Curiosity Weekly

Learn about how our sun is different from similar stars; how deep sleep literally cleans your brain; and the psychology behind why some psychopaths are serial killers, while others are CEOs. Our sun is less active than other stars just like it, and scientists aren't sure why by Grant Currin Reinhold, T., Shapiro, A. I., Solanki, S. K., Montet, B. T., Krivova, N. A., Cameron, R. H., & Amazo-Gómez,...

Learn about why NASA doesn’t launch rockets in the rain (which is why there was a delay launching the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley); why llamas are so promising for protecting humans against viruses like COVID-19; and why things get cold — when they’re wet, when you’re chewing mint gum, and when you blow air through narrowed lips. Why NAS...

Renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains how we know that climate change is caused by humans. Then, learn about why there’s no such thing as “common sense.” Links to donate: Discovery’s Social Good Initiative RISE: Reducing Inequality and Supporting Empowerment https://www.discovery.com/dnews/help-reduce-inequality---support-empowerment NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund https://...

Learn about the surprising way Japanese honeybees defend themselves against "murder hornets" (actual name: Asian giant hornets); how “atmospheric tidal waves” make Venus’s atmosphere rotate faster than the actual planet; and the wide spectrum of how people mentally visualize images, including aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Japanese honeybees defend against 'murder hornets' by forming bee balls by...

Researchers Elizabeth Sawchuk and Mary Prendergast discuss the surprising discoveries archaeologists are making thanks to new technology. Plus: learn how eye-tracking software can tell you more about you than you think. Eye-tracking software can tell more about you than you think by Grant Currin Kröger, J. L., Lutz, O. H.-M., & Müller, F. (2020). What Does Your Gaze Reveal About You? On the Privac...

Learn about how your ancestors’ work habits might be influencing your own; the first evidence of an underwater dinosaur; and how an aquarium successfully reproduced coral in captivity for the first time. Societies with a history of hard farming labor tend to work more hours today by Kelsey Donk Arduous farm labor in the past means longer working hours today. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekal...

Learn about why selfish people have false memories of being generous; why we can’t do brain transplants; and why you used to be able to buy life insurance from airport vending machines. Selfish people actually have false memories of being generous by Kelsey Donk Memory misfires help selfish maintain their self-image. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/yu-mmh042820....

Learn about whether it’s a good idea to rub dirt on your wounds; how funny memes can help save endangered species like the proboscis monkey; and how space travel changes the shape of astronauts’ hearts. When it comes to wounds, science says "rub some dirt on it" might be good advice by Cameron Duke Dillow, C. (2013, May 23). Got A Wound? Science Says Rub Some Dirt In It. Popular Science; Popular S...

Learn about how archaeologists are solving a prehistoric poop problem; what leads people to be “cultural omnivores”; and an easy trick for telling stars and planets apart when you’re stargazing. What can we learn from prehistoric poop? by Cameron Duke Borry, M., Cordova, B., Perri, A., Wibowo, M., Prasad Honap, T., Ko, J., Yu, J., Britton, K., Girdland-Flink, L., Power, R. C., Stuijts, I., Salazar...

Learn about breakthrough research into what our brains do while we sleep; how plants fight back when they hear they’re being eaten; and why the Y2K bug is actually what a well-handled crisis looks like afterward. This is the first direct evidence that our brains replay waking experiences while we sleep by Cameron Duke Eichenlaub, J.-B., Jarosiewicz, B., Saab, J., Franco, B., Kelemen, J., Halgren,...

Learn about why it might actually be pretty easy to drink an elephant under the table; how carrier pigeons like Cher Ami helped win the world wars; and why night owls may have worse emotion regulation than morning people. Apparently, elephants get drunk and they're total lightweights by Cameron Duke Burke, J. (2010, December 3). Elephants on drunken rampage kill three people. The Guardian. https:/...

Learn about why the marijuana classifications of indica and sativa aren’t based in science; how clean your washing machine really gets your clothes; and why researchers staged sword fights to learn about the Bronze Age. Indica and sativa marijuana classifications aren't based in science by Andrea Michelson Naftulin, J. (2020, April 20). There is no difference between the effects of indica and sati...

Learn about why people tune out facts and trust their guts in medical emergencies; a Victorian-era version of credit cards; and how scientists are trying to add an eighth row to the periodic table of elements. People tune out facts and trust their guts in medical emergencies by Kelsey Donk UTA study: In crisis, people trust feelings over facts. (2020). The University of Texas at Arlington. https:/...

