# Dr. Kiki Turns Us Into BIRDS!

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-if-2494024/dr-kiki-turns-us-into-birds
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-if-2494024/dr-kiki-turns-us-into-birds.md
Podcast: [What The If?](https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-if-2494024)
Published: 2025-11-26T20:38:28+00:00
Episode link: https://soundcloud.com/whattheif/kiki-encore
Audio file: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2219488709-whattheif-kiki-encore.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-the-if-2494024/episodes/dr-kiki-turns-us-into-birds
Duration seconds: 3151

## Resource

Happy Thanksgiving! We're off this week for the holiday, so we're presenting an encore presentation of an episode that was originally broadcast on September 5, 2018, and remains one of our all-time audience favorites. What the if humans evolved into shrikes - those adorable songbirds that impale their prey on thorns and barbed wire? Dr. Kiki Sanford, neurobiologist and host of This Week in Science, transforms us into gray-and-white birds with natural domino masks, hollow bones, and respiratory systems so efficient they make mammalian lungs look pathetic. Discover why you're literally dinosaur spawn, how shrikes turn thorns into gruesome pantries, and why territorial bird disputes would make parking lot arguments look civilized. Fast forward 10,000 years and watch strike-kind conquer the galaxy, impaling entire planets and building Dyson smores around distant suns. It's the perfect blend of real bird biology and ridiculous speculation - plus you'll never look at songbirds the same way again! Check out Dr. Kiki's podcast This Week in Science at www.twis.org - they broadcast live on Wednesday evenings!Retry —— Find out more about Gaby's science fiction short story! Here are the links for the anthology. The physical copy can be ordered here : https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention The ebook can be ordered here: https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention

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