Curiosity Weekly

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...

Learn how mammals breathe through their butts; how babies remember their birth language; and your reflection in a spoon. Mammals can breathe through their butts, and this could help humans with respiratory failure by Grant Currin Breathing Through the Rectum Saves Oxygen-Starved Mice and Pigs. (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/science/rectum-breathing-oxygen.html Okabe...

Learn about whether you should fear AI; the science of a good selfie; and how bats map the world by time, not distance. Additional resources from Michael Wooldridge: Pick up "A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence: What It Is, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250770745 Twitter: https://twitter.com/wooldridgemike Oxford faculty p...

Learn about "iconic sounds" of language. Plus: artificial intelligence’s limitations, with AI pioneer Michael Wooldridge. Language may have started with "iconic sounds" rather than hand gestures by Grant Currin Ćwiek, A., Fuchs, S., Draxler, C., Asu, E. L., Dediu, D., Hiovain, K., Kawahara, S., Koutalidis, S., Krifka, M., Lippus, P., Lupyan, G., Oh, G. E., Paul, J., Petrone, C., Ridouane, R., Reit...

Learn about a pregnant mummy; the three body problem; and why you should take off your shoes when you enter your house. A newly discovered pregnant mummy is raising questions about ancient Egyptian beliefs by Grant Currin Johnson, S. (2021, May 5). First-ever pregnant Egyptian mummy discovered. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/culture-religion/pregnant-mummy In a First, Researchers Disco...

Learn 4 tips for managing WFH paranoia; flat-pack pasta; and how eye contact is affected by the shape of a dog’s face. 4 tips for managing your WFH paranoia by Kelsey Donk Managing Your WFH Paranoia. (2021, April 28). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/04/managing-your-wfh-paranoia Is Remote Work Making Us Paranoid? (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/style/is...

Learn the easiest way to forgive and forget; whether human fossils can produce oil; and what bees yell when surprised. The forgetting part of "forgive and forget" is easier when you forgive emotionally by Kelsey Donk Here’s The Best Way To Forgive And Forget. (2021, May 4). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/05/04/heres-the-best-way-to-forgive-and-forget/ Noreen, S., & MacLeod, M. D....

Learn about “digital body language” guidelines and how scientists brought multiple molecules into the same quantum state. Additional resources from Erica Dhawan: Pick up "Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust & Connection No Matter the Distance" from your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250246523 Website: https://ericadhawan.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericadhawan In...

Learn why your mom calls you your sibling’s name; why pollen isn’t just plant sperm; and what really causes sore muscles. If Your Mom Calls You Your Sibling’s Name, It Means She Loves You Both by Joanie Faletto Trudeau, M. (2017, January 16). When The Brain Scrambles Names, It’s Because You Love Them. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/01/16/509353565/when-the-brain-scrambles-...

Learn why there could be stars made of antimatter. Plus: author Paul Greenberg’s tips to reduce your carbon footprint. There could be stars made of antimatter in our galaxy by Briana Brownell NASA - JSC Engineering - Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. (2013). Nasa.gov. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/engineering/projects/alpha_magnetic_spectrometer/index.html may. (2017, April 19). Giant space magn...

Learn about the RLR gene editing tool; Victorian-era emoji; and why “night shift” screen settings don’t help you sleep. RLR is a new gene editing tool that's safer and more useful than CRISPR by Cameron Duke Move over CRISPR, the retrons are coming. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/wifb-moc042921.php Schubert, M. G., Goodman, D. B., Wannier, T. M., Kaur, D., Farz...

Learn how resolving arguments can erase nearly all bad feelings, and why almost all calico cats are female. Plus: trivia! Resolving an argument can almost erase the emotional stress it caused by Kelsey Donk Resolving Arguments Can Prevent Bad Feelings From Lingering — And We Get Better At It As We Age. (2021, April 22). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/04/22/resolving-arguments-can-...

Learn why older classmates are more popular; how some invasive species help their ecosystems; and keyboard cleaning tips. Don't be surprised if the oldest kids in your class were also more popular by Kelsey Donk PsychNewsDaily Staff. (2021, May 5). High school popularity: study shows oldest kids in the class also the most popular. PsychNewsDaily. https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/high-school-populari...

Learn how human hair can improve solar panels and why people tend to add, not subtract, when trying to improve something. Scientists are using human hair to make carbon nanodots for displays & solar panels by Grant Currin Carbon dots from human hair boost solar cells. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/quot-cdf040721.php Pham, N. D., Singh, A., Chen, W., Hoang, M....