Curiosity Weekly

Learn about how stress during pregnancy can affect a newborn’s sex; skipping stone physics in space; and overspending. Stress can make a pregnant person twice as likely to have a girl by Grant Currin Beres, D. (2021, April 13). Stressed-out mothers are twice as likely to give birth to a girl. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/stress-pregnancy Romero-Gonzalez, B., Puerta...

Learn about interacting with robots that talk to themselves; “mad honey,” a rare, dangerous hallucinogen; and “alief.” Robots that talk to themselves might be easier to interact with by Grant Currin Pepper the humanoid and programmable robot | SoftBank Robotics. (2021). Softbankrobotics.com. https://www.softbankrobotics.com/emea/en/pepper Pipitone, A., & Chella, A. (2021). What robots want? Hearin...

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 rain on other planets; why Americans used to not use forks; and whether sleep or exercise is more important. What is rain like on other planets? by Cameron Duke Dhingra, R. D., Barnes, J. W., Brown, R. H., Burrati, B. J., Sotin, C., Nicholson, P. D., Baines, K. H., Clark, R. N., Soderblom, J. M., Jauman, R., Rodriguez, S., Mouélic, S. L., Turtle, E. P., Perry, J. E., Cottini, V., & Jen...

Learn what the elevator can teach us about our past and our future. Plus: surprising discoveries from bomb-pulse dating. Additional resources from Jason Feifer: Build for Tomorrow podcast: https://www.jasonfeifer.com/build-for-tomorrow/ Website: https://www.jasonfeifer.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyfeifer "Bomb pulse dating" is how scientists measure the age of living cells using nuclear fa...

Learn about counterfactual curiosity; the first entanglement-based quantum network; and Rome’s remarkable Cloaca Maxima. We're morbidly curious to discover what "might have been," even though it can cause regret by Kelsey Donk We Have A Strong Urge To Find Out What Might Have Been — Even When This Leads To Feelings Of Regret. (2021, April 8). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/04/08/w...

Learn about why cavities are so cold-sensitive; an ant that shrinks its brain; and why swimming makes you extra hungry. Here's why dental cavities are so sensitive to cold by Cameron Duke Bernal, L., Sotelo-Hitschfeld, P., König, C., Sinica, V., Wyatt, A., Winter, Z., Hein, A., Touska, F., Reinhardt, S., Tragl, A., Kusuda, R., Wartenberg, P., Sclaroff, A., Pfeifer, J. D., Ectors, F., Dahl, A., Fre...

Learn about dog jealousy; physical activity at work vs. at play; and why only certain parts of us get pruney when wet. Dogs act jealous of their owner's attention to other dogs even when they can't see the dog by Steffie Drucker Dogs act jealously even when they don’t see their rival. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/afps-daj040821.php Bastos, A. P. M., Neilands,...

Learn about “brain fog” in menopause; NASA’s patent prevalence; and a plant gene found in an insect for the first time. Additional resources from Dr. Jen Gunter: Pick up "The Menopause Manifesto" from Amazon: https://amzn.to/33dlIYy Website: https://drjengunter.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrJenGunter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJGunter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjengunt...

Learn about what antimatter is and how we discovered it. Then, Dr. Gen Gunter will demystify menopause. How we discovered antimatter by Briana Brownell Marco Gersabeck,The Conversation. (2019, March 21). Why Is There More Matter Than Antimatter? Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-there-more-matter-than-antimatter/ Antimatter from bananas. (2015). Symmetry Magazi...

Learn about the “Monkeydactyl” fossil; whether it’s safe to eat food with freezer burn; and post-death “zombie genes.” Newly discovered "Monkeydactyl" fossil has the oldest known opposable thumb by Grant Currin New Jurassic flying reptile reveals the oldest opposed thumb. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uob-njf041221.php Zhou, X., Pêgas, R. V., Ma, W., Han, G.,...

Learn about 5G’s wireless power grid potential; the emotions of human screams; and the 3 categories of friendships. We could use 5G as its own wireless power grid by Grant Currin Leveraging the 5G network to wirelessly power IoT devices. (2021). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210325150019.htm Eid, A., Hester, J. G. D., & Tentzeris, M. M. (2021). 5G as a wireless power...

