Curiosity Weekly - Discovery

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**Curiosity Weekly – Discovery**

Welcome to Curiosity Weekly from Discovery, hosted by Dr. Samantha Yammine. Once a week, we’ll bring you the latest and greatest in scientific discoveries and break down the details so that you don’t need a PhD to understand it. From neuroscience to climate tech to AI and genetics, no subject is off-limits. Join Sam as she interviews expert guests and investigates the research guiding some of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs affecting our world today.

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

Latest Episodes:

We Found the First Pregnant Mummy Ever Documented Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Learn about a pregnant mummy; the three body problem; and why you should take off your shoes when you enter your house.

A newly discovered pregnant mummy is raising questions about ancient Egyptian beliefs by Grant Currin

Johnson, S. (2021, May 5). First-ever pregnant Egyptian mummy discovered. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/culture-religion/pregnant-mummy
In a First, Researchers Discover a Pregnant Egyptian Mummy. (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/02/world/europe/egyptian-mummy-pregnant-warsaw.html
Ejsmond, W., Ożarek-Szilke, M., Jaworski, M., & Szilke, S. (2021). A pregnant ancient egyptian mummy from the 1st century BC. Journal of Archaeological Science, 105371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2021.105371

New development in solving the three body problem by Briana Brownell

Kervella, P., Thévenin, F., & Lovis, C. (2017). Proxima’s orbit around α Centauri. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 598, L7. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201629930
Alpha Centauri System | Facts, Information, History & Definition. (2019, December 6). The Nine Planets. https://nineplanets.org/alpha-centauri-system/
Wood,LiveScience, C. (2021, May 7). Physicists Edge Closer to Taming the Three-Body Problem. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/physicists-edge-closer-to-taming-the-three-body-problem/

How Important Is It to Take Your Shoes Off as Soon as You Get in the House? originally aired May 7, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/aliens-studying-humans-an-ai-fairy-tale-and-the-im

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-first-pregnant-mummy-ever-documented

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

How to Manage Your Work-from-Home Paranoia Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Learn 4 tips for managing WFH paranoia; flat-pack pasta; and how eye contact is affected by the shape of a dog’s face.

4 tips for managing your WFH paranoia by Kelsey Donk

Managing Your WFH Paranoia. (2021, April 28). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/04/managing-your-wfh-paranoia
Is Remote Work Making Us Paranoid? (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/style/is-remote-work-making-us-paranoid.html
Jacobs, E. (2020, June 18). Paranoia creeps into homeworking. @FinancialTimes; Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/e50ce245-09fd-4831-a90b-953ef51a2281

Scientists have created flat-pack pasta that curls into shape in water by Steffie Drucker

Executive Summary: Environmental Footprint Literature Review — Food Transportation. (2016). State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. https://www.oregon.gov/deq/FilterDocs/PEF-FoodTransportation-ExecutiveSummary.pdf
Tao, Y., Lee, Y.-C., Liu, H., Zhang, X., Cui, J., Mondoa, C., Babaei, M., Santillan, J., Wang, G., Luo, D., Liu, D., Yang, H., Do, Y., Sun, L., Wang, W., Zhang, T., & Yao, L. (2021). Morphing pasta and beyond. Science Advances, 7(19), eabf4098. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf4098
CMU lab leads development of pasta that morphs into shape when cooked. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/cmu-cll043021.php
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper. (2021, May 6). This strange, flat pasta transforms into 3D shapes as you cook. CNET; CNET. https://www.cnet.com/news/this-strange-flat-pasta-transforms-into-3d-shapes-as-you-cook/
Flat Pasta That Turns Into 3-D Shapes — Just Add Boiling Water. (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/science/pasta-3d-flat.html
Video: https://vimeo.com/543657466

Your dog’s face shape determines how easily it makes eye contact with you by Cameron Duke

Bognár, Z., Iotchev, I. B., & Kubinyi, E. (2018). Sex, skull length, breed, and age predict how dogs look at faces of humans and conspecifics. Animal Cognition, 21(4), 447–456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-018-1180-4
Bognár, Z., Szabó, D., Deés, A., & Kubinyi, E. (2021). Shorter headed dogs, visually cooperative breeds, younger and playful dogs form eye contact faster with an unfamiliar human. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88702-w
Eötvös Loránd University. (2021, April 29). Researchers determine which dogs more often establish eye contact with humans. Phys.org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2021-04-dogs-eye-contact-humans.html
Gácsi, M., McGreevy, P., Kara, E., & Miklósi, Á. (2009). Effects of selection for cooperation and attention in dogs. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 5(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-5-31

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-to-manage-your-work-from-home-paranoia

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

Will Future Civilizations Get Oil From Human Fossils? Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

Learn the easiest way to forgive and forget; whether human fossils can produce oil; and what bees yell when surprised.

