It’s Pride Month! To help us celebrate, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Shawn Hercules, a queer, non-binary cancer researcher and science communicator. They’ll discuss Shawn’s research into breast cancer among people of African ancestry, how policies around gender affirming care can positively affect healthcare at large, and the importance of diverse voices in scientific research. Sam also explores the right to disconnect – aka how important it is to log off from work and give your brain some rest. After that, she explains the ins and outs of deep sea mining and how it has the potential to disrupt deep sea ecosystems.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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The key to protecting our oceans is understanding them. So, today, host Dr. Samantha Yammine leans into learning about the power and struggles of the environments that keep our planet blue. From the power of bioluminescence and how it’s changed how we study molecular biology to the importance of salt for our bodies and cultures, there is so much to absorb when it comes to our oceans. Then, producer Teresa Carey speaks with Dr. Gabby Ahmadia from the World Wildlife Fund about the importance of community-based conservation, research in coastal communities and how, with the right methodologies and funding, there is hope for our ocean’s health in the future.

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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You might think you have nothing to hide on your devices but everyone does. From bank accounts to passwords to travel plans, protecting your digital privacy is one of the biggest issues we face today. Digital privacy expert Eva Galperin joins host Dr. Samantha Yammine to discuss the importance of protecting your data and how to best do so. Sam also explores recent updates on a nuclear battery that can keep devices charged for years as well as a man who might be the key behind creating a universal antivenom to protect against snakebites.  

Be sure to watch #ImplosionTheTitanicSubDisaster on Wednesday, May 28 at 9pm on Discovery. It's a two-hour special that uncovers the extraordinary story of what caused the OceanGate disaster in 2023 and how it might have been prevented. For the first time ever, Josh Gates unveils groundbreaking new footage including an unsettling interview and a problematic test dive inside the Titan only months before the submersible started missions to the Titanic shipwreck. 

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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Looking up at the dark sky on a clear night means seeing the lit up little satellites move their way around the night sky. Those satellites might be pretty to look at but researchers are currently working to solve a decades-old problem: what happens when they encounter space junk? Today, producer Teresa Carey speaks with Dr. John Crassidis from the University of Buffalo about this issue and what options aerospace engineers have to solve it. Then, host Dr. Samantha Yammine digs into a recent paper that explores the physics behind the perfect cup of coffee and the recent sighting of the elusive colossal squid.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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

It’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we’re using this week’s episode to highlight scientists and researchers from those regions to emphasize their contributions to science across all different fields of study. Then, Sam speaks with Dr. Steven Mana’oakamai Johnson. He explains how people are responding to climate change across the Pacific Islands and the importance of local knowledge when it comes to understanding and preparing for new types of weather systems in that region. And finally, Sam investigates a recent study where researchers created an artificial leaf that could have a real impact when it comes to renewable energy.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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

Birdwatching has taken off as a hobby in recent years, and for good reason! Birds are vital members of our planet’s ecosystems and are major bioindicators when it comes to understanding how climate change is affecting different environments. Joining host Dr. Samantha Yammine today are two passionate birders who use science to understand bird behavior and how we can better support our friends in the sky. Corina Newsome is a wildlife biologist and one of the co-founders of Black Birders Week. She speaks on the importance of birding as it relates to accessibility and environmental justice. Then, senior producer Teresa Carey is joined by Miyoko Chu from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to discuss window collisions and what birds can tell us about the climate. Finally, Sam reads a question from a listener and explains the sociological phenomenon of collective effervescence.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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.

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

The tasks that AI is able to perform has grown exponentially over the years but there are a few things AI still struggles with, like accurately mimicking scientific methodology. Dr. James Zou joins host Dr. Samantha Yammine today to discuss recent updates in AI’s ability to play the role of scientist. He is an associate professor of Biomedical Data Science at Stanford University where he created a research lab of AI scientists. Sam also investigates the ins and outs of lab-grown meat and how MDMA is being used to treat PTSD.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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

When tackling solutions to climate change, we tend to focus on westernized approaches rather than listening to Indigenous Peoples about the best ways to protect our earth. So, today, just in time for Earth Day, Dr. Samantha Yammine speaks with Dr. Myrle Ballard about natural resource and environmental management from Indigenous perspectives. Then, Sam gets into a new AI-powered brain implant that was able to translate thought into speech and how thawing permafrost in the arctic has the potential to release ancient viruses. 

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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

Icebergs are natural behemoths, littered across the ocean. They are both subjects of awe and fear among sailors so today, Dr. Samantha Yammine discusses the ins and outs of these ginormous monoliths with an experienced sailor and iceberg admirer, producer Teresa Carey. Then, Sam speaks to Dr. Beth Culp, a lead author on a recent study that maps out your gut’s microbiome. After that, Sam asks the question we’ve all been thinking about: what’s the science behind non-alcoholic wine? 

If you're curious about a new theory on what happened to the Titanic, tune into Expedition Files on Wednesday, April 16 at 9pm Eastern on Discovery. 

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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Fungal parasites like the ones shown in The Last of Us might not be starting up a zombie apocalypse anytime soon but that doesn’t mean they’re not causing trouble in other ways. Host Dr. Samantha Yammine speaks with Dr. Carolyn Elya, a mycologist specializing in fungi’s unique ability to take over the brains of insects. They discuss how that compares with the fungal zombies in the show and whether concerns over fungal influence on our brains are legitimate. Sam also explores how researchers were recently able to bend soundwaves creating what they call, “Audible Enclaves.” Then, Sam answers the age-old question: how do mRNA vaccines really work?  

Tune into the second season of The Last of Us, premiering April 13th on Max.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get 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. 

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