Learn how mushrooms are more like humans than plants; why your tongue isn’t a muscle; and ferret-training robot badgers. Mushrooms are more like humans than plants by Grant Currin More from this author. (2016, January 12). How Are Mushrooms More Similar to Humans than Plants?» Science ABC. Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/how-are-mushrooms-more-similar-to-humans-than-plants.html Ingl...

Learn about emotions in online reviews; how flowers smell in space; and how water efficiency affected human evolution. Emotions matter more than ratings when it comes to online reviews by Kelsey Donk “Emotional” reviews predict business success, new study shows. (2021). Northwestern.edu. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/04/emotional-reviews-predict-business-success-new-study-shows Rockla...

Learn about the “birthday paradox.” Then, George Craford — one of the pioneers of LED lighting — talks LED innovation. The Birthday Paradox by Cameron Duke Science Buddies. (2012, March 29). Probability and the Birthday Paradox. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-probability-birthday-paradox/ TED-Ed. (2017). Check your intuition: The birthday problem...

Learn about imaginary beams of motion coming from people’s eyes; where lost luggage ends up; and octopus sleep cycles. Following someone's gaze may involve imagining a beam of motion from their eyes by Grant Currin Our Brains “See” Beams Of Motion Emanating From People’s Faces Towards The Object Of Their Attention. (2021, February 25). Research Digest; Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/20...

Learn about introverts’ and extroverts’ pandemic response; astronaut farts; and why violet and purple are different. Introverts fared better than extroverts during the pandemic by Kelsey Donk Benz, M. (2021). COVID-19 and College Students: Introverts Coped Better than Extroverts During Shutdown. Medicalresearch.com. https://medicalresearch.com/mental-health-research/covid-19-and-college-students-i...

Learn why learning too much can make you less passionate and how AI is resurrecting ancient board games. Plus: trivia! Learning too much about your passion may make you less passionate about it by Kelsey Donk Lange, A. (2021, March 28). Your passionate hobby might make you less passionate, study finds. The Academic Times. https://academictimes.com/your-passionate-hobby-might-make-you-less-passiona...

Learn about Mauna Kea and how the pursuit of knowledge can be harmful. Plus: the smallest measurement of gravity ever. Additional resources from Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: Pick up "The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/32JjzDu Website: http://www.cprescodweinstein.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/IBJIYONGI Learn more about M...

Learn about the benefits of Googling symptoms; truly random number generation; and why science is about storytelling. Googling symptoms makes patients better at self-diagnosis by Steffie Drucker A visit to “Dr. Google” makes patients better at diagnosis. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/bawh-avt032621.php Levine, D. M., & Mehrotra, A. (2021). Assessment of Diagno...

Learn about how lightning strikes led to life on Earth; the self-control of cuttlefish; and your roommate’s feelings. Lightning strikes were vital to the origin of life on Earth by Grant Currin Lightning strikes played a vital role in life’s origins on Earth. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/uol-lsp031621.php Hess, B. L., Piazolo, S., & Harvey, J. (2021). Lightni...

Learn about how to stop Zoom fatigue; a world that may be on its second atmosphere; and koalas’ human-like fingerprints. 4 reasons you feel "Zoom fatigue" and how to get over them, according to Stanford research by Kelsey Donk: Stanford Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale survey: https://comm.stanford.edu/ZEF Ramachandran, V. (2021, February 23). Four causes for “Zoom fatigue” and their solutions |...

Learn why narcissism may come from insecurity, how lobster became a delicacy, and how astronauts clean their underwear. Narcissism may be driven by insecurity, not an oversized sense of self by Kelsey Donk Narcissism driven by insecurity, not grandiose sense of self. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/nyu-ndb032521.php Kowalchyk, M., Palmieri, H., Conte, E., & Wall...

Learn about the treadmill’s torture device origins. Then, author Melanie Peffer explains why biology is everywhere. Treadmills were originally torture devices by Steffie Drucker Protin, C., & Stuart, M. (2017, April 13). Treadmills were originally used as torture devices for prisoners. Business Insider; Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/treadmills-torture-device-prisoners-treadwhee...

Learn about a gender gap in 8-year-olds; how speaking another language can change you; and a monumental dino discovery. Learn about how kids as young as 8 show a gender gap when it comes to negotiating; how speaking another language can change your personality; and what paleontologists can learn from a momentous new discovery of fossilized dinosaur embryos. Kids as young as 8 show a gender gap whe...