Curiosity Weekly

Today, you’ll learn about how a man with advanced ALS, who can’t move a muscle, was able to communicate with his family using his thoughts, about a sixty-year-old mystery involving the earth and why it pulsates every twenty-six seconds, and how cats can learn the names of their fellow cats under the right conditions.

A man with ALS can communicate with his thoughts.

• “Brain Implant Allows Fully Paralyzed Patient to Communicate” by Jonathan Moens
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/science/brain-computer-als-communication.html
• “Brain Implants Allow Paralyzed Man to Communicate Using His Thoughts” by Margaret Osborne
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brain-implants-allow-paralyzed-man-to-communicate-180979817/

The earth pulsates underneath your feet.

• “Earth Pulsates Every 26 Seconds. Know One Knows Why” by Caroline Delbert
  • https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a34531984/earth-pulsates-every-26-seconds/
• “Earth is Pulsating Every 26 Seconds and Seismologists Don’t Agree Why” by Anna Funk
  • https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/the-earth-is-pulsating-every-26-seconds-and-seismologists-dont-agree-why

Cats know the names of their friends.

• “Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives” By Saho Takagi, Et al.
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10261-5
• “Cats know the names of other cats that are their friends, study says” by Matthew Rozsa
  • https://www.salon.com/2022/05/16/cats-know-the-names-of-other-cats-that-are-their-friends-study-says/
• “Cats can memorize their friends' names, new study suggests” By Brandon Specktor
  • https://www.livescience.com/cats-remember-names

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/gray-matter-gabfest-our-pulsating-earth-smarty-cats

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Today, you’ll learn about how carnivorous plants evolved from their more peaceful ancestors, how there’s an apparent difference in the frequency and severity of head injuries between male and female athletes, and about a new theory regarding the cause of Alzheimer’s.

Plants that eat flesh?

• “How Carnivorous Plants Evolved” by Stephanie Pain
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-carnivorous-plants-evolved-180979697/
• “Adapted to kill: How the pitcher plant traps its prey” by Alun Salt
  • https://botany.one/2013/10/adapted-kill-pitcher-plant-traps-prey/

Male and female concussions are not the same.

• “Why Sports Concussions are Worse for Women” by Katharine Sanderson
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02089-2
• “Sports-Related Concussions in Female Athletes: A Systematic Review” by Neil McGroarty, Symone Brown, and Mary Mulcahey
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7366411/

Hope for Alzheimer's research.

• “A New Hypothesis for Alzheimer’s Disease: The Lipid Invasion Model” by Jonathan D’Arcy Rudge
  • https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease-reports/adr210299
• “Alzheimer’s brain barrier damage theory proposed” By University of Reading
  • https://www.reading.ac.uk/news/2022/Research-News/Alzheimers-Disease-lipid-invasion-theory
• “New hypothesis argues leaky blood-brain barrier triggers Alzheimer's” By Rich Haridy
  • https://newatlas.com/science/new-hypothesis-alzheimers-disease-blood-brain-barrier-lipid-invasion/

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/hungry-plants-concussion-confusion-an-alzheimers-theory

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Today, we’re talking to Explorers Club member, Dr. George C. Nield. Dr. George C. Nield is currently the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration (or FAA). He has over 30 years of aerospace experience and has worked with the Air Force and NASA. Dr Nield came to the FAA from the Orbital Sciences Corporation, where he served as a Senior Scientist for the Advanced Programs Group. He has a wealth of experience from working as an Astronautical Engineer at the Space and Missile Systems Organization to working on the Shuttle/Mir Program and the International Space Station Program.

• George Nield Interview from 4/23/22
• Autonomous Flight: What We Mean and Why It’s First - Wisk Blog
  • https://wisk.aero/news/blog/autonomous-flight-what-we-mean-and-why-its-first/#:~:text=By%20autonomy%2C%20we%20mean%20that,remote%20pilot%20on%20the%20ground
• International Astronautical Federation (IAF) - Biographies - George Nield
  • https://www.iafastro.org/biographie/george-nield.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/the-explorers-club-an-interview-with-george-nield

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Today, you’ll learn about why it's best to leave your shoes at the door when you come inside, how animals form and maintain their mesmerizing murmurations, and how certain food storage products release sub-microscopic, plastic particles when exposed to hot water.

Your mom was right about taking your shoes off inside.

• “The science is in: wearing shoes inside your home is just plain gross” by Mark Patrick Taylor and Gabriel Filippelli
  • https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/17/the-science-is-in-wearing-shoes-inside-your-home-is-just-plain-gross
• “Scientists Discover Why You Should Take Off Your Shoes Before Entering Your Home” by Robert Locke
  • https://www.lifehack.org/317735/scientists-discover-why-you-should-take-off-your-shoes-before-entering-your-home
• “Should You Take Your Shoes Off While Indoors?” by Ally Spier
  • https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/should-you-take-your-shoes-off-while-indoors

Murmurations not murmuring.

