Curiosity Weekly

Learn about why you want things just because others do too; a way to reduce wrongful convictions; and Fermilab’s ferret.

"Mimetic desires" are things you want because others want them — here's how to spot them by Steffie Drucker

• Reese, H. (2021, November 8). Mimetic desire: How to avoid chasing things you don’t truly want. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/mimetic-desire-luke-burgis/
• Caprino, K. (2021, June 4). How To Identify Your True Desires And Stop Imitating Everyone Else’s. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2021/06/04/how-to-identify-your-true-desires-and-stop-imitating-everyone-elses/?sh=15125424699e
• ‌Girard, Rene | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2015). Utm.edu. https://iep.utm.edu/girard/
• ‌Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire by Luke Burgis - Summary & Quotes. (2021). Matthewvere.com. https://www.matthewvere.com/notes/wanting-the-power-of-mimetic-desire#toc-thick-desires
• Mimetic Theory | What It Is. (2019). Mimetic Theory. https://mimetictheory.com/what-it-is-2/  

To reduce wrongful convictions, test a witness's memory only once by Grant Currin

• One and done: Researchers urge testing eyewitness memory only once. (2021, November 3). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933794
• Wixted, J. T., Wells, G. L., Loftus, E. F., & Garrett, B. L. (2021). Test a Witness’s Memory of a Suspect Only Once. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 22(1_suppl), 1S18S. https://doi.org/10.1177/15291006211026259
• Kimball, S. (2021, January 28). US Supreme Court turns down Texas death row case concerning police hypnosis. Jurist.org; - JURIST - News - Legal News & Commentary. https://www.jurist.org/news/2021/01/us-supreme-court-turns-down-texas-death-row-case-concerning-police-hypnosis/

In the 1970s, one of Fermilab’s particle accelerator techs was a ferret named Felicia by Cameron Duke

• Felicia helps out. (2016, October 5). News. https://news.fnal.gov/2016/10/felicia-helps-out/
• Pinkowski, J. (2019, April 2). Why Physicists Tried to Put a Ferret in a Particle Accelerator. Atlas Obscura; Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/felicia-ferret-particle-accelerator-fermilab
• Searcy, M. (Fall 2014). A fuzzy concept. The University of Chicago Magazine. https://mag.uchicago.edu/science-medicine/fuzzy-concept
• Spichak, S. (2021, July 13). The Ferret Who Ran Inside the Fermi Particle Accelerator. Medium; History of Yesterday. https://historyofyesterday.com/the-ferret-who-ran-inside-the-fermi-particle-accelerator-fec5b3136b0b

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.

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Learn about why your romantic relationships are similar; the oldest material on Earth; and cuttlefish with 3-D glasses.

Why Your Next Relationship Will Probably Be Like Your Last by Kelsey Donk

• Changing partners doesn’t change relationship dynamics, study shows. (2019). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/uoa-cpd082719.php
• Johnson, M. D., & Neyer, F. J. (2019). (Eventual) stability and change across partnerships. Journal of Family Psychology, 33(6), 711–721. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000523

Scientist Discovered the Oldest Material on Earth by Grant Currin

• WMAP- Life and Death of Stars. (2010). Nasa.Gov. https://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/rel_stars.html
• Meteorite contains the oldest material on Earth: 7-billion-year-old stardust. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/fm-mct010820.php
• This ancient stardust is the oldest ever to be examined in a lab. (2020, January 13). Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-meteorite-stardust-oldest-ever-examined-lab
• 7 billion-year-old stardust is the oldest stuff on Earth. (2020, January 13). The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2020/01/13/seven-billion-year-old-stardust-is-oldest-stuff-earth/
• Heck, P. R., Greer, J., Kööp, L., Trappitsch, R., Gyngard, F., Busemann, H., Maden, C., Ávila, J. N., Davis, A. M., & Wieler, R. (2020). Lifetimes of interstellar dust from cosmic ray exposure ages of presolar silicon carbide. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(4), 1884–1889. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1904573117

Why Scientists Put Cuttlefish in 3-D Glasses by Grant Currin

• Yes, This Cuttlefish Is Wearing 3-D Glasses. (2020, January 8). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/science/3d-glasses-cuttlefish.html
• Cuttlefish use depth perception similar to vertebrate vision when hunting prey. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/aaft-cud010620.php

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.

