Curiosity Weekly

Renowned cognitive neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene explains how you can learn new things by tapping into the four pillars of learning. But first, you’ll learn about how we get seedless fruit. How do we get seedless fruit? by Cameron Duke How Do Farmers Make Seedless Fruit? (2015). [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewtlsEb4Vgk How do seedless fruits arise and how are the...

Learn about why air curtains blast you with air when you walk into certain stores; microbes that survive in the desert by dissolving rocks with acid; and the latest research into how we learn, with help from renowned cognitive neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene. That blast of air when you walk into a business has a name: an air curtain by Grant Currin Ashish. (2018, March 21). Air Curtain Door At En...

Learn about why you can blame redlining for US cities being so segregated; why Earth’s magnetic north pole is drifting every year; and how virtual therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy. Redlining is the totally legal reason why US cities are so segregated by Steffie Drucker NPR. (2020). Why Cities Are Still So Segregated | Let’s Talk | NPR [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.y...

Learn about how lockdown is changing our perception of time; how the most devastating meteor on record may have never even landed; and why it’s a big deal that elephants can catch contagious yawning from humans. Why lockdown is changing our perception of time by Kelsey Donk Rocheleau, J. (2020, May 27). A Monday Is a Tuesday Is a Sunday as COVID-19 Disrupts Internal Clocks. Scientific American. ht...

Learn about Juneteenth, the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the US; how switching up your routine can make you happier; and the grammar behind why Americans don’t say “maths” and do say “LEGOs.” Juneteenth, the oldest celebration of the end of slavery by Ashley Hamer Juneteenth World Wide Celebration (2020). Juneteenth.com. https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm What Is Juneteenth? (20...

Learn about why peanut butter gets gum out of hair; why world-renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe is so passionate about climate justice; and how gaslighting makes you question your sanity — along with some tips on how to protect yourself. Why does peanut butter get gum out of hair? by Andrea Michelson UCSB Science Line. (2020). Ucsb.edu. http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=2036 Pol...

Learn about whether “fat-burning foods” are a real thing; why we probably can’t tell male and female dinosaurs apart; and how you can do great things by seeing yourself as part of something greater. Are "fat-burning foods" a real thing? Scientists performed a critical review to find out by Andrea Michelson Bo, S., Fadda, M., Fedele, D., Pellegrini, M., Ghigo, E., & Pellegrini, N. (2020). A Critica...

Learn about the modern benefits we’re getting from new archaeological discoveries, from researchers Mary Prendergast and Elizabeth Sawchuk. Then, you’ll learn about how people can hear body language in your voice. Additional resources from Mary Prendergast and Elizabeth Sawchuk: Sawchuk, E., & Prendergast, M. (2019, December 23). Archaeological discoveries are happening faster than ever before, he...

Learn about why flipping a coin might be your best bet when making major life decisions; why otters juggle rocks; and how you respond differently to 2 types of injustice. An economist had people make big life decisions on a coin flip, and they ended up happier by Steffie Drucker Study finds people are more satisfied after quitting the status quo. (2020, May 18). Oxford University Press; Phys.org....

Learn about why people protest and riot, according to social psychology; and how scientists stimulated the brains of blind people to make them “see” shapes. Then, test your knowledge with this month’s edition of the Curiosity Challenge. Why social psychology says people protest and riot by Kelsey Donk Klandermans, B. (2013). Demand and Supply of Protest. The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social...

Renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains why climate change isn’t as “doom and gloom” as you might think, and gives tips for how to talk about it to inspire action. Plus: learn about how to overcome “bedtime procrastination.” "Bedtime procrastination" may come down to beliefs about willpower by Kelsey Donk Bernecker, K., & Job, V. (2019). Too exhausted to go to bed: Implicit theories a...

Learn about why rainy days make you sleepy; why the “Great Unconformity” is one of the biggest mysteries in geology; and the problematic amount of energy it takes to power AI — along with a potential solution. Plus: how do you pronounce "Colorado," anyway? Why do rainy days make you sleepy? by Kelsey Donk Katherine Ellen Foley. (2016, May 29). Why does rain seem to make you sleepy? Quartz; Quartz....

