Curiosity Weekly

This episode originally aired on 10/4/2019. New episodes coming soon.  Learn about how dogs’ personalities are rooted in their DNA; one skill that doesn’t get worse as you get older; and how your sense of smell works. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: Dogs' Personaliti...

This episode originally aired on 2/28/2020. New episodes coming soon.  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,...

This episode originally aired on 11/5/2020. New episodes coming soon.  Learn about a simple brain-training task that may reduce motion sickness, what parasites found in medieval human remains can tell us about eradicating them today, and the two main reasons why everything takes longer than you think it will. A Simple Brain-Training Task May Reduce Motion Sickness by Kelsey Donk You can train your...

This episode originally aired on 2/21/2020. New episodes coming soon.  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/s...

This episode originally aired on 2/4/2020. New episodes coming soon.  Learn about the 13 categories of emotions that music makes you feel; how scientists solved the mystery of two strangely small tyrannosaurus rex fossils; and surprising things that happen to a pregnant person’s body. Research Suggests That Music Evokes 13 Key Emotions by Kelsey Donk Anwar, Y. (2020, January 6). Ooh là là! Music e...

This episode originally aired on 1/24/2020. New episodes coming soon.  Learn about how AI and Twitter could help you find the perfect job, and how the world is actually a greener place than it was 20 years ago. We’ll also answer a listener question about why we use the color “blue” to say we’re sad. Job-Matching with Your Tweets by Kelsey Donk Sources: Robot career advisor: AI may soon be able to...

This episode originally aired on 11/22/2019. New episodes coming soon.  Learn about how human goals fall into 4 categories; why NASA’s Planetary Protection Independent Review Board (PPRIB) says we don’t need to be so careful about infecting other worlds; and whether cell phone radiation is actually dangerous. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.c...

This episode originally aired on 3/13/2020. New episodes coming soon.  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...

This episode originally aired on 11/26/2019. New episodes coming soon.  Learn about a new study that busts the myth of the self-centered only child; why feeding birds in the park may be more destructive than you think; and why the canonical perspective makes everyone draw a coffee cup the same way. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to hel...

This episode originally aired on 9/13/2019. New episodes coming soon.  Learn about why scientists measured how hard babies kick in the womb; the difference in brain scans between people when they were reading a book versus listening to a podcast; and how long humans have thought farts were funny. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help...

Learn about praising competitors; star stuff and gravity assists with the hosts of Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe; and the strange history rock paper scissors. Praising a competitor can lead to greater sales for brands by Steffie Drucker Praise that slays: How complimenting a competitor can drive a firm’s revenues. (2021, November 18). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/93...

Learn about the special way riding a bike is stored in your memory; the crocodile paradox; and the smell of fresh rain. The stories in this episode originally aired on these dates: December 21, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/the-most-influential-film-ever-your-memory-on-ridi December 23, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/christmas-music-psychology-rain-smell-science-croc Today...

Learn about glow-in-the-dark cities; why holes feel larger with a tongue than a finger; and the maximum volume on Earth. Maybe we can save the planet by making our cities glow in the dark by Briana Brownell Kleiner, K. (2021, November). Will glow-in-the-dark materials someday light our cities? Knowable Magazine | Annual Reviews. https://knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2021/will-glow-in-the...

Learn why helping others feels like helping ourselves, how wild animals eat healthy, and how the Sahara feeds the Amazon. We're less likely to remember the things we've given to friends than strangers by Kelsey Donk We’re Worse At Remembering Exactly What We’ve Given To Friends Than What We’ve Given To Strangers. (2021, April 12). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/04/12/were-worse-at...

Learn about how plants could help us solve the superbug crisis; and how engineers set a world record for internet speed. More from leading medical ethnobotanist Dr. Cassandra Quave: Pick up “The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines” by Dr. Cassandra Leah Quave: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612171/the-plant-hunter-by-cassandra-leah-quave/ Quave Research Group: h...

Learn about the butterfly effect; why language mistakes called “eggcorns” still make sense; and tips for crying at work. The stories in this episode originally aired August 8, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/the-butterfly-effect-is-why-we-can-t-predict-weath     Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free! Still curious?...

Bill Nye explains why science isn’t just a body of knowledge — it’s a process. Plus: frogs with noise-canceling lungs and why your stomach growls when you’re hungry. Additional resources from Bill Nye: Official website https://billnye.com/ Bill Nye’s podcast, Science Rules! https://www.askbillnye.com/ Pick up “Bill Nye's Great Big World of Science” on Amazon https://amzn.to/3u8iKQi “Everything All...

Learn how tool use and language work in the brain; and why black holes get bigger due to the expansion of the universe. Tool use and language ability go hand in hand by Grant Currin Using mechanical tools improves our language skills. (2021, November 11). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934004 Thibault, S., Py, R., Gervasi, A. M., Salemme, R., Koun, E., Lövden, M., Boulenger,...

Learn about back pain from space; how cats track their owners; and what davemaoite tells us about Earth’s lower mantle. Space travel causes back pain, and doctors need to find a fix by Cameron Duke Back pain common among astronauts offers treatment insights for the earth-bound. (2021, October 21). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932251 Penchev, R., Scheuring, R. A., Soto, A. T...

Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect”; and 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. M., & Horton, R. S. (2012). A meta-analytic investigation of the processes underlyi...

Dr. Courtney Campbell explains how to treat your puppy’s anxiety. Plus: why “back burner” relationships are unhealthy.  More from The Happy Puppy on DOGTV and Dr. Courtney Campbell: The Happy Puppy on DOGTV: https://watch.dogtv.com/happy-puppy Use code PUPPIES22 to score a free month at https://www.dogtv.com/    Follow @dogtv on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dogtv/ Dr. Courtney Campbell’s we...

Learn about why you want things just because others do too; a way to reduce wrongful convictions; and Fermilab’s ferret. "Mimetic desires" are things you want because others want them — here's how to spot them by Steffie Drucker Reese, H. (2021, November 8). Mimetic desire: How to avoid chasing things you don’t truly want. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/mimetic-desire-luke-b...

Learn about why your romantic relationships are similar; the oldest material on Earth; and cuttlefish with 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.org/pub_releases/2019-08/uoa-cpd082719.php Johnson, M. D., & Neyer, F. J. (2019). (Eventual) s...

Learn about a race against a wheel of cheese; your personality throughout the day; and effects of extensive eye contact. The stories in this episode originally aired July 6, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/you-re-a-different-person-in-the-morning-eye-conta Every Year, People in this English Town Risk Life and Limb to Chase a Wheel of Cheese by Annie Hartman Gloucestershire Cheese Rollin...

Learn how AI may learn to talk to whales; why pedestrians don’t follow the shortest route; and competitiveness in women. Researchers are using AI to understand whale clicks — and talk back to them by Briana Brownell  Hakai Magazine. (2021). Are We on the Verge of Chatting with Whales? | Hakai Magazine. Hakai Magazine; Hakai Magazine. https://hakaimagazine.com/features/are-we-on-the-verge-of-chatti...