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Learn about a race against a wheel of cheese; your personality throughout the day; and effects of extensive eye contact.

The stories in this episode originally aired July 6, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/you-re-a-different-person-in-the-morning-eye-conta

Every Year, People in this English Town Risk Life and Limb to Chase a Wheel of Cheese by Annie Hartman

• Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2021 on Coopers Hill in Gloucester. (2021). SoGlos. https://www.soglos.com/sport-outdoor/27837/Gloucestershire-Cheese-Rolling
• Phillips, J. (2020, May 25). Secret sunrise Cheese Rolling ceremony keeps tradition alive. GloucestershireLive. https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/secret-sunrise-cheese-rolling-ceremony-4162049

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.

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Learn how AI may learn to talk to whales; why pedestrians don’t follow the shortest route; and competitiveness in women.

Researchers are using AI to understand whale clicks — and talk back to them by Briana Brownell 

• Hakai Magazine. (2021). Are We on the Verge of Chatting with Whales? | Hakai Magazine. Hakai Magazine; Hakai Magazine. https://hakaimagazine.com/features/are-we-on-the-verge-of-chatting-with-whales/
• ‌Scientists Are Working on an AI to Let Us Talk to Whales. (2021, October 27). Futurism; Futurism. https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-ai-whale-language
• ‌PROJECT CETI. (2020). https://www.projectceti.org/
• ‌Welch, C. (2021, April 19). Animals; National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/scientists-plan-to-use-ai-to-try-to-decode-the-language-of-whales

Pedestrians are wired to follow the "pointiest" route, not the shortest by Cameron Duke 

• Bongiorno, C., Zhou, Y., Kryven, M., Theurel, D., Rizzo, A., Santi, P., Tenenbaum, J., & Ratti, C. (2021). Vector-based pedestrian navigation in cities. Nature Computational Science, 1(10), 678–685. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-021-00130-y
• How the brain navigates cities. (2021, October 18). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931695
• Duke, C. (2021, August 12). Howler monkeys navigate using adaptable mental maps, just like humans. New Scientist; New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2286901-howler-monkeys-navigate-using-adaptable-mental-maps-just-like-humans/

Women are just as competitive as men, they just show it differently by Steffie Drucker

• Barroso, A., & Brown, A. (2021, May 25). Gender pay gap in U.S. held steady in 2020. Pew Research Center; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/25/gender-pay-gap-facts/
• ‌Study casts doubt on theory that women aren’t as competitive as men. (2021, November). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932985
• ‌Cassar, A., & Rigdon, M. L. (2021). Prosocial option increases women’s entry into competition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(45), e2111943118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111943118

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.

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Learn about tips for hosting fantastic virtual gatherings; how language affects pain; and the world’s largest waterfalls.

Additional resources from Priya Parker:

• Pick up "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/38sYHUN
• Listen to Priya Parker's New York Times Podcast "Together Apart": https://www.nytimes.com/column/together-apart
• Website: https://www.priyaparker.com/
• Priya Parker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/priyaparker
• Priya Parker on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Priya-Parker-2108847152464229/

Bilinguals feel more pain in the language of their stronger cultural identity by Kelsey Donk

• Does your pain feel different in English and Spanish? (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/uom-dyp113020.php
• Gianola, M., Llabre, M. M., & Losin, E. A. R. (2020). Effects of Language Context and Cultural Identity on the Pain Experience of Spanish–English Bilinguals. Affective Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-020-00021-x

The World's Largest Waterfall Isn't What You'd Think by Mike Epifani

• World Waterfall Database. (2018). Worldwaterfalldatabase.com. https://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/
• Jennings, K. (2012, November 26). Ken Jennings Finds the Biggest Waterfall in the World. Condé Nast Traveler; Condé Nast Traveler. https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2012-11-26/underwater-waterfall-denmark-strait-maphead-ken-jennings
• Wilcox, C. (2013, August 23). 16 Things BuzzFeed Doesn’t Know About The Ocean. Discover Magazine; Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/16-things-buzzfeed-doesnt-know-about-the-ocean
• See How Antarctica’s Hidden Water Drives The World’s Oceans. (2015). Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/meet-super-salty-dense-water-that-surrounds-antarctica/

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.

