Curiosity Weekly

We discuss how digital media affects parents and caregivers, how friends often have similar body odor, and the cancer-sniffing abilities of locusts.  Parents & Screens  “Using digital media to relax is related to lower-quality parenting” by Media Relations, University of Waterloo https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/using-digital-media-relax-related-lower-quality-parenting “Parents attached to digital...

We delve into which foods that research shows will become more popular as we adjust to climate change, the discovery of a new planet covered in water, and the effects of Arctic storms on ice levels.  Food for Climate Change  “These six foods may become more popular as the planet warms” by Anna Gibbs https://www.sciencenews.org/article/food-climate-future-nutrition-millet-seaweed-cassava-mussels “W...

We discuss how VR is as effective as psychedelics at helping people reach transcendence, whether Stonehenge may have been an ancient calendar, and how COVID-19 has affected women in late pregnancy.  VR & Transcendence  “VR is as good as psychedelics at helping people reach transcendence” by Hana Kiros https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/06/1056727/vr-virtual-reality-psychedelics-transcendence...

Let’s talk about how dating apps stress us out, the discovery of a massive ancient frog grave, and how gene therapy can potentially cure colorblindness.  Dating App Data “The agony of partner choice: The effect of excessive partner availability on fear of being single, self-esteem, and partner choice overload” by Marina F. Thomas, Alice Binder, and Jörg Matthes. https://www.sciencedirect.com/scien...

Our stories today discuss how bee venom can potentially help fight cancer, the history of manatees, and recent discoveries in how monkeys use tools.  Bee Venom Kills Cancer “Honeybee venom kills aggressive breast cancer cells: Australian study” by Rachel Arthur https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2020/09/07/Honeybee-venom-kills-aggressive-breast-cancer-cells-study “Honeybee venom 'kills som...

We explore how online learning affects the body, how mood affects alcohol cravings in both men and women, and how dogs have evolved to manipulate us!  Online Learning “Online teaching triggers a different response in the body” by Meike Drießen https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220817104031.htm “Neuroanatomy, Parasympathetic Nervous System” by Jacob Tindle & Prasanna Tadi. https://www.n...

Today we discuss how recycling used personal protective equipment can make stronger concrete, a rise in ADHD symptoms among male weightlifters who take steroids, and the battle of the sexes among male and female butterflies! PPE Concrete “PPE can be recycled to make stronger concrete” by Gosia Kaszubska and Will Wright https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2022/august/ppe-concrete “Recycled PPE co...

Today we learn about how doppelgangers can share similar DNA, a recent discovery of a lost lineage in Indonesia, and recent advancements in finding out what causes Alzheimer’s.  DNA & Lookalikes “People with similar faces likely have similar DNA, study finds” by Cell Press https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220823115609.htm “Your Doppelgänger Is Out There and You Probably Share DNA With...

A Swedish company has created a new anti-hangover pill that reduces the short-term effects of drinking, whale poop is helping our ocean’s ecosystems, and a recent drought in Texas revealed the footprints from a dinosaur over 100 million years ago.  Anti-Hangover Pill “Myrkl: new anti-hangover pill said to break down up to 70% of alcohol in an hour – what you need to know“ by Ashwin Dhanda https://...

Researchers are making small claws out of dead spiders, dandelion seeds are inspiring scientists to mimic their distribution with small sensors to be able to better track ecological information, and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument is helping us create a 3D map of the universe. Undead Spiders  “How researchers at Rice University in Texas figured out how to revive dead spiders (sort of)” by...

Today we discuss how a fiery pit in Turkmenistan has been burning for more than 50 years, new clues to the origins of cancer, and how ancient cities are hiding beneath the cover of forest canopies! Gates of Hell  The Quest to Extinguish the Flames of Turkmenistan’s Terrifying ‘Gates of Hell’ Firepit by Jane Recker https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-quest-to-extinguish-the-flames-of-turk...

Magic mushrooms are giving researchers hope in treating conditions like anxiety and depression, a new study may have found the key to increasing photosynthesis efficiency in plants, and research shows that we love being reached out to by old friends!  Mushrooming Minds 'They Broke My Mental Shackles': Could Magic Mushrooms be the Answer to Depression? by Josh Jacobs https://www.theguardian.com/sci...

Today we are discussing new sustainable fuels for airplanes, creating other worldly heat at home, and a new record for quantum entanglement. Fry Flying “Cooking Oil Could Be the New Jet Fuel” by Caroline Delbert https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a39612851/airbus-a380-flies-on-cooking-oil/  “Sustainable Aviation Fuels: Status, Challenges and Prospects of Drop-In Liquid Fuels, Hydrogen...

