Curiosity Weekly - Discovery

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Remote Surgery, Isolated Neanderthals, Greenspace & ADHD Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about how surgeons operated on a pig from 5,000 miles away, a population of neanderthals that were isolated for 50,000 years, and why trees could be linked to lower risks of ADHD in kids.

Remote Surgery

“Remote surgery performed on a pig 9,000 km away using a game controller.” by Michael Irving. 2024.
“Teleoperated Magnetic Endoscopy: A Case Study and Perspective.” by Alexandre Mescot, et al. 2024.

Isolated Neanderthals

“An ancient Neanderthal community was isolated for over 50,000 years.” Scimex. 2024.
“Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction.” by Ludovic Slimak, et al. 2024.

Greenspace & ADHD

“Tree-covered neighborhoods linked to lower ADHD risk in children.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.
“Lifelong greenspace exposure and ADHD in Polish children: Role of physical activity and perceived neighbourhood [sic] characteristics.” by Dorota Buczylowska, et al. 2024.

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Baby Brain Device, CO2 Protein, 15-Minute Cities Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a new device that can get inside the mind of babies, the edible protein that’s made out of carbon dioxide, and how the modern ideal of the 15-minute city might not be for everyone.

Baby Brain Device

“Wearable brain imaging device shines a light on how babies respond in real-world situations.” UCL. 2024.
“Whole-head high-density diffuse optical tomography to map infant audio-visual responses to social and non-social stimuli.” by Liam H. Collins-Jones, et al. 2024.

CO2 Protein

“Powered by renewable energy, microbes turn CO2 into potentially edible protein and vitamins.” Scimex. 2024.
“Power-to-vitamins: producing folate (vitamin B9) from renewable electric power and CO2 with a microbial protein system.” by Lisa Marie Schmitz, et al. 2024.

15-Minute Cities

“15-minute city: Why time shouldn’t be the only factor in future city planning.” EurekAlert! 2024.
“A universal framework for inclusive 15-minute cities.” by Matteo Bruno et al. 2024.

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Risky Play, Mold in Space, Brain Cravings Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about how climbing on monkey bars and other risky play could be a gift from our ancestors, the dangers of mold in space, and new evidence on how cravings take root in our brains.

Risky Play

“Risky Play Exercises an Ancestral Need to Push Limits.” by Morgan Kelly. 2024.
“Commemorating the monkey bars, catalyst of debate at the intersection of human evolutionary biology and public health.” by Luke D. Fannin, et al. 2024.

Mold in Space

“Keeping mold out of future space stations.” by Tatyana Woodall. 2024.
“Predicting how varying moisture conditions impact the microbiome of dust collected from the International Space Station.” by Nicholas Nastasi, et al. 2024.

Brain Cravings

“‘Sticky’ brain activity is linked to stronger feelings of craving.” by Mallory Locklear. 2024.
“Network state dynamics underpin basal craving in a transdiagnostic population.” by Jean Ye, et al. 2024.

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Positive Side Effects, Mega El Niño, Bee Protector Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a potential positive side to side effects, how mega El Niños triggered the world’s worst mass extinction event, and the antidote to pesticides that could save bees.

Positive Side Effects

“How side effects can improve treatment efficacy: a randomized trial.” by Lieven A. Schenk, et al. 2024.
“Side-effects are often a curse. Can they also be a blessing?” by Katja Wiech, et al. 2024.

Mega El Niño

“Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction.” by Jake Buehler. 2024.
“Mega El Niño instigated the end-Permian mass extinction.” by Yadong Sun, et al. 2024.

Bee Protector

“Scientists hopeful antidote can help protect bumblebees from pesticides.” by Helena Horton. 2024.
“Ingestible hydrogel microparticles improve bee health after pesticide exposure.” by Julia S. Caserto, et al. 2024.

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Bacteria Behavior, Ant Cannibals, Brain Plastic Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a breakthrough in our understanding of the behavior and abilities of bacteria, the queen ants that cannibalize their sick larvae and recycle it, and how tiny shards of plastic are finding their way into our brains.

Bacteria Behavior

“New discovery of how bacteria navigate their environment could change how we treat infection.” University of Sheffield. 2024.
“Individual bacterial cells can use spatial sensing of chemical gradients to direct chemotaxis on surfaces.” by James H.R. Wheeler, et al. 2024.

Ant Cannibals

“Ant queens cannibalize [sic] their sick offspring - then ‘recycle’ them.” University of Oxford. 2024.
“Ant queens cannibalize infected brood to contain disease spread and recycle nutrients.” by Flynn Bizzell & Christopher D. Pull. 2024.
“Black garden ant.” The Wildlife Trusts. N.d.

Brain Plastic

“Tiny shards of plastic are increasingly infiltrating our brains, study says.” by Sandee LaMotte. 2024.
“Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains Assessed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.” by Matthew Campen, et al. 2024.

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Sinuses & Mental Health, Vaporizing Plastic, Monkey Names Oct 11, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about the connection between chronic sinus infections and anxiety, a new way to recycle plastic by vaporizing it, and how marmosets call each other by name.