Learn about a mysterious ancient Roman sauce; puberty happening earlier; and how elephants are getting their tusks back.

Garum, an ancient Roman sauce, mysteriously vanished — and culinarians can't recreate it by Steffie Drucker

• Tonon, R. (2021, June 24). The Team Resurrecting Ancient Rome’s Favorite Condiment. Atlas Obscura; Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/garum-fish-sauce
• Grescoe, T. (2021, November). Culinary Detectives Try to Recover the Formula for a Deliciously Fishy Roman Condiment. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/recoving-the-recipe-for-garum-180978846/
• Fish Sauce: An Ancient Roman Condiment Rises Again. (2013, October 26). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/10/26/240237774/fish-sauce-an-ancient-roman-condiment-rises-again
• ‌Garum, Pompeii Fish Sauce. (2021). Pompeii-Food-And-Drink.org. http://pompeii-food-and-drink.org/garum.htm

The reason puberty is happening sooner may be because our bodies time it with our nutrition by Grant Currin

• Scientists discover how our brain uses nutritional state to regulate growth and age at puberty. (2021, November 3). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933435
• Lam, B. Y. H., Williamson, A., Finer, S., Day, F. R., Tadross, J. A., Gonçalves Soares, A., Wade, K., Sweeney, P., Bedenbaugh, M. N., Porter, D. T., Melvin, A., Ellacott, K. L. J., Lippert, R. N., Buller, S., Rosmaninho-Salgado, J., Dowsett, G. K. C., Ridley, K. E., Xu, Z., Cimino, I., & Rimmington, D. (2021). MC3R links nutritional state to childhood growth and the timing of puberty. Nature, 599(7885), 436–441. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04088-9
• Philippa Roxby. (2021, November 3). The brain sensor discovery behind humans getting taller. BBC News; BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59140359

Intense poaching led to the evolution of tuskless elephants, but the good news is that those tusks are making a comeback by Cameron Duke

• Campbell-Staton, S. C., Arnold, B. J., Gonçalves, D., Granli, P., Poole, J., Long, R. A., & Pringle, R. M. (2021). Ivory poaching and the rapid evolution of tusklessness in African elephants. Science, 374(6566), 483–487. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe7389
• Dina Fine Maron. (2018, November 9). Under poaching pressure, elephants are evolving to lose their tusks. Animals; National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-news-tuskless-elephants-behavior-change
• Preston, E. (2021). Tuskless Elephants Escape Poachers, but May Evolve New Problems. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/science/tuskless-elephants-evolution.html
• Yong, E. (2021, October 21). The Atlantic. The Atlantic; theatlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/10/elephants-poaching-war-tusklessness/620447/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. 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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Learn why the US military bombed a volcano; where heavy elements in the universe come from; and why your mind wanders. 

Why the U.S. Government Bombed Mauna Loa in 1935 by Cameron Duke

• 1935 Eruption of Mauna Loa - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service). (2016). Nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/nature/mauna-loa-1935.htm
• Martín, L. (2021, October 27). La Palma volcano “should be bombed” to divert lava flow. AS.com; AS En. https://en.as.com/en/2021/10/27/latest_news/1635330566_122546.html
• Robin George Andrews. (2021, October 27). Science; National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-the-us-once-bombed-an-erupting-volcano
• Turner, B. (2021, November). Politician suggests bombing erupting La Palma volcano to stop lava flow. Livescience.com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/la-palma-volcano-bomb-proposal
• Volcano Watch — Hilo had a close call from the 1881 Mauna Loa lava flow. (2019, November 21). Usgs.gov. https://www.usgs.gov/center-news/volcano-watch-hilo-had-a-close-call-1881-mauna-loa-lava-flow

Every element heavier than iron was made in a cosmic explosion by Briana Brownell

• Neutron star collisions are “goldmine” of heavy elements, study finds. (2021, October 25). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932599
• ‌Chen, H.-Y., Vitale, S., & Foucart, F. (2021). The Relative Contribution to Heavy Metals Production from Binary Neutron Star Mergers and Neutron Star–Black Hole Mergers. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 920(1), L3. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac26c6
• Stellar Death. (2021). Uoregon.edu. http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast122/lectures/lec18.html
• ‌Nola Taylor Redd. (2018, February 24). Neutron Stars: Definition & Facts. Space.com; Space. https://www.space.com/22180-neutron-stars.html

Your Mind Wanders Half the Time You're Awake by Ashley Hamer originally ran April 30, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/how-often-your-mind-wanders-smiling-at-dogs-and-ri

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.

