Learn how COVID tests work; how math can help you with major life decisions; and how some dogs have natural talent.

How COVID PCR tests work by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Lydia)

• Tiner, S. (2020, March 27). The Science Behind the Test for the COVID-19 VirusDiscovery’s Edge. Https://Discoverysedge.mayo.edu/. https://discoverysedge.mayo.edu/2020/03/27/the-science-behind-the-test-for-the-covid-19-virus/
• Amoeba Sisters. (2020). PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5jmdh9AnS4
• PCR: Thirty-five years and counting. (2018, May 10). PCR: Thirty-five years and counting. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/features/2018/05/pcr-thirty-five-years-and-counting
• Ask A Scientist Staff. (2020, October 23). Why qPCR is the gold standard for COVID-19 testing. Ask a Scientist; Thermo Fisher Scientific. https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/ask-a-scientist/why-qpcr-is-the-gold-standard-for-covid-19-testing/

Additional resources from David Sumpter:

• Pick up "The Ten Equations that Rule the World and How You Can Use Them Too" https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250246967
• Faculty page: https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N7-525
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/soccermatics?lang=en

Dogs have talent, yes they do by Steffie Drucker

• Not only humans got talent, dogs got it too! (2021, July 7). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/553737
• Fugazza, C., Dror, S., Sommese, A., Temesi, A., & Miklósi, Á. (2021). Word learning dogs (Canis familiaris) provide an animal model for studying exceptional performance. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93581-2
• Genius Dog Challenge. (2021). Exceptional DOGS & what they can TEACH us [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF6ZpjdH2Sc
• Follow Christina Hunger, Speech Pathologist, on Instagram @Hunger4Words https://www.instagram.com/hunger4words/?hl=en

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-covid-tests-work-making-decisions-with-math-dog-talent

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Learn how to turn the table on addictive apps; and how black holes can make us see multiple versions of the same thing.

Additional resources from David Sumpter:

• Pick up "The Ten Equations that Rule the World and How You Can Use Them Too" https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250246967
• Faculty page: https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N7-525
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/soccermatics?lang=en

New mathematical model shows why black holes can make us see multiple versions of the same thing by Briana Brownell

• Danish Student solves how the Universe is reflected near black holes. (2021, July 26). Nbi.ku.dk; University of Copenhagen. https://nbi.ku.dk/english/news/news21/danish-student-solves-how-the-universe-is-reflected-near-black-holes/
• Snepppen, A. (2021). Divergent reflections around the photon sphere of a black hole. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93595-w

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/turning-the-table-on-addictive-apps-black-hole-reflections

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Learn how often people misremember alibis; new lessons from Denisova Cave; and how to remove pesticides from produce.

People often misremember where they were on a given date, which puts criminal alibis into question by Cameron Duke

• Faulty memories of our past whereabouts: The fallacy of an airtight alibi. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-07/afps-fmo070721.php
• Laliberte, E., Yim, H., Stone, B., & Dennis, S. J. (2021). The Fallacy of an Airtight Alibi: Understanding Human Memory for “Where” Using Experience Sampling. Psychological Science, 32(6), 944–951. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620980752
• Young, E. (2021, June 7). It’s Surprisingly Common To Misremember Where You Were On A Specific Time And Date. Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/06/07/its-surprisingly-common-to-misremember-where-you-were-on-a-specific-time-and-date/

Huge analysis of sediment DNA tells a deeper story of Denisova Cave by Cameron Duke

• Pleistocene sediment DNA from Denisova Cave: Sediment DNA tracks 300,000 years of hominin and animal presence at Denisova Cave. (2021). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210623113857.htm
• Zavala, E. I., Jacobs, Z., Vernot, B., Shunkov, M. V., Kozlikin, M. B., Derevianko, A. P., Essel, E., de Fillipo, C., Nagel, S., Richter, J., Romagné, F., Schmidt, A., Li, B., O’Gorman, K., Slon, V., Kelso, J., Pääbo, S., Roberts, R. G., & Meyer, M. (2021). Pleistocene sediment DNA reveals hominin and faunal turnovers at Denisova Cave. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03675-0

The Best Ways to Remove Pesticides From Produce was originally published June 29, 2018: https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/how-to-remove-pesticides-from-produce-the-misattri

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/alibi-memory-denisova-cave-history-cleaning-fruit-veggies

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Learn about the time pirates stopped the US from switching to the metric system; and new learnings about Mars’ interior.

