Curiosity Weekly - Discovery

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Weird Dreams Might be a Brain Feature, Not a Bug Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

Learn how weird dreams may help us in the real world; how we date dinosaurs; and why a healthy grip means a healthy body.

A theory from AI says our weird dreams help us better perceive the world by Briana Brownell

Our dreams’ weirdness might be why we have them, argues new AI-inspired theory of dreaming. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/cp-odw050621.php
Hoel, E. (2021). The overfitted brain: Dreams evolved to assist generalization. Patterns, 2(5), 100244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2021.100244

Paleontologists know how old dinosaurs were when they died because bones are like tree rings by Cameron Duke

Anonymous. (2019, June 11). Which Dinosaur Bones Are “Real”? Field Museum. https://www.fieldmuseum.org/blog/which-dinosaur-bones-are-real
Field Museum. (2020, November 25). Growth Rings From Fossil Bones Reveals T. rex Had Huge Growth Spurts, but Other Dinosaurs Grew “Slow and Steady.” SciTechDaily. https://scitechdaily.com/growth-rings-from-fossil-bones-reveals-t-rex-had-huge-growth-spurts-but-other-dinosaurs-grew-slow-and-steady/
Welsh, J. (2012, June 27). How Sweet! Dinosaurs May Have Been Warm-Blooded After All. Livescience.com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/21215-dinosaur-bones-warm-blooded.html
Wits University. (2021, May 12). Southern African dinosaur had irregular growth. Phys.org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2021-05-southern-african-dinosaur-irregular-growth.html

A Healthy Grip Means a Healthy Body by Ashley Hamer

Grip Strength Is Good Indicator of Overall Health - UConn Today. (2011, June 6). UConn Today. https://today.uconn.edu/2011/06/grip-strength-is-good-indicator-of-overall-health/#
Sanderson, W. C., & Scherbov, S. (2014). Measuring the Speed of Aging across Population Subgroups. PLoS ONE, 9(5), e96289. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096289
Mukherjee, S., Clouston, S., Kotov, R., Bromet, E., & Luft, B. (2019). Handgrip Strength of World Trade Center (WTC) Responders: The Role of Re-Experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(7), 1128. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071128

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. 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.

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/weird-dreams-might-be-a-brain-feature-not-a-bug

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Why Song Lyrics Are Getting Simpler Jul 05, 2021

Show notes

Learn how a man wrote sentences using only his mind; how popular song lyrics got simpler; and the bitterness of Bitrex.

Brain-computer interface lets people communicate by imagining they're writing by Grant Currin

Composing thoughts: mental handwriting produces brain activity that can be turned into text | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2021). Nih.gov. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/News-Events/News-and-Press-Releases/Press-Releases/Composing-thoughts-mental-handwriting-produces
Willett, F. R., Avansino, D. T., Hochberg, L. R., Henderson, J. M., & Shenoy, K. V. (2021). High-performance brain-to-text communication via handwriting. Nature, 593(7858), 249–254. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03506-2
Sample, I. (2021, May 12). Paralysed man uses “mindwriting” brain computer to compose sentences. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/12/paralysed-man-mindwriting-brain-computer-compose-sentences
Timmer, J. (2021, May 12). Neural implant lets paralyzed person type by imagining writing. Ars Technica; Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/neural-implant-lets-paralyzed-person-type-by-imagining-writing/

Popular song lyrics have gotten simpler over time by Kelsey Donk

Rigg, C. (2021, May 17). Newer generations prefer simpler song lyrics. PsyPost; PsyPost. https://www.psypost.org/2021/05/newer-generations-prefer-simpler-song-lyrics-60800
Varnum, M. E. W., Krems, J. A., Morris, C., Wormley, A., & Grossmann, I. (2021). Why are song lyrics becoming simpler? a time series analysis of lyrical complexity in six decades of American popular music. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0244576. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244576

Bitrex Is The Most Bitter Substance In The World by Anna Todd

Denatonium- The most bitter compound known. (2021). Scienceofcooking.com. https://www.scienceofcooking.com/denatonium.htm
Just how bitter is Bitrex? (2012, September 18). Bitrex - Keeping Children Safe. https://www.bitrex.com/about-bitrex/how-bitter-bitrex
The Bitrex Taste Test. (2014, May 20). Bitrex - Keeping Children Safe. https://www.bitrex.com/taste-test
US4479889A - Compositions and method for degrading foodstuffs - Google Patents. (1968, October 9). Google.com. https://patents.google.com/patent/US4479889
SciShow. (2018). What’s the Most Bitter Chemical? [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xl_inefbHE
CONSUMER’S WORLD; Mother Fights to Ruin the Taste of Poison (Published 1989). (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/20/style/consumer-s-world-mother-fights-to-ruin-the-taste-of-poison.html

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-song-lyrics-are-getting-simpler

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Are Facial Expressions Universal? Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

Learn about common ancestors shared by every human; evolution’s multiple directions; and universal facial expressions.

