Curiosity Weekly

Learn about how experiencing “flow” could help your mental health during quarantine; why airplane windows are round; and whether flies experience time more slowly than we do. Experiencing flow could buffer the mental-health effects of quarantine by Kelsey Donk The mental state of flow might protect against harmful effects of quarantine. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...

Learn about how the coronavirus pandemic may have changed Americans’ attitudes about the poor; how you can relieve stress by learning something new; and a trick for setting goals to help you achieve what you want. COVID-19 may have changed Americans’ attitudes about the poor by Steffie Drucker Dolan, E. W. (2020, November 21). Study suggests the COVID-19 pandemic has altered Americans attitudes to...

Learn about how quitting smoking may reawaken healthy cells; how researchers figured out how to tell the age of crime scene fingerprints to help investigators; and why you sometimes yawn while exercising or singing. Quitting smoking doesn’t just slow lung damage, but can also reawaken undamaged cells by Grant Currin Gallagher, J. (2020, January 29). Lungs “magically” heal damage from smoking. BBC...

Learn about whether people think in words or in pictures; why brussels sprouts really are tastier than they used to be; and why buying luxury items might make you feel like an impostor. Whether People Think in Words or Pictures by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Alicia) (2020). Twitter. https://twitter.com/KylePlantEmoji/status/1221713792913965061 Heavey, C. L., & Hurlburt, R. T. (2008). The...

Learn about the shocking prevalence of torture scenes in movies; why durian, the world’s smelliest fruit, smells so bad; and where mold comes from. Torture is prevalent and effective in movies (but not in real life) by Kelsey Donk Torture Prevalent, Effective in Popular Movies, Study Finds – University of Alabama News | The University of Alabama. (2020). Ua. Edu. https://www.ua.edu/news/2020/01/to...

Learn about why your next relationship will probably be like your last one; what scientists learned by studying the oldest material on Earth; and what researchers learned when they had cuttlefish wear 3-D glasses. Why Your Next Relationship Will Probably Be Like Your Last by Kelsey Donk Changing partners doesn’t change relationship dynamics, study shows. (2019). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert....

Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect” and how physical distance affects the way we feel about other people; and the history of when and why we started using last names. Opposites Don’t Attract by Kelsey Donk Johnson, M. D. (2018, February 12). No, opposites do not attract. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/no-opposites-do-not-attract-88839 Montoya, R....

Learn about Starlink’s unintended consequences for astronomy from astrophysicist Vivienne Baldassare, NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University. Then, learn why toilet paper is white.   More information on NEPA Implementing Regulations: CEQ’s Proposal to Update its NEPA Implementing Regulations | Council on Environmental Quality NEPA Modernization https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/nepa-mod...

Learn about how speed listening to podcasts (or "podfasting") affects our emotions; the health differences between white and brown rice; and the time pi was once almost legally changed to 3.2. Speed listening’s effects on emotion by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from S.P.) Rousseau, S. (2020, January 24). I Tried Listening to Podcasts at 3x and Broke My Brain. Medium; OneZero. https://onezero.me...

Learn about why bats are the source of so many deadly virus outbreaks; and the surprisingly strong influence older siblings can have on their brothers and sisters — just in time for Siblings Day . Then, test your knowledge from this podcast with a Curiosity Challenge trivia game. Why bats are the source of so many deadly virus outbreaks by Andrea Michelson Coronavirus outbreak raises question: Why...

Learn about why successful people should reveal their failures; the extreme story of the death of planet WASP-12b; and why tulips used to cost more than houses during a period known as “tulip mania.” A Reason to Reveal Your Failures by Kelsey Donk HBS Working Knowledge. (2018, December 11). Why Managers Should Reveal Their Failures. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2018/12/...

Learn about whether there’s such a thing as “single A” batteries; 5 surprising ways volunteering improves your physical health; and how duckbill dinosaurs may have crossed an ocean to reach Africa. Single-A batteries? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Julien and his son Phelix) Boolish, M., DeJager, J., O’Beirne, T., Runkles, R. (2002, November 21). A Brief History of the Standardization of...

Learn about why ants are better farmers than we'll ever be; how female big-game hunters were likely common in the early Americas; and why presenting too much evidence could actually make you lose an argument, thanks to the overkill backfire effect. Ants Are Better Farmers Than We'll Ever Be by Steffie Drucker Ants are skilled farmers: They have solved a problem that we humans have yet to. (2020)....

