Curiosity Weekly

Today, you’ll learn about painkillers made from pine trees, a creature that spits out its old cells, and how the power of positive thinking might not be all that powerful. 

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/pine-tree-painkiller-cell-spitting-creature-manifestation

Pine Tree Painkiller  

• “Scientists Make Common Pain Killers From Pine Trees Instead of Crude Oil.” n.a. 2023.
  • https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/scientists-make-common-pain-killers-from-pine-trees-instead-of-crude-oil/
• “Turpentine.” n.a. 2013.
  • https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/turpentfaq.pdf
• “Why Does a Pine Tree Produce Turpentine?” by Whit Gibbons. 2009.
  • http://archive-srel.uga.edu/outreach/ecoviews/ecoview090222.htm

Cell Spitting Creature 

• “Scientists Discover Clues to Aging and Healing from a Squishy Sea Creature.” by Ann Rogers, M.A. 2023.
  • https://www.genome.gov/news/news-release/scientists-discover-clues-to-aging-and-healing-from-a-squishy-sea-creature
• “Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus.” Wikipedia. N.d.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydractinia_symbiolongicarpus
• “Ode To Joy | Muppet Music Video | The Muppets.” YouTube. 2009.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnT7pT6zCcA

Manifestation 

• “‘The Secret’ to Success? The Psychology of Belief in Manifestation.” by Lucas J. Dixon, et al. 2023.
  • https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672231181162?s=03
• “Is Manifestation Bad for Mental Health?” Newport Institute. 2023.
  • https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/manifesting-change/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with  Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about a new study that shows drugs like Ritalin aren’t so smart after all, how frozen rat kidneys could lead to a medical revolution, and a new study that shows how people with curly hair are extra cool. 

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/smart-drugs-frozen-organ-transplant-curly-hair-cool

Smart Drugs  

• “'Smart Drugs' Make You Worse at Solving Complex Problems, New Study Finds.” by Elizabeth Bowman, et al. 2023.
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add4165
• “People who use ‘smart drugs’ worse at complex tasks, study finds.” by Melissa Davey. 2023.
  • https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/15/people-who-use-smart-drugs-worse-at-complex-tasks-study-finds

Frozen Organ Transplant 

• “Scientists Successfully Unfroze Rat Organs and Transplanted Them - a 'Historic' Step that Could Someday Transform Transplant Medicine.” by Marion Renault. 2023.
  • https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/21/cryogenic-organ-preservation-transplants/
• “Organ Donation Statistics.” HRSA. 2023.
  • https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics
• “Vitrification.” Wikipedia. N.d.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrification

Curly Hair Cool 

• “Life Before Air Conditioning: Curly Hair Kept Early Humans Cool.” by Francisco Tutella. 2023.
  • https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/life-air-conditioning-curly-hair-kept-early-humans-cool/
• “Human scalp hair as a thermoregulatory adaptation.” by Tina Lasisi, et al. 2023.
  • https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2301760120

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about a newly discovered genetic link between high voices and high blood pressure, a mysterious new discovery behind some ancient Egyptian art, and about freshwater lying underneath the ocean floor.  

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/high-voice-gene-egyptian-art-x-ray-finding-fresh-water

High Voice Gene

• “Have a High-Pitched Voice? It Might Be In Your Genes.”
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01901-5
• “Do you have high-pitched voice? Note, it's in your genes.” by IANS. 2023.
  • https://www.onmanorama.com/lifestyle/health/2023/06/13/you-have-high-pitched-voice-it-is-in-genes.amp.html
     

Egyptian Art X-Ray

• “Paint Like an Egyptian: X-Rays Reveal Creative Process Behind Ancient Tomb Art.” by Tanvi Dutta Gupta. 2023.
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/paint-egyptian-xray-egyptian-tomb-art
• “Hidden mysteries in ancient Egyptian paintings from the Theban Necropolis observed by in-situ XRF mapping.” by Philippe Martinez, et al. 2023.
  • https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287647

Finding Fresh Water 

• “Found: Giant Freshwater Deposits Hiding Under the Sea.”
  • https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/found-giant-freshwater-deposits-hiding-under-the-sea/
• “5 Billion People Will Face Water Shortages by 2050, U.N. Says.” by Daniel Cusick. 2022.
  • https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/5-billion-people-will-face-water-shortages-by-2050-u-n-says/
• “Earth’s Underground Water Quantified.” by Jonathan Amos. 2015.
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34837461

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about a new discovery that explains what causes octopuses to go into a death frenzy when they have kids, how air pollution sensors could help track invasive species, and how fungi could save entire ecosystems. 