The US once tried switching to the metric system, but got stopped by pirates by Steffie Drucker

• How Pirates Of The Caribbean Hijacked America’s Metric System. (2017, December 28). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/28/574044232/how-pirates-of-the-caribbean-hijacked-americas-metric-system
• Kaplan, S. (2017). Pirates Are to Blame For Why The US Doesn’t Use The Metric System. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/pirates-are-to-blame-for-why-the-us-doesn-t-use-the-metric-system
• Esser, M. (2017, September 19). Pirates of the Caribbean (Metric Edition). NIST. https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/pirates-caribbean-metric-edition
• Materese, R. (2016, December 23). Busting Myths about the Metric System. NIST. https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/busting-myths-about-metric-system

We just learned a ton about the interior of Mars by Briana Brownell

• The anatomy of a planet. (2021, July 22). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/612165
• Hays, B. (2021, July 23). Insight data offers clues to Mars’ deep interior, formation in solar system. UPI; UPI. https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2021/07/23/marsquakes-insight-lander/9331627055442/
• NASA’s InSight Reveals the Deep Interior of Mars. (2021, July 22). Nasa.gov. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-insight-reveals-the-deep-interior-of-mars
• “Felt” Earthquakes = Ones That People Feel. (2018). Usgs.gov. https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/felt-earthquakes

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/pirates-plundered-the-metric-system-what-marsquakes-teach-us

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Learn about evolutionary compromises; the fractals of Romanesco cauliflower; and dolphins that learn each other’s names.

Conflict traits: when evolution and mating conflict with each other by Cameron Duke

• Experiments show natural selection opposes sexual selection. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/uoe-esn060721.php
• Mulder, M. B., & Rauch, K. L. (2009). Sexual conflict in humans: Variations and solutions. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 18(5), 201–214. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.20226
• Okada, K., Katsuki, M., Sharma, M. D., Kiyose, K., Seko, T., Okada, Y., Wilson, A. J., & Hosken, D. J. (2021). Natural selection increases female fitness by reversing the exaggeration of a male sexually selected trait. Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23804-7

Here's why Romanesco cauliflower grows in a fractal pattern by Briana Brownell

• Ouellette, J. (2021, July 8). What fractals, Fibonacci, and the golden ratio have to do with cauliflower. Ars Technica; Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/what-fractals-fibonacci-and-the-golden-ratio-have-to-do-with-cauliflower/
• Azpeitia, E., Tichtinsky, G., Le Masson, M., Serrano-Mislata, A., Lucas, J., Gregis, V., Gimenez, C., Prunet, N., Farcot, E., Kater, M. M., Bradley, D., Madueño, F., Godin, C., & Parcy, F. (2021). Cauliflower fractal forms arise from perturbations of floral gene networks. Science, 373(6551), 192–197. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg5999

Dolphins can learn each other's names by Grant Currin

• Morell, V. (2021, April 22). Dolphins learn the “names” of their friends to form teams—a first in animal kingdom. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/04/dolphins-learn-names-their-friends-form-teams-first-animal-kingdom
• King, S. L., Connor, R. C., Krützen, M., & Allen, S. J. (2021). Cooperation-based concept formation in male bottlenose dolphins. Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22668-1
• Shyr, L. (2021, May 5). Dolphins Help Those Who’ve Helped Them Before, Even When They’re Not Friends. Atlas Obscura; Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dolphins-work-in-teams

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/romanesco-fractals-dolphin-names-evolution-vs-mating

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Learn about a microwave to revive hamsters; whether humans are still evolving; and why art is more moving in a museum.

