Curiosity Weekly

Curiosity Weekly

By DiscoveryScience
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Curiosity Weekly episodes

  • “Like Riding a Bike,” Paradoxes, That Fresh Rain Smell

    Learn about the special way riding a bike is stored in your memory; the crocodile paradox; and the smell of fresh rain.

    The stories in this episode originally aired on these dates:

    • December 21, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/the-most-influential-film-ever-your-memory-on-ridi
    • December 23, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/christmas-music-psychology-rain-smell-science-croc

    Today is Ashley Hamer’s last episode. Follow her podcast at https://www.tabooscience.show. And if you’re 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.

    14 min
  • Glow-in-the-Dark Cities, Feeling Holes, Max Volume on Earth

    Learn about glow-in-the-dark cities; why holes feel larger with a tongue than a finger; and the maximum volume on Earth.

    Maybe we can save the planet by making our cities glow in the dark by Briana Brownell

    • Kleiner, K. (2021, November). Will glow-in-the-dark materials someday light our cities? Knowable Magazine | Annual Reviews. https://knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2021/will-glow-in-the-dark-materials-someday-light-our-cities
    • Long Persistent Luminescence: A Road Map Toward Promising Future Developments in Energy and Environmental Science. (2021). Annual Review of Materials Research. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-matsci-091520-011838

    Why holes feel larger with your tongue than with your finger by Grant Currin

    • Why Do Holes Feel Larger With Your Tongue Than With Your Finger? (2017, November). Mentalfloss.com. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/512813/why-do-holes-feel-larger-your-tongue-your-finger
    • Seriously Science. (2017, October 18). Scientist finally figures out why holes feel larger with your tongue than with your finger. Discover Magazine; Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/scientist-finally-figures-out-why-holes-feel-larger-with-your-tongue-than-with-your-finger#.Wfn2exNSzm1
    • Albashaireh, Z. S. M., & Orchardson, R. (1988). Comparison of the human perception of hole size by the tongue and the fingers. Archives of Oral Biology, 33(3), 183–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-9969(88)90043-x
    • Wilkins, A. (2010, December 28). Why our tongues and fingers “see” the world differently. Gizmodo; Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/why-our-tongues-and-fingers-see-the-world-differently-5719827
    • Drewing, K. (2018). The extent of skin bending rather than action possibilities explains why holes feel larger with the tongue than with the finger. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 44(4), 535–550. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000453
    • S2E5: Head Transplants - Taboo Science Podcast. (2021). Tabooscience.show. https://www.tabooscience.show/s2e5-head-transplants/

    There's a maximum sound volume on Earth by Cameron Duke

    • EarQ. (2021). What Are Decibels (dB)? | Loudness Levels, Safe, Unsafe. Earq.com. https://www.earq.com/hearing-health/decibels
    • Hearing loss and deafness: Normal hearing and impaired hearing. (2017, November 30). Nih.gov; Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390300/
    • Koerth, M. (2016, July 7). The Loudest Sound In The World Would Kill You On The Spot. FiveThirtyEight; FiveThirtyEight. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-loudest-sound-in-the-world-would-kill-you-on-the-spot/
    • Kolitz, D. (2019, January 14). What’s the Loudest Sound in the Universe? Gizmodo; Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/whats-the-loudest-sound-in-the-universe-1831720066
    • Mihai Andrei. (2020, February 4). The loudest sound in mankind’s history. ZME Science; ZME Science. https://www.zmescience.com/science/the-loudest-sound-ever-in-mankinds-history/

    Follow host Cody Gough on Giveo and at https://academicpodcasts.com. 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.

    19 min
  • Remembering Gifts, Animal Diets, Amazon-Sahara Connection

    Learn why helping others feels like helping ourselves, how wild animals eat healthy, and how the Sahara feeds the Amazon.