Infectious disease doctor and researcher Dr. Lawrence Purpura discusses herd immunity and the coronavirus pandemic. Then, learn about how psilocybin therapy may be able to treat depression, and why credit card chips are safer than magnetic strips. Additional resources from Dr. Lawrence Purpura: Lawrence Purpura's publications on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/L...

Dr. Lawrence Purpura explains monoclonal antibodies and the different types of treatments that could help us fight the coronavirus. Plus: learn about the Oddo-Harkins rule and why the universe seems to hate odd numbers. Why the Universe Seems to Hate Odd Numbers by Cameron Duke Inglis-Arkell, E. (2013a, January 24). One physical phenomenon that orders our entire universe. Io9; io9. https://io9.giz...

Learn about how curiosity gives your memory a boost; what happened when researchers put feathered hats on birds to see if other birds found them sexy; and how we trick bacteria into making insulin for us. How Curiosity Gives Your Memory A Boost by Cody Gough Gruber, M. J., Gelman, B. D., & Ranganath, C. (2014). States of Curiosity Modulate Hippocampus-Dependent Learning via the Dopaminergic Circui...

Learn about why men who sleep more are seen as less masculine and what exactly makes radiation harmful. Then, test your podcast knowledge with this month’s Curiosity Challenge trivia game. Men who sleep less are seen as more masculine by Kelsey Donk Men Who Sleep Less Are Seen As More Masculine: A Stereotype With Potentially Damaging Consequences. (2020, October 29). Research Digest; Research Dige...

Learn about how naked mole-rats invade neighboring colonies and steal babies, the average person is hiding 13 secrets, and people use more jargon when they're insecure about their status. Naked mole-rats invade neighboring colonies and steal babies by Grant Currin Naked mole-rat. (2016, April 25). Smithsonian’s National Zoo. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/naked-mole-rat Naked mole-rats invade...

Learn about how a planet-friendly diet also tends to be healthier and why we don’t have battery-powered airplanes. But first, social psychologist and author Devon Price is back to explain how we can all avoid burnout. Additional resources from Dr. Devon Price: Preorder "Laziness Does Not Exist" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/393WHTM Dr. Devon Price on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drdevonprice Dr. Devo...

Learn about how we know that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs. We’ll also talk to social psychologist and author Devon Price about how laziness might actually benefit us. The Epic Tale of the 5th Mass Extinction (Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary) by Natalia Reagan Alvarez, L. W., Alvarez, W., Asaro, F., & Michel, H. V. (1980). Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction. Science, 208...

Learn about why adding cold cream to your coffee keeps it hotter longer, why social identity can make people distrust the scientific consensus, and why you need self-compassion for self-improvement. Why Adding Cold Cream to Your Coffee Keeps it Hotter Longer by Ashley Hamer The Physics of Coffee & Cream - Modernist Cuisine. (2012, December 12). Modernist Cuisine. https://modernistcuisine.com/mc/th...

Learn about why it’s relaxing to breathe in through your nose and the first woman who’s ever been struck by a meteor. We’ll also answer a listener question about why smacking electronics helps to make them work again. Why do relaxation exercises have you breathe in through your nose? Two words: nitric oxide by Grant Currin Hirschlag, A. (2020, July 14). Breathing Through Your Nose Is Healthier for...

Learn about why animals keep evolving into crabs in a principle called “carcinization,” whether water is actually wet, and if there’s any truth behind the old adage "feed a cold, starve a fever." Animals keep evolving into crabs by Grant Currin Delbert, C. (2020, October 19). Animals Keep Evolving Into Crabs, Which Is Somewhat Disturbing. Popular Mechanics; Popular Mechanics. https://www.popularme...

Learn about why your dog might be lying about its size and how physicists just achieved room-temperature superconductivity for the first time. But first, food science expert Harold McGee is back to talk about the smells that existed before Earth did. Additional resources from food science expert and author Harold McGee: Pick up "Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells" on Amazon: https://am...

Learn about why we now know what a dinosaur's cloaca looks like. You’ll also learn why smells change with context from food science expert Harold McGee. We now know what a dinosaur's cloaca looks like by Grant Currin See the photo here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2258023-dinosaur-fossil-with-preserved-genital-orifice-hints-how-they-mated/ Black, R. (2020, October 21). We Finally Know Wha...