Curiosity Weekly

Learn about how studying ancient cities can help us plan modern cities from author Monica L. Smith, an archaeologist and professor in the department of anthropology at UCLA. Plus, learn what happens to light when you turn off the light switch. Get your copy of “Cities: The First 6,000 Years” on Amazon: https://amazon.com Additional resources from Monica L. Smith: “Cities: The First 6,000 Years” —...

Learn about the key ingredients for forging a friendship; why it’s so hard to make decisions with friends; and what it would mean if dark matter doesn’t exist and the law of gravity is wrong. 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: These Are the 3 Ingredients for Forging a F...

Learn about potential drawbacks to life hacking from Professor Joseph M. Reagle Jr., author of the new book “Hacking Life: Systematized Living and Its Discontents.” You’ll also learn why your fingers get pruney when they’re soaked in water. Get your copy of “Hacking Life: Systematized Living and Its Discontents” on Amazon: https://amazon.com In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the...

Learn about how scientists traced some of Earth’s heaviest elements to an ancient star collision; what to do if you’re lying in bed and you can’t sleep; and whether diet soda can help you lose weight. 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: Some of Earth’s Gold Came From Two...

Learn about new sustainability rules that could help us cut space debris; why you shouldn’t blow your nose when you have a cold; and why you unconsciously copy other people’s mannerisms. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: These New Space Sustainability Rules Could Help Cut Space Debris —...

Learn about new research into the implicit attitudes people have in close relationships with others (and more) from Vivian Zayas, Director of the Personality, Attachment, and Control Laboratory at Cornell University. Resources from Cornell University: Cornell University’s “What Makes Us Human?” podcast series — https://as.cornell.edu/humanities Hear Vivian Zayas on the “Love Science” episode of th...

Learn about the similarities between problems facing ancient and modern cities from author Monica L. Smith, an archaeologist and professor in the department of anthropology at UCLA. You’ll also learn about whether you have a dominant ear. Get your copy of “Cities: The First 6,000 Years” on Amazon: https://amazon.com Additional resources from Monica L. Smith: “Cities: The First 6,000 Years” — https...

Learn about the weird science behind why people like the taste of black coffee; how entropy keeps time flowing forward; and how smiling really can make you feel happier. 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: Taking Your Coffee Black Might Be Genetic — https://curiosity.im/...

Learn about how to tell whether a life hack is worth trying from a special guest: Professor Joseph M. Reagle Jr., author of the new book “Hacking Life: Systematized Living and Its Discontents.” You’ll also learn why there’s no such thing as a “reverse microwave” for cooling. Please support our sponsors! For $80 off your first month of HelloFresh, go to HelloFresh.com/curiosity80 and enter promo co...

Learn about how watching Spider-Man may reduce arachnophobia; how the biggest volcano eruption in history may have made one of the world’s most classic horror stories possible; and a 100-point plan to organize your day to get more done. 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...

Learn about Mary Anning, the famed female fossil hunter history almost forgot; why sad people seek out sad music; and how you can get your air-dried laundry as soft as your machine-dried laundry. 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: Mary Anning Was the Famed Female Fossil...

Learn about how researchers study how we mentally represent our relationships with special guest Vivian Zayas, Director of the Personality, Attachment, and Control Laboratory at Cornell University. Plus, learn about a regimen you can follow to help you pursue your passion — despite your day job. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about how y...

Learn about what the first cities looked like — and why humans built them — from author Monica L. Smith, an archaeologist and professor in the department of anthropology at UCLA. Then, learn what makes pedestrians run into each other. Get your copy of “Cities: The First 6,000 Years” on Amazon: https://amazon.com Additional resources from Monica L. Smith: “Cities: The First 6,000 Years” — https://a...

Learn about how the color of pills influences how well they’ll work on you; the weird things scientists are learning about a substance that made up the early universe; and the science behind why CEOs make time for hobbies. 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: The Color of...

Learn about the replication crisis facing researchers in the social and life sciences from a special guest: Professor Joseph M. Reagle Jr., author of the new book “Hacking Life: Systematized Living and Its Discontents.” You’ll also learn why squinting helps you see. Get your copy of “Hacking Life: Systematized Living and Its Discontents” on Amazon: https://amazon.com Publications and additional re...

Learn about how we could use self-replicating machines to explore the universe; when and why your liver shrinks and grows dramatically; and what science says about how much your birth order really matters. 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: Could We Use Self-Replicating...

Learn about why smells trigger such vivid memories; why an ancient tree is changing our understanding of how trees evolved; and how you can find out if you suffer from impostor syndrome, along with ways to get over it. 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: Here's Why Smell...

Learn about why our collective attention span is shrinking; how you can increase your productivity by building “deep work” skills; and why eyeball planets may be our best bet for finding alien life. 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: Why Is Our Attention Span Shrinking?...

Learn about what scientists know about the muon; how poor vision evolved; and why the founder of Mother’s Day Anna Jarvis regretted inventing it. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: Meet The Muon, The Electron's Short-Lived Big Brother — https://curiosity.im/2GA4WYO The Myopia Boom | Natur...

Learn about where fruit flies come from and what they do from special guest Stephanie Mohr, author of “First in Fly: Drosophila Research and Biological Discovery.” You’ll also learn about why your brain makes you extra antisocial when you’re sick, and how entomologist Justin Schmidt created a pain scale from insect stings. Get your copy of “First in Fly: Drosophila Research and Biological Discover...

Learn about new research that can help us understand and save the bees; the best sleeping position, according to science; and how you can learn learn something better by arguing with yourself. 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: Scientists Have Decoded the Univeral Langu...

Learn about a new discovery about rain on the sun; why flamingos stand on one leg; and why you blink the way you do when you’re watching a movie. 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: It Rains on the Sun — https://curiosity.im/2GwjSHm The Real Reason Flamingos Stand on One...

Learn about why wireless signals are completely banned from Green Bank, West Virginia; why fish stinks but chicken doesn’t; and how to find out if you have a healthy personality. 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: Wireless Signals Are Banned in This Small West Virginia...

Learn why you’re more likely to order junk food after your friends do; why we’re the only human species; and why people literally danced themselves to death during the Medieval Dancing Plague. 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: This Concept Explains Why You Order Junk F...

Learn about how we preserve analog and digital audio (and other media) with special guest Damon Krukowski, who is a musician, writer, and author of the new book “Ways of Hearing.” We’ll also answer a listener question about why quickly rotating objects seem to rotate in the opposite direction. Get your copy of “Ways of Hearing” on Amazon: https://amazon.com More from Damon Krukowski: “Ways of Hear...