Curiosity Weekly - Discovery

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How Superstitions Can Reduce Anxiety Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

Learn how superstitions can actually reduce anxiety, why rebooting can often fix computer problems, and why the first full dinosaur skeleton ever found is finally being studied 160 years later.

How Superstitions Can Actually Reduce Anxiety by Reuben Westmaas

Brooks, A. W., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Gino, F., Galinsky, A. D., Norton, M. I., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2016). Don’t stop believing: Rituals improve performance by decreasing anxiety. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 137, 71–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2016.07.004
Oksman, O. (2016, July 25). The psychology of luck: how superstition can help you win. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/25/psychology-donald-trump-win-luck-superstition

Why Does Rebooting Fix Computer Problems? By Sonja Hodgen

Miles, R. (2016, September 14). Explained: why a reboot is the go-to computer fix. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/explained-why-a-reboot-is-the-go-to-computer-fix-65261
1&1 IONOS Inc. (2020, March 25). What is a bootloader? IONOS Digitalguide; 1&1 IONOS Inc. https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/what-is-a-bootloader/
Operating System Definition | What is an Operating System? (2019). Webopedia.Com. https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/operating_system.html
Rouse, M. (2017). flash memory card. SearchStorage; TechTarget. https://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/memory-card?_ga=2.8198770.1576329453.1600860503-1257166889.1600860503

The First Complete Dinosaur Skeleton Ever Found has Finally Been Studied After 160 Years by Grant Currin

Scelidosaurus: ready for its closeup at last. (2020, August 26). University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/scelidosaurus
Norman, D. B. (2020). Scelidosaurus harrisonii (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Early Jurassic of Dorset, England: biology and phylogenetic relationships. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa061

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Ashley Hamer and Natalia Reagan (filling in for Cody Gough). You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-superstitions-can-reduce-anxiety

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Hacking Earth to Fight Climate Change Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Learn about the likelihood that we all live in a computer simulation. Then, author Thomas Kostigen explains how geoengineering might help cool the planet and save the world.

Two physicists calculated the likelihood that we live in a computer simulation by Grant Currin

The Physics arXiv Blog. (2020, August 28). This Equation Calculates the Chances We Live in a Computer Simulation. Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/this-equation-calculates-the-chances-we-live-in-a-computer-simulation
Bibeau-Delisle, A., & Brassard, G. (2020). Probability and consequences of living inside a computer simulation. ArXiv.Org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.09275

Additional resources from Thomas Kostigen, New York Times-bestselling author and journalist:

Pick up "Hacking Planet Earth: How Geoengineering Can Help Us Reimagine the Future" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZNRCt8
See all of Thomas Kostigen's books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FGZvtE
Thomas Kostigen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kostigen

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/hacking-earth-to-fight-climate-change

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Earth's Atmosphere May Be Rusting the Moon Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

Learn why the concept of zero is newer than you might think, how you can worry more productively, and why the Earth’s atmosphere might be rusting the moon.

The Concept of Zero Is Newer Than You'd Expect by Reuben Westmaas

Matson, J. (2009, August 21). The Origin of Zero. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/history-of-zero/
What is the origin of zero? How did we indicate nothingness before zero? (2007, January 16). Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-origin-of-zer/
Szalay, J. (2017, September 18). Who Invented Zero? Livescience.Com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/27853-who-invented-zero.html
Devlin, H. (2017, September 13). Much ado about nothing: ancient Indian text contains earliest zero symbol. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/14/much-ado-about-nothing-ancient-indian-text-contains-earliest-zero-symbol
Brahmagupta: Mathematician and Astronomer. (2020, February 20). The Story of Mathematics - A History of Mathematical Thought from Ancient Times to the Modern Day. https://www.storyofmathematics.com/indian_brahmagupta.html

How to Worry More Productively by Kelsy Donk

Ro, C. (2020). The surprising upsides of worrying. Bbc.Com. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200824-why-worrying-isnt-as-bad-as-you-think
Anisa Purbasari Horton. (2018, March 20). How I Learned To Worry Productively. Fast Company; Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/40543707/how-i-learned-to-worry-productively
Skwarecki, B. (2017, March 20). How to Worry Productively. Vitals; Vitals. https://vitals.lifehacker.com/how-to-worry-productively-1793456809
What is Productive Worry? (2012). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-files/200805/what-is-productive-worry

