Curiosity Weekly

Today, you’ll learn about why it's best to leave your shoes at the door when you come inside, how animals form and maintain their mesmerizing murmurations, and how certain food storage products release sub-microscopic, plastic particles when exposed to hot water.Your mom was right about taking your shoes off inside.“The science is in: wearing shoes inside your home is just plain gross” by Mark Patrick Taylor and Gabriel Filippellihttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/17/the-science-is-in-wearing-shoes-inside-your-home-is-just-plain-gross“Scientists Discover Why You Should Take Off Your Shoes Before Entering Your Home” by Robert Lockehttps://www.lifehack.org/317735/scientists-discover-why-you-should-take-off-your-shoes-before-entering-your-home“Should You Take Your Shoes Off While Indoors?” by Ally Spierhttps://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/should-you-take-your-shoes-off-while-indoorsMurmurations not murmuring.“The Secrets and Science Behind Starling Murmurations” by John Donovanhttps://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/starling-murmurations.htm“Gazing at the “Black Sun”: The Transfixing Beauty of Starling Murmurations” by Søren Solkærhttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/travel/starling-murmurations.html“Swarm Robotics Promises to Boost Diagnostics, Treat Cancer” by Inga Shugalohttps://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/health-medical/swarm-robotics-boosts-diagnosis/The tiny side of plastic.“Your Take-Out Coffee Cup May Shed Trillions of Plastic 'Nanoparticles'” By Dennis Thompsonhttps://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-05-03/your-take-out-coffee-cup-may-shed-trillions-of-plastic-nanoparticles“NIST Study Shows Everyday Plastic Products Release Trillions of Microscopic Particles Into Water” By NISThttps://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/04/nist-study-shows-everyday-plastic-products-release-trillions-microscopic“What are microplastics?” by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationhttps://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.htmlFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/shoo-shoes-murmuration-information-nanoplastic-particles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, you’ll learn about how the next step in nuclear fusion is actually a real estate question, how the death of our sun would be a beautiful thing to see if we were around to witness it, and how an athlete’s desire for perfection can lead to them burning out with their sport altogether.Nuclear plants near the nuclear family.“The World's First Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Is Coming” by Caroline Delberthttps://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a34850835/worlds-first-nuclear-fusion-power-plant/“The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has asked residents in five areas to provide feedback on potential plans to construct a prototype nuclear fusion power plant.” by Jack Loughranhttps://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2022/01/locations-for-the-uk-s-first-fusion-energy-power-plant-revealed A new take on sun flares.“Scientists Figured Out How And When Our Sun Will Die, And It's Going to Be Epic” by Michelle Starrhttps://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-figured-out-how-and-when-our-sun-will-die-and-it-s-going-to-be-epic“Sun 'will flare into massive planetary nebula when it dies,” by Ian Samplehttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/may/07/sun-will-flare-into-massive-planetary-nebula-when-it-dies“Celestial Objects: Nebulae” by SeaSkyhttp://www.seasky.org/celestial-objects/nebulae.htmlPerfection can be dangerous.“Obsession with failure and hunt for perfection linked to burnout” by University of Essexhttps://www.essex.ac.uk/news/2022/04/22/obsession-with-failure-linked-to-burnout“What Causes Athlete Burnout? A New Study Suggests Perfectionism Plays A Role”  By Victoria Forsterhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2022/04/22/what-causes-athlete-burnout-a-new-study-suggests-perfectionism-plays-a-role/?sh=2ba2544f2152Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/fusion-homeward-bound-the-last-light-show-burnout-blues Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today for our Explorers Club series, we are about to be hit by a meteorite of space knowledge as we have a wildly accomplished scientist and researcher entering our atmosphere, Dr. Nina Lanza. She is the Team Lead for Space and Planetary Exploration in Space and Remote Sensing at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She is also the Principle Investigator of the ChemCam instrument on the Mars Curiosity Rover (sadly not sponsored by us) and a team member for the SuperCam instrument on the Mars Perseverance rover. She’s an expert on Mars and does a lot of research on meteorites and minerals that can tell us about the interactions between rocks, soil, atmosphere, and water on the planet.Nina Lanza Interview from 4/23/22Dr. Nina Lanza - About Ninahttps://www.ninalanza.com/about-nina/NASA's Curiosity Rover Measures Intriguing Carbon Signature on Marshttps://mars.nasa.gov/news/9113/nasas-curiosity-rover-measures-intriguing-carbon-signature-on-mars/?site=msl2020 Mission Perseverance Rover - SuperCamhttps://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/supercam/Mount Sinai - Manganesehttps://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/manganese#:~:text=Manganese%20is%20a%20trace%20mineral,clotting%20factors%2C%20and%20sex%20hormones.Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/explorers-club-nina-lanza Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, you’ll learn about how humans could potentially evolve to be venomous, the challenges of repurposing used electric car batteries, and how people who hate magic are more likely to have certain socially aversive traits, like needing to control social situations.The good and the bad side of snake venom.“Could Humans Ever be Venomous?” by Stephanie Pappashttps://www.livescience.com/could-humans-be-venomous.html“How Snake Venom Kills… and Saves Lives” by James Patersonhttps://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/how-snake-venom-kills-and-saves-lives“Protein Folding: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” by Harvard Universityhttps://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2010/issue65/“This Animal Can Kill 10 Grown Men, But Its Body Adapted To Save Itself” by Tara Yarlagaddahttps://www.inverse.com/science/the-strange-reason-why-poisonous-animals-survive-their-own-toxinsA new era for batteries.“Cars are Going Electric. What Happens to the Used Batteries?” by Gregory Barber and Aarian Marshallhttps://www.wired.com/story/cars-going-electric-what-happens-used-batteries/“Transportation of Electric Vehicle Lithium-ion Batteries at End-of-life: A Literature Review” by Margaret Slattery, Jessica Dunn, and Alissa Kendallhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344921003645“Global Implications of the EU Battery Regulation” by Hans Eric Melin, Mohammad Ali Rajaeifar, Anthony Y. Ku, Alissa Kendall, Gavin Harper, and Oliver Heidrichhttps://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh1416“The Lithium Mine Versus the Wildflower” by Gregory Barberhttps://www.wired.com/story/lithium-mine-for-batteries-versus-the-wildflower/Who hates magic?!“People who hate magic tend to be higher in socially aversive traits, according to new research” By Mane Kara-Yakouabianhttps://www.psypost.org/2022/04/people-who-hate-magic-are-higher-in-socially-aversive-traits-according-to-new-research-62968“Who hates magic? Exploring the loathing of legerdemain.” By Paul J. Silvia et al.https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-45549-001Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/human-venom-car-battery-blues-magic-and-personalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, you’ll learn about an ancient couple found buried in an embrace, why it’s so darn hard to keep fleas off your beloved pets, and how your body’s natural chemistry can help you get a leg up on diet and exercise if you begin to build the habits.They took “til death do you part” seriously.“1,500-year-old burial in China holds lovers locked in eternal embrace” by Laura Geggelhttps://www.livescience.com/buried-lovers-embrace-china.html“1,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found Locked in Embrace in Chinese Cemetery” by Livia Gershonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1500-year-old-chinese-skeletons-found-locked-embrace-180978509/Fleas won’t be making it to the Olympics“How Do Fleas Jump?” by Kate Lathamhttps://insectcop.net/how-do-fleas-jump/“A Flea’s Fantastic Jump Takes More Than a Muscle” by Josh Cassidyhttps://www.kqed.org/science/1957872/a-fleas-fantastic-jump-takes-more-than-muscleExercising affects one’s cravings.“Intense exercise while dieting may reduce cravings for fatty food” by Sara Zaskehttps://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/04/21/intense-exercise-while-dieting-may-reduce-cravings-for-fatty-food/“Acute high-intensity interval exercise attenuates incubation of craving for foods high in fat” by Georgia E. Kirkpatrickhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.23418“Ubiquitous nutrients suppress appetite and promote movement” By Fabrio Bergaminhttps://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2022/04/ubiquitous-nutrients-suppress-appetite-and-promote-movement.htmlFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here:  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, you’ll hear our interview with Richard Garriott, the president of the Explorers Club. Garriott is not only the first American second generation astronaut, but also the first person to visit both poles, outer space and dive to the Mariana Trench. He started out as a video game designer, and as soon