Curiosity Weekly

Today we explore how technology is making us lonely, how a new pair of glasses may be expanding your idea of a computer screen, and how hitting the snooze button too many times could ruin your sleep hygiene. 

Techno-Lonely  

• “Cultivate Deeper Connections Using the Science of Friendship” BY Ryan Jenkins
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-case-connection/202209/cultivate-deeper-connections-using-the-science-friendship
• “Teens around the world are lonelier than a decade ago. The reason may be smartphones” by Tara Bahrampour
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/teens-loneliness-smart-phones/2021/07/20/cde8c866-e84e-11eb-8950-d73b3e93ff7f_story.html

TV Glasses  

• “Lenovo’s New Glasses Project A Computer Display Inches From Your Eyes” by Daniel Gyllhem
  • https://vigourtimes.com/lenovos-new-glasses-project-a-computer-display-inches-from-your-eyes/
• “The Lenovo Glasses T1 are a monitor you wear on your face” by Joseph Foley
  • https://www.creativebloq.com/news/lenovo-glasses-t1
• “Lenovo Glasses T1 unveiled: Take a private big screen experience anywhere” by Darragh Murphy
  • https://www.laptopmag.com/news/lenovo-glasses-T1-wearable-display

Snooze Button

• “Hitting the snooze button? You’re far from alone, study shows” by UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
  • https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/968205
• “Snoozing: an examination of a common method of waking” by Stephen M Mattingly et al.
  • https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/45/10/zsac184/6661272?login=false

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/techno-lonely-tv-glasses-snooze-button

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Let’s talk about a recent study that shows children are more likely to be honest with their emotions when talking to a robot, a revolutionary new way to make single-use coffee pods from seaweed, and, trigger warning, how deep brain stimulation might help those suffering from eating disorders. 

Mental Health Robot 

• “Children more candid about mental health when talking to robot, study finds” by Hannah Devlin
  • https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/01/children-mental-health-talking-robot-study-cambridge
• “Robots may be better at spotting mental wellbeing issues in children than traditional methods” by Luke Hurst
• https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/09/01/robots-may-be-better-at-spotting-mental-wellbeing-issues-in-children-than-traditional-meth

Seaweed Coffee 

• “‘Revolutionary’ seaweed coffee balls could save thousands of tons of plastic waste” by Samuel Webb
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/revolutionary-seaweed-coffee-balls-could-103117132.html?guccounter=1
• “Coffee Machine Ditches Plastic Pods, Uses Compressed ‘Coffee Balls’ Instead” by Adrianna Nine
  • https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/339468-coffee-machine-ditches-plastic-pods-uses-compressed-coffee-balls-instead

Brain Stimulation for ED

• “Effectiveness of Deep Brain Stimulation in Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Obesity: A Systematic Review” by Timothy I Hsu et al.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36191890/
• “Deep brain stimulation” by Mayo Clinic
  • https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/deep-brain-stimulation/about/pac-20384562

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/mental-health-robot-seaweed-coffee-brain-stimulation-for-ed

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Today you’ll learn about the behaviors researchers say can make us more connected with each other, how China is building an AI-powered, 3D Printed dam, and how an over-reliance on the English language is causing problems in the field of cognitive science. 

Health and Connection 

• “Feeling connected enhances mental and physical health – here are 4 research-backed ways to find moments of connection with loved ones and strangers” by Dave Smallen
  • https://theconversation.com/feeling-connected-enhances-mental-and-physical-health-here-are-4-research-backed-ways-to-find-moments-of-connection-with-loved-ones-and-strangers-185012
• “Infant-Mother Face-to-Face Interaction: Age and Gender Differences in Coordination and the Occurrence of Miscoordination” by Edward Z. Tronick and Jeffery F. Cohn1
  • https://www.jstor.org/stable/1131074?origin=crossref

3D Dam 

• “China Proposed To Build A Dam with a Distributed 3D Printer” by RUPENDRA BRAHAMBHATT
  • https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/08/chinese-propose-to-build-a-dam-with-a-distributed-3d-printer/
• “3D printing of large filled construction projects” by Tianyun Liu
  • http://jst.tsinghuajournals.com/EN/10.16511/j.cnki.qhdxxb.2022.25.045#1

Reliance on English 

• “Over-reliance on English hinders cognitive science” by Damián E. Blasi et al.
  • https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(22)00236-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1364661322002364%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
• “How English Dominates Cognitive Science” By Rocío Txabarriaga
  • https://slator.com/how-english-dominates-cognitive-science/

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.