Earth's Atmosphere May be Rusting the Moon by Grant Currin

Has Earth’s oxygen rusted the Moon for billions of years? (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/uoha-heo083120.php
Li, S., Lucey, P. G., Fraeman, A. A., Poppe, A. R., Sun, V. Z., Hurley, D. M., & Schultz, P. H. (2020). Widespread hematite at high latitudes of the Moon. Science Advances, 6(36), eaba1940. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba1940
Kramer, M. (2020, September 8). Researchers find rust on the Moon. Axios; Axios. https://www.axios.com/moon-rust-4a473774-6aa4-4b25-994c-7ba3f032d307.html
NASA - The Moon and the Magnetotail. (2020). Nasa.Gov. https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars/features/magnetotail_080416.html

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/earths-atmosphere-may-be-rusting-the-moon

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It’s “Patient O,” Not “Patient Zero” Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

Learn about how patient O became patient zero, what it takes for a species to evolve twice, and how pesky fruit flies keep getting into your garbage.

Please nominate Curiosity Daily for Best Technology & Science Podcast in the 2020 Discover Pods Awards! It's free and only takes a minute. Thanks so much! https://awards.discoverpods.com/nominate/

It's "Patient O," Not "Patient Zero" by Ashley Hamer

Researchers Clear “Patient Zero” From AIDS Origin Story. (2016, October 26). NPR.Org. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/10/26/498876985/mystery-solved-how-hiv-came-to-the-u-s
Worobey, M., Watts, T. D., McKay, R. A., Suchard, M. A., Granade, T., Teuwen, D. E., Koblin, B. A., Heneine, W., Lemey, P., & Jaffe, H. W. (2016). 1970s and ‘Patient 0’ HIV-1 genomes illuminate early HIV/AIDS history in North America. Nature, 539(7627), 98–101. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19827

With Iterative Evolution, a Species Can Evolve TWICE by Cameron Duke

Brigit Katz. (2019, May 13). How Evolution Brought a Flightless Bird Back From Extinction. Smithsonian Magazine; Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-evolution-brought-flightless-bird-back-extinction-180972166/
Mancini, M. (2019, May 31). Iterative Evolution: Did the Aldabra Rail Evolve Twice? HowStuffWorks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/iterative-evolution.htm
Hume, J. P., & Martill, D. (2019). Repeated evolution of flightlessness in Dryolimnas rails (Aves: Rallidae) after extinction and recolonization on Aldabra. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 186(3), 666–672. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz018

How do fruitflies keep getting into my house? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Julien)

Binns, C. (2012, November 18). Where Do Fruit Flies Come From? Livescience.Com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/32251-where-do-fruit-flies-come-from.html
Drosophila melanogaster. (2020). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Drosophila_melanogaster/
Fruit Flies | Entomology. (2017). Uky.Edu. https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef621
van Breugel, F., & Dickinson, M. H. (2014). Plume-Tracking Behavior of Flying Drosophila Emerges from a Set of Distinct Sensory-Motor Reflexes. Current Biology, 24(3), 274–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.12.023
Markow, T. A. (2015). The secret lives of Drosophila flies. ELife, 4. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.06793

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/its-patient-o-not-patient-zero

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How Cold Was the Last Ice Age? Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Learn about how cold the last ice age was, why your body’s stress response can actually be healthy for you, and how to stop a jack-a-lantern from spoiling.

Researchers Know How Cold the Last Ice Age Was by Grant Currin

How cold was the ice age? Researchers now know. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/uoa-hcw082120.php
Tierney, J.E., Zhu, J., King, J. et al. (2020). Glacial cooling and climate sensitivity revisited. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2617-x

Pandemic Stress Study Shows That a Stress Response Can be Healthy by Kelsey Donk

People with Lower Biological Response to Standard Stress Task Showed More PTSD Symptoms After COVID-19 Crisis Began. (2020, August 30). Media and Public Relations | Baylor University. https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php
Ginty, A. T., Young, D. A., Tyra, A. T., Hurley, P. E., Brindle, R. C., & Williams, S. E. (2020). Heart rate reactivity to acute psychological stress predicts higher levels of PTSD symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychosomatic Medicine, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0000000000000848

How to stop a jack-o-lantern from spoiling by Ashley Hamer

Original episode: https://www.curiositydaily.com/arthur-conan-doyle-harry-houdini-friendship-how-to/

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-cold-was-the-last-ice-age

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How Scientists Teleported Fish Behavior Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

Learn about why cancer is stranger than we think and how scientists have “teleported” the behavior of real fish into robot fish.

Scientists "teleported" the real-time behavior of a real fish onto a robot fish by Grant Currin

Zebrafish Help Unlock Clues to Human Disease. (2018). Hopkinsmedicine.Org. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/research/advancements-in-research/fundamentals/in-depth/zebrafish-help-unlock-clues-to-human-disease
Zebrafish Behavior: Opportunities and Challenges. (2019). Annual Reviews. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-neuro-071714-033857
Beam me up: Researchers use “behavioral teleporting” to study social interactions. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/ntso-bmu082420.php
Karakaya, M., Macrì, S., & Porfiri, M. (2020). Behavioral Teleporting of Individual Ethograms onto Inanimate Robots: Experiments on Social Interactions in Live Zebrafish. IScience, 23(8), 101418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101418

Additional resources from Kat Arney:

Pick up "Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/32zrPqg
Rebel Cell's website: https://www.rebelcellbook.com/
Kat Arney's website: https://katarney.com/
Kat Arney's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kat_Arney
Genetics Unzipped podcast: https://geneticsunzipped.com/

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-scientists-teleported-fish-behavior

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How Cancer Evolves in the Body (w/ Dr. Kat Arney) Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

Learn about the impressive memories of goldfish. Plus, hear from Dr. Kat Arney about why an evolutionary perspective may be the key to fighting cancer.

Goldfish Have Great Memories, Thank You Very Much by Anna Todd

Brown, C. (2001). Familiarity with the test environment improves escape responses in the crimson spotted rainbowfish, Melanotaenia duboulayi. Animal Cognition, 4(2), 109–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s100710100105
Gee, P., Stephenson, D., & Wright, D. E. (1994). TEMPORAL DISCRIMINATION LEARNING OF OPERANT FEEDING IN GOLDFISH (CARASSIUS AURATUS). Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 62(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1994.62-1
Yap, S. (2011). Unbelievable Goldfish Plays Fetch [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kuXdYx87s4

Additional resources from Dr. Kat Arney:

Pick up "Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal" on Amazon: https://amazon.com
Rebel Cell's website: https://www.rebelcellbook.com/
Kat Arney's website: https://katarney.com/
Kat Arney's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kat_Arney
Genetics Unzipped podcast: https://geneticsunzipped.com/

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-cancer-evolves-in-the-body-w-dr-kat-arney

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3 Mythological Creatures That Were Inspired by Real Fossils Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

Learn about three mythological creatures that were inspired by real fossils, how people prefer to root for winning individuals over teams, and how scientists have created interactive paper.

Three Mythological Creatures That Were Actually Inspired by Real Fossils by Reuben Westmaas

Pappas, S. (2017, July 18). Cyclops and Dragon Tongues: How Real Fossils Inspired Giant Myths. Livescience.Com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/59837-how-real-fossils-inspired-giant-myths.html
Greek Giants | AMNH. (2020). American Museum of Natural History. https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/land/greek-giants
Yaserda, J. (2016). The pocket-sized pachyderms of Sicily. Earth Archives. http://www.eartharchives.org/articles/the-pocket-sized-pachyderms-of-sicily/
Mammoth Paleontology | The Mammoth. (2015). Umass.Edu. https://blogs.umass.edu/holtb/2017/12/06/mammoth-paleontology/
The skeletons of Cyclops and Lestrigons: misinterpretation of Quaternary vertebrates as remains of the mythological giants. (2019). Historical Biology. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2017.1342640

People love seeing individuals hit winning streaks, but not teams by Kelsey Donk

People love winning streaks by individuals -- teams, not so much. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/osu-plw083020.php
Walker, J., & Gilovich, T. (2020). The streaking star effect: Why people want superior performance by individuals to continue more than identical performance by groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000256

A new printing process can turn paper into a machine interface by Steffie Drucker

Your paper notebook could become your next tablet. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/pu-ypn083120.php
Nalewicki, J. (2020, September 4). With a Simple Piece of Paper, Engineers Create Self-Powered, Wireless Keyboard. Smithsonian Magazine; Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/your-next-digital-tablet-could-be-made-paper-180975727/
Song, V. (2020, September). Engineers Have Figured Out How to Make Interactive Paper. Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/engineers-have-figured-out-how-to-make-interactive-pape-1844918464
Paper keypad demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0iCxjicJIQ&feature=youtu.be
Paper music player demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9E6vXYtIw0&feature=youtu.be

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/3-mythological-creatures-that-were-inspired-by-real-fossils

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Why The Mantis Shrimp Can Punch So Hard Without Damage Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

Learn about how your schedule might be hurting your health, why the mantis shrimp is able to punch so hard without hurting itself, and who invented the aluminum can.

Your Schedule Might be Hurting Your Health — Here's What to Do About It by Reuben Westmaas

Your schedule could be killing you. (2017). Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/your-schedule-could-be-killing-you/
Johnston, J. (2017, June 16). Why your work schedule is bad for your health. Quartz; Quartz. https://qz.com/1006048/waking-up-early-for-work-could-quite-literally-be-killing-you/
Hamblin, J. (2016, October 20). The Health Effects of Night Shifts. The Atlantic; The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/10/night-shifts-the-worst/504800/
Walton, A. G. (2019, January 26). Just One Night Of Sleep Loss Can Affect Body And Mind, Studies Find. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2019/01/26/new-insights-on-how-sleep-deprivation-affects-body-and-mind/#65c9e6078be1

The Mantis Shrimp Can Punch at 50 MPH Without Damage, and Now We Know Why by Grant Currin

Mechanics of Movement: Mantis Shrimp | The Patek Lab. (2013). Duke.Edu. https://pateklab.biology.duke.edu/mechanics-movement-mantis-shrimp
UCI materials scientists study a sea creature that packs a powerful punch. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/uoc--um081420.php
Huang, W., Shishehbor, M., Guarín-Zapata, N., Kirchhofer, N. D., Li, J., Cruz, L., Wang, T., Bhowmick, S., Stauffer, D., Manimunda, P., Bozhilov, K. N., Caldwell, R., Zavattieri, P., & Kisailus, D. (2020). A natural impact-resistant bicontinuous composite nanoparticle coating. Nature Materials. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-020-0768-7
Bowler, J. (2020). Mantis Shrimp Have The Ocean’s Fastest Punch. Now We Know How Their Claws Survive. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-how-mantis-shrimp-can-punch-so-hard-without-damaging-their-claw

Who invented the aluminum can? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Melissa)

Maxwell, D. (1993). Beer Cans: A Guide for the Archaeologist. Historical Archaeology, 27(1), 95-113. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25616219
Aluminum Cans | The Aluminum Association. (2017). Aluminum.Org. https://www.aluminum.org/product-markets/aluminum-cans
Venton, D. (2011, January 24). Jan. 24, 1935: First Canned Beer Sold. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/2011/01/0124first-us-canned-beer/
Narvaez, A. A. (1989, October 28). E. C. Fraze, 76; Devised Pull Tab. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/28/obituaries/e-c-fraze-76-devised-pull-tab.html
Vanderbilt, T. (2012, September 24). The Brilliant Redesign of the Soda Can Tab. Slate Magazine; Slate. https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/09/can-tabs-how-aluminum-pop-tabs-were-redesigned-to-make-drinking-soda-safer-and-the-world-a-cleaner-place.html

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-the-mantis-shrimp-can-punch-so-hard-without-damage

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

What Happens When You Pull a Muscle? Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

Learn about what your muscles go through when they get pulled, whether trees have heartbeats, and the real science behind the recovering alcoholics’ mantra “one day at a time.”

What Happens When You Pull a Muscle? by Ashley Hamer

Pietrangelo, A. (2019). Muscle Strains. Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/health/strains#treatment4
Lee, S. (2016, February 17). What to Do When You Pull a Muscle From Working Out. Vitals; Vitals. https://vitals.lifehacker.com/what-to-do-when-you-pull-a-muscle-from-working-out-1759172514

Trees May Have a “Heartbeat” by Reuben Westmaas

Original episode: https://www.curiositydaily.com/tree-heartbeats-morse-code-silurian-hypothesis-anc/

Neuroscience backs up the recovering alcoholic's mantra "one day at a time" by Steffie Drucker

Why “one day at a time” works for recovering alcoholics. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/yu-wd082720.php
Blaine, S. K., Wemm, S., Fogelman, N., Lacadie, C., Seo, D., Scheinost, D., & Sinha, R. (2020). Association of Prefrontal-Striatal Functional Pathology With Alcohol Abstinence Days at Treatment Initiation and Heavy Drinking After Treatment Initiation. American Journal of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19070703
Alcohol Facts and Statistics. (2019, April 25). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
Alcohol Abuse Differ From Alcoholism. (2019, October 30). Swift River Rehab Center. https://www.swiftriver.com/blog/alcohol-abuse-vs-alcoholism/
One day at a Time in Recovery -. (2019, April 5). Alcoholrehab.Com. https://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/one-day-at-a-time-in-recovery/

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/what-happens-when-you-pull-a-muscle

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