?
For a start, parents have to talk with their children about race. That study of 3-year-olds I mentioned? It also found that the most biased children had parents who talked the least about race. If parents don’t talk about race, kids are left to explain injustice and racial differences on their own, based on the things they see and hear.
Ok, so how do you do it? Race is a taboo topic for many, and it can feel awkward to start a conversation about it. So first of all, don’t beat around the bush — be specific. Young children have a hard time connecting vague references to ‘equality’ with race. If you’re going to talk about race, talk about race!
Parents can start by explaining why people have different skin colors. They can also emphasize how people of their own race are different from each other, and how people of different races might be similar. If a child does or says something racist, it’s important to gently correct them and explain why what they’ve done or said is wrong. Talk openly with them about current events, and read with them. Remember that this will be much more uncomfortable for you than it will be for your child. But it’s important. These difficult conversations could create a better world for everyone.
New research shows that one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world may have just taken the title as the largest prehistoric structure in all of Europe. I’m talking about Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old monument that grows more mysterious with every discovery.
When I say “Stonehenge,” you probably picture a circle of giant rectangular blocks carved out of stone. That’s just one part of a massive complex, albeit the most famous — and the most visible. But about two miles, or 3 kilometers away is a site called the Durrington Walls. That site had its own Stonehenge-like monument. About 300 massive wooden posts were spaced about 16 feet or 5 meters apart to form a huge circle that’s wider than the Empire State Building is tall. Archaeologists call it the “super henge,” and evidence suggests it’s where the people who built and worshiped at Stonehenge actually lived and feasted. As one of the archaeologists said, quote, “Stonehenge was for the dead, Durrington was for the living,” end quote.
All of that, researchers already knew. Now, new evidence suggests that there was an even larger ring that encircled the Durrington Walls. Archaeologists used new technology to take a closer look at some holes that others previously believed were just part of the natural landscape. Data from ground-penetrating radar revealed 20 huge shafts that may once have been part of a circle more than a mile wide! And each of the shafts is about wide as a city bus is long and about half that deep.
The archaeologists think the newly discovered circle was a boundary for some sort of sacred area. It may have acted as a warning to let people know what they were approaching. But as with Stonehenge itself, no one knows for sure why the ring was built.
The ring also offers a tantalizing peek into the intellectual life of Neolithic Britons. For them to dig shafts to form such a large circle, they almost certainly had to start from a central point and pace out for a predetermined distance. And that means the people who built the ring could count, which makes the newly discovered structure some of the earliest evidence of counting in what’s now Britain.
And all this is to say that humans have been accomplishing incredible feats like this for thousands of years. I’m not saying it’s aliens — because aliens could never.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode is sponsored by KiwiCo.
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When you look into your cat’s eyes, what do you see? Love, apathy, or plans for world domination? Whatever it is, you probably also see vertical pupils. Considering the fact that you, your dog, and even your goldfish have circular pupils, that kind of makes them the odd one out in the household. So what’s the deal? Why do cats have those bizarre vertical pupils?
It all has to do with the way cats hunt for food. Despite the fact that Snowball spends most of her time on the couch, she’s actually a nocturnal ambush predator. Animals that live this lifestyle need to be able to judge distances super accurately in low light so they can make quick leaps to catch their prey. Vertical pupils are incredibly good for that.
Here’s why: To tell how far away something is without moving, the eyes and the brain have two techniques they can use. The first one is called stereopsis [STARE-ee-OPP-siss], which is the perception of depth you get when your brain combines the information from each eye into one continuous image. The second method is blur. Objects in front of or behind the thing you focus on are blurry and this gives your brain information, too.
A cat’s narrow vertical pupils maximize these effects by creating an astigmatic depth of field, which means that more of the scene is in focus for some contours than for others. Vertical pupils can focus really well on vertical contours. They also creates a lot of blur in the foreground and background, helping them really focus in on the location of their target. Vertical pupils can also dilate much more than round pupils can, making it easier to see in low light. Of course, cats also get some help from their tapetum lucidum. That’s the layer of tissue behind each retina that reflects light and makes cats look like they have laser vision.
But here’s the thing: big cats like lions and tigers don’t have vertical pupils. That’s because vertical pupils are only an advantage for small animals. In a 2015 study, researchers found that among front-eyed ambush predators with vertical pupils, 82 percent had an eye-level under 42 centimeters or 16 inches — roughly the height of a bowling pin. Above that, vertical pupils become a disadvantage because distinguishing horizontal contours becomes more important. That’s why, for instance, many snakes have vertical pupils, but birds don’t.
So there you have it! Your cat has vertical pupils because she’s a fearsome ambush predator. Just remember that next time she’s picky about the brand of food you bought.
CODY: Let’s review what we learned today, starting with
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CODY: Today’s stories were written by Kelsey Donk, Grant Currin, and Cameron Duke, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode was produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!