Find episode transcripts here:https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/health-and-connection-3d-dam-reliance-on-english

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Today we explore the science behind getting great ideas in the shower, how regular chocolate consumption can slow down cognitive decline, and how a black hole recently burped out the remnants of a star it absorbed four YEARS ago! 

Shower Ideas  

• “The Science of Why You Have Great Ideas in The Shower” by Stacey Colino
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/the-science-of-why-you-have-great-ideas-in-the-shower/ar-AA10ANav
• “An improved neuroanatomical model of the default-mode network reconciles previous neuroimaging and neuropathological findings” by Pedro Nascimento Alves, Chris Foulon, Vyacheslav Karolis, Danilo Bzdok, Daniel S. Margulies, Emmanuelle Volle & Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-019-0611-3

Medicinal Chocolate 

• “Daily Chocolate May Rescue The Brain From Cognitive Decline” by Gary Wenk
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-food/202209/daily-chocolate-may-rescue-the-brain-cognitive-decline
• “Daily multi-vitamins may improve brain function in older people – US study” by Ian Sample
  • https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/14/daily-multi-vitamins-may-improve-brain-function-in-older-people-us-study

Black Holes Burping

• “‘We’ve Never Seen Anything Like This Before:’ Black Hole Spews Out Material Years After Shredding Star” by Harvard Center for Astrophysics
  • https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/weve-never-seen-anything-black-hole-spews-out-material-years-after-shredding-star
• “Ask Ethan: Are Black Holes Made Of Dark Matter?” by Ethan Siegel
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/09/04/ask-ethan-are-black-holes-made-of-dark-matter/?sh=77bd9483438b
• “A Mildly Relativistic Outflow Launched Two Years after Disruption in Tidal Disruption Event AT2018hyz” by Y. Cendes et al.
  • https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ac88d0
• “Black hole is 'burping out' a 'spaghettified' star it devoured years ago” by Robert Lea
  • https://www.space.com/black-hole-spews-star-devoured-years-ago
• “Are black holes and dark matter the same?” by University of Miami
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211220120813.htm#:~:text=Astrophysicists%20suggest%20that%20primordial%20black,dark%20matter%20in%20the%20universe.

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/shower-ideas-medicinal-chocolate-black-holes-burping

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We discuss how scientists have developed a cancer-detecting contact lens, the behaviors of inebriated dolphins, and how listening to birds singing can help our mental health! 

Smart Contacts 

• “Scientists Create Smart Contact Lenses That Diagnose Cancer” by Ophthalmology Breaking News
  • https://ophthalmologybreakingnews.com/scientists-create-smart-contact-lenses-that-diagnose-cancer
• “A Microchambers Containing Contact Lens for the Noninvasive Detection of Tear Exosomes” by Shaopei Li, Yangzhi Zhu, Reihaneh Haghniaz, Satoru Kawakita, Shenghan Guan, Jianjun Chen, Zijie Li, Kalpana Mandal, Jamal Bahari, Shilp Shah, Juchen Guo, Heemin Kang, Wujin Sun, Han-Jun Kim, Vadim Jucaud, Mehmet R. Dokmeci, Pete Kollbaum, Chi Hwan Lee, and Ali Khademhosseini
  • https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202206620?af=R

Stoned Dolphins 

• “Dolphins 'Deliberately Get High' on Puffer Fish Nerve Toxins By Carefully Chewing and Passing Them Around” by Adam Withnall
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/dolphin-facts-puffer-fish-high-b1847115.html
• “Dolphins Getting High on Fish Toxin? Or Just a Load of Puff?” by NBC News
  • https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/dolphins-getting-high-fish-toxin-or-just-load-puff-n3691

Birdsongs vs Traffic

• “Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants” by E. Stobbe, J. Sundermann, L. Ascone & S. Kühn
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20841-0
• “Listen! Birdsong Is Good for Mental Health” by Nicole Siller
  • https://neurosciencenews.com/birdsong-mental-health-21639/

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/smart-contacts-stoned-dolphins-birdsongs-vs-traffic

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Today you’ll learn about the science of cognitive bias, how scientists may have found a way to turn your body into a battery, and how the first 3D-printed school in Europe is about to be built in Ukraine.  

