Curiosity Weekly

Learn about the mystery of how Tibetan monks seem to keep meditating after death; and a woolly mammoth that walked VERY far. Thukdam Project scientists still stumped over how deceased Tibetan monks continue to meditate after death by Grant Currin Berman, R. (2021, August 5). The strange case of the dead-but-not-dead Tibetan monks. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/thukd...

Learn about why you eat more when you’re tired; a legendary submerged Egyptian city; and a trick for keeping the peace. Lack Of Sleep Really Does Make You Eat More by Ashley Hamer Sleep Munchies: Why It’s Harder To Resist Snacks When We’re Tired. (2016, March 2). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/02/468933610/sleep-munchies-why-its-harder-to-resist-snacks-when-were-tired Circad...

Learn about how to avoid getting dragged down by “Sludge”; how hybrid fruit like plumcots are made; and pirate parlance. Additional resources from Richard Thaler: Pick up "Nudge: The Final Edition" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143137009 Faculty page: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/directory/t/richard-h-thaler Twitter: https://twitter.com/r_thaler Nobel Prize p...

Nobel Prize-winning economist Richard Thaler explains how “Nudge” has changed the world. Plus: squirrel-inspired robots! Additional resources from Richard Thaler: Pick up "Nudge: The Final Edition" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143137009 Faculty page: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/directory/t/richard-h-thaler  Follow @R_Thaler on Twitter: https://twitter.com/r...

Learn about non-human animals that say hello and goodbye; life on Snowball Earth; and how to learn skills twice as fast. Apes use their own form of hello and goodbye, the first time we've seen that in non-human animals by Steffie Drucker Heesen, R., Bangerter, A., Zuberbühler, K., Iglesias, K., Neumann, C., Pajot, A., Perrenoud, L., Guéry, J.-P., Rossano, F., & Genty, E. (2021). Assessing joint co...

Learn how to tap into your “gut feeling,” which knows more than you think it does; and why Earth's core is growing lopsided. You do have a "gut feeling" — and it knows more than you think by Cameron Duke Annie Murphy Paul. (2021, July 29). Interoception: how to improve your “gut feeling.” Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/interoception-how-to-improve-your-gut-feeling Armst...

Learn about why children write letters backward; how dogs know when you’re lying to them; and mountains on neutron stars. Children write letters backward because they haven't unlearned the rules of reality by Steffie Drucker Sigman, M. (2017, August 8). The fascinating reason that children write letters backwards. Ideas.ted.com. https://ideas.ted.com/the-fascinating-reason-that-children-write-lett...

Learn why phonics is the best way to teach kids to read; and how false science benefits from people who “trust science.” Plus: this month’s Curiosity Challenge trivia game! Additional resources from Emily Oster: Pick up "The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early Years" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781984881755?aff=penguinrandom Website...

Learn how parents can get smarter about making big decisions, with author Emily Oster; and electron-capture supernovas. Additional resources from Emily Oster: Pick up "The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early Years" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781984881755?aff=penguinrandom Website: https://emilyoster.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.co...

Learn why self-control isn’t always good for you; why you can’t win an argument using facts; and what SETI is looking for. More from Dr. Steven Novella: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe http://www.theskepticsguide.org/ New England Skeptical Society http://www.theness.com/ NeuroLogica blog http://theness.com/neurologicablog/ Steven Novella faculty bio https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/steven_nov...

Learn how Seabed 2030 will map the ocean floor; how our cells make soap; and how crows understand the concept of zero. More than half of Earth's surface is unmapped, but Seabed 2030 aims to map it by 2030 by Grant Currin Jacobs, F. (2021, July 19). More than half the world is still unmapped — but not for long. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/seabed-2030 Amos, J. (2020, June...

Learn about how guaranteed 8-hour work days came to the US; the liking gap; and the shocking defense systems of tomato plants. It took more than 70 years to guarantee 8-hour work days in the US by Steffie Drucker Lee, S. (2019, February 26). 40-hour work week: The history and evolution | Culture Amp. Culture Amp. https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/40-hour-work-week-the-history-and-evolution Ward, M.,...

Learn how accurate fossil preparators must be; why electric cars are an old concept; and words on the tip of your tongue. Additional information about fossil preparators and other resources from Caitlyn Wylie: Pick up the open-access book "Preparing Dinosaurs: The Work Behind the Scenes": https://direct.mit.edu/books/monograph/5180/Preparing-DinosaursThe-Work-behind-the-Scenes Faculty page https:/...