Sinuses & Mental Health

“Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Mental Health.” by Najm S. Khan, et al. 2024.
“Chronic Sinusitis.” CDC. 2022.

Vaporizing Plastic

“New process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases [sic] to make new, recycled plastics.” by Robert Sanders. 2024.
“Plastic Pollution.” by Hannah Ritchie, et al. 2022.

Monkey Names

“These monkeys use names to communicate with each other, study finds.” by Lianne Kolirin. 2024.
“These Monkeys Call One Another by Name.” by Emily Anthes. 2024.
“Vocal labeling of others by nonhuman primates.” by Guy Oren, et al. 2024.

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Salt & Cancer, Ancient Bridge, Nuclear Clock Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about how common table salt could help our bodies fight cancer, an ancient underwater bridge that’s changing what we know about human migration in Europe, and the hyper precise nuclear clock breakthrough.

Salt & Cancer

“Common salt activates anti-tumor cells.” by Charlotte Fuchs and Friederike Gawlik. 2024.
“Sodium chloride in the tumor microenvironment enhances T cell metabolic fitness and cytotoxicity.” by Dominik Soll, et all. 2024.

Ancient Bridge

“Submerged bridge constructed at least 5600 years ago indicates early human arrival in Mallorca, Spain.” by Bogdan P. Onac, et al. 2024.
“What a submerged ancient bridge discovered in a Spanish cave reveals about early human settlement.” ScienceDaily. 2024.
“Mallorca Facts.” Mallorca.com. Nd.

Nuclear Clock

“A nuclear clock prototype hints at ultraprecise timekeeping.” by Emily Conover. 2024.
“How Does the NIST-7 Atomic Clock Work?” by Bruce Morser. 2012.
“A new ultrafast laser emits pulses of light 30 billion times a second.” by Emily Conover. 2018.

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Injectable Pacemaker, Starving Black Holes, Bat Blood Sugar Oct 09, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about an injectable pacemaker that dissolves after 5 days, how a black hole is starving a galaxy to death, and the bats with record-high blood sugar levels.

Injectable Pacemaker

“Injectable pacemaker regulates heartbeat for 5 days then dissolves.” by Michael Irving. 2024.
“In situ assembly of an injectable cardiac stimulator.” by Umut Aydemir, et al. 2024.
“Arrythmia.” Cleveland Clinic. N.d.

Black Hole Starves

“Astronomers detect black hole ‘starving’ its host galaxy to death.” EurekAlert! 2024.
“A fast-rotator post-starburst galaxy quenched by supermassive black-hole feedback at z=3.” by Francesco D’Eugenio, et al. 2024.

Bat Blood Sugar

“Sugar assimilation underlying dietary evolution of Neotropical bats.” by Jasmin Camacho, et al. 2024.
“Some bats are surviving and thriving with blood sugar levels that would be lethal for other mammals.” Stowers Institute for Medical Research. 2024.

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AC Not Conditioned, False Memories, Cat Grief Oct 04, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about the new air conditioner that cools without conditioning the air, how understanding our false memories can be a window into our problem solving skills, and a study examining the grieving of cats.

AC Not Conditioned

“Device provides air conditioning without conditioning air.” by Ellen Phiddian. 2024.
“A pure radiant cooling device for ‘air conditioning’ without conditioning air.” by Xinyao Zheng, et al. 2024.
“2023 was the warmest year in the modern temperature record.” by NOAA Centers for Environmental Information. 2024.

False Memories

“False memories revealing mathematical reasoning.” University of Geneva. 2024.
“Revealing mental representations of arithmetic word problems through false memories: New insights into semantic congruence.” by H. Gros, et al. 2024.

Cat Grief

“Cats appear to grieve death of fellow pets - even dogs, study finds.” by Hannah Devlin. 2024.
“A Brief History of House Cats.” by David Zax. 2007.
“Is companion animal loss cat-astrophic? Responses of domestic cats to the loss of another companion animal.” by Brittany Greene & Jennifer Vonk. 2024.

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Microbiome Map, Insect Metalwork, Animal Colors Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a new tool that maps out our incredibly complex gut microbiome to tell you if it’s healthy or… not so much, how metalworkers are taking lessons from insects to shape metal at room temperature, and the psychology behind our feelings toward unusually colored animals.

Microbiome Map

“Mayo researchers develop tool that measures health of a person’s gut microbiome.” by Susan Murphy. 2024.
“Gut Microbiome Wellness Index 2 enhances health status predictions from gut microbiome taxonomic profiles.” by Daniel Chang, et al. 2024.

Insect Metalwork

“Room temperature metalworking inspired by insects and crab shells.” by Michael Irving. 2024.
“Shrimp shells to serve as the basis for new multi-protective coatings.” by David Szondy. 2020.
“A Biological Approach to Metalworking Based on Chitinous Colloids and Composites.” by Shiwei Ng, et al. 2024.

Animal Colors

“How color shapes which animals we fear - and which we protect.” by Kara Manke. 2024.
“Of Rarity and Symbolism: Understanding Human Perceptions of Charismatic Color Morphs.” by Tyus D. Williams, et al. 2024.

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