Researchers Elizabeth Sawchuk and Mary Prendergast will talk about the lessons we’ve learned from amazing new discoveries of extinct human species. Plus: learn about how dogs can be moody teenagers, too. Dogs can be annoying teenagers, too by Steffie Drucker Adolescence is ruff for dogs too. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/nu-air051220.php Teenage dogs? Evidence...

Learn about how our sun is different from similar stars; how deep sleep literally cleans your brain; and the psychology behind why some psychopaths are serial killers, while others are CEOs. Our sun is less active than other stars just like it, and scientists aren't sure why by Grant Currin Reinhold, T., Shapiro, A. I., Solanki, S. K., Montet, B. T., Krivova, N. A., Cameron, R. H., & Amazo-Gómez,...

Learn about why NASA doesn’t launch rockets in the rain (which is why there was a delay launching the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley); why llamas are so promising for protecting humans against viruses like COVID-19; and why things get cold — when they’re wet, when you’re chewing mint gum, and when you blow air through narrowed lips. Why NAS...

Renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains how we know that climate change is caused by humans. Then, learn about why there’s no such thing as “common sense.” Links to donate: Discovery’s Social Good Initiative RISE: Reducing Inequality and Supporting Empowerment https://www.discovery.com/dnews/help-reduce-inequality---support-empowerment NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund https://...

Learn about the surprising way Japanese honeybees defend themselves against "murder hornets" (actual name: Asian giant hornets); how “atmospheric tidal waves” make Venus’s atmosphere rotate faster than the actual planet; and the wide spectrum of how people mentally visualize images, including aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Japanese honeybees defend against 'murder hornets' by forming bee balls by...

Researchers Elizabeth Sawchuk and Mary Prendergast discuss the surprising discoveries archaeologists are making thanks to new technology. Plus: learn how eye-tracking software can tell you more about you than you think. Eye-tracking software can tell more about you than you think by Grant Currin Kröger, J. L., Lutz, O. H.-M., & Müller, F. (2020). What Does Your Gaze Reveal About You? On the Privac...

Learn about how your ancestors’ work habits might be influencing your own; the first evidence of an underwater dinosaur; and how an aquarium successfully reproduced coral in captivity for the first time. Societies with a history of hard farming labor tend to work more hours today by Kelsey Donk Arduous farm labor in the past means longer working hours today. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekal...

Learn about why selfish people have false memories of being generous; why we can’t do brain transplants; and why you used to be able to buy life insurance from airport vending machines. Selfish people actually have false memories of being generous by Kelsey Donk Memory misfires help selfish maintain their self-image. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/yu-mmh042820....

Learn about whether it’s a good idea to rub dirt on your wounds; how funny memes can help save endangered species like the proboscis monkey; and how space travel changes the shape of astronauts’ hearts. When it comes to wounds, science says "rub some dirt on it" might be good advice by Cameron Duke Dillow, C. (2013, May 23). Got A Wound? Science Says Rub Some Dirt In It. Popular Science; Popular S...

Learn about how archaeologists are solving a prehistoric poop problem; what leads people to be “cultural omnivores”; and an easy trick for telling stars and planets apart when you’re stargazing. What can we learn from prehistoric poop? by Cameron Duke Borry, M., Cordova, B., Perri, A., Wibowo, M., Prasad Honap, T., Ko, J., Yu, J., Britton, K., Girdland-Flink, L., Power, R. C., Stuijts, I., Salazar...

Learn about breakthrough research into what our brains do while we sleep; how plants fight back when they hear they’re being eaten; and why the Y2K bug is actually what a well-handled crisis looks like afterward. This is the first direct evidence that our brains replay waking experiences while we sleep by Cameron Duke Eichenlaub, J.-B., Jarosiewicz, B., Saab, J., Franco, B., Kelemen, J., Halgren,...

Learn about why it might actually be pretty easy to drink an elephant under the table; how carrier pigeons like Cher Ami helped win the world wars; and why night owls may have worse emotion regulation than morning people. Apparently, elephants get drunk and they're total lightweights by Cameron Duke Burke, J. (2010, December 3). Elephants on drunken rampage kill three people. The Guardian. https:/...

Learn about why the marijuana classifications of indica and sativa aren’t based in science; how clean your washing machine really gets your clothes; and why researchers staged sword fights to learn about the Bronze Age. Indica and sativa marijuana classifications aren't based in science by Andrea Michelson Naftulin, J. (2020, April 20). There is no difference between the effects of indica and sati...