Cognitive Bias 

• “Cognitive Biases and Brain Biology Help Explain Why Facts Don't Change Minds” by Keith M. Bellizzi
  • https://theconversation.com/cognitive-biases-and-brain-biology-help-explain-why-facts-dont-change-minds-186530
• “Misinformation and Its Correction: Continued Influence and Successful Debiasing” by  Stephan Lewandowsky, Ullrich K. H. Ecker, Colleen M. Seifert, Norbert Schwarz, and John Cook.
  • https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1529100612451018

Body Battery 

• “Scientists Found a Way To Turn Your Body Into a Battery With Your Clothes On” by Drew Turney
  • https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a40807192/clothes-that-power-electronics/
• “Stretchable, Breathable, and Stable Lead-Free Perovskite/Polymer Nanofiber Composite for Hybrid Triboelectric and Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting” by Feng Jiang, Xinran Zhou, Jian Lv, Jian Chen, Juntong Chen, Haruethai Kongcharoen, Yihui Zhang, and Pooi See Lee
  • https://www3.ntu.edu.sg/CorpComms2/Releases/NR2022/NR_220512_energy/energy%20harvesting.pdf

3D Printed School 

• “EUROPE’S FIRST 3D PRINTED SCHOOL TO BE BUILT IN WAR-TORN UKRAINE” by PAUL HANAPHY
  • https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/europes-first-3d-printed-school-to-be-built-in-war-torn-ukraine-215791/
• “The first 3D-printed school in a warzone is being printed in Ukraine” by Giulia Carbonaro
  • https://uk.news.yahoo.com/first-3d-printed-school-world-150512856.html
• “Ukraine: World’s first 3D-printed school in a warzone, foundation laid” by Baba Tamim
  • https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/worlds-first-3d-printed-school-ukraine

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/cognitive-bias-body-battery-3d-printed-school

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Today we explore whether there is a potential long-term cure for asthma based on recent studies, how shark intestines are shaped exactly like a Tesla Valve, and what happens when you transplant human brain cells in newborn rats. 

Asthma Cure 

• “Potential Long-Term Treatment for Asthma Found” by Aston University
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220809141233.htm
• “A Potential Long-Term Asthma Treatment Has Passed Early Trials in Mice” by DAVID NIELD
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/a-potential-long-term-asthma-treatment-has-passed-early-trials-in-mice
• Most Recent Asthma Data
  • https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_national_asthma_data.htm

Shark Intestines 

• “Shark Intestines Spiral Like a Valve Invented By Nikola Tesla” by Alex Fox
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sharks-intestines-spiral-valve-invented-nikola-tesla-180978307/
• “Shark spiral intestines may operate as Tesla valves” by Samantha C. Leigh, Adam P. Summers, Sarah L. Hoffmann and Donovan P. German
  • https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.1359

Human Brain Cells in Rats

• “Human brain cells transplanted into baby rats’ brains grow and form connections” by Jessica Hamzelou
  • https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/12/1061204/human-brain-cells-transplanted-baby-rats-brains/
• “Maturation and circuit integration of transplanted human cortical organoids” by Omer Revah et al.
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05277-w

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/asthma-cure-shark-intestines-human-brain-cells-in-rats

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Today we discuss how only four minutes of small talk with a stranger can help you predict their personality traits, an exciting biodegradable battery option on the horizon, and a new discovery into the origins of dragons!  

Small Talk 

• “Four Minutes of Small Talk Can Reveal Key Personality Traits” by Sascha Pare
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/aug/31/four-minutes-of-small-talk-can-reveal-key-personality-traits-study-says
• “Small Talk and Theory of Mind in Strategic Decision-Making” by Neha Bose and Daniel Sgroi
  • https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/dsgroi/theoryofmind.pdf

Crab Battery 

• “Crab and Lobster Shells Could Be Used To Make Renewable Batteries” by Sofia Quaglia
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/01/crab-lobster-shells-could-used-make-renewable-batteries
• “A sustainable chitosan-zinc electrolyte for high-rate zinc-metal batteries” by Meiling Wu, Ye Zhang, Lin Xu, Chunpeng Yang, Min Hong, Mingjin Cui, Bryson C. Clifford, Shuaiming He, Shuangshuang Jing, Yan Yao, and Liangbing Hu
  • https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(22)00414-3