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/octopus-death-frenzy-wildlife-tracking-fungi-to-the-rescue

Octopus Torture 

• “Octopuses Torture and Eat Themselves After Mating, Science Finally Knows Why.” by Stephanie Pappas. 2022.
  • https://www.livescience.com/why-octopus-moms-self-destruct
• “Octopus Moms Enter Death Spiral Before Eight-Armed Bundles Are Born.” by Jeanna Bryner. 2018.
  • https://www.livescience.com/63911-octopus-moms-death-spiral.html

Wildlife Tracking 

• “Accidental DNA collection by air sensors could revolutionize wildlife tracking.” by Natasha Gilbert. 2023.
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01850-z
• “Air Pollution Monitors Have Been Accidentally Harvesting Wildlife DNA.” by Matthew Sparkes. 2023.
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/2375624-air-pollution-monitors-have-been-accidentally-harvesting-wildlife-dna/?_ptid=%7Bkpdx%7DAAAAwWljNkrzhAoKcmJhNGYxWmNwZRIQbGswNnQ1a2FlZzJ2ZXQyaBoMRVhXUVJKOURFTUVQIiUxODIzcTgwMDdnLTAwMDAzMmFicXM0N2pjMzlmb240a2prMDVnKhtzaG93VGVtcGxhdGU1TERCMVJFTVU0NEQxMzcwAToMT1RZNkM3MjZBN1EyQg1PVFZDVkEwU1BUSTROUhJ2LYUA8BhkM3hhOTQxZXBaDTk4LjE1LjE0MS4xNDZiA2RtY2iiw8GlBnAKeAQ

Fungi to the Rescue

• “Invasive Palms and WWII Damaged an Island Paradise. Could Fungi Help to Restore It?” by Virginia Gewin. 2023.
  • https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-01932-y/index.html
• “Rewilding the Planet.” by Aisling Irwin. 2023.
  • https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-01370-w/index.html

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about a potential obstacle to human flight to Mars, a discovery in a Laotian cave that is sending archaeologists back to the drawing board, and how new technology could keep us cool in a warming world without adding to the problem of climate change. 

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/space-swells-brain-cavity-cave-fossils-keeping-cool

Space Swells Brain Cavity  

• “Brain Cavities That Swell in Space May Need At Least 3 Years to Recover.” by McKenzie Prillman. 2023.
  • https://www.sciencenews.org/article/astronaut-brain-swell-space-recover

Cave Fossils 

• “Laos Cave Fossils Prompt Rethink of Human Migration Map.” by Jude Coleman. 2023.
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01903-3
• “Fossil bones found in Laotian cave are oldest evidence for modern humans in mainland South-East Asia, say scientists.” by Anna Salleh. 2023.
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-06-14/oldest-evidence-for-modern-humans-in-mainland-south-east-asia/102471990

Keeping Cool 

• “New Technologies Could Keep People Cool in a Warming World.” by Kathiann Kowalski. 2023.
  • https://www.snexplores.org/article/new-technologies-could-keep-people-cool-in-a-warming-world
• “How Air-Conditioning Creates a Climate Conundrum.” by Spoorthy Raman. 2022.
  • https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer-2022/how-air-conditioning-creates-climate-conundrum

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about a study linking the Covid vaccine to slightly longer menstrual cycles. How being social could actually hurt people who are lonely, and why you won’t find any kangaroos outside of Australia.  

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/vaccine-menstrual-length-lonely-in-a-crowd-aussie-roos

Vaccine Menstrual Length

• “Study Confirms Link Between COVID-19 Vaccination and Temporary Increase in Menstrual Cycle Length.” n.a. 2022.
  • https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/study-confirms-link-between-covid-19-vaccination-temporary-increase-menstrual-cycle-length

Lonely in a Crowd 

• “How To Deal With Loneliness: New Study Suggests That Social Contact May Not Be the Answer.” by Douglas Heingartner. 2023.
  • https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/how-to-deal-with-loneliness-social-contact/

Aussie ‘Roos

• “Here's Why You Won't Find Kangaroos Outside of Australia.” by n.a. 2023.
  • https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/heres-why-you-wont-find-kangaroos-outside-of-australia
• “Paleoenvironments Shaped the Exchange of Terrestrial Vertebrates Across Wallace’s Line.” by A. Skeels, et al. 2023.
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf7122
• “Australian Slang.” n.a. N.d.
  • https://www.australianexplorer.com/slang/places.htm

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about a discovery that a common amino acid could slow the aging process, a new study that suggests we could get better at planning if we practiced, and research suggesting a ketogenic diet may help those with advanced cancer live longer. 

