Curiosity Weekly - Discovery

Latest Episodes:

Comatose Consciousness, Glowing Frogs, Race Car Blinks Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about hidden consciousness in comatose patients, the eerie secret glowing language of frogs, and the mysterious blinking of race car drivers.

Comatose Consciousness

“Source of Hidden Consciousness in ‘Comatose’ Brain Injury Patients Found.” Columbia University. 2023.
“Injury patterns associated with cognitive motor dissociation.” by Eva Franzova, et al. 2023.

Glowing Frogs

“Many frogs glow in blue light, and it may be a secret, eerie language.” by Jake Buehler. 2023.
“Evidence for ecological tuning of novel anuran biofluorescent signals.” by Courtney Whitcher, et al. 2023.
“Naturally occurring fluorescence in frogs.” by Carlos Taboada, et al. 2017.
“Ultraviolet fluorescence discovered in New World flying squirrels (Glaucomys).” by Allison M Kohler, et al. 2019.
“Salamanders and other amphibians are aglow with biofluorescence.” by Jennifer Y Lamb & Matthew P Davis. 2020.

Race Car Blinks

“Race car drivers usually blink at the same places in each lap.” by Darren Incorvaia. 2023.
“Why You Blink Your Eyes.” by Troy Bedinghaus, OD. 2023.

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalli andNate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dirty Fog to Clean Water, Hookworms, Paranoia & Memory Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about turning dirty fog into clean drinking water, how hookworms might help stave off diabetes, and a surprising link between memory and paranoia.

Dirty Fog to Clean Water

“Collecting clean water from fog.” by Fabio Bergamin. 2023.
“Scientists are harvesting water by building fog harps and zapping the air.” by Angela Chen. 2018.

Hookworms

“Hookworms successfully prevent type 2 diabetes in human trial.” by Bronwyn Thompson. 2023.
“Metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetic patients: a review of current evidence.” by Virginia M.G. Regufe, et al. 2020.
“Parasites - Hookworm.” CDC. 2023.

Paranoia & Memory

“Paranoia appears to have a strange effect on memory.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2023.
“Paranoia Is Associated With Impaired Novelty Detection and Overconfidence in Recognition Memory Judgements.” by William N. Koller & Tyrone D. Cannon. 2021.
“Paranoia.” by Paul Frysh. 2021.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teenage Activism, Sleep Apnea Danger, Aggressive Driving Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a surprising link between youth activism and critical thinking, a new discovery related to sleep apnea, and how aggressive driving adds more CO2 to the atmosphere.

Teenage Activism

“Teens Engaged in Activism Become Better Critical Thinkers, Study Finds.” University of Michigan. 2023.
“Charting the longitudinal trajectories and interplay of critical consciousness among youth activists.” by Andres Pinedo. 2023.

Sleep Apnea Danger

“NIH-funded study explains link to increased cardiovascular risks for people with obstructive sleep apnea.” NIH. 2023.
“Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis.” by Adam V. Benjafield, et al. 2019.
“The ever-increasing importance of cancer as a leading cause of premature death worldwide.” by Freddie Bray. 2021.
“Sleep Apnea.” by Eric Suni & Dr. Abhinav Singh. 2023.

Aggressive Driving

“Future reductions of China’s transport emissions impacted by changing driving behaviour.” by Yingji Xia, et al. 2023.
“Aggressive driving sends carbon levels soaring.” Nature.com. 2023.
“Annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide from 1940 to 2022.” Statista. 2023.
“How can driving behavior help you reduce fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions?” Frotcom. 2019.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chronic Pain Treatment, Tree Planting, Nose Pickers Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a possible new treatment for chronic pain, a major obstacle to the world’s tree-planting plans, and some bad news for nose pickers.

Chronic Pain Treatment

“Identification and targeting of a unique Nav1.7 domain driving chronic pain.” by Kimberly Gomez, et al. 2023.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2217800120
“Nav1.7 withholds its pain potential.” by Katie Kingwell. 2023.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-019-00065-0
“Chronic Pain Among Adults - United States, 2019 - 2021.” CDC. 2023.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7215a1.htm
“Prevalence of chronic pain among adults in the United States.” by R Jason Yong & Neil Bhattacharyya. 2022.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33990113/

Tree Planting

“Plans to plant billions of trees threatened by massive undersupply of seedlings.” by Joshua Brown. 2023.
“A lack of ecological diversity in forest nurseries limits the achievement of tree-planting objectives in response to global change.” by Peter W. Clark, et al. 2023.
“Trees Help Fight Climate Change.” Arbor Day Foundation. N.d.
“Benefits of Planting Trees.” Tree Advisory Board. N.D.

Nose Pickers

“Why Not to Pick Your Nose // Association between nose picking and SARS-Cov-2 incident, a cohort study in hospital healthcare workers.” by A.H. Ayesha Lavell, et al. 2023.
“Nose picking linked to higher risk of covid, study shows.” by Lindsey Bever. 2023.
“The Anatomy and Function of the Nasal Cavity.” by Kristin Hayes, RN. 2023.