Ancient Dragons

• “Ancient 'dragons' were Earth’s first gliding reptiles” By Jennifer Nalewicki
  • https://www.livescience.com/ancient-gliding-reptile-dragon-trees
• “The postcranial skeleton of the gliding reptile Coelurosauravus elivensis Piveteau, 1926 (Diapsida, Weigeltisauridae) from the late Permian Of Madagascar” by Valentin Buffa, Eberhard Frey, J. Sébastien Steyer & Michel Laurin
  • https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2022.2108713?utm_medium=email&utm_source=EmailStudio&utm_campaign=Tree+canopy+changes+facilitated+the+evolution+of+the+first-ever+gliding+reptile%2C+new+study+suggests_4423303&cookieSet=1

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/small-talk-crab-battery-ancient-dragons

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Let’s talk about a potential new high-tech mine in Minnesota, how scientists have created a synthetic mouse embryo using stem cells, and a major breakthrough in the cause of and treatment for Down Syndrome.  

Remote Mines

• “This Remote Mine Could Foretell the Future of America’s Electric Car Industry” by Ana Swanson
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/business/economy/electric-cars-us-nickel-mine.html
• “Fight over Minnesota nickel mine plan by Talon Metals is local — and global, too” by Mark Reilly
  • https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2022/08/31/talon-metals-nickel-mine-minnesota.html

Mouse Embryos 

• “Scientists Use Stem Cells To Create Synthetic Mouse Embryos” by Associated Press
  • https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/scientists-use-stem-cells-create-synthetic-mouse-embryos-rcna44881
• “Post-gastrulation synthetic embryos generated ex utero from mouse naive ESCs” by Shadi Tarazi, Alejandro Aguilera-Castrejon, Carine Joubran, Nadir Ghanem, Shahd Ashouokhi, Francesco Roncato, Emilie Wildschutz, Montaser Haddad, Bernardo Oldak, Elidet Gomez-Cesar, Nir Livnat, Sergey Viukov, Dmitry Lokshtanov, Segev Naveh-Tassa, Max Rose, Suhair Hanna, Calanit Raanan, Ori Brenner, Merav Kedmi, Hadas Keren-Shaul, Tsvee Lapidot, Itay Maza, Noa Novershtern, and Jacob H. Hanna
  • https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674%2822%2900981-3

Down Syndrome Treatment

• “Hormone that could improve cognitive function in Down syndrome identified” By Helen Floersh
  • https://www.fiercebiotech.com/research/scientists-have-identified-hormone-could-restore-cognitive-function-down-syndrome#:~:text=Now%2C%20a%20team%20of%20researchers,it%20could%20improve%20cognitive%20performance.
• “GnRH replacement rescues cognition in Down syndrome” by MARIA MANFREDI-LOZANO et al.
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abq4515

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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/remote-mines-mouse-embryos-down-syndrome-treatment

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Today we discuss the science behind a wandering mind, the ins and outs of songs composed by humpback whales, and how an innovative new robotic capsule might help our digestive systems absorb drugs that aren’t as effective to take orally. 

A Wandering Mind   

• “The science of a wandering mind” By Tim Vernimmen
  • https://knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2022/science-wandering-mind
• “How Self-Generated Thought Shapes Mood—The Relation between Mind-Wandering and Mood Depends on the Socio-Temporal Content of Thoughts” by Florence J. M. Ruby, Jonathan Smallwood, Haakon Engen, and Tania Singer
  • https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0077554

Song of the Humpback

• “Humpback Whales Pass Their Songs Across Oceans” by Carl Zimmer
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/science/humpback-whale-songs-cultural-evolution.html
• “Humpback Whales Almost 9,000 Miles Apart Have Been Caught Singing The Same Song” by Carly Casella
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/humpback-whales-almost-9000-miles-apart-have-been-caught-singing-the-same-song

Robocap

• “RoboCap – The Robotic Capsule Designed to Improve Drug Delivery in the Gut” by Sarah Whelan
  • https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/robocap-the-robotic-capsule-designed-to-improve-drug-delivery-in-the-gut-366073
• “RoboCap: Robotic mucus-clearing capsule for enhanced drug delivery in the gastrointestinal tract” by SHRIYA S. SRINIVASAN et al.
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abp9066
• “Tiny robotic pill RoboCap delivers drugs to guts and could end injections like insulin” by Nergis Firtina
  • https://interestingengineering.com/health/tiny-robotic-pill-robocap-drugs-guts
• “Human Insulin Injection” by MedLine Plus
  • https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682611.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.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/a-wandering-mind-song-of-the-humpback-robocap

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