Curiosity Weekly

Today, you’ll learn about the so-called super synchronizers who are super attractive to potential partners, a new quantum compass that could one day replace GPS, and how a rare seabird rides out tropical cyclones.     Super Synchronizers      “Scientists discover ‘Super Synchronizers’ with heightened romantic appeal.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.    “Social...

Today, you’ll learn about a new way for doctors to use neural networks - or AI - to figure out the risks of organ transplants in individual patients, a new fabric that is - literally - cool, and how serotonin affects fertility.     Rejection Prediction    “Decoding the hallmarks of allograft dysfunction with a comprehensive pan-organ transcriptomic atlas.” by Harry Roberts...

Today, you’ll learn about how an existing blood pressure drug might prevent epilepsy, the pint-sized 3D printer that can print inside your body, and why doing something kind for someone else can be a boost for your own well-being.      Epilepsy Preventer     “Epilepsy risk drops up to 30% on existing blood pressure drugs.” by Paul McClure. 2024.    “Typ...

Today, you’ll learn about the part of the brain that keeps us focused on our goals - even when it would be better to quit, a massive discovery of lost wheat genes that could help feed a crowded planet, and the new wearable technology that could diagnose disease by monitoring your sweat.     Sunk Cost Fallacy    “The neuroscience behind the sunk cost fallacy: Key brain...

Today, you’ll learn about the amazing transformative power of an out-of-body experience, how scientists want to use brain cells to do their computing, and a study that suggests eating cheese might make you live longer.     Out-Of-Body Experience     “Exploring the transformative potential of out-of-body experiences: A pathway to enhanced empathy.” by Marina Weiler, et...

Today, you’ll learn about how moms helped us evolve to live longer, the jumping leeches of Madagascar, and how cities affect bird diversity.     Maternal Bonds    “Mothers’ care is central factor in animal, human longevity.” by Caitlin Hayes. 2024.    “Why Humans Live So Long.” by Heather Pringle. 2013.    “Maternal care leads to the evolution of long,...

Today, you’ll learn about the effect of space on our kidneys, how a simple display of pride can win a fight, and bad news for artists we know bad things about.     Kidneys & Space      “Would astronauts’ kidneys survive a roundtrip to Mars?” UCL. 2024.    “Cosmic kidney disease: an integrated pan-omic, physiological and morphological study into spac...

Today, you’ll learn about a potential breakthrough in stroke detection, how AI could help put a lid on online hate speech and create safer spaces, and the delicious development of healthier chocolate.     Stroke Blood Test     “Researchers develop ‘game-changing’ blood test for stroke detection.” EurekAlert! 2024.    “Large Vessel Occlusion in Acute Stroke.”...

Today, you’ll learn about AI that can detect wildfires from space, why going to bed late might not be so great on your mental health, and a breakthrough in recycling.     Space Firefighting    “Fighting fires from space in record time: how AI could prevent a repeat of Australia’s devastating wildfires.” University of Southern Australia. 2024 .   “Fire detection f...

Today, you’ll learn about how a simple walk through nature could make you want to eat healthier foods, a new finding that T.rexes might not have been as cognitively advanced as we thought, and the sheath that keeps sawfish from doing battle in the womb.     Nature & Healthy Food      “Experiencing nature seems to have an important impact on food choices.” by...

Today, you’ll learn about a new method to cryopreserve parts of the brain for later use, the personality changes that happen after organ transplants, and how fungicides cause dangerous fungi to self-destruct.    Cryopreservation    “Effective cryopreservation of human brain tissue and neural organoids.” by Weiwei Xue, et al. 2024.    “Brain organoids: Establishment an...

Today, you’ll learn about why giving babies foods with peanuts could crack the peanut allergy problem, a wild discovery of cancer treatment 4,000 years ago, and the sneaky way cuckoos evolve to look like other birds so they can live in their nests.     Peanut Allergy     “Giving young children peanut products cuts allergy risk, study finds.” by Ian Sample. 2024. &nbsp...

Today, you’ll learn about the lifelong learning of chimps, a mysterious strange signal from space, and the possible treatment for depression that involves heating up the body.     Chimp Tools      “Chimps are lifelong learners, study on tool use shows.” by Charles Mpaka. 2024.    “Protracted development of stick tool use skills extends into adulthood in...