Learn how newborn mammals “dream” about the world before entering it; and what goes into prepping dinosaurs for research. Newborn mammals "dream" about the world they're about to experience before they open their eyes by Grant Currin Eyes wide shut: How newborn mammals dream the world they’re entering. (2021, July 22). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/561171 Ge, X., Zhang, K.,...

Learn about the Diderot Effect; how cave art becomes animated in firelight; and why running may be good for your knees. The Diderot Effect is why buying one new thing makes you want to buy more new things by Steffie Drucker Clear, J. (2015, October 6). The Diderot Effect: Why We Want Things We Don’t Need. James Clear. https://jamesclear.com/diderot-effect Hendricks, S. (2018, July 16). How the Did...

Learn about the earliest use of infinity we’ve found; and vampire-like sea slugs that absorb other organisms’ attributes. The earliest mathematical use of infinity was found in a reused prayer book by Briana Brownell Reviel Netz. (2021). The Diagrams as Floating Bodies by Reviel Netz of Stanford University. Archimedespalimpsest.org. http://archimedespalimpsest.org/about/scholarship/method-infinity...

Learn about a key trait in group leaders; why DNA evidence is overrated; and a brainless slime mold that can “think.” The "babble hypothesis" of leadership says people who talk more are seen as leaders by Steffie Drucker Dolan, E. W. (2021, July 17). New study finds people who speak more are more likely to be viewed as leaders. PsyPost; PsyPost. https://www.psypost.org/2021/07/new-study-finds-peop...

Learn how COVID tests work; how math can help you with major life decisions; and how some dogs have natural talent. How COVID PCR tests work by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Lydia) Tiner, S. (2020, March 27). The Science Behind the Test for the COVID-19 VirusDiscovery’s Edge. Https://Discoverysedge.mayo.edu/. https://discoverysedge.mayo.edu/2020/03/27/the-science-behind-the-test-for-the-cov...

Learn how to turn the table on addictive apps; and how black holes can make us see multiple versions of the same thing. Additional resources from David Sumpter: Pick up "The Ten Equations that Rule the World and How You Can Use Them Too" https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250246967 Faculty page: https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N7-525 Twitter: https://twitter.com/soccermatics?lang=en New mathemat...

Learn how often people misremember alibis; new lessons from Denisova Cave; and how to remove pesticides from produce. People often misremember where they were on a given date, which puts criminal alibis into question by Cameron Duke Faulty memories of our past whereabouts: The fallacy of an airtight alibi. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-07/afps-fmo070721.php Lalib...

Learn about the time pirates stopped the US from switching to the metric system; and new learnings about Mars’ interior. The US once tried switching to the metric system, but got stopped by pirates by Steffie Drucker How Pirates Of The Caribbean Hijacked America’s Metric System. (2017, December 28). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/28/574044232/how-pirates-of-the-caribbean-...

Learn about evolutionary compromises; the fractals of Romanesco cauliflower; and dolphins that learn each other’s names. Conflict traits: when evolution and mating conflict with each other by Cameron Duke Experiments show natural selection opposes sexual selection. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/uoe-esn060721.php Mulder, M. B., & Rauch, K. L. (2009). Sexual con...

Learn about a microwave to revive hamsters; whether humans are still evolving; and why art is more moving in a museum. One of the earliest microwaves wasn’t for food… it was for reanimating frozen hamsters. by Cameron Duke Andjus, R. K., & Lovelock, J. E. (1955). Reanimation of rats from body temperatures between 0 and 1° C by microwave diathermy. The Journal of Physiology, 128(3), 541–546. https:...

Learn why Easter Island never had a population collapse; and how scientists are measuring the expansion of our universe. Easter Island never had a population collapse, as commonly believed by Grant Currin Resilience, not collapse: What the Easter Island myth gets wrong. (2021, July 13). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/793195 Johnson, S. (2021, July 16). Busting the Easter Isla...

Learn about the benefits of living near a volcano; different types of carbonated water; and how to procrastinate right. The stories in this episode originally aired May 30, 2018 “Perks of Procrastination, Volcano Dwellers, Club Soda vs Sparkling Waters” https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/perks-of-procrastination-volcano-dwellers-and-the Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to lea...