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalli andNate — for free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Early Breakfast, Nanotech & Blindness, Crocodile Crying Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about how when we eat might influence our risks for type 2 diabetes, a new use for nanotech in treating age-related blindness, and how crocodiles respond to the cries of human babies.

Early Breakfast

“An early breakfast may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.” Barcelona Institute for Global Health. 2023.
“Early breakfast linked to lower risk of type 2 Diabetes.” by Dr. Prajakta Banik. 2023.
“Symptoms & Causes of Diabetes.” NIH. 2016

Nanotech & Blindness

“Nanotech used to grow eye cells as a potential treatment for blindness.” by Paul McClure. 2023.
“Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.” by Hrishikesh Vyawahare & Pranaykumar Shinde. 2022.
“3D Nanotech Enables Eye Cell Growth for Treating Blindness.” by Tim Hayes. 2023.

Crocodile Crying

“Nile Crocodiles Recognize and React to the Sound of Crying Babies.” by Brian Handwerk. 2023.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nile-crocodiles-recognize-and-react-to-the-sound-of-crying-babies-180982686/#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20new%20study,appeal%20to%20their%20maternal%20instinct
“Hear them roar: A comparison of black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) and human (Homo sapiens) perception of arousal in vocalizations across all classes of terrestrial vertebrates.” BY J. Congdon, et al. 2019. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/com0000187
“Your Dog Can Tell From Your Voice If You’re Happy or Sad.” by Joseph Stromberg. 2014. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/your-dog-can-tell-from-your-voice-if-youre-happy-or-sad-180949807/
“Crocodile perception of distress in hominid baby cries.” by Julie Thévenet, et al. 2023. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.0201

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TSS Bacto-Battles, Why We Walk, Saber-Tooth Cat Party Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a new weapon in the war against toxic shock syndrome, how scientists used AI to understand how humans evolved to walk upright, and a new discovery that changes what we know about saber-toothed cats.

TSS Bacto-Battles

“Inhibition of Toxic Shock Syndrome Associated Staphylococcus aureus by Probiotic Lactobacilli.” by Patrick M. Schlievert. 2023.
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01735-23
“Probiotic combo stops bacteria that cause toxic shock syndrome.” Science Daily. 2023.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230721113221.htm
“Toxic shock syndrome.” Mayo Clinic. 2022.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/toxic-shock-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355384

Why We Walk

“These bones were made for walking.” Columbia University Irving Medical Center. 2023.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230721113151.htm
“Study Sheds Light on Why Humans Walk on Two Legs.” by Claudia Morain. 2007.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/study-sheds-light-why-humans-walk-two-legs
“Why humans walk on two legs: a close look at chimpanzees puts some old theories to the test.” The Conversation. 2022.
https://theconversation.com/why-humans-walk-on-two-legs-a-close-look-at-chimpanzees-puts-some-old-theories-to-the-test-194193

Saber-Tooth Cat Party

“5 million-year-old fossils reveal 2 new species of saber-toothed cats in South Africa.” by Harry Baker. 2023.
https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/5-million-year-old-fossils-reveal-2-new-species-of-saber-toothed-cats-in-south-africa
“Human ancestors were walking upright 7 million years ago, ancient limb bone suggests.” by Ann Gibbons. 2022.
https://www.science.org/content/article/human-ancestors-were-walking-upright-7-million-years-ago-ancient-limb-bone-suggests

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalli andNate — for free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Korean Rockfish Power, Machu Picchu DNA, Breastfed Benefits Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about a toxic fish that could help save lives, new secrets about the people who once lived in Machu Picchu, and a study that looked at the benefits of breastfeeding.

Korean Rockfish Power

“This fish delivers a nasty sting. Could it also save lives?” by Phie Jacobs. 2023.
https://www.science.org/content/article/fish-delivers-nasty-sting-could-it-also-save-lives
“Rockfish.” Monterey Bay Aquarium. N.d.
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/rockfish
“What Is Cystic Fibrosis?” NIH. 2022.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/cystic-fibrosis

Machu Picchu DNA

“Machu Picchu’s servants hailed from distant lands conquered by the Incas, genetic study finds.” by Kristina Killgrove. 2023.
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/machu-picchus-servants-hailed-from-distant-lands-conquered-by-the-incas-genetic-study-finds
“The discovery of Machu Picchu.” by Richard Cavendish. 2011.
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/discovery-machu-picchu
“Machu Picchu History and Discovery.” Discover Peru. n.d.
http://www.discover-peru.org/machu-picchu-history/

Breastfed Benefits

“Breastfeeding is associated with a 33% reduction in first-year post-perinatal infant mortality.” EurekAlert! 2023.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/996448
“How Reliable Are the Birth Certificate Variables for Mothers with Medicaid Coverage?” by Embry M. Howell, et al. 2021.
https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/104257/how-reliable-are-birth-certificate-variables-for-mothers-with-medicaid_1.pdf
“What do we know about infant mortality in the U.S. and comparable countries?” by Rabah Kamal, et al. 2019.
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/infant-mortality-u-s-compare-countries/#Infant%20death%20rate%20per%201,000%20live%20births,%202007-2017
“Infant Mortality.” CDC. 2022.

https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/infantmortality.htm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ovarian Failure Cure, Honeypot Ants, AI Insomnia Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about how researchers are using stem cells to cure infertility in mice, the health benefits of honey made by ants, and the potential emotional toll of using AI at work.

Ovarian Failure Cure

“Stem Cell Therapy Restores Fertility in Mouse Model.” by Katie Brighton. 2023.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/stem-cell-therapy-restores-fertility-in-mouse-model-376618
“Fertility restoration in mice with chemotherapy induced ovarian failure using differentiated iPSCs.” by Kevin M. Elias, et al. 2023.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(23)00280-3/fulltext
“Pathogenesis and Causes of Premature ovarian Failure: An Update.” by Mahbod Ebrahimi, M.D. & Firoozeh Akbari Asbagh, M.D. 2011.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4059950/
“Mechanisms of epigenetic memory.” by Agustina D’Urso & Jason H. Brickner. 2014.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168952514000584

Honeypot Ants

“Western science catches up with First Nations’ medicinal use of ant honey.” The University of Sydney. 2023.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/western-science-catches-up-with-first-nations-medicinal-use-of-ant-honey
“Honeypot Ant Facts.” Fact Animal. N.d.
https://factanimal.com/honeypot-ant/
“Honeypot Ant: Good At Sharing.” San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers. 2023.
https://sdzwildlifeexplorers.org/animals/honeypot-ant

AI Insomnia

“Loneliness, insomnia linked to work with AI systems.” American Psychological Association. 2023.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230612114659.htm
“Loneliness, insomnia linked to work with AI systems.” American Psychological Association. 2023.
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/06/loneliness-insomnia-ai-systems

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Genetic Eye Drops, Kimberlite Explosion, Creative Bots Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about gene therapy eye drops, a diamond’s journey to the surface, and the growing creativity of AI.

Genetic Eye Drops

“Gene-therapy drops restore teen’s vision after genetic disease left his eyes clouded with scars.” by Nicoletta Lanese. 2023.
https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/gene-therapy-drops-restore-teens-vision-after-genetic-disease-left-his-eyes-clouded-with-scars
“Gene therapy eyedrops restored a boy’s sight. Similar treatments could help millions.” by Laura Ungar and Freida Frisary. 2023.
https://apnews.com/article/gene-therapy-blindness-rare-diseases-58f81838894dfb8568affde0b7e4d2f1
“Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa.” by Ellen G Pfendner, PhD & Anne W Lucky, MD. 2018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1304/

Kimberlite Explosion

“When Ancient Eruptions Pumped Diamonds to Earth’s Surface.” by Maya Wei-Haas. 2023.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/science/kimberlite-diamonds-volcano-eruptions.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimesscience
“Rift-induced disruptions of cratonic keels drives kimberlite volcanism.” by Thomas M. Gernon, et al. 2023.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06193-3
“What are Kimberlites?” Kansas Geological Survey. 2000.
https://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pic16/pic16_2.html

Creative Bots

“AI tests into top 1% for original creative thinking.” The University of Montana. 2023.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230705154051.htm
“The Turing Test and AI Large Language Models (LLMs).” by “Mike.” 2023.
https://microrealestate.leptonic.io/the-turing-test-and-ai-large-language-models-llms/
“8 Potentially Surprising Things To Know About Large Language Models LLMs.” by Dhanshree Shripad Shenwai. 2023.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Healing Electronics, Grocery Cart Sensors, Large Telescopes Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

Today, you’ll learn about self-healing robots, Afib detection in the produce aisle, and hurricanes on worlds orbiting distant stars.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/healing-electronics-grocery-cart-sensors-large-telescopes

Healing Electronics

“Shape-Shifting, Self-Healing Machines Are Among Us.” by Simon Makin. 2023.
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/shape-shifting-self-healing-machines-are-among-us/
“Bizarre Material Combines the Best Traits of Gel and Metal.” by Sophie Bushwick. 2023.
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bizarre-material-combines-the-best-traits-of-gel-and-metal1/

Grocery Cart Sensors

“Grocery store carts set to help diagnose common heart rhythm disorder and prevent stroke.” n.a. 2023.
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230623105504.htm
“Atrial Fibrillation (Afib).” Cleveland Clinic. 2022.
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16765-atrial-fibrillation-afib
“What is an electrocardiogram (ECG)?” NIH. 2022.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536878/

Long Telescopes

“Using Cosmic Weather To Study Which Worlds Could Support Life.” by Tatyana Woodall. 2023.
- https://news.osu.edu/using-cosmic-weather-to-study-which-worlds-could-support-life/
“Mapping the Skies of Ultracool Worlds: Detecting Storms and Spots with Extremely Large Telescopes.” by Michael K. Plummer & Ji Wang. 2023.
- https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/accd5d
“Meet the Giant Magellan Telescope.” Giant Magellan Telescope. N.d.
- https://giantmagellan.org/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Curiosity Weekly – Discovery

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected