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You’ll Die Smarter — Education
You’ll Die Smarter

If you ever wanted to know why you should drink before telling a lie, why Disney characters wear white gloves, or what is the ideal vacation length, then look no further.

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Copyright: © Choses à Savoir

Latest Episodes:

What do eggplant and cigarettes have in common? Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

Bet you didn’t see this one coming. But actually, they share one very simple trait: nicotine. Yep, both contain it. 100 grams of an eggplant contains 0.01 milligrams of nicotine. That means if you were to eat 10 kilos of eggplants, you consuming the nicotine equivalent to one cigarette. While it is a small amount of nicotine, it is still rather surprising information. This discovery was revealed by a study dating from 1993 entitled "The nicotine content of common vegetables", a study carried out by three doctors from the University of Michigan...

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Where do we get the term “lesbian”? Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

The word "lesbian" comes from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos, which is the homeland of the poetess Sappho. Sappho is an ancient Greek poetess who lived in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos. Because she was inhabitant of the island of Lesbos, she was called a “lesbian”. We know that she was very famous during Antiquity, but unfortunately only fragments of her poetic work remain today...

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Why do we shiver from the cold? Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

To answer rather directly, it's for warmth. And it is a survival reflex. But let’s get into the nitty gritty details, shall we? The thermoregulation mechanism culpable is designed to keep the body at 37 degrees. When it is too cold, and the body detects that its temperature is too low, and it triggers a protective reflex. It provokes repeated muscular contractions that create heat with the aim to raise the body's temperament. These uncontrollable muscular contractions are called tremors and are what shivering and rattling of teeth...

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Who is the bravest brother (or sister) in a family? Feb 08, 2021

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An interesting study has just been conducted by a scientist and cognitivist by the name of Frank J. Sulloway. He has studied 700 families, and, to be more precise, 700 siblings. To clarify even further, these siblings all evolved into the world of high-level baseball in the second half of the 20th century. His goal? To try to determine if within siblings, one of them, whether the eldest or youngest, could be designated as the bravest, or at least as the one who takes the most risks...

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Why do we make the "V" sign of victory? Feb 07, 2021

Show notes

You're going to tell me that the answer is in the question. You may say “The V of victory comes from the word Victory, which begins with the letter V.” And you will be right. But which victory is it? And just why was the expression accompanied by the gesture? Here’s a little more explanation. According to the historian Aurélie Luneau in her book "Radio London 1940-1944 Voices of Freedom", it all began at the BBC during the Resistance in the Second World War.

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Why first impressions are so important? Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

You may have already noticed that when you get a first impression of someone or something, it is often difficult to get rid of it afterwards. How can you explain the fact that even when you have examined it through the lens of reason, this impression persists or at least greatly influences your final opinion? I have just read a fascinating article on this subject and I am going to summarize it for you. I'll put the link to the complete article in the description of this podcast if you want to do some of your own research...

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Why shouldn't you drink a hot drink when you're cold? Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

It is a natural reflex. When it is cold, we want to warm up by drinking a hot drink, tea, coffee or hot chocolate for example. Unfortunately, that's a bad idea. Certainly, in the moment and for a short term, one feels a sensation of warmth, but it is immediately counterbalanced by a counterproductive phenome. When we drink, the hot drink gives the sensors on the mouth and tongue a false information: the body is hot. As a result, the brain reacts immediately by adjusting its internal temperature. To do this, it activates perspiration, which cools the body. This leads to the exact opposite of the desired result...

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Why do ice cubes stick to your fingers? Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

Occasionally when we hold an ice cube or a piece of frozen metal, our fingers can literally stick to it. This physical phenomenon has an easily understandable basis. The heat from our fingers melts the ice on the surface of the ice cube. At this point, the ice turns into water and gets embedded in the small folds of our skin. But a few moments later, if the ice cube is big enough and cold enough, the temperature at the surface of the ice cube is so cold that the water refreezes causing, our fingers to stick...

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What is the "Braess paradox”? Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

The Braess Paradox, highlighted in 1968 by mathematician Dietrich Braess, states that adding a new road to a road network can reduce overall performance when cars choose their route individually. In simpler terms, and without going into the technical details that explain this mathematical paradox, this means that although it may seem counter-intuitive (hence the term "paradox"), when there is a traffic jam, the best way to make traffic flow smoother is not necessarily to add a lane. On the contrary, it is sometimes better to remove one...

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Why do camels and dromedaries not have the same number of humps? Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

A fairly short podcast today to quickly answer this common question! It's something you've known since you were a child: dromedaries have one hump and camels have two. But have you ever wondered why there's a difference? After all, these animals are very close. So why don't they have the same number of humps? First off, you have to know what this part of the body is used for. These bumps are essential because they provide the animal with the energy it needs to survive the extreme conditions of its habitat...

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