From the Vault: Oh Goat, You Devil - Part 3

Podcast Summary

• Forming bonds with community members: Building connections in your community can bring social benefits and preparedness for unexpected events. Neighbor to Neighbor highlights the importance of forming bonds with those around you.

  Building connections in your community can bring both social benefits and preparedness for unexpected events. Neighbor to Neighbor, a California volunteer's network, emphasizes the importance of forming bonds with those around you. Meanwhile, in a different context, the unusual features of goat biology, such as their distinct pupils, might have been perceived as sinister or devilish in the past. This perspective is just one aspect of the complex history of goats and their associations with the supernatural. While the goat's reputation for being enthusiastic about mating and its role in religious rituals have contributed to its negative image, there are also counterexamples from various mythologies that portray goats in a positive light. Overall, it's essential to remember that perceptions and interpretations of animals, like goats, can be influenced by cultural contexts and biases.

• Goats' curious gaze: an adaptation for survival: Goats' horizontal pupils are an adaptation for detecting predators from various directions and navigating uneven terrain

  Robert Service's poem "The Goat and I" beautifully encapsulates the independent and relatable spirit of goats, as portrayed through their curious and seemingly placid gaze. Goats' eyes, with their horizontal pupils, have often been observed to be strange or even creepy due to their elusive focus. According to a study by Martin S. Banks et al published in the journal Science Advances in 2015, an animal's pupil shape is usually determined by its ecological niche. Herbivores, like goats, are more likely to have horizontal pupils, which help them create sharp images of horizontal contours ahead and behind, facilitating detection of predators from various directions and forward locomotion across uneven terrain. So, the goat's gaze, though sometimes perceived as strange, is actually an adaptation that helps them survive in their environment.

• Goats' Horizontal Pupils: A Mountain Adaptation: Goats' horizontal pupils, a mountain adaptation, make them seem more noticeable due to the contrast between their lighter-colored irises and the pupil. This feature may have symbolic significance in various cultures.

  Goats have horizontally elongated pupils, which are well-suited for scanning their environment for predators in their mountainous habitats. This feature makes goats seem more noticeable and alien to us due to the stronger contrast between their lighter-colored irises and the pupil. This horizontal pupil orientation is less noticeable in herbivores like horses, which have shorter and less contrasting pupils. The discussion also touched upon the significance of pupil shape in divine beings and otherworldly entities, with horizontal pupils potentially symbolizing all-seeing and omniscient beings. However, the association between goats and the devil in European Christian cultures may stem from the figure of Baphomet, which represents a goat-headed deity.

• The complex history of Baphomet or the Goat of Mindes: Throughout history, the mythology and worship of Baphomet have been shaped by various cultures, leading to misunderstandings, appropriations, and misinterpretations.

  The mythology and worship of various deities, particularly Baphomet or the Goat of Mindes, have been shaped by multiple cultures throughout history, leading to misunderstandings, appropriations, and misinterpretations. Herodotus, a 5th century Greek historian, described the Egyptian god B'nebjedet, who was worshiped in Mendes, as a goat-headed deity named Mendes. However, it's unclear if Herodotus accurately understood the Egyptian practices or if he was projecting Greek religion onto them. The sexual aspects of the Egyptian cult at Mendes made it disliked by early Christians, who demonized the god and reinterpreted him as a devil figure. The name "Goat of Mindes" was popularized in the 19th century by French writer Eliphius Levi. The symbolic image of Baphomet, which often depicts a goat with a humanoid upper body, has been incorporated into various occult traditions and subcultures. The complex history of this deity shows how cultural interactions and interpretations can lead to misunderstandings and misrepresentations.

• Medieval Figure Baphomet and Modern Community Bonding: The medieval figure Baphomet, with its human-animal form and intriguing symbols, sparks reactions. Modern communities can learn from its image, fostering stronger bonds through neighborly support and quick relief for allergy sufferers with Astepro.

  The image of Baphomet, a figure from the medieval world, is a complex symbol filled with intriguing elements. This figure, associated with the Templars, a powerful religious military order during the Crusades, is often depicted with a human body and animal head, along with various other symbols. The combination of man and beast creates a captivating image that sparks reactions and thought. Additionally, Baphomet is sometimes shown with a caduceus-like symbol, further adding to the figure's intrigue. On a different note, in today's world, building strong community bonds is essential. Neighbor to Neighbor, a California volunteer network, is a beacon of hope that encourages people to connect with their neighbors. By helping each other out and standing together during natural disasters, we can create a more resilient and connected community. Lastly, when dealing with allergies, quick relief is crucial. Astepro, a first-of-its-kind nasal allergy spray, offers fast-acting symptom relief. It starts working in just 30 minutes, making it a valuable tool for allergy sufferers. With its steroid-free formula, Astepro delivers full prescription strength relief from nasal congestion, runny and itchy nose, and sneezing.

• The Legend of Baphomet: A French Corruption of Muhammad's Name: The legend of Baphomet, a monstrous Templar god, originated as a xenophobic conspiracy theory during the Middle Ages, using the name Muhammad to slander the Templars. Goats, however, have shown signs of surprising intelligence, excelling at learning complex tasks, challenging traditional views of intelligence.

  The legend of Baphomet, the monstrous Templar god, was born out of a xenophobic conspiracy theory during the Middle Ages. Originally, this deity was a French corruption of the name Muhammad, used to slander the Templars, who were falsely accused of converting to Islam. This fabricated monster became a symbol of rebellion and liberation, and even influenced new religious movements. Switching gears, another intriguing connection between goats and the supernatural relates to their intelligence. While goats may not be considered exceptionally smart, they have shown signs of being more clever than we give them credit for. A study published in Frontiers in Zoology in 2014 highlights this point, as researchers found that goats excel at learning and remembering complex tasks. This discovery challenges the traditional views of intelligence, which often focus on either social intelligence or ecological competence. Goats, it seems, possess a unique form of intelligence that may not be easily understood through these frameworks. The intersection of these two topics – Baphomet and goat intelligence – illustrates the intriguing ways in which history, mythology, and animal behavior intertwine.