    We're less likely to remember the things we've given to friends than strangers by Kelsey Donk

    • We’re Worse At Remembering Exactly What We’ve Given To Friends Than What We’ve Given To Strangers. (2021, April 12). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/04/12/were-worse-at-remembering-exactly-what-weve-given-to-friends-than-what-weve-given-to-strangers/
    • Uğurlar, P., Posten, A.-C., & Zürn, M. (2021). Interpersonal closeness impairs decision memory. Social Psychology, 52(2), 125–129. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000439

    How do wild animals eat a healthy diet when humans struggle to? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Jason in Port Ewen, New York)

    • Predators hunt for a balanced diet. (2012). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110192942.htm
    • Provenza, F. (2018, November 30). Animals Can Help Us Rediscover Our Nutritional Wisdom. Scientific American Blog Network. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/animals-can-help-us-rediscover-our-nutritional-wisdom/
    • Strauss, S. (2006). Clara M. Davis and the wisdom of letting children choose their own diets. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 175(10), 1199–1199. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.060990
    • Schatzker, M. (2015, April 9). How Flavor Drives Nutrition. WSJ; The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-flavor-drives-nutrition-1428596326
    • Tucker, A. (2009, July 14). Why Modern Foods Hijack Our Brains. Smithsonian Magazine; Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-modern-foods-hijack-our-brains-63123747/
    • Deckersbach, T., Das, S. K., Urban, L. E., Salinardi, T., Batra, P., Rodman, A. M., Arulpragasam, A. R., Dougherty, D. D., & Roberts, S. B. (2014). Pilot randomized trial demonstrating reversal of obesity-related abnormalities in reward system responsivity to food cues with a behavioral intervention. Nutrition & Diabetes, 4(9), e129–e129. https://doi.org/10.1038/nutd.2014.26

    The Amazon Rainforest feeds on millions of tons of dust from the Sahara Desert per year by Grant Currin

    • Saharan Dust Feeds Amazon’s Plants. (2011). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-satellite-reveals-how-much-saharan-dust-feeds-amazon-s-plants
    • Yu, H., Chin, M., Yuan, T., Bian, H., Remer, L. A., Prospero, J. M., Omar, A., Winker, D., Yang, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Z., & Zhao, C. (2015). The fertilizing role of African dust in the Amazon rainforest: A first multiyear assessment based on data from Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations. Geophysical Research Letters, 42(6), 1984–1991. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015gl063040

    Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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.

    13 min
  • The Medicinal Power of Plants, World Record Internet Speed

    Learn about how plants could help us solve the superbug crisis; and how engineers set a world record for internet speed.

    More from leading medical ethnobotanist Dr. Cassandra Quave:

    • Pick up “The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines” by Dr. Cassandra Leah Quave: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612171/the-plant-hunter-by-cassandra-leah-quave/
    • Quave Research Group: https://etnobotanica.us/
    • Follow @QuaveEthnobot on Twitter: https://twitter.com/QuaveEthnobot
    • Dr. Cassandra Quave’s website: https://cassandraquave.com/

    Japanese engineers achieved a world record internet speed of 319 terabits per second by Briana Brownell

    • Houser, K. (2021, November 13). Japan breaks world record for fastest internet speed. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/the-present/japan-internet-speed/
    • Demonstration of World Record: 319 Tb/s Transmission over 3,001 km with 4-core fiber. (2021, July 12). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/555556 ‌
    • Demonstration of World Record: 319 Tb/s Transmission over 3,001 km with 4-core optical fiber | 2021 | NICT - National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. (2021). NICT - National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. https://www.nict.go.jp/en/press/2021/07/12-1.html
    • Tackling online video speeds and download thresholds. (2022). Giveo.com. https://giveo.com/

    Learn more about host Cody Gough on Giveo and at https://academicpodcasts.com. 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.

    17 min
  • Butterfly Effect, How to Cry at Work, Eggcorns in Language

    Learn about the butterfly effect; why language mistakes called “eggcorns” still make sense; and tips for crying at work.

    The stories in this episode originally aired August 8, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/the-butterfly-effect-is-why-we-can-t-predict-weath   

    Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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.

    15 min
  • How Science Works (w/ Bill Nye), Noise-Canceling Lungs, Stomach Growls

    Bill Nye explains why science isn’t just a body of knowledge — it’s a process. Plus: frogs with noise-canceling lungs and why your stomach growls when you’re hungry.