One of the earliest microwaves wasn’t for food… it was for reanimating frozen hamsters. by Cameron Duke

• Andjus, R. K., & Lovelock, J. E. (1955). Reanimation of rats from body temperatures between 0 and 1° C by microwave diathermy. The Journal of Physiology, 128(3), 541–546. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1955.sp005323
• Felton, J. (2021, May 18). YouTuber Discovers The Bizarre Early Use Of Microwave Ovens. IFLScience; IFLScience. https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/early-microwaves-hamsters/
• Scott, T. (2021). I promise this story about microwaves is interesting. [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tdiKTSdE9Y

Are humans still evolving? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Jonathan)

• Milk episode: https://www.curiositydaily.com/our-ability-to-drink-milk-evolved-way-faster-than-scientists-thought/
• An Evolutionary Whodunit: How Did Humans Develop Lactose Tolerance? (2012, December 28). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/12/27/168144785/an-evolutionary-whodunit-how-did-humans-develop-lactose-tolerance
• Hoole, J. (2018). These “Sea Nomads” Are The First Known Humans to Have a Genetic Adaptation to Diving. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/indonesian-bajau-genetic-changes-adapt-them-to-aquatic-lifestyle-2
• Winter. (2013, January 29). How to Survive a Siberian Winter. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/01/how-survive-siberian-winter
• Hsu, J. (2010, July). Tibetans Underwent Fastest Evolution Seen in Humans. Livescience.com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/6663-tibetans-underwent-fastest-evolution-humans.html
• TED-Ed. (2020). Is human evolution speeding up or slowing down? - Laurence Hurst [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTeOhj6dxsU
• SciShow. (2020). 4 Ways Humans Are Still Evolving [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCjAAVk7Uis

Art is more moving when you see it in a museum by Cameron Duke

• Art affects you more powerfully when you view it in a museum. (2015, February 5). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2015/02/05/art-affects-you-more-powerfully-when-you-view-it-in-a-museum/
• Brieber, D., Nadal, M., & Leder, H. (2015). In the white cube: Museum context enhances the valuation and memory of art. Acta Psychologica, 154, 36–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.11.004
• Situated Cognition: Theory & Definition | Study.com. (2021). Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/situated-cognition-theory-definition.html

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/hamster-microwave-are-humans-still-evolving-art-is-better-in-a-museum

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Learn why Easter Island never had a population collapse; and how scientists are measuring the expansion of our universe.

Easter Island never had a population collapse, as commonly believed by Grant Currin

• Resilience, not collapse: What the Easter Island myth gets wrong. (2021, July 13). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/793195
• Johnson, S. (2021, July 16). Busting the Easter Island myth: there was no civilization collapse. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/culture-religion/easter-island
• DiNapoli, R. J., Crema, E. R., Lipo, C. P., Rieth, T. M., & Hunt, T. L. (2021). Approximate Bayesian Computation of radiocarbon and paleoenvironmental record shows population resilience on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24252-z

Scientists can't decide how fast the universe is expanding, but this scientist says there's no conflict at all by Briana Brownell

• “There may not be a conflict after all” in expanding universe debate. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/uoc-mn062921.php
• Freedman, W. L. (2021). Measurements of the Hubble Constant: Tensions in Perspective. arXiv preprint https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.15656

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/easter-island-mythbusting-and-the-universes-expansion-rate

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Learn about the benefits of living near a volcano; different types of carbonated water; and how to procrastinate right.

The stories in this episode originally aired May 30, 2018 “Perks of Procrastination, Volcano Dwellers, Club Soda vs Sparkling Waters” https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/perks-of-procrastination-volcano-dwellers-and-the

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/volcano-perks-club-soda-vs-seltzer-how-to-procrastinate-correctly

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Learn about whether being too clean makes kids sick; an ancient coronavirus epidemic; and a black hole-neutron star merger.

Is being too hygienic making kids sick? These researchers say the public has it all wrong by Grant Currin

• Being clean and hygienic need not impair childhood immunity. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-07/ucl-bca070221.php
• Rook, G. A. W., & Bloomfield, S. F. (2021). Microbial exposures that establish immunoregulation are compatible with targeted hygiene. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 148(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2021.05.008
• Cara, E. (2021, July 6). Being Clean Doesn’t Have to Be Bad for Our Immune System, Scientists Say. Gizmodo; Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/being-clean-doesnt-have-to-be-bad-for-our-immune-system-1847238686

Genome study reveals East Asian coronavirus epidemic 20,000 years ago by Cameron Duke

• Souilmi, Y., Lauterbur, M. E., Tobler, R., Huber, C. D., Johar, A. S., Moradi, S. V., Johnston, W. A., Krogan, N. J., Alexandrov, K., & Enard, D. (2021). An ancient viral epidemic involving host coronavirus interacting genes more than 20,000 years ago in East Asia. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.067
• Queensland University of Technology (2021, June 24). Genome study reveals East Asian coronavirus epidemic 20,000 years ago. Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-genome-reveals-east-asian-coronavirus.html

We got the first ever detection of a black hole gobbling up a neutron star by Briana Brownell

• Black holes swallow neutron stars like “Pac Man.” (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/anu-bh062521.php
• Astrophysicists detect first black hole-neutron star mergers. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/nu-adf062821.php
• Abbott, R., Abbott, T. D., Abraham, S., Acernese, F., Ackley, K., Adams, A., ... & Boudart, V. (2021). Observation of gravitational waves from two neutron star–black hole coalescences. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 915(1), L5. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ac082e/pdf
• Betz, E. (2020). How Big Are Neutron Stars? Discover Magazine; Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-big-is-a-neutron-star
• By Pallab Ghosh. (2021, June 29). Rare black hole and neutron star collisions sighted twice in 10 days. BBC News; BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57639520
• What Is a Black Hole? (2015). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/hygiene-hypothesis-ancient-coronavirus-black-hole-eats-neutron-star

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Learn about how cognitive flexibility helps you learn; why dinosaurs may have been warm-blooded; and noctilucent clouds.

A high IQ might mean you're smart, but high "cognitive flexibility" means you can learn by Grant Currin

• Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Christelle Langley, & Leong, V. (2021, June 23). IQ tests can’t measure it, but “cognitive flexibility” is key to learning and creativity. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/iq-tests-cant-measure-it-but-cognitive-flexibility-is-key-to-learning-and-creativity-163284
• 3 Ways to Improve Your Cognitive Flexibility. (2019). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wild-connections/201912/3-ways-improve-your-cognitive-flexibility
• Dajani, D. R., & Uddin, L. Q. (2015). Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience. Trends in Neurosciences, 38(9), 571–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2015.07.003

At least 7 species of dinosaur lived and nested in the Arctic, which suggests the existence of warm-blooded dinosaurs by Cameron Duke

• Druckenmiller, P. S., Erickson, G. M., Brinkman, D., Brown, C. M., & Eberle, J. J. (2021). Nesting at extreme polar latitudes by non-avian dinosaurs. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.041
• Multiple dinosaur species not only lived in the Arctic, they also nested there. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/cp-mds061721.php

Rare, glowing noctilucent clouds are appearing more frequently by Briana Brownell

• Q13 FOX. (2021, June 17). Night shining “noctilucent” clouds make mesmerizing appearance over Seattle. Q13 FOX; Q13 FOX. https://www.q13fox.com/weather/night-shining-noctilucent-clouds-make-mesmerizing-appearance-over-seattle
• Mortillaro, N. (2021, June 19). Keep an eye out for rare electric-blue noctilucent clouds in the northern sky. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/noctilucent-clouds-northern-sky-1.6069959
• Rare glowing cloud phenomenon captured in timelapse ok UK’s night sky. (2021, June 17). Msn.com. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/rare-glowing-cloud-phenomenon-captured-in-timelapse-ok-uks-night-sky/vi-AAL8F2Q
• Spaceweather.com Time Machine. (2021). Spaceweather.com. https://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=17&month=06&year=2021
• Umair Irfan. (2021, May 19). Why eerie, glowing noctilucent clouds are showing up more often. Vox; Vox. https://www.vox.com/22420935/glowing-cloud-noctilucent-mystery-unexplainable-podcast-climate

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 transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/cognitive-flexibility-arctic-dinosaurs-noctilucent-clouds

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