Curiosity Weekly

Learn about the social neuroscience of music; songbirds’ ultra-precise song control; and how animals can get skin cancer. This is what happens in the brain when people make music together by Kelsey Donk What happens in the brain when people make music together? (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/bu-whi060921.php Greenberg, D. M., Decety, J., & Gordon, I. (2021). Th...

Learn why aliens have a dataome; how animals sniff out viral infections; and how reading out loud can boost your memory. Additional resources from Caleb Scharf: Pick up "The Ascent of Information: Books, Bits, Genes, Machines, and Life's Unending Algorithm" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Information-Machines-Unending-Algorithm/dp/0593087240 Website: http://www.calebscharf.com/ Twitter: h...

Learn about why monkeys imitate other species’ accents; and the “dataome,” a new way to think about information. You can vote for Curiosity Daily in the 2021 People's Choice Podcast Awards! Register at https://podcastawards.com , select Curiosity Daily in the categories of Education and Science & Medicine , and then click/tap "save nominations" at the bottom of the page. Voting in other categories...

Learn how your brain replays the things you’ve practiced at 20 times speed; and an engine that uses information as fuel. On your practice breaks, your brain replays memories of your practice session at 20x speed by Kelsey Donk Human brain replays new memories at 20 times the speed during waking rest. (2021). EurekAlert! https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/cp-hbr060321.php Buch, E. R., Clau...

Learn the “Dog Days of Summer”; why scientists did magic tricks for birds; and the smallest conceivable length of time. What are the "Dog Days of Summer"? by Steffie Drucker Farmers' Almanac Staff. (2015, June 29). What Are the Dog Days of Summer? Farmers’ Almanac. https://www.farmersalmanac.com/why-are-they-called-dog-days-of-summer-21705 Little, B. (2015, July 10). Why Do We Call Them the “Dog D...

Learn about when to use bandages; online shopping’s hidden health benefits; and why tardigrades were shot out of a gun. LISTENER Q: Should you let a wound breathe or keep it covered? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Brian) Bishop, S.M.; Walker, M.; Rogers, A.A.; Chen, W.Y.J. (2003). Importance of moisture balance at the wound-dressing interface. Journal of Wound Care, 12(4), 125–128. https:...

Learn about the links between language and music via the speech-to-song illusion and what we can learn from tree rings. The speech-to-song illusion demonstrates the tight links between language and music by Steffie Drucker The Speech-to-Song Illusion. (2020). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/illusions-and-curiosities/202002/the-speech-song-illusion Diana Deutsch - Speech-t...

Learn about why daddy longlegs aren’t dangerous; the theoretical Dyson Sphere; and benefits of exercising with a partner. “Daddy Longlegs Myths, Dyson Spheres, Benefits of Exercising with a Partner” originally aired May 15, 2018: https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/daddy-longlegs-myths-dyson-spheres-and-benefits-of Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every...

Learn about past missions to Venus — and why we’re going back; and how to extract DNA from strawberries in your kitchen. We're going back to Venus. Here are the missions to look forward to by Briana Brownell NASA Selects 2 Missions to Study “Lost Habitable” World of Venus. (2018). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus ESA selects re...

Learn about how to combat revenge bedtime procrastination; the power of elephant trunks; and how pineapples eat you back. How to combat "revenge bedtime procrastination" by Kelsey Donk Cohut, M. (2021, March 19). Revenge bedtime procrastination: A plight of our times? Medicalnewstoday.com; Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/revenge-bedtime-procrastination-a-plight-of-our...

Learn about how huge Megalodon was and why some people have misophonia, a severe hatred of sounds. Plus: a trivia game! Dive deeper into all your favorite Shark Week shows with Shark Week’s Daily Bite Podcast hosted by Luke Tipple: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shark-weeks-daily-bite/id1527053422 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0dfzM1ktSB1mSKD5z4Q...

Learn about the record-breaking glowing kitefin shark; cities’ unique microbiomes; and the true origin of the Milky Way. Dive deeper into all your favorite Shark Week shows with Shark Week’s Daily Bite Podcast hosted by Luke Tipple: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shark-weeks-daily-bite/id1527053422 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0dfzM1ktSB1mSKD5z4...