• “The Secrets and Science Behind Starling Murmurations” by John Donovan
  • https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/starling-murmurations.htm
• “Gazing at the “Black Sun”: The Transfixing Beauty of Starling Murmurations” by Søren Solkær
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/travel/starling-murmurations.html
• “Swarm Robotics Promises to Boost Diagnostics, Treat Cancer” by Inga Shugalo
  • https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/health-medical/swarm-robotics-boosts-diagnosis/

The tiny side of plastic.

• “Your Take-Out Coffee Cup May Shed Trillions of Plastic 'Nanoparticles'” By Dennis Thompson
  • https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-05-03/your-take-out-coffee-cup-may-shed-trillions-of-plastic-nanoparticles
• “NIST Study Shows Everyday Plastic Products Release Trillions of Microscopic Particles Into Water” By NIST
  • https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/04/nist-study-shows-everyday-plastic-products-release-trillions-microscopic
• “What are microplastics?” by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.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/shoo-shoes-murmuration-information-nanoplastic-particles

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Today, you’ll learn about how the next step in nuclear fusion is actually a real estate question, how the death of our sun would be a beautiful thing to see if we were around to witness it, and how an athlete’s desire for perfection can lead to them burning out with their sport altogether.

Nuclear plants near the nuclear family.

• “The World's First Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Is Coming” by Caroline Delbert
  • https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a34850835/worlds-first-nuclear-fusion-power-plant/
• “The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has asked residents in five areas to provide feedback on potential plans to construct a prototype nuclear fusion power plant.” by Jack Loughran
  • https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2022/01/locations-for-the-uk-s-first-fusion-energy-power-plant-revealed

A new take on sun flares.

• “Scientists Figured Out How And When Our Sun Will Die, And It's Going to Be Epic” by Michelle Starr
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-figured-out-how-and-when-our-sun-will-die-and-it-s-going-to-be-epic
• “Sun 'will flare into massive planetary nebula when it dies,” by Ian Sample
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/may/07/sun-will-flare-into-massive-planetary-nebula-when-it-dies
• “Celestial Objects: Nebulae” by SeaSky
  • http://www.seasky.org/celestial-objects/nebulae.html

Perfection can be dangerous.

• “Obsession with failure and hunt for perfection linked to burnout” by University of Essex
  • https://www.essex.ac.uk/news/2022/04/22/obsession-with-failure-linked-to-burnout
• “What Causes Athlete Burnout? A New Study Suggests Perfectionism Plays A Role”  By Victoria Forster
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2022/04/22/what-causes-athlete-burnout-a-new-study-suggests-perfectionism-plays-a-role/?sh=2ba2544f2152

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/fusion-homeward-bound-the-last-light-show-burnout-blues

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Today for our Explorers Club series, we are about to be hit by a meteorite of space knowledge as we have a wildly accomplished scientist and researcher entering our atmosphere, Dr. Nina Lanza. She is the Team Lead for Space and Planetary Exploration in Space and Remote Sensing at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She is also the Principle Investigator of the ChemCam instrument on the Mars Curiosity Rover (sadly not sponsored by us) and a team member for the SuperCam instrument on the Mars Perseverance rover. She’s an expert on Mars and does a lot of research on meteorites and minerals that can tell us about the interactions between rocks, soil, atmosphere, and water on the planet.

• Nina Lanza Interview from 4/23/22
• Dr. Nina Lanza - About Nina
  • https://www.ninalanza.com/about-nina/
• NASA's Curiosity Rover Measures Intriguing Carbon Signature on Mars
  • https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9113/nasas-curiosity-rover-measures-intriguing-carbon-signature-on-mars/?site=msl
• 2020 Mission Perseverance Rover - SuperCam
  • https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/supercam/
• Mount Sinai - Manganese
  • https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/manganese#:~:text=Manganese%20is%20a%20trace%20mineral,clotting%20factors%2C%20and%20sex%20hormones.

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/explorers-club-nina-lanza

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Today, you’ll learn about how humans could potentially evolve to be venomous, the challenges of repurposing used electric car batteries, and how people who hate magic are more likely to have certain socially aversive traits, like needing to control social situations.

The good and the bad side of snake venom.

• “Could Humans Ever be Venomous?” by Stephanie Pappas
  • https://www.livescience.com/could-humans-be-venomous.html
• “How Snake Venom Kills… and Saves Lives” by James Paterson
  • https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/how-snake-venom-kills-and-saves-lives
• “Protein Folding: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” by Harvard University
  • https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2010/issue65/
• “This Animal Can Kill 10 Grown Men, But Its Body Adapted To Save Itself” by Tara Yarlagadda
  • https://www.inverse.com/science/the-strange-reason-why-poisonous-animals-survive-their-own-toxins

A new era for batteries.