The forgetting part of "forgive and forget" is easier when you forgive emotionally by Kelsey Donk

Here’s The Best Way To Forgive And Forget. (2021, May 4). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/05/04/heres-the-best-way-to-forgive-and-forget/
Noreen, S., & MacLeod, M. D. (2021). Moving on or deciding to let go? A pathway exploring the relationship between emotional and decisional forgiveness and intentional forgetting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 47(2), 295–315. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000948

If we get oil from dinosaur fossils, will future civilizations get oil from human fossils? by Steffie Drucker (Listener question from Hunter in Chicago)

Hunter’s tweet: https://twitter.com/whuntah/status/1390766688354902019
Do Fossil Fuels Really Come from Fossils? | Britannica. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/do-fossil-fuels-really-come-from-fossils
Westreich, S. (2021, March 29). Does Gasoline Really Come From Dinosaurs? - Sharing Science - Medium. Medium; Sharing Science. https://medium.com/a-microbiome-scientist-at-large/does-gasoline-really-come-from-dinosaurs-3d2d4e70c6d8
What Are Fossil Fuels? | Smithsonian Ocean. (2020, March 26). Si.edu. https://ocean.si.edu/conservation/gulf-oil-spill/what-are-fossil-fuels
Explainer: Where fossil fuels come from. (2018, September 20). Science News for Students. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-where-fossil-fuels-come
DINO History | Sinclair Oil Corporation. (2015). Sinclairoil.com. https://www.sinclairoil.com/dino-history

Bees Yell “Whoop” When They're Surprised by Anna Todd

Wong, S. (2020). Honeybees let out a “whoop” when they bump into each other. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2121275-honeybees-let-out-a-whoop-when-they-bump-into-each-other/
Ramsey, M., Bencsik, M., & Newton, M. I. (2017). Long-term trends in the honeybee “whooping signal” revealed by automated detection. PLOS ONE, 12(2), e0171162. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0171162

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/will-future-civilizations-get-oil-from-human-fossils

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

What Does Your Digital Body Language Say? Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

Learn about “digital body language” guidelines and how scientists brought multiple molecules into the same quantum state.

Additional resources from Erica Dhawan:

Pick up "Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust & Connection No Matter the Distance" from your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250246523
Website: https://ericadhawan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericadhawan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericadhawan_/

Scientists brought multiple molecules into the same quantum state, which is a big deal by Briana Brownell

UChicago scientists harness molecules into single quantum state. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uoc-ush042221.php
Ultracold Molecules | JILA - Exploring the Frontiers of Physics. (2015). Colorado.edu. https://jila.colorado.edu/yelabs/research/ultracold-molecules
Cornish, S. (2008). From atoms to molecules (and back). Physics, 1. https://physics.aps.org/articles/v1/24
Physicists Turn Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensate into Molecular One | Physics | Sci-News.com. (2021). Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. http://www.sci-news.com/physics/molecular-bose-einstein-condensate-09606.html
Carr, L. D., DeMille, D., Krems, R. V., & Ye, J. (2009). Cold and ultracold molecules: science, technology and applications. New Journal of Physics, 11(5), 055049. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/11/5/055049
Bose-Einstein Condensate: A New Form of Matter. (2001, October 9). NIST. https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2001/10/bose-einstein-condensate-new-form-matter

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/what-does-your-digital-body-language-say

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

Pollen Is Not Actually Plant Sperm Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Learn why your mom calls you your sibling’s name; why pollen isn’t just plant sperm; and what really causes sore muscles.