Learn about cutting-edge Shark Week tech; how birthdays impact criminal records; and the time sharks nearly went extinct. More from Joe and Lauren Romeiro and Shark Week 2021: Start your 7-day free trial of discovery+ https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity Shark Week 2021 Full Schedule https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/discovery-channels-shark-week-2021-swims-off-with-jawsome-lineup-...

Learn how nuclear bomb detectors found a secret population of blue whales. Plus: what it takes to film sharks underwater. Dive deeper into all your favorite Shark Week shows with Shark Week’s Daily Bite Podcast hosted by Luke Tipple: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shark-weeks-daily-bite/id1527053422 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0dfzM1ktSB1mSKD5z...

Learn about ominous music’s effect on conservation efforts; why our brains constantly predict the future; and “Hydrobot.” Dive deeper into all your favorite Shark Week shows with Shark Week's Daily Bite Podcast hosted by Luke Tipple: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shark-weeks-daily-bite/id1527053422 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0dfzM1ktSB1mSKD5z...

Learn about ESP; why people panicked about electricity in the 1800s; and how embryos use sound to prepare for the world. Is there such a thing as ESP? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Anay in Georgia) ESP: What can science say? (2021). Berkeley.edu. https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/esp Engber, D. (2017, June 7). Daryl Bem Proved ESP Is Real. Which Means Science Is Broken. Slate Magazine;...

Learn about a robotic “third thumb”; how measuring time increases entropy; and how to distinguish friends from foes. People's brains adapted to having a robotic "third thumb" by Steffie Drucker UCL. (2021, May 19). Robotic “Third Thumb” use can alter brain representation of the hand. UCL News. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/may/robotic-third-thumb-use-can-alter-brain-representation-hand Kieliba,...

Learn about how to improve your sense of direction; the true story of the pied piper; and how our planets got their names. The stories in this episode originally aired May 1, 2018 “How Improve Your Sense of Direction, Pied Piper Mysteries, Planet Name Origins” https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/how-to-improve-your-sense-of-direction-pied-piper Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app...

Learn how weird dreams may help us in the real world; how we date dinosaurs; and why a healthy grip means a healthy body. A theory from AI says our weird dreams help us better perceive the world by Briana Brownell Our dreams’ weirdness might be why we have them, argues new AI-inspired theory of dreaming. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/cp-odw050621.php Hoel, E....

Learn how a man wrote sentences using only his mind; how popular song lyrics got simpler; and the bitterness of Bitrex. Brain-computer interface lets people communicate by imagining they're writing by Grant Currin Composing thoughts: mental handwriting produces brain activity that can be turned into text | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2021). Nih.gov. https://www.ninds....

Learn about common ancestors shared by every human; evolution’s multiple directions; and universal facial expressions. There's a point in the past when every person on Earth was an ancestor to every person alive today by Grant Currin Hershberger, S. (2020, October 5). Humans Are All More Closely Related Than We Commonly Think. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-...

Learn about why we need memorials for medicine; NASA’s Phantom Torso experiment; and why we often overestimate outliers. Additional resources from Steven Johnson: Pick up "Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/594501/extra-life-by-steven-johnson/ Website: https://stevenberlinjohnson.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenbjohnson The Phantom Torso...

Learn how we doubled life expectancy in the last 150 years. Plus: “impossible” quasicrystals formed from nuclear bombs. Additional resources from Steven Johnson: Pick up "Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/594501/extra-life-by-steven-johnson/ Website: https://stevenberlinjohnson.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenbjohnson The first nuclear...

Learn about ancient evidence of humans using fire; Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle; and your memory on social media. We just found the earliest evidence of humans changing their ecosystems with fire by Grant Currin Nield, D. (2021). Scientists Find Oldest Evidence of Ancient Human Activity Deep Inside a Desert Cave. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-find-the-oldest-evidence-...

Learn why soccer players miss penalty kicks; how we estimate population sizes; and how space helps us look back in time. Pro soccer players miss penalty kicks because pressure makes them overthink by Kelsey Donk Johnson, S. (2021, May 12). Why professional soccer players choke during penalty kicks. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/choking-under-pressure Slutter, M. W. J., Tham...