There's a point in the past when every person on Earth was an ancestor to every person alive today by Grant Currin

Hershberger, S. (2020, October 5). Humans Are All More Closely Related Than We Commonly Think. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-are-all-more-closely-related-than-we-commonly-think/
Hopkin, M. (2004). Human populations are tightly interwoven. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/news040927-10
Numberphile. (2019). EVERY baby is a ROYAL baby - Numberphile [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm0hOex4psA
Rohde, D. L. T., Olson, S., & Chang, J. T. (2004). Modelling the recent common ancestry of all living humans. Nature, 431(7008), 562–566. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02842

Evolution Doesn’t Have Just One Direction by Ashley Hamer

Is the human race evolving or devolving? (1998, July 20). Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-human-race-evolvin/
Waimanu, the first penguin. (2010, January 30). March of the Fossil Penguins; March of the Fossil Penguins. https://fossilpenguins.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/waimanu-the-first-penguin/
Morber, J. (2016, October 6). 5 Times Evolution Ran in “Reverse.” Science; National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/reverse-evolution-explained-hagfish-penguins-snakes-science?loggedin=true
Elliott, K. H., Ricklefs, R. E., Gaston, A. J., Hatch, S. A., Speakman, J. R., & Davoren, G. K. (2013). High flight costs, but low dive costs, in auks support the biomechanical hypothesis for flightlessness in penguins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(23), 9380–9384. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1304838110
How Birds Lost Their Teeth. (2014, December 12). Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/news/how-birds-lost-their-teeth
The evolution of whales. (2021). Berkeley.edu. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evograms_03
How did whales lose their hind legs? - Popular Mechanics. (2006, May 23). Popular Mechanics. https://www.popularmechanics.co.za/science/null-610/

Are facial expressions universal? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Jared in Vancouver)

Price, M. (2016, October 17). Facial expressions—including fear—may not be as universal as we thought. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/10/facial-expressions-including-fear-may-not-be-universal-we-thought
Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 17(2), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030377
Crivelli, C., Russell, J. A., Jarillo, S., & Fernández-Dols, J.-M. (2016). The fear gasping face as a threat display in a Melanesian society. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(44), 12403–12407. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1611622113
Krys, K., Melanie Vauclair, C., et. al. (2015). Be Careful Where You Smile: Culture Shapes Judgments of Intelligence and Honesty of Smiling Individuals. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 40(2), 101–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-015-0226-4

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/are-facial-expressions-universal

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The Phantom Torso Experiment Protected Astronauts in a Very Creepy Way Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Learn about why we need memorials for medicine; NASA’s Phantom Torso experiment; and why we often overestimate outliers.

Additional resources from Steven Johnson:

Pick up "Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/594501/extra-life-by-steven-johnson/
Website: https://stevenberlinjohnson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenbjohnson

The Phantom Torso Experiment Protected Future Astronauts In The Creepiest Way Possible by Ashley Hamer

Experiment Details. (2021). Nasa.gov. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=994

We overestimate the outliers we see, which may hamper diversity efforts by Kelsey Donk

Focus on outliers creates flawed snap judgments. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/du-foo051121.php
Khaw, M. W., Kranton, R., & Huettel, S. (2021). Oversampling of minority categories drives misperceptions of group compositions. Cognition, 214, 104756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104756
Shandwick, W. (2015). The female CEO reputation premium? Differences and Similarities. https://www.webershandwick.com/uploads/news/files/female-ceo-reputation-premium-executive-summary.pdf
Layton, J. (2016, June 16). How 17 Equals 49.6: The Amazing Multiplying Women. HowStuffWorks. https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/perception/how-17-equals-496-the-amazing-multiplying-women.htm
https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/correcting-misperceptions-about-and-increasing-empathy-migrants

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/the-phantom-torso-experiment-protected-astronauts-in-a-very-creepy-way

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How Life Expectancy Doubled in Just 150 Years (w/ Author Steven Johnson) Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

Learn how we doubled life expectancy in the last 150 years. Plus: “impossible” quasicrystals formed from nuclear bombs.