If Your Mom Calls You Your Sibling’s Name, It Means She Loves You Both by Joanie Faletto

Trudeau, M. (2017, January 16). When The Brain Scrambles Names, It’s Because You Love Them. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/01/16/509353565/when-the-brain-scrambles-names-its-because-you-love-them
Deffler, S. A., Fox, C., Ogle, C. M., & Rubin, D. C. (2016). All my children: The roles of semantic category and phonetic similarity in the misnaming of familiar individuals. Memory & Cognition, 44(7), 989–999. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-016-0613-z
Dupont, M. (2019). Experimentally Induced Single and Repeated Personal Name Confusions: The Impact of Phonological and Semantic Similarity. Psychological Reports, 123(3), 781–805. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294118825098

Pollen is not plant sperm. It’s something much weirder. by Cameron Duke

Alternation of generations | Definition & Examples | Britannica. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/alternation-of-generations
BD Editors. (2018, May 17). Alternation of Generations (Plant): Definition, Life Cycle | Biology Dictionary. Biology Dictionary. https://biologydictionary.net/alternation-of-generations/
Pollen - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (2016). Sciencedirect.com. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/pollen
Reece, J. B., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Alexander, S., Minorsky, P. V., Jackson, R. B., & Campbell, N. A. (2014). Campbell biology (10th ed.). Pearson.

Lactic Acid Is Not What Causes Sore Muscles originally aired April 24, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/hubble-telescope-history-selfie-science-and-exerci

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/pollen-is-not-actually-plant-sperm

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

Painless Tips to Help the Environment (w/ Paul Greenberg) Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Learn why there could be stars made of antimatter. Plus: author Paul Greenberg’s tips to reduce your carbon footprint.

There could be stars made of antimatter in our galaxy by Briana Brownell

NASA - JSC Engineering - Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. (2013). Nasa.gov. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/engineering/projects/alpha_magnetic_spectrometer/index.html
may. (2017, April 19). Giant space magnet may have trapped antihelium, raising idea of lingering pools of antimatter in the cosmos. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/giant-space-magnet-may-have-trapped-antihelium-raising-idea-lingering-pools-antimatter
Dr Alfredo Carpineti. (2021, April 29). Where Antimatter Stars Are Located In The Milky Way (If They Actually Exist). IFLScience; IFLScience. https://www.iflscience.com/space/where-antimatter-stars-are-located-in-the-milky-way-if-they-actually-exist/
Poulin, V., Salati, P., Cholis, I., Kamionkowski, M., & Silk, J. (2019). Where do the AMS-02 antihelium events come from? Physical Review D, 99(2). https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.99.023016

Additional resources from Paul Greenberg:

Pick up "The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways to Trim Your Carbon Footprint" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593296769
Website: https://www.paulgreenberg.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/4fishgreenberg

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/painless-tips-to-help-the-environment-w-paul-greenberg

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

Move Over, CRISPR — New Gene Editing Tech is Here Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

Learn about the RLR gene editing tool; Victorian-era emoji; and why “night shift” screen settings don’t help you sleep.

RLR is a new gene editing tool that's safer and more useful than CRISPR by Cameron Duke

Move over CRISPR, the retrons are coming. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/wifb-moc042921.php
Schubert, M. G., Goodman, D. B., Wannier, T. M., Kaur, D., Farzadfard, F., Lu, T. K., Shipman, S. L., & Church, G. M. (2021). High-throughput functional variant screens via in vivo production of single-stranded DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(18), e2018181118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018181118
Swingle, B., Markel, E., & Cartinhour, S. (2010). Oligonucleotide recombination: A hidden treasure. Bioengineered Bugs, 1(4), 265–268. https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.1.4.12098
Irving, M. (2021, May 4). Harvard gene-editing tool “sneaks” DNA into cells without making cuts. New Atlas. https://newatlas.com/biology/retron-library-recombineering-gene-editing-crispr/
Are Retrons the Next CRISPR? | Cell And Molecular Biology. (2021). Labroots. https://www.labroots.com/trending/cell-and-molecular-biology/20347/retrons-crispr

Flowers Were Emoji For Victorians by Anna Todd

Romie Stott. (2016, August 15). How Flower-Obsessed Victorians Encoded Messages in Bouquets. Atlas Obscura; Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-flowerobsessed-victorians-encoded-messages-in-bouquets
The meaning of flowers, Floriography, language of flowers, advice hints and tips from All Florists.co.uk. Allflorists.co.uk. http://www.allflorists.co.uk/advice_flowerMeanings.asp

"Night shift" screen settings don't really help you sleep by Kelsey Donk

Is night shift really helping you sleep better? (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/byu-ins042621.php
Duraccio, K. M., Zaugg, K. K., Blackburn, R. C., & Jensen, C. D. (2021). Does iPhone night shift mitigate negative effects of smartphone use on sleep outcomes in emerging adults? Sleep Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2021.03.005

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/move-over-crispr-new-gene-editing-tech-is-here

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

A Good Reason to Resolve Your Arguments Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

Learn how resolving arguments can erase nearly all bad feelings, and why almost all calico cats are female. Plus: trivia!

Resolving an argument can almost erase the emotional stress it caused by Kelsey Donk

Resolving Arguments Can Prevent Bad Feelings From Lingering — And We Get Better At It As We Age. (2021, April 22). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/04/22/resolving-arguments-can-prevent-bad-feelings-from-lingering-and-we-get-better-at-it-as-we-age/
Witzel, D. D., & Stawski, R. S. (2021). Resolution Status and Age as Moderators for Interpersonal Everyday Stress and Stressor-Related Affect. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab006

Why Calico Cats Are Almost Always Female by Ashley Hamer

Stone, S. (2015, March 16). Why are Calico Cats Almost Always Female? Today I Found Out. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/03/calico-cats-almost-always-female
Fitzsimmons, P. (2017, November 7). Are All Orange Cats Male and All Calico Cats Female? BeChewy; Chewy. https://be.chewy.com/behavior-pet-facts-are-all-orange-cats-male-all-calico-cats-female/

Episodes referenced in Curiosity Challenge Trivia game:

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/a-good-reason-to-resolve-your-arguments

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

The Oldest Kids in Class Are Also the Most Popular Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

Learn why older classmates are more popular; how some invasive species help their ecosystems; and keyboard cleaning tips.

Don't be surprised if the oldest kids in your class were also more popular by Kelsey Donk

PsychNewsDaily Staff. (2021, May 5). High school popularity: study shows oldest kids in the class also the most popular. PsychNewsDaily. https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/high-school-popularity-study-shows-oldest-kids-in-the-class-also-the-most-popular/
van Aalst, D. A. E., & van Tubergen, F. (2021). More popular because you’re older? Relative age effect on popularity among adolescents in class. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0249336. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249336

Invasive species aren't always harmful — some help their ecosystems thrive by Cameron Duke

Ahmed, I. (2021, April 29). How donkeys digging wells help life thrive in the desert. Phys.org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2021-04-donkeys-wells-life.html
Griffiths, J., & Villablanca, F. (n.d.). Managing monarch butterfly overwintering groves: making room among the eucalyptus. 101(1). Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://www.monarchjointventure.org/images/uploads/documents/griffiths_and_villablanca_2015.pdf
Invasive Species Aren’t Always Unwanted (Published 2016). (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/science/invasive-species.html
Lundgren, E. J., Ramp, D., Stromberg, J. C., Wu, J., Nieto, N. C., Sluk, M., Moeller, K. T., & Wallach, A. D. (2021). Equids engineer desert water availability. Science, 372(6541), 491–495. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd6775
SCHLAEPFER, M. A., SAX, D. F., & OLDEN, J. D. (2011a). The Potential Conservation Value of Non-Native Species. Conservation Biology, 25(3), 428–437. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01646.x

This Is How Often You Should Clean Your Keyboard originally aired May 14, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/types-of-narcissists-don-t-garden-with-coffee-grou

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-oldest-kids-in-class-are-also-the-most-popular

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

Why We Always Forget that Less Is More (w/ Leidy Klotz) Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Learn how human hair can improve solar panels and why people tend to add, not subtract, when trying to improve something.

Scientists are using human hair to make carbon nanodots for displays & solar panels by Grant Currin

Carbon dots from human hair boost solar cells. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/quot-cdf040721.php
Pham, N. D., Singh, A., Chen, W., Hoang, M. T., Yang, Y., Wang, X., Wolff, A., Wen, X., Jia, B., Sonar, P., & Wang, H. (2021). Self-assembled carbon dot-wrapped perovskites enable light trapping and defect passivation for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 9(12), 7508–7521. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta00036e
Lim, S. Y., Shen, W., & Gao, Z. (2015). Carbon quantum dots and their applications. Chemical Society Reviews, 44(1), 362–381. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4cs00269e

Additional resources from Leidy Klotz: