Curiosity Weekly

Learn about how someone can change their identity (and their mind); and “mushballs” on Uranus and Neptune. Plus: trivia! More from Lee McIntyre: Pick up "How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason": https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Science-Denier-Conversations/dp/0262046105 Website: https://leemcintyrebooks.com/ Follow @leemcintyre...

Learn about how to talk to someone who denies a scientific reality; and “raining sulfur” in the Biblical city of Sodom. More from author Lee McIntyre: Pick up "How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason": https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Science-Denier-Conversations/dp/0262046105 Website: https://leemcintyrebooks.com/ Follow @leemc...

Learn about how we may have found dark energy; a prehistoric coelacanth return; and a trick for getting what you want. A dark-matter hunting experiment may have just found dark energy by Briana Brownell Schultz, I. (2021, September 17). Dark Energy Could Be Responsible for Mysterious Experiment Signals, Researchers Say. Gizmodo; Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/dark-energy-could-be-responsible-for-mys...

Learn about a heroic experiment that helps explain asthma getting worse at night; and the largest living thing on earth. A heroic experiment has shed light on the centuries-old mystery of why asthma gets worse at night by Grant Currin Harrison, S. (2021, September 21). Why Does Asthma Get Worse at Night? Wired; WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/why-does-asthma-get-worse-at-night/ Study explores w...

Learn about the smallest flying structure ever made; Myers-Briggs’ big problem; and why the biggest nuts end up on top. Flying microstructure the size of a grain of sand is the smallest humans have ever made by Briana Brownell Neuman, S. (2021, September 23). Flying Microchips The Size Of A Sand Grain Could Be Used For Population Surveillance. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/23/1040035430/fly...

Learn about how quickly certain people adjust to time changes; how you can help slow jungle loss; and why ice cubes grow spikes. Early birds adjust to time changes faster than night owls by Grant Currin “Springing forward” affects early birds less than night owls, study finds. (2021, July 20). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/472466 Nield, D. (2021). Your Genes Could Affect How...

Learn about the link between music download trends and epidemics; and how losing jungles contributes to climate change. Music download patterns found to resemble infectious disease epidemic curves by Cameron Duke Rosati, D., Woolhouse, M., Bolker, B., & Earn, D. (2021). Modelling song popularity as a contagious process | Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sc...

Learn about saving something for an occasion that never comes; and how much you’ve changed in the past vs. the future. Plus: Cody and Ashley celebrate Curiosity Daily’s 1,000th episode! Join Cody and Ashley for a special live stream celebrating Curiosity Daily’s 1,000th episode on Wednesday, November 3! Register for free here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curiosity-dailys-1000th-episode-celebratio...

Learn about why mRNA vaccines are older than you think; and the scientific theories about why animals have white bellies. mRNA vaccines are older than you think by Grant Currin Dolgin, E. (2021). The tangled history of mRNA vaccines. Nature, 597(7876), 318–324. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02483-w Lewis, T. (2021, September 15). An mRNA Pioneer Discusses How Her Work Led to the COVID Vaccine...

Learn about crowdsourced fact checking; why humans and monkeys choke under pressure; and a mantis shrimp punching robot. Join Cody and Ashley for a special live stream celebrating Curiosity Daily’s 1,000th episode! Leave us a voicemail at 312-596-5208 or email a voice recording to curiosity@discovery.com and share your favorite fact you've learned from the podcast, and you may hear your message on...

Learn about “carbon neutral” policies; a new twist on the legend of Merlin; and the giraffe’s bizarre circulatory system. You’re invited to join Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer for a special live stream celebration to commemorate the release of Curiosity Daily’s 1,000th episode next week! Register for free here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curiosity-dailys-1000th-episode-celebration-tickets-191163133...

Learn about the medical history of using leeches; potty training cows to help the environment; and the math behind eggs. More from zoologist Bill Schutt: Pick up "Pump: A Natural History of the Heart" https://www.workman.com/products/pump Website: https://billschutt.com/ Follow @BillSchuttBooks on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillSchuttBooks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillSchutt1/ Potty tr...

Learn about misokinesia, an intense hatred of movements; why fear of blood makes you faint; and why your “ghost problem” might be caused by infrasound. A third of people may have misokinesia, an intense hatred of certain movements like fidgeting by Steffie Drucker Do you hate seeing people fidget? New UBC research says you’re not alone. (2021, August 31). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/new...