Learn about how studying World of Warcraft helped researchers learn how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic; how scientists described mouse facial expressions for the first time; and how social rejection can fuel creativity. Scientists studied a "pandemic" in World of Warcraft to learn how to fight a real virus by Grant Currin Fenlon, W. (2020, March 13). The researchers who once studied WoW’s...

Learn about why natural selection favors superstitions; why the way our noses smell is way more complicated than we thought; and where scientists think 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object, came from. How natural selection favors superstitions by Cameron Duke Foster, K. R., & Kokko, H. (2008). The evolution of superstitious and superstition-like behaviour. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: B...

Learn about what makes fruit mealy; a new therapy technique for parents that could reduce their kids’ anxiety; and what scientists learned when they tried to build a second Earth, in the notorious story of “Biosphere 2.” What makes fruit mealy? by Andrea Michelson SciShow. (2020). What Makes Fruit Mealy? [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TckZ4WK5N6U Christensen, E. (2009...

Learn about whether you should wad or fold toilet paper, according to science; why your brain evolved to hoard supplies but shame others for doing the same; and the purpose of grand unified field theory, with help from astrophysicist Adam Becker. Whether to wad or fold toilet paper, according to science by Andrea Michelson Myers, Q. (2019, March 12). Should You Fold or Wad Toilet Paper? A Physicis...

Learn about where your emotions come from and how you can hack them, with help from psychology researcher and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett. Plus: learn why tarantula venom could be an alternative to opioids. Maybe tarantula venom could be an alternative to opioids by Cameron Duke Agwa, A. J., Tran, P., Mueller, A., Tran, H. N. T., Deuis, J. R., Israel, M. R., McMahon, K. L., Craik, D. J., V...

Learn about the impact of maladaptive daydreaming, then learn about whether dogs can recognize our faces in photographs. Then, author Maryn McKenna will explain how antibiotics created modern agriculture and changed the way the world eats. People with 'maladaptive daydreaming' spend up to 4 hours a day lost in their imaginations by Kelsey Donk People with “Maladaptive Daydreaming” spend an average...

Learn about a surprising tip for de-cluttering your house; 3 extinct relatives of humans that lived in the same place and time; and why the possibility that the universe might not be expanding at the same rate everywhere is a huge deal. What's The First Step for De-Cluttering Your House? by Reuben Westmas The Ohio State University. (2017, June 26). Scientists Find Clever Way to Help You De-Clutter...

Learn about how a psychologist named B.F. Skinner proved that pigeons can be superstitious; the science of histamines and why allergy medications make us sleepy; and the 5 ages of the universe, including the Stelliferous Era we’re in right now. Pigeons Can Be Superstitious — And a Psychologist Once Proved It by Ashley Hamer Superstitious behavior | Comparative Cognition Laboratory | Psychological...

Learn what researchers found when they tried to build the perfect profanity, then learn how playing an online game called Stall Catchers can help scientists speed up Alzheimer’s research. Then, test your knowledge with Curiosity Challenge trivia questions. A new study tried to build the perfect swear word by Kelsey Donk Neuroskeptic. (2020, March 31). Building the Perfect Profanity. Discover Magaz...

Learn about why people can’t help but “shoot the messenger;” how neurons in your gut influence neurons in your brain thanks to the gut-brain axis; and why we still use the QWERTY keyboard, along with information on Dvorak and Colemak layouts. People can't help but "shoot the messenger" by Kelsey Donk We Really Do Shoot the Messengers of Bad News, Research Suggests. (2019, April 16). Harvard Busine...

Learn about how astronauts may build the first moon base with help from their own urine; how musicians and audiences synchronize their brain activity; and more than you ever thought you wanted to know about narwhal tusks. Astronauts may use their own urine to help build the first moon base by Cameron Duke Astronaut urine to build moon bases. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...

Learn about the Battle of Puebla, the real reason why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo; how placebos of psychedelics can have psychedelic effects; and how early career choices may influence your personality. What You Think You Know About Cinco De Mayo Is Wrong by Reuben Westmaas History.com Editors. (2010, March 3). Outnumbered Mexican army defeats French at Battle of Puebla. HISTORY. https://www.histor...