Learn about octopi forming communities, clues to the origins of schizophrenia, and a new compound giving researchers hope for fighting tough to treat cancers.    Octopus Culture  “Hidden World of Octopus Cities and Culture Shows why it’s Wrong to Farm These Sentient Creatures” by Guardian Magazine https://www.guardianmag.press/2022/04/hidden-world-of-octopus-cities-and-culture-shows-why-its-wrong-...

A new archeological discovery might be from the day of the big asteroid strike that took down the dinosaurs, bird goo is helping us understand airplane accidents, and find out about the most human-like robot finger you’ve ever seen! Glass Rain Dinosaur Pain  Tanis: Fossil of Dinosaur Killed in Asteroid Strike Found, Scientists Claim by Jonathan Amos https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-610...

Discover how our brains physically reflect how social we are, a new proposal for Mars exploration vehicles, and patterns in our brain that reveal how we process pain! Social brains. “Brain regions linked to empathy bigger in monkeys with more friends” by Alice Klein https://www.newscientist.com/article/2316110-brain-regions-linked-to-empathy-bigger-in-monkeys-with-more-friends/ “Social connections...

Today, you’ll learn about mushrooms that can eat asteroids to make space soil, how our thoughts affect us as we microdose psychedelics, and efforts to 3D print organs like kidneys and lungs! Hungry mushrooms. Fungi Could Make Soil From Asteroids and Homes on Mars by Madeleine Gregory https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/fungi-could-make-soil-from-asteroids-and-homes-on-mars Making Soil fo...

Tune in to understand how new tech to find fake paintings, the mysterious reason a viking colony collapsed, and how doing chores might make kids smarter! Goodbye forgaries. Police Rely on Radiocarbon Dating to Identify Forged Paintings by Carolyn Wilke https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00582-w Detecting Recent Forgeries of Impressionist and Pointillist Paintings with High-Precision Radioc...

Discover a new x-ray giving us incredible sight into ourselves, the future of weather prediction, and a surprising potential link between dementia and vitamin D. Ultra visible insides. Human Organ Atlas https://human-organ-atlas.esrf.eu/ Brightest Ever X-ray Shows Lung Vessels Altered by COVID-19 by University College London https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211104100646.htm Drawing Up...

Hear about a new archeological site that suggests humans arrived in Europe 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, what a giant fossil could teach us about the fearsome sea dragon, and a massive archeological find in Egypt! European humans. Homo Sapiens May Have Reached Europe 10,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Thought by Bruce Bower https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-sapiens-humans-...

You’re going to learn about efforts to print astronaut skin in space with their own blood, the mystifying side effects of birth control, and the race to bring soil samples back from Mars! Blood skin. 3D Bioprinting Artificial Bone for Emergency Medicine in Space by European Space Agency https://scitechdaily.com/3d-bioprinting-artificial-bone-for-emergency-medicine-in-space/ Upside-Down 3D-Printed...

Come along with us to figure out how heating up testicles could be an effective male contraceptive, how ultrasounds might help us cure Type 2 diabetes, and how a robotic fish might soon clean our oceans. Heating up testes isn’t what you think. “Heating Up Testicles Could Solve a Major Male Contraceptive Issue” by Jeffrey Mo https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/heating-up-testicles “Magnetic Testis Ta...

Hear about a slingshot launching payloads into space, the impressively modern looking world’s oldest pants, and how moth wings are able to absorb sound to avoid detection from bats. A different kind of slingshot. “NASA Will Test Gigantic Centrifuge for Hurling Objects Into Space” by George Dvorsky https://gizmodo.com/nasa-will-test-gigantic-centrifuge-for-hurling-objects-1848784359 “NASA to Test S...

You’re going to learn about how our body’s pH is helping us fight cancer, how memories aren’t stored where we thought they were, and how drinking coffee could have you spending a lot more at the store. Ph power. “pH-Responsive Nanoparticles for Cancer Immunotherapy: A Brief Review” by Yunfeng Yan and Hangwei Ding https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7466692/ Polycarbonate-based ultra-pH se...

Tune in to learn about how fire-breathing creatures are possible, what makes a bad breaker-upper, and new blazing fast, cheap, and accurate COVID tests. Dragons could be real. “House Of The Dragon: Yes, fire-breathing animals could really exist” by Stephen Kelly https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/house-of-dragon-fire-breathing/ “What Does Science Say About Flying and Fire Breathing Dragons?” by A...