    Additional resources from Bill Nye:

    • Official website https://billnye.com/
    • Bill Nye’s podcast, Science Rules! https://www.askbillnye.com/
    • Pick up “Bill Nye's Great Big World of Science” on Amazon https://amzn.to/3u8iKQi
    • “Everything All at Once: How to Think Like a Science Guy, Solve Any Problem, and Make a Better World” on Amazon https://amzn.to/3whsk5j
    • Follow @BillNye on Twitter https://twitter.com/BillNye

    This frog has noise-canceling lungs by Cameron Duke

    • Lee, N., Christensen-Dalsgaard, J., White, L. A., Schrode, K. M., & Bee, M. A. (2021). Lung Mediated Auditory Contrast Enhancement Improves the Signal-to-Noise Ratio for Communication in Frogs. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.048
    • This frog has lungs that act like noise-canceling headphones. (2021). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210304145430.htm

    Why your stomach growls when you're hungry by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Safin in Lisbon, Portugal)

    • Why does your stomach growl when you are hungry? (2002, January 21). Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-your-stomach-gro/
    • ‌What Makes Your Stomach Growl? (2020, February 12). Wonderopolis.org. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-makes-your-stomach-growl

    Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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.

    16 min
  • Tool Use and Language in the Brain, Why Black Holes Get Bigger

    Learn how tool use and language work in the brain; and why black holes get bigger due to the expansion of the universe.

    Tool use and language ability go hand in hand by Grant Currin

    • Using mechanical tools improves our language skills. (2021, November 11). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934004
    • Thibault, S., Py, R., Gervasi, A. M., Salemme, R., Koun, E., Lövden, M., Boulenger, V., Roy, A. C., & Brozzoli, C. (2021). Tool use and language share syntactic processes and neural patterns in the basal ganglia. Science, 374(6569). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe0874
    • Know Your Brain: Basal Ganglia. (2014). Neuroscientifically Challenged. https://neuroscientificallychallenged.com/posts/what-are-basal-ganglia

    Black holes get bigger from the expansion of the universe itself by Briana Brownell 

    • New study proposes expansion of the universe directly impacts black hole growth. (2021, November 3). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933693
    • ‌Croker, K. S., Zevin, M., Farrah, D., Nishimura, K. A., & Tarlé, G. (2021). Cosmologically Coupled Compact Objects: A Single-parameter Model for LIGO–Virgo Mass and Redshift Distributions. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 921(2), L22. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac2fad

    Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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.

    13 min
  • Back Pain in Space, Cats’ Mental Maps, Diamond Davemaoite

    Learn about back pain from space; how cats track their owners; and what davemaoite tells us about Earth’s lower mantle.

    Space travel causes back pain, and doctors need to find a fix by Cameron Duke

    • Back pain common among astronauts offers treatment insights for the earth-bound. (2021, October 21). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932251
    • Penchev, R., Scheuring, R. A., Soto, A. T., Miletich, D. M., Kerstman, E., & Cohen, S. P. (2021). Back Pain in Outer Space. Anesthesiology, 135(3), 384–395. https://doi.org/10.1097/aln.0000000000003812

    Cats track their owners with mental maps by Cameron Duke

    • Takagi, S., Chijiiwa, H., Arahori, M., Saito, A., Fujita, K., & Kuroshima, H. (2021). Socio-spatial cognition in cats: Mentally mapping owner’s location from voice. PLOS ONE, 16(11), e0257611. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257611
    • Weisberger, M. (2021, November 11). You can’t hide from your cat, so don’t even try. Livescience.com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/cats-track-owners
    • Taboo Science Podcast - The podcast that answers the questions you’re not allowed to ask. (2020). Tabooscience.show. https://www.tabooscience.show/

    Scientists found a once-theoretical mineral inside a diamond that tells us more about the Earth's lower mantle by Grant Currin 

    • A mineral found in a diamond’s flaws contains the source of some of Earth’s heat. (2021, November 11). Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mineral-diamond-davemaoite-earth-mantle-heat
    • Koumoundouros, T. (2021). Elusive Crystal Predicted Decades Ago Found Trapped in a Diamond From The Deep Earth. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/a-diamond-caught-and-preserved-the-deepest-rare-earth-mineral-science-has-ever-examined
    • Piesing, M. (2019). The deepest hole we have ever dug. Bbc.com. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190503-the-deepest-hole-we-have-ever-dug
    • Tschauner, O., Huang, S., Yang, S., Humayun, M., Liu, W., Gilbert Corder, S. N., Bechtel, H. A., Tischler, J., & Rossman, G. R. (2021). Discovery of davemaoite, CaSiO 3 -perovskite, as a mineral from the lower mantle. Science, 374(6569), 891–894. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abl8568

    Learn more about host Cody Gough on Giveo and at https://academicpodcasts.com. 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.