Today, you’ll learn about how when chimpanzees can’t figure out how to do something they get their friends to teach them, a potential breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer, and how singing repairs the brain after a stroke.    Chimpanzee Learning    “Chimpanzees use social information to acquire a skill they fail to innovate.” by Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen, et al. 2024. &...

Today, you’ll learn about the remarkable social memory of chimps, the gut bacteria that could help fight cancer, and how gene therapy might one day help you out with that pesky lower back pain.     Chimp Memory    “Chimps Can Still Remember Faces After a Quarter Century.” by Carl Zimmer. 2023.    “Bonobos and chimpanzees remember familiar conspecifics for decades...

Today, you’ll learn about the surprising prevalence of heart abnormalities in elite athletes, how an oxytocin nasal spray might help with chronic loneliness, and a discovery that could help doctors diagnose a disease just by looking at your fingernails.     Elite Athlete Hearts      “Why are elite athletes prone to abnormal heart rhythms?” by Jennifer Couzin-Fran...

Today, you’ll learn about what goes on in our brains when we sleepwalk, how playing video games might actually help us navigate the world IRL, and the endurance hunting of traditional societies.     Sleepwalker Brain     “Scientists Discover What’s Happening Inside a Sleepwalker’s Brain.” by Rhianna-lily Smith. 2024.    “Shared EEG correlates between non-REM...

Today, you’ll learn about a breakthrough in the effort to create a vaccine for HIV, how engineers are turning carbon dioxide into useful products, and the silk fabric that could one day make your clothes noise-canceling.     HIV Vaccine    “A Trial HIV Vaccine Triggered Elusive and Essential Antibodies in Humans.” Duke Health. 2024.    “The impact of antiretrovir...

Today, you’ll learn about people who lack an inner voice, how yoga could help cancer survivors defog their minds, and the newly discovered hormone that is connected to promiscuous behavior in mice.     No Inner Voice     “People without an inner voice have poorer verbal memory.” University of Copenhagen. 2024.    “Not Everybody Has an Inner Voice: Behavioral...

Today, you’ll learn about a gel that stops alcohol from making you drunk and harming your liver, the ancient viruses of Yellowstone hot springs, and the song that tiger beetles sing to confuse bats.     Anti-Drunk Gel    “Anti-intoxicant gel keeps alcohol out of the bloodstream.” by Ben Coxworth. 2024.    “Single-site iron-anchored amyloid hyrdrogels as catalytic...

Today, you’ll learn about a new anxiety-free way to collect blood samples modeled on the sucking power of leeches, the super carbon-gobbling power of blue-green algae, and a new understanding of how asthma happens - and maybe how to stop it.     Leeches & Blood Tests    “Blood diagnostics modeled on leeches.” by Fabio Bergamin. 2024.    “Prevalence, causes, i...

Today, you’ll learn about a groundbreaking new treatment for hair loss caused by autoimmune skin disease, a condition that affects the imagination, and the gadget that will put a cold brew coffee in your cup in minutes instead of hours.    Hair Loss Treatment    “New treatment could reverse hair loss caused by an autoimmune skin disease.” by Anne Trafton. 2024.    “Mi...

Today, you’ll learn about the possible link between asthma, ADHD, and income in children, how whale communication is much more complex than we thought, and the secret lithium hidden away for millions of years under Pennsylvania.    Asthma & ADHD     “ADHD, asthma, and economic hardship: New research suggests a causal pathway.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.    “Asso...

Today, you’ll learn about an accidental discovery of a dial in the brainstem that controls the body’s inflammation level, how centipedes might offer a treatment for kidney disease, and the problem with bringing back our deceased loved ones using AI.    Brainstem Dial     “Found: the dial in the brain that controls the immune system.” by Giorgia Guglielmi. 2024.  &nbsp...

Today, you’ll learn about how sleep isn’t the brain detoxifier we thought it was, a new glass made out of bamboo, and the connection between leprosy and red squirrels in medieval England.     Sleeping Brain    “Sleep does not help brain wash out toxins, study suggests.” by Hannah Devlin. 2024.    “The sleep-deprived human brain.” by Adam J. Krause, et al. 2017. &...