• Goats Surprise with Advanced Cognitive Abilities: Goats learn individually, not socially, and their advanced cognitive skills are driven by ecological pressures, not social structures.

  Goats, despite having smaller brains and less social structures compared to primates, possess advanced cognitive abilities. Contrary to the prevalent view that intelligent species should excel at social learning, researchers discovered that goats learn individually rather than socially through a food box cognitive challenge. Their excellent long-term memory, quick learning, and problem-solving skills suggest that goat cognition is driven more by ecological competence pressure than social intelligence pressure. This finding challenges the assumption that social learning is the primary driver of advanced cognition and highlights the importance of studying a wider range of species to expand our understanding of intelligence.

• Goats exhibit human-directed gazing behavior: Goats' unique social relationship with humans revealed through audience-dependent visual orienting behavior

  Domestic goats, despite being primarily domesticated for production, exhibit human-directed gazing behavior when faced with unsolvable problems. This behavior, similar to that of companion animals like dogs and horses, suggests a broader impact of domestication on heterospecific communication than previously believed. The study by Christian Nowrath et al. (2016) provides evidence for this audience-dependent visual orienting behavior in goats, indicating their unique social relationship with humans. This finding challenges our understanding of the cognitive and social dynamics of domesticated animals, and raises questions about the nature of human-animal interactions throughout history.

• Goats' adaptability and human domestication: Goats' ability to adapt to new environments and human domestication have made them a common sight around the world, while their long-term survival and travel with humans continue to amaze.

  Goats, as one of our oldest domesticated animals, have the ability to adapt and thrive in various environments, including isolated ones like the Galapagos Archipelago. This trait, combined with human domestication, has made goats a common sight around the world. The goat's ability to make use of new environments has led to its long-term survival and travel with humans. The discussion also touched upon the idea that goats might behave differently when they're being observed, which is reminiscent of the folktale about the goat's disappearance and reappearance. Moreover, the episode introduced Neighbor to Neighbor, a California volunteers network, which emphasizes the importance of building meaningful social bonds within the community. This is especially crucial during uncertain times and natural disasters. Lastly, the episode highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future and the ongoing research to understand its full potential. Intel's Technically Speaking podcast, which explores the latest technology and AI applications, was also introduced.

• Impact of invasive species on Galapagos Islands: Invasive species like goats, pigs, and rats brought by humans led to extinctions and disrupted delicate ecosystems in the Galapagos Islands. Large-scale efforts to eradicate these species have been successful, but the damage had already been done.

  The history of human interaction with the Galapagos Islands has had a significant and often destructive impact on the unique ecosystems there. Starting from the 16th century, sailors brought invasive species like goats, pigs, and rats, which outcompeted or preyed upon native species, leading to extinctions. For instance, the Floriana Island subspecies of the Galapagos tortoise was lost during the mid-19th century. Goats, in particular, were problematic due to their browsing diet and ability to loosen soil, which harmed native vegetation and threatened the survival of other species. By the late 20th century, large-scale efforts were made to eradicate feral populations from the Galapagos Islands, including the removal of goats from several islands. Prior to 1997, the largest successful goat eradication was on Auckland Island in New Zealand, where only 105 goats occupied a mere 4,000 hectares. The next two largest eradications were on Lanai in Hawaii and San Clemente Island in California, where 29,000 goats were removed. These invasive species had a cascading effect on the ecosystem, disrupting the delicate balance between native species and the environment they depend on. The Galapagos tortoise, for example, plays a crucial role in the ecology of these islands by spreading seeds and helping to maintain the health of vegetation.

• Managing Invasive Goats in the Galapagos: Goats' herding behaviors led to their control using sterilized Judas goats, highlighting their adaptability and human efforts to manage invasive species

  Goats, known for their tenacity and ability to thrive in various environments, have caused significant ecological issues in the Galapagos Islands. To combat the overpopulation of feral goats, international funding was used to implement various control methods, including aerial hunting and the use of Judas goats. Judas goats are trained and sterilized goats used to lead other goats to their destruction. This strategy, while effective, highlights the social herding behaviors of goats and the lengths humans will go to manage invasive species. Despite the controversy surrounding the use of Judas goats, it serves as a testament to the goat's adaptability and resilience. Overall, the discussion sheds light on the complex relationship between humans, goats, and the environment, and the challenges of managing invasive species.

• Exploring More Goat-Related Content and Podcast Variety: The Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast offers ongoing goat research and a variety of content including core science, listener mail, short form monster fact, artifact episodes, and Weird House Cinema segments. It's produced by iHeartRadio, offers community building and disaster preparedness promotion, and has sponsorship from Visible and Fairmont Austin.

  While the three-part series on goats may have come to an end, there's a possibility of more goat-related content in the future due to ongoing research. Beyond that, the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast offers a variety of content, including core science episodes, listener mail episodes, short form monster fact or artifact episodes, and a Weird House Cinema segment. The podcast is produced by iHeartRadio, and listeners can get in touch with feedback or suggestions for future topics. Additionally, the podcast featured a promotion for Neighbor to Neighbor, a California volunteer network that encourages community building and disaster preparedness. The podcast also had a sponsorship from Visible, a wireless company offering transparent pricing and unlimited 5G data for $25 a month. Finally, a promotion was given for Fairmont Austin, a luxury hotel in Austin, Texas, offering world-class accommodations and amenities.