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Learn about brain freeze fixes; neural networks beyond our understanding; and learning new skills with spaced repetition.

The stories in this episode originally aired August 29, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/neural-networks-why-you-get-brain-freeze-and-a-sci

Learn better with the Anki app that Ashley uses: https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. 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/brain-freeze-neural-networks-spaced-repetition-for-memory

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Dr. Wendy Suzuki explains how to use anxiety to your advantage. Plus: why grapefruit juice and some medicines don’t mix.

More from Dr. Wendy Suzuki:

• Pick up “Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion” https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Good-Anxiety/Wendy-Suzuki/9781982170738
• Dr. Suzuki’s official website: https://www.wendysuzuki.com/
• Follow @wasuzuki on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wasuzuki

Combat social anxiety on HiHo:

• Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hiho-video/id1535845974?itsct=apps_box&itscg=30200
• Curiosity on HiHo: https://hiho.link/g/curiosity
• Cody’s Curious Clan: https://hiho.link/g/codyclan

Why can’t I drink grapefruit juice when I take certain medicines? by Cameron Duke

• Bailey, D. G., Dresser, G., & Arnold, J. M. O. (2012). Grapefruit–medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences? Canadian Medical Association Journal, 185(4), 309–316. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.120951
• Drug Metabolism - The Importance of Cytochrome P450 3A4. (2014). Govt.nz. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/puarticles/march2014drugmetabolismcytochromep4503a4.htm
• Office of the Commissioner. (2021). Grapefruit juice can affect how well some medicines work. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/grapefruit-juice-and-some-drugs-dont-mix

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.

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/turn-anxiety-into-productivity-and-grapefruit-juice-vs-meds

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Learn about pre-performance routines; how panda fur works as camouflage; and how babies are enriched from sign language.

A pre-performance routine makes athletes like Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal perform better, regardless of what it is by Steffie Drucker

• Athletes with a pre-performance routine perform better. (2021, November 11). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934597
• The effectiveness of pre-performance routines in sports: a meta-analysis. (2021). International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1750984X.2021.1944271
• Grace Lisa Scott. (2017, July 10). Rafael Nadal’s Rituals Have a Psychological Benefit. Inverse; Inverse. https://www.inverse.com/article/33718-rafael-nadal-and-the-psychology-of-sports-rituals
• Khanna, V. (2020, March). Rafael Nadal’s Rituals: The Mechanism Behind the Rhythm. EssentiallySports. https://www.essentiallysports.com/rafael-nadals-rituals-the-mechanism-behind-the-rhythm-atp-tennis-news/
• Sommer, S. (2013, December 30). 10 Athletes’ Odd Pregame Rituals. Business Insider; Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/athletes-odd-pregame-rituals-2013-12

Believe it or not, a panda's distinctive markings work as camouflage by Cameron Duke

• Giant pandas’ distinctive black and white markings provide effective camouflage, study finds. (2021, October 28). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932725
• Nokelainen, O., Scott-Samuel, N. E., Nie, Y., Wei, F., & Caro, T. (2021). The giant panda is cryptic. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00742-4

For babies, sign language is just as cognitively enriching as spoken language by Steffie Drucker

• To baby brains, language is language, whether signed or spoken. (2021, October 26). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/932704
• Goodwin, C., Carrigan, E., Walker, K., & Coppola, M. (2021). Language not auditory experience is related to parent‐reported executive functioning in preschool‐aged deaf and hard‐of‐hearing children. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13677
• American Sign Language. (2021, October 29). NIDCD. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/american-sign-language#1

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.

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/pre-performance-routines-panda-camouflage-baby-sign-language

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