Additional resources from Steven Johnson:

Pick up "Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/594501/extra-life-by-steven-johnson/
Website: https://stevenberlinjohnson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenbjohnson

The first nuclear detonation created "impossible" quasicrystals shaped like 20-sided dice by Briana Brownell

Castelvecchi, D. (2021). First nuclear detonation created “impossible” quasicrystals. Nature, 593(7860), 487–487. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01332-0
Bindi, L., Kolb, W., Eby, G. N., Asimow, P. D., Wallace, T. C., & Steinhardt, P. J. (2021). Accidental synthesis of a previously unknown quasicrystal in the first atomic bomb test. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(22), e2101350118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2101350118
Università degli Studi di Firenze. (2021). Quasicrystals in the first nuclear explosion [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkuLjTlUO7A

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-life-expectancy-doubled-in-just-150-years-w-author-steven-johnson

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We Found the Earliest Evidence of Ancient Human Activity Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Learn about ancient evidence of humans using fire; Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle; and your memory on social media.

We just found the earliest evidence of humans changing their ecosystems with fire by Grant Currin

Nield, D. (2021). Scientists Find Oldest Evidence of Ancient Human Activity Deep Inside a Desert Cave. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-find-the-oldest-evidence-of-indoor-human-activity-deep-inside-a-desert-cave
Ratner, P. (2021, May 3). From 1.8 million years ago, earliest evidence of human activity found. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/earliest-evidence-human-activity
Shaar, R., Matmon, A., Horwitz, L. K., Ebert, Y., Chazan, M., Arnold, M., Aumaître, G., Bourlès, D., & Keddadouche, K. (2021). Magnetostratigraphy and cosmogenic dating of Wonderwerk Cave: New constraints for the chronology of the South African Earlier Stone Age. Quaternary Science Reviews, 259, 106907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106907

Scientists may have overcome Heisenberg's uncertainty principle by Briana Brownell

Mercier de Lépinay, L., Ockeloen-Korppi, C. F., Woolley, M. J., & Sillanpää, M. A. (2021). Quantum mechanics–free subsystem with mechanical oscillators. Science, 372(6542), 625–629. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abf5389
Evading the uncertainty principle in quantum physics. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/au-etu050521.php
Ratner, P. (2021, May 15). Physicists push limits of Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/breakthrough-quantum-entanglement-heisenberg
Turner, B. (2021, May 15). Scientist find a loophole in Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. MSN. com. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/news/scientist-find-a-loophole-in-heisenbergs-uncertainty-principle/ar-BB1gLlgP

Is Social Media Hurting Your Memory? first aired June 7, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/your-memory-on-social-media-best-workouts-and-why

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/we-found-the-earliest-evidence-of-ancient-human-activity

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Looking Into Space Is Looking Back in Time Jun 28, 2021

Show notes

Learn why soccer players miss penalty kicks; how we estimate population sizes; and how space helps us look back in time.

Pro soccer players miss penalty kicks because pressure makes them overthink by Kelsey Donk

Johnson, S. (2021, May 12). Why professional soccer players choke during penalty kicks. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/choking-under-pressure
Slutter, M. W. J., Thammasan, N., & Poel, M. (2021). Exploring the Brain Activity Related to Missing Penalty Kicks: An fNIRS Study. Frontiers in Computer Science, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2021.661466
Guo, Z., Li, A., & Yu, L. (2017). “Neural Efficiency” of Athletes’ Brain during Visuo-Spatial Task: An fMRI Study on Table Tennis Players. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00072

How do we know the population sizes of species when there are too many to count? by Cameron Duke

Allen, S. T., O’Rourke, A., White, R. H., Schneider, K. E., Kilkenny, M., & Sherman, S. G. (2019). Estimating the Number of People Who Inject Drugs in A Rural County in Appalachia. American Journal of Public Health, 109(3), 445–450. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2018.304873
Hammond, P. S. (2009). Mark–Recapture. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, 705–709. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-373553-9.00163-2
Krebs, C. J. (1999). Ecological methodology. Benjamin/Cummings.
Mark-Recapture. (2021). Nau.edu. https://www2.nau.edu/lrm22/lessons/mark_recapture/mark_recapture.html

Looking Into Space Is Looking Back In Time by Reuben Westmaas

Most distant object in the universe spotted by Hubble Space Telescope, shattering record for the farthest known galaxy. (2016, March 4). The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/most-distant-object-in-the-universe-spotted-by-hubble-space-telescope-shattering-record-for-the-farthest-known-galaxy-a6911096.html
Cain, F. (2014, August 7). Are All the Stars Really Dead? - Universe Today. https://www.universetoday.com/113709/are-all-the-stars-really-dead/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/looking-into-space-is-looking-back-in-time

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Mammals Can Breathe Through Their Butts Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Learn how mammals breathe through their butts; how babies remember their birth language; and your reflection in a spoon.

