Curiosity Weekly

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...

Learn why coffee tastes bad when you reheat it; and how researchers found the ancestor of most living animals. Stand-up mathematician Matt Parker will also explain why the word “null” causes so many problems for computer programmers. Why does coffee taste bad when you reheat it? by Andrea Michelson Shields, J. (2017, April 14). Can Science Explain Why Microwaved Coffee Tastes So Terrible? HowStuff...

Learn about a bias in your brain that makes you ignore security warnings; why people who fall in love feel like they’ve known each other for years; and a crew of prehistoric monkeys that crossed the Atlantic Ocean on rafts. You ignore more than just your browser security warnings because of "warning fatigue" by Grant Currin Waugh, R. (2013, July 15). “Warning fatigue” means browser users ignore up...

Learn about why people are less likely to verify their sources on social media; and why it’s a huge deal that researchers found an intermediate-mass black hole. We’ll also debunk five myths about the coronavirus. Jumbling of sources on social media makes you less likely to verify their validity by Kelsey Donk The Ohio State University. (2020, March 30). How social media makes it difficult to ident...

Learn about why housecats are deadlier for local wildlife than wild predators; why soft drinks taste better from a can than they do from a plastic bottle (especially when it comes to Cody and his Mountain Dew habits); and how astronomers just found 100 new minor planets beyond Neptune. Housecats have up to 10x larger effect on local wildlife than wild predators by Grant Currin Keeping cats indoors...

Learn about how ultra-processed food took over your shopping cart; which you lose first, brain or brawn; and how bats are showing resistance to a once deadly white-nose syndrome epidemic. The perils of ultra-processed food by Kelsey Donk Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Moubarac, J.-C., Levy, R. B., Louzada, M. L. C., & Jaime, P. C. (2017). The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and...

Learn about how drugs like Ritalin and Adderall actually make you “focus,” how tech companies are using lava lamps to make computers more secure, and why new life discovered at the bottom of the ocean opens up new possibilities for finding life on Mars. Scientists figured out how Ritalin actually makes you focus by Grant Currin Ritalin and similar medications cause brain to focus on benefits of wo...

Learn about fun (but practical) tips for surviving a quarantine from psychologist Renée Lertzman and “Deadliest Catch” Captains Sig Hansen and Keith Colburn. Plus: learn about why we have birthmarks. Why do we have birthmarks? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Taha) Germ layer | biology | Britannica. (2020). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/germ-layer Birthmarks...

Learn about how screeching tape travels at supersonic speeds when you peel it; how Americans are aging more slowly than ever; how the HAMMER spacecraft could save our planet from killer asteroids; and why there are mirrors next to elevators. How screeching tape travels at supersonic speeds by Cameron Duke Yuen Yiu. (2019, February 27). The Supersonic Physics Behind Screechy Peeling Tape. Discover...

Dr. Renée Lertzman will help you understand uncertainty and how to work through the feelings you might be feeling thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. You’ll also learn why one dog year doesn’t equal seven human years. One Dog Year Doesn't Equal Seven Human Years by Ashley Hamer The Seven-Year Glitch. (2008, August 29). WSJ; The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121997338176882143...

Captains Keith Colburn and Sig Hansen from the award-winning documentary series “Deadliest Catch” share some surprising science lessons from the fishing world. Plus: learn about the psychology behind “sour grapes.” When people can't get something they want, they decide it's not worthy of desire by Kelsey Donk Sjåstad, H., Baumeister, R. F., & Ent, M. (2020). Greener grass or sour grapes? How peopl...

Stand-up mathematician Matt Parker explains real-life “salami slicing” attacks like the one in the movie Office Space. You’ll also learn about how Tylenol can help ease the pain of social rejection; and why you probably don’t know the back of your hand very well at all. Tylenol and forgiveness may ease the pain of social exclusion by Grant Currin Hamer, A. Tylenol May Actually Ease Your Heartache....

Learn about how scientists are predicting viral content by measuring people’s brain activity; how Tuvan throat singers are able to produce two notes at once; and how effective facemasks are in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. How our brains forecast what goes viral online by Kelsey Donk Stanford researchers find our brains are powerful – but secretive – forecasters of video virality. (202...