Find episode transcripts here:https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/amino-acid-fountain-of-youth-plan-ahead-keto-for-cancer

Amino Acid Fountain of Youth  

• “Scientists Discover That a Certain Nutrient Promotes Anti-Aging.” by Fundacao De Amparo. 2022.
  • https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-that-a-certain-nutrient-promotes-anti-aging/

Plan Ahead 

• “Can We Learn to Think Further Ahead?” NYU. 2023.
  • https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2023/may/can-we-learn-to-think-further-ahead-.html

Keto for Cancer

• “Cancer Patients Who Adhered to a Ketogenic Diet for More Than 12 Months had Significantly Better Survival Rates.” by Ryuichiro Egashira. 2023.
  • https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/10/2334
• “Advantages and Disadvantages of the Ketogenic Diet: A Review Article.” by Alexander Muacevic and John R Adler. 2020.
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7480775/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn how a stiff gel could one day repair your knee, the dangers of AI when it comes to creating the world’s next pandemic, and a brain-scanning AI song hit machine. 

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/cartilage-regeneration-chatbot-virus-hit-song-prediction

Cartilage Regeneration 

• “Biodegradable Gel Shows Promise for Cartilage Regeneration.” n.a. 2023.
  • https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/biodegradable-gel-shows-promise-for-cartilage-regeneration-375145

Chatbot Virus

• “Could Chatbots Help Devise the Next Pandemic Virus?” by Robert F. Service. 2023.
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/could-chatbots-help-devise-next-pandemic-virus

Hit Song Prediction

• “Brain Data Analysis Predicts Chart Hit Songs with Near-Perfect Accuracy.” by Ruairi J. Mackenzie. 2023.
  • https://www.technologynetworks.com/informatics/news/brain-data-analysis-predicts-chart-hit-songs-with-near-perfect-accuracy-375013
• “Machine Learning Helps Researchers Identify Hit Songs With 97% Accuracy.” by Deborah Pirchner. 2023.
  • https://blog.frontiersin.org/2023/06/20/machine-learning-identify-hit-songs/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about a new program that sort of gives sharks smartphones, the oldest known neanderthal engravings, and houses made of diapers. 

Shark Week continues all week long on Discovery. For the latest, head to SharkWeek.com.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/sharkphones-cave-engravings-diaper-houses

Shark Sensors 

• “‘Smartphones’ for Sharks: Scientists Upgrade Sensors to Keep Track of Cape Cod’s White Sharks.” by Mark Pratt. 2023.
  • https://phys.org/news/2023-06-smartphones-sharks-scientists-sensors-track.html

Cave Engravings  

• “Oldest Known Neanderthal Engravings Were Sealed in a Cave for 57,000 Years.” by Brian Handwerk. 2023.
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/oldest-known-neanderthal-engravings-discovered-in-french-cave-180982408/
• “Who were the Neanderthals?” by Lisa Hendry. N.d.
  • https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-were-the-neanderthals.html

Diaper Houses

• “This House Was Built Partly From Recycled Diapers.” by Carolyn Gramling. 2023.
  • https://www.sciencenews.org/article/house-built-recycled-diapers
• “Disposable Diapers Add Millions Of Tons Of Waste To Landfills Each Year, According To EPA Report.” By Baby Tooshy. 2016. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/disposable-diapers-add-millions-of-tons-of-waste-to-landfills-each-year-according-to-epa-report-300384344.html

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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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Today, you’ll learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly of shark repellents, how human’s thirst for groundwater is literally changing the tilt of the Earth, and how hairy moles might offer a clue to fighting hair loss. 

Shark Week continues all week long on Discovery. For the latest, head to SharkWeek.com.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/shark-deterrents-earth-axis-tilt-hair-loss-reversal

Shark Deterrents  

• “Shark Deterrents are Flooding the Market.” by Nick Kilvert. 2023.
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-06-24/when-it-comes-to-shark-deterrents-here-s-what-the-science-says/102399294
• “Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary.” Florida Museum. 2023.
  • https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/

Earth Axis Tilt   

• “Rampant Groundwater Pumping Has Changed the Tilt of Earth's Axis.” by Davide Castalecchi. 2023.
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01993-z#Echobox=1687171115
• “Humans Have Used Enough Groundwater to Shift Earth’s Tilt.” by Aara’L Yarber. 2023.
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/06/27/groundwater-use-planet-earth-tilt/

Hair Loss Reversal 

• “Common Form of Hair Loss Could Be Reversed by Targeting Aged Skin Pigment Cells.” by Ruairi J. Mackenzie. 2023.
  • https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/common-form-of-hair-loss-could-be-reversed-by-targeting-aged-skin-pigment-cells-375161

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive 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.