Mammals can breathe through their butts, and this could help humans with respiratory failure by Grant Currin

Breathing Through the Rectum Saves Oxygen-Starved Mice and Pigs. (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/science/rectum-breathing-oxygen.html
Okabe, R., Chen-Yoshikawa, T. F., Yoneyama, Y., Yokoyama, Y., Tanaka, S., Yoshizawa, A., Thompson, W. L., Kannan, G., Kobayashi, E., Date, H., & Takebe, T. (2021). Mammalian enteral ventilation ameliorates respiratory failure. Med. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2021.04.004

Even If They Don’t Use It, Babies Remember Their Birth Language by Ashley Hamer

Adoptees advantaged by birth language memory. (2017). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170118082828.htm
Early development of abstract language knowledge: evidence from perception–production transfer of birth-language memory | Royal Society Open Science. (2017). Royal Society Open Science. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.160660

Why is your reflection upside down in a spoon? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Bella in Austin, Texas)

Matthews, R. (2019). Why is your reflection upside-down in a spoon? BBC Science Focus Magazine; BBC Science Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-is-your-reflection-upside-down-in-a-spoon/
Physics Tutorial: Reflection and Image Formation for Convex Mirrors. (2021). Physicsclassroom.com. https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/Lesson-4/Reflection-and-Image-Formation-for-Convex-Mirrors
Q & A: Why is your reflection upside down in a spoon? | Department of Physics | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2021). Illinois.edu. https://van.physics.illinois.edu/QA/listing.php?id=1985&t=why-is-your-reflection-upside-down-in-a-spoon
It's AumSum Time. (2017). Concave Mirror - Why is your reflection upside down on a spoon? | #aumsum #kids #science [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6n0FAZ_6N8
Why mirrors flip horizontally but not vertically (Curiosity Daily listener question): https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/bad-news-about-your-wearable-sleep-tracker

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/mammals-can-breathe-through-their-butts

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Bats Map the World By Time, Not Distance Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Learn about whether you should fear AI; the science of a good selfie; and how bats map the world by time, not distance.

Additional resources from Michael Wooldridge:

Pick up "A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence: What It Is, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250770745
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wooldridgemike
Oxford faculty page: https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/michael.wooldridge/

Selfies Really Do Make Your Nose Look Big originally aired April 24, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/hubble-telescope-history-selfie-science-and-exerci

Bats map the world by time, not distance by Briana Brownell

A surprising discovery: Bats know the speed of sound from birth. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/tu-asd050521.php
Amichai, E., & Yovel, Y. (2021). Echolocating bats rely on an innate speed-of-sound reference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(19), e2024352118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024352118
How do bats echolocate and how are they adapted to this activity? (1998, December 21). Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-bats-echolocate-an/
Thaler, L. (2015). Using Sound to Get Around. APS Observer, 28(10). https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/using-sound-to-get-around

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/bats-map-the-world-by-time-not-distance

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Why We Won’t Have “Robot Butlers” Any Time Soon (w/ AI Researcher Michael Wooldridge) Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

Learn about "iconic sounds" of language. Plus: artificial intelligence’s limitations, with AI pioneer Michael Wooldridge.

Language may have started with "iconic sounds" rather than hand gestures by Grant Currin

Ćwiek, A., Fuchs, S., Draxler, C., Asu, E. L., Dediu, D., Hiovain, K., Kawahara, S., Koutalidis, S., Krifka, M., Lippus, P., Lupyan, G., Oh, G. E., Paul, J., Petrone, C., Ridouane, R., Reiter, S., Schümchen, N., Szalontai, Á., Ünal-Logacev, Ö., & Zeller, J. (2021). Novel vocalizations are understood across cultures. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89445-4
Ancestors may have created “iconic” sounds as bridge to first languages. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uob-amh051021.php
No shared language? No problem! People across cultures understand clues from ‘vocal charades. (2021, May 14). No shared language? No problem! People across cultures understand clues from “vocal charades.” Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/no-shared-language-no-problem-people-across-cultures-understand-clues-vocal-charades

Additional resources from Michael Wooldridge: