Curiosity Weekly

Author Jen Sincero explains why it’s important to form and maintain habits. You’ll also learn about why phantom limb sensations are way more common than you think; and how the Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC, is warping the Milky Way galaxy. Additional resources from author Jen Sincero Pick up "Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick" from...

Author Jen Sincero explains how changing your thoughts, beliefs, and words can help you stick to your goals and successfully form new habits. Plus, learn how ancient Puebloans survived in the desert badlands of New Mexico with help from secret underground ice reserves. How did ancestral Puebloans survive in the 'Badlands?' They had a secret ice reserve by Grant Currin Geoscientists discover Ancest...

Learn about how social connection may be as basic of a human need as hunger; the ongoing scientific debate around how ice skating actually works; and the Uberman sleep cycle, a polyphasic sleep schedule that was allegedly used by Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla. Social connection may be a "basic human need" like hunger by Kelsey Donk Pattillo, A. (2020, November 23). Loneliness and hunger light...

Learn about why you shouldn’t add oil to your pasta water; a simple way to help kids think better; and why your dog’s paws smell like corn chips. Here's Why You Shouldn't Add Oil to Your Pasta Water by Ashley Hamer Helmenstein, A. M. (2019). Why Don’t Oil and Water Mix? ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/why-oil-and-water-dont-mix-609193 Corriher, S. (2007, April 10). Cooking Pasta Properly. Fin...

Learn about how disgusting sights literally turn your stomach; and why tattoos are permanent. Then, play along at home as we test your podcast knowledge in this month’s edition of the Curiosity Challenge trivia game. Disgusting sights literally turn your stomach by Cameron Duke Nord, C. L., Dalmaijer, E. S., Armstrong, T., Baker, K., & Dalgleish, T. (2020). A Causal Role for Gastric Rhythm in Huma...

Learn about a new discovery about STEVE, the weird streak of color in the Canadian skies; how a “wind phone” in Otsuchi, Japan, helped thousands cope with grief after losing their loved ones; and why we judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves. There's a new discovery about STEVE, the weird aurora discovered by citizen scientists by Grant Currin STEVE may be even less like typical auroras...

Learn about the benefits of laughter yoga with the founder of the laughter club movement, Dr. Madan Kataria. You’ll also learn about a major breakthrough in the way scientists are searching for dark matter. This new dark-matter detection method is 10x more precise by Grant Currin Seeing dark matter in a new light. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/ras-sdm110520.ph...

Learn about how the Faroe Islands created their own Google Street View using sheep; why some vaccines (like Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines) have to be kept so cold; and why it’s easier to understand a second language than it is to speak it. The Faroe Islands Created Their Own Google Street View with Sheep by Anna Todd Visit Faroe Islands - The ultimate guide to the Faroe Islands. (2016)....

Learn about why you can have an emotional reaction to music even when it’s not being played; how people have been performing brain surgery for thousands of years; and why some bathroom light switches are outside the room. People can have emotional reactions to music even when it's not being played by Kelsey Donk Emotional responses to music - without a sound – News. (2020, November 18). News. http...

Learn about how your brain treats beautiful faces differently from beautiful objects; why the town of Baarle sits on one of the world’s most complex international borders; and what might happen if you’re eating during a car accident. Your brain treats beautiful faces differently from beautiful objects by Kelsey Donk Our Brains Have Two Distinct “Beauty Centres”: One For Art And One For Faces. (202...

Learn about why Wolf-Rayet stars are the brightest stars in the sky; why immune cells in your brain may have started out in your gut; and the history of why we can thank Grace Hopper for calling computer glitches “bugs.” Wolf-Rayet Stars Are Ridiculously Hot, Bright, and Massive by Ashley Hamer Howell, E. (2018, October 24). Sirius: Brightest Star in Earth’s Night Sky. Space.com; Space. https://ww...

Learn about how scientists just measured the quickest event ever recorded; how tiny remoras (suckerfish) stay stuck to fast-moving whales; and why being too busy could be killing your creativity. Scientists have just measured the shortest amount of time, ever. by Cameron Duke Grundmann, S., Trabert, D., Fehre, K., Strenger, N., Pier, A., Kaiser, L., Kircher, M., Weller, M., Eckart, S., Schmidt, L....

Learn about how you can de-clutter your life with the Swedish concept of döstädning, or “death cleaning.” Then, learn about how Alfred Russel Wallace, the “other” scientist who discovered natural selection. Use Swedish Death Cleaning to Declutter Your Life by Ashley Hamer Gyan Yankovich. (2018, April). A Beginner’s Guide To Swedish Death Cleaning. BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/gyanyankovich/w...

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...