• “Cars are Going Electric. What Happens to the Used Batteries?” by Gregory Barber and Aarian Marshall
  • https://www.wired.com/story/cars-going-electric-what-happens-used-batteries/
• “Transportation of Electric Vehicle Lithium-ion Batteries at End-of-life: A Literature Review” by Margaret Slattery, Jessica Dunn, and Alissa Kendall
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344921003645
• “Global Implications of the EU Battery Regulation” by Hans Eric Melin, Mohammad Ali Rajaeifar, Anthony Y. Ku, Alissa Kendall, Gavin Harper, and Oliver Heidrich
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh1416
• “The Lithium Mine Versus the Wildflower” by Gregory Barber
  • https://www.wired.com/story/lithium-mine-for-batteries-versus-the-wildflower/

Who hates magic?!

• “People who hate magic tend to be higher in socially aversive traits, according to new research” By Mane Kara-Yakouabian
  • https://www.psypost.org/2022/04/people-who-hate-magic-are-higher-in-socially-aversive-traits-according-to-new-research-62968
• “Who hates magic? Exploring the loathing of legerdemain.” By Paul J. Silvia et al.
  • https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-45549-001

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/human-venom-car-battery-blues-magic-and-personalities

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Today, you’ll learn about an ancient couple found buried in an embrace, why it’s so darn hard to keep fleas off your beloved pets, and how your body’s natural chemistry can help you get a leg up on diet and exercise if you begin to build the habits.

They took “til death do you part” seriously.

• “1,500-year-old burial in China holds lovers locked in eternal embrace” by Laura Geggel
  • https://www.livescience.com/buried-lovers-embrace-china.html
• “1,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found Locked in Embrace in Chinese Cemetery” by Livia Gershon
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1500-year-old-chinese-skeletons-found-locked-embrace-180978509/

Fleas won’t be making it to the Olympics

• “How Do Fleas Jump?” by Kate Latham
  • https://insectcop.net/how-do-fleas-jump/
• “A Flea’s Fantastic Jump Takes More Than a Muscle” by Josh Cassidy
  • https://www.kqed.org/science/1957872/a-fleas-fantastic-jump-takes-more-than-muscle

Exercising affects one’s cravings.

• “Intense exercise while dieting may reduce cravings for fatty food” by Sara Zaske
  • https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/04/21/intense-exercise-while-dieting-may-reduce-cravings-for-fatty-food/
• “Acute high-intensity interval exercise attenuates incubation of craving for foods high in fat” by Georgia E. Kirkpatrick
  • https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.23418
• “Ubiquitous nutrients suppress appetite and promote movement” By Fabrio Bergamin
  • https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2022/04/ubiquitous-nutrients-suppress-appetite-and-promote-movement.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: 

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Today, you’ll hear our interview with Richard Garriott, the president of the Explorers Club. Garriott is not only the first American second generation astronaut, but also the first person to visit both poles, outer space and dive to the Mariana Trench. He started out as a video game designer, and as soon as he made enough money, he began investing in human space flight, creating a company called Space Adventures.

• Richard Garriott Interview from 4/23/22
  • https://app.trint.com/editor/_xFCb8WQRFyO4qID1o4q4A

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/explorers-club-richard-garriott

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Today, you’ll learn about the state of the Amazon rainforest, the truth behind the mythical sugar rush, and how studies involving MRI scans may have been too small to produce significant results, but researchers may have found a solution.

The forest needs attention - not the company.

• “75% of Amazon rainforest shows signs of loss, a 'tipping point' of dieback, study shows” by Doyle Rice
  • ttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/03/07/amazon-rainforest-dieback-deforestation-climate-change-study/9380372002
• “Fires in the Amazon are out of Control. Again” by Benji Jones
  • https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2021/8/27/22639885/amazon-rainforest-fires-climate-change-2021
• “Heaviest Object on Earth Weighs 116B Pounds” by Jenn Gidman
  • https://www.newser.com/story/259238/the-10-heaviest-objects-on-earth.html
• “A Framework for Quantifying Resilience to Forest Disturbance” by Timothy Bryant, Kristen Waring, Andrew Sánchez Meador, and John B. Bradford
  • https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00056/full
• “7 Organizations You Can Support to Protect the Amazon Rainforest” by Erica Sánchez, Pia Gralki, and Joe McCarthy
  • https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/organizations-donate-amazon-rainforest/

Maybe sugar isn’t the problem.

• “Sugar rush or high on life? Dieticians explain why kids become hyperactive at parties” by Kate Dorrell
  • https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/sugar-rush-dietician-does-sweet-food-make-kids-hyperactive/100839044
• “There’s No Such Thing as a Sugar Rush, According to Science” by Joshua A. Krisch
  • https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/theres-no-thing-sugar-rush-according-science/

Data sets need to grow to bolster studies.

• “M.R.I.s Are Finding Connections Between Our Brain Activity and Psychology” By Kim Tingley
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/magazine/mri-brain-activity-psychology.html
• “Reproducible brain-wide association studies require thousands of individuals” By Scott marek et al
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04492-9
• “Brain scans may reveal a lot about mental illness, but not until studies get bigger” by Jon Hamilton
  • https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/04/26/1094319294/mri-brain-scan-mental-illness-brain-research

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/the-amazons-future-sugar-rush-retcon-a-study-on-studies

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