The Science Behind Concussions

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/

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Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/hungry-plants-concussion-confusion-an-alzheimers-theory

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