Curiosity Killed the Rat

Almost everyone has experienced being tickled at some point in their lives, but what exactly IS tickling? Is it pleasure, or is it pain? Is it possible to tickle yourself? This episode, Kate and Matt talk about tickling, and some of the research exploring what it actually is. They also talk about fish… do they sleep? Episode Sources:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23313827https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051959https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4290532/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982214007702https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-84UJpYFRMhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC436225/https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/fish-sleep.htmlhttps://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/do-fish-sleep-with-their-eyes-openYou can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to [email protected]

In an episode where Kate and Matt are joined by astronomer Benji Metha, the big hitting questions are asked. Are we living in a simulation? Is the matrix real? Can people really get super-human strength and lift cars off the ground in emergencies?Handy Links:https://www.tng-project.org/media/ - Pretty pictures/videos from the IllustrisTNG simulation.https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/72918.php?from=267097 - Our real universe (left) vs what Hubble would see if it were looking at the simulated Illustris universe (right). Absolutely uncanny.https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/archive/category/starclusters/ - Beautiful Hubble photos of globular clusters https://www.origin.com/aus/en-us/store/the-sims/the-sims-4 - Fun fact! "Sims" is actually short for "Simulations"You can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to [email protected]

Hypnosis: Pseudoscience or real thing!? This episode, Kate and Matt deep dive into the world of hypnosis. Is hypnosis just a stage trick? Are people just playing along? Or can you be made to do/ think/ feel things just by being lulled into a trance? And if so, how the hell does it work?! They also chat coffee and caffeine – what is it doing in your brain and why can it give you the jitters? Episode Sources: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325348289_Improving_hypnotizability_in_adults_with_Modafinil_What_is_the_trickhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2272860https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15231582?dopt=AbstractPlushttps://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/102/28/9978.full.pdfhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627307009828https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/99/17/1280/2522362https://www.pnas.org/content/105/3/1050.fullhttps://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/06/24/the-science-of-hypnosis/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9077048https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28077327https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/27/8/4083/3056452https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhFG3pZyu50https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=432PIoljVL8You can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to [email protected]

In a slightly longer and more serious episode than usual, Kate and Matt are joined by the lovely Dr Linden Ashcroft to talk about the tragic Australian Bushfires. Is this just business as usual for an Australian summer, or is something more serious going on here? Is Climate Change to blame? Or is there more to the story? They also dive into how climate and weather can affect our mood, and why a lack of sunlight can sometimes make you gloomy!As mentioned in the episode, here are our collection of suggested charities if you wanna do your bit to feel less shit about the whole situation: RSPCA (https://bushfires.rspca.org.au/)Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org.au/)Animal Rescue Collective (https://www.facebook.com/donate/1468061383369265/2690948081025996/)Community Enterprise Foundation (Vic) (https://www.communityenterprisefoundation.com.au/make-a-donation/bushfire-disaster-appeal/), Emergency WA (https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/contactus/Pages/Donations.aspx)And a list of Bushfire charities (https://www.pmc.gov.au/registered-bushfire-charities). If you loved what Linden had to say you can find her on twitter (https://twitter.com/lindenashcroft), and as always, you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to [email protected]

This episode Kate and Matt discuss the appendix! Is it truly just an outdated and useless organ that can be removed with zero consequence? Or does it still actually have a function in humans? Learn all about the latest scientific thoughts about what this little dangly bit of tissue might do! There is also some nifty intel about paper cuts – why do they hurt so dang much!? Laugh as you learn, and remember you can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to [email protected]

Welcome to our first episode! In this episode, sibling duo Kate and Matt delve into the fascinating science behind Pins and Needles. Learn all about what might be causing this strange feeling, as well as how you can fix it! They also chat about the moon, and what it might mean for Earth if our moon was supersized. All of this, with a good smattering of banter and laughs along the way! You can follow Curiosity Killed the Rat on twitter (https://twitter.com/CuriosityRat), Insta (https://www.instagram.com/curiosityrat/), and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/curiosityrat/), and email in your listener questions to [email protected]