Learn about how people synchronize their heart rates when listening to a story; and vampire bats meeting up for meals. You’re invited to join Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer for a special live stream celebration to commemorate the release of Curiosity Daily’s 1,000th episode next week! Register for free here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curiosity-dailys-1000th-episode-celebration-tickets-191163133077...

Learn about how birds could help us predict natural disasters; fairy tales’ old origins; and how breaks and sprains heal. Kivi Kuaka: how birds could be the key to an early warning system for natural disasters by Briana Brownell Hakai Magazine. (2021). Can Birds Help Us Avoid Natural Disasters? | Hakai Magazine. Hakai Magazine; Hakai Magazine. https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/can-birds-help-us-a...

Learn about the Space for Art Foundation; how screen time helped kids in lockdown; and mold vs. cleaning product safety. More from NASA astronaut Nicole Stott: Pick up "Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet — and Our Mission to Protect It" https://www.sealpress.com/titles/nicole-stott/back-to-earth/9781541675049/ Website: https://www.npsdiscovery.com/ Follow @Astro_Nico...

Learn what NASA astronaut Nicole Stott learned from her time in outer space. Plus: whistled languages around the world. More from retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott: Pick up "Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet — and Our Mission to Protect It" https://www.sealpress.com/titles/nicole-stott/back-to-earth/9781541675049/ Website: https://www.npsdiscovery.com/ Follow @Ast...

Learn about Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle’s amity; how to keep a jack-o’-lantern fresh; and declaring sovereignty. The stories in this episode originally aired October 21, 2018 “Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini’s Friendship, How to Read Food Labels, Jack-O’-Lantern Maintenance, and Declaring Sovereignty” https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/arthur-conan-doyle-and-harry-houdini-s-friend...

Learn about how animals are “shapeshifting” in response to a warming climate; and the story of Albert Einstein’s brain. Animals are "shapeshifting" in response to a warming climate by Grant Currin Zeldovich, L. (2021, September 7). Animals Are Changing Shape to Cope With Rising Temperatures. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/animals-are-changing-shape-cope-rising-...

Learn why more humans are growing an extra artery; emotional hangovers; and the drawbacks of energy-efficient LED streetlamps. More humans are growing an extra artery, which shows we're still evolving by Cameron Duke Lucas, T., Kumaratilake, J., & Henneberg, M. (2020). Recently increased prevalence of the human median artery of the forearm: A microevolutionary change. Journal of Anatomy, 237(4), 6...

Learn how to avoid overfeeding your dog; whether wind affects sound; and how Suffrajitsu helped women win the right to vote. Please vote for Curiosity Daily in the 2021 Discover Pods Awards! We're a finalist for Best Technology & Science Podcast. Voting closes today, and it only takes a few seconds. Thank you! https://awards.discoverpods.com/vote/ More from Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Shaw Becker:...

Learn how to protect your pets from the chemicals in your home; and why resilience is a process, not a fixed trait. More from Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Shaw Becker: Pick up "The Forever Dog: Surprising New Science to Help Your Canine Companion Live Younger, Healthier, and Longer": https://foreverdog.com/about/ Dr. Karen Becker on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctor.karen.becker Rodney Habib...

Learn about a bacterial electric grid; traits females have evolved to avoid harassment; and why tea leaves sink. There's a bacterial electric grid beneath our feet by Grant Currin Hidden bacterial hairs power nature’s “electric grid.” (2021, September). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/927031 Gu, Y., Srikanth, V., Salazar-Morales, A. I., Jain, R., O’Brien, J. P., Yi, S. M., Son...

Learn how quickly previously trained muscles bounce back after inactivity; and how a black hole made a star explode. Previously trained muscles bounce back after inactivity by Grant Currin Seaborne, R. A., Strauss, J., Cocks, M., Shepherd, S., O’Brien, T. D., van Someren, K. A., Bell, P. G., Murgatroyd, C., Morton, J. P., Stewart, C. E., & Sharples, A. P. (2018). Human Skeletal Muscle Possesses an...

Learn about why high school starts too early; why daydreaming might be a good sign; and finding life on Hycean planets. High school starts too early in all but 3 US states — but things are changing by Steffie Drucker Roy, S. (2014, August 26). AAP Recommends Delaying School Start Times to Combat Teen Sleep... Sleep Review. https://www.sleepreviewmag.com/sleep-health/demographics/age/aap-recommends...