    19 min
  • Opposites Don’t Attract, Liking What’s Nearby, Last Name History

    Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect”; and when and why we started using last names.

    Opposites Don’t Attract by Kelsey Donk

    • Johnson, M. D. (2018, February 12). No, opposites do not attract. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/no-opposites-do-not-attract-88839
    • Montoya, R. M., & Horton, R. S. (2012). A meta-analytic investigation of the processes underlying the similarity-attraction effect. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(1), 64–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512452989
      • PDF: http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a682/269a59590349bc369e637d64ea2cae683b51.pdf

    We Like What’s Physically Close to Us by Mae Rice

    • New evidence for the “propinquity effect” – mere physical closeness increases our liking of desirable people and things. (2018, August). Research Digest; Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/08/01/new-evidence-for-the-propinquity-effect-mere-physical-closeness-increases-our-liking-of-desirable-people-and-things/
    • Shin, J., Suh, E. M., Li, N. P., Eo, K., Chong, S. C., & Tsai, M.-H. (2018). Darling, Get Closer to Me: Spatial Proximity Amplifies Interpersonal Liking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(2), 300–309. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218784903

    The History of Last Names by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Gregory)

    • Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps. (2012). Forebears.Io. https://forebears.io/surnames
    • Surnames & The Norman Conquest | Heritage Family History. (2016, September 3). Heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk. https://www.heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk/blog/2016/09/surnames-the-norman-conquest/
    • SCMP. (2016, November 17). South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2046955/complex-origins-chinese-names-demystified
    • The Memi De-Shalit Database of Jewish Family Names at Beit Hatfutsot. (2020). Beit Hatfutsot. https://www.bh.org.il/databases/family-names/jewish-family-names-introduction/
    • Muraskin, B. (2014, January 8). Jewish Surnames Explained. Slate Magazine; Slate. https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/01/ashkenazi-names-the-etymology-of-the-most-common-jewish-surnames.html

    Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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.

    12 min
  • Puppy Anxiety Fixes and Avoiding “Back Burner” Relationships

    Dr. Courtney Campbell explains how to treat your puppy’s anxiety. Plus: why “back burner” relationships are unhealthy. 

    More from The Happy Puppy on DOGTV and Dr. Courtney Campbell:

    • The Happy Puppy on DOGTV: https://watch.dogtv.com/happy-puppy
    • Use code PUPPIES22 to score a free month at https://www.dogtv.com/  
    • Follow @dogtv on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dogtv/
    • Dr. Courtney Campbell’s website: https://www.drcourtneydvm.com/
    • Follow @drcourtneydvm on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcourtneydvm/

    Mark your calendar for PUPPY BOWL XVIII on Sunday, February 13 at 2 PM ET on Animal Planet and streaming on discovery+

    • Puppy Bowl XVIII: https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/see
    • Ready, Set, Pup! Introducing Puppy Bowl XVIII: https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/see/puppy-bowl-announcement
    • Start your 7-day free trial of discovery+ at https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

    Back burner relationships are bad for you by Steffie Drucker

    • Johnson, S. (2021, November 24). Back-burner communication with your ex is likely to end poorly. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/back-burner-communication-with-ex/  
    • Banas, J. A., Dibble, J. L., Bessarabova, E., & Drouin, M. (2021). Simmering on the Back Burner or Playing with Fire? Examining the Consequences of Back-Burner Digital Communication Among Ex-Partners. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(7), 473–479. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0717
    • Why Keeping an Ex on the Back Burner Could Be a Bad Idea. (2021). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/consequences-digital-communication/202111/why-keeping-ex-the-back-burner-could-be-bad-idea

    Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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.

    18 min

About Curiosity Weekly

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to Curiosity Weekly from Discovery, hosted by Dr. Samantha Yammine. Once a week, we’ll bring you the latest and greatest in scientific discoveries and break down the details so that you…

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