Curiosity Weekly

Learn about how your romantic attachment style affects your finances; the surprising reason why some amphibians glow; and why laughter might really be the best medicine. How Your Romantic Style Affects Your Finances by Kelsey Donk How your romantic attachment style affects your finances, well-being. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/uoa-hyr022520.php Li, X., Curra...

Dr. Julia Schaletzky explains what it takes to develop vaccines for viruses like COVID-19. Dr. Schaletzky is the Executive Director of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases, the Drug Discovery Center, and the Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Institute at UC Berkeley. In this special coronavirus coverage from Curiosity Daily, Dr. Schaletzky discusses: What science needs to be done in ord...

Dr. Julia Schaletzky explains why the U.S. is having a hard time testing everyone for the coronavirus. Plus: learn about how ketamine can help with depression and anxiety; and how an anonymous Anime fan on 4chan helped solve a 25-year-old math puzzle. Additional resources from Dr. Julia Schaletzky, Executive Director of the Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases at University of...

Learn about how we make vaccines to fight viruses like the coronavirus, with help from Julia Schaletzky, Executive Director of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases at UC Berkeley. You’ll also learn about the weird history behind why we call steak “beef” and not “cow.” Additional resources from Dr. Julia Schaletzky, Executive Director of the Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected...

Learn about new research into how social anxiety works in the brain; how scientists developed the first synthetic self-replicating genome; and the adorable sounds penguins make underwater. It's harder for people with social anxiety to remember encounters that ended positively by Kelsey Donk Dolan, E. W. (2020, February 13). Social anxiety is linked to impaired memory for positive social events. Ps...

Learn about a medical mystery involving blindness and schizophrenia; a new bacteria scientists developed to help protect honeybees; and the surprising strength of helmets used in World War I. No person who was born blind has ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia by Andrea Michelson Love, S. (2020, February 11). People Born Blind Are Mysteriously Protected From Schizophrenia. Vice; vice. https://w...

Learn about the first animal scientists have ever discovered that doesn’t breathe oxygen; how we might be able to hijack the brain’s immune system to improve memory; and the biggest explosion in the history of the universe. Scientists discover first animal that doesn't breathe oxygen by Cameron Duke Specktor, B. (2020, February 24). Scientists discover first known animal that doesn’t breathe. Live...

Learn about how to choose the best music for your workout playlist; why learning more about a new disease like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) won’t comfort you; and how to clean your phone. For the best workout playlist, go for deep bass and fast tempos by Mae Rice Tunes for training: High-tempo music may make exercise easier and more beneficial. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org...

Learn about why a rising robot workforce may make humans less prejudiced towards other people; how studying a salamander that can regrow lost limbs could help us figure out how to help humans heal faster; and hormonal changes that happen in dads-to-be. A rising robot workforce may make humans less prejudiced by Kelsey Donk Conrad, J. (2020). Opinion: Robot co-workers could reduce prejudice among h...

Author David Owen discusses what happens once you’ve lost your hearing — and how much technology can actually help. Then, learn about the psychology behind our reactions to a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional resources from David Owen: Pick up “Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World” on Amazon https://amazon.com Part 1 of our interview (why it’s never too early to protect your he...

Epidemiologist Amesh Adalja answers frequently asked questions about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in this special bonus episode. Dr. Adalja is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, and will help you understand what we know and what we don’t know as of this week. In this episode, Dr. Amesh Amalja answers these frequently asked questions about COVID-19:...

Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, explains how today’s unprecedented closures can help save lives from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Plus: learn how birds avoid spreading fake news and how astronomers are using auroras to find distant exoplanets. Birds alter the spread of information based on its trustworthiness by Kelsey Donk Unive...

Learn about how to use focused attention to ease the memory of a traumatic event; why extreme temperatures mess with your batteries, and what you can do about it; and how researchers used machine learning to discover a powerful antibiotic for the first time. Researchers ease the memory of traumatic events by having patients focus on neutral details by Kelsey Donk Focus on context diminishes memory...

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 whether binaural beats are worth the hype; how Australian dingos evolved from domesticated animals; and how to navigate some unexpected consequences of talking about historical injustices. Are binaural beats worth the hype? by Andrea Michelson Binaural beats synchronize brain activity, don’t affect mood. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/sfn-bbs021120....

Learn about some of the most common causes for hearing loss and how you can protect your ears from them, from author David Owen. You’ll also learn about how woolly mammoth DNA has given us new insight into what made them go extinct. Additional resources from David Owen: Part 1 of our interview https://curiositydaily.com/its-never-too-early-to-protect-your-hearing-w-david-owen-and-why-you-should-wo...

Learn about why plastic bag fees have such a big influence on your behavior; how bumblebees are able to fly around while carrying up to 80 percent of their own body weight; and the neuroscience behind why yoga reduces depression. How plastic bag and coffee cup surcharges go beyond money to influence your decisions by Kelsey Donk Environment, U. (2018). Legal limits on single-use plastics and micro...

Learn about why pop songs are getting sadder; a mysterious radio signal coming from outer space every 16 days; and why it pays to be yourself when you’re in a high-stakes situation. Pop songs are getting sadder by Kelsey Donk Acerbi, A. (2020, February 4). Why are pop songs getting sadder than they used to be? Aeon; Aeon. https://aeon.co/ideas/why-are-pop-songs-getting-sadder-than-they-used-to-be...

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. If you think the night sky should be included in assessments of the environmental impact of government projects, you can get involved in the Council on Environmental Quality’s Proposal to Update its NEPA I...

Learn about a research-backed way to achieve better self control by asking for help from others; how Ambystoma salamanders “steal” DNA from other species via kleptogenesis; and how your brain can process visual information as sound. For better self control, ask for support from others by Kelsey Donk Juan Pablo Bermúdez. (2020, January 15). Self-Reliance Isn’t a Superpower, It’s a Vice. Medium; Ele...

Author David Owen discusses how hearing works and why it’s important to protect even when you’re young. Plus: learn how to be more productive by tapping into your “ultradian rhythms.” For Better Productivity, Work in 90-Minute Spurts by Ashley Hamer: https://curiosity.com/topics/for-better-productivity-work-in-90-minute-spurts-curiosity Additional resources from David Owen: Pick up “Volume Control...

Learn about how certain fonts can send political messages; why the “first instinct fallacy” says you shouldn’t always go with your first instinct; and why DNA and RNA are just two of millions of possible genetic molecules. Fonts can send political messages by Kelsey Donk Fonts in campaign communications have liberal or conservative leanings. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...

Learn about how little the average commute time has changed throughout human history; what researchers learned from the largest-ever study of cancer genomes; and why procrastination is about managing emotions, not time. The Marchetti Constant by Kelsey Donk English, J. (2019, August 29). The History of Cities Is About How We Get to Work. CityLab; CityLab. https://www.citylab.com/transportation/201...

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 why sometimes people lie to seem more honest; how researchers finally figured out how to explain the Cheerios effect; and what we learned about evolution from studying Northern paper wasps, which can recognize each other’s faces. Sometimes, People Lie to Seem Honest by Kelsey Donk People may lie to appear honest. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/apa-p...