Is There a Microbe That Eats Viruses?

Today you’ll learn about how ancient Roman concrete can heal itself, the recent discovery of a virovore, and how a new study looks into whether or not we can control feelings of guilt through the placebo effect. 

Roman Concrete Magic 

• “Scientists may have found magic ingredient behind ancient Rome’s self-healing concrete” by Jacklin Kwan
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-may-have-found-magic-ingredient-behind-ancient-romes-self-healing-concrete#:~:text=The%20Romans%20were%20not%20the,majority%20of%20their%20construction%20projects.
• “Why modern mortar crumbles, but Roman concrete lasts millennia” by ZAHRA AHMAD
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/why-modern-mortar-crumbles-roman-concrete-lasts-millennia

Virovore 

• “First "virovore" discovered: An organism that eats viruses” By Michael Irving
  • https://newatlas.com/science/first-virovore-eats-viruses/
• “The consumption of viruses returns energy to food chains” by John P. DeLong et al.
  • https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215000120

Placebo Guilt

• “Placebos reduce feelings of guilt – even when people know they’re taking one” by Jeremy Howick
  • https://theconversation.com/placebos-reduce-feelings-of-guilt-even-when-people-know-theyre-taking-one-197919
• “Deceptive and open-label placebo effects in experimentally induced guilt: a randomized controlled trial in healthy subjects” by Dilan Sezer, Cosima Locher & Jens Gaab
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-25446-1

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Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/roman-concrete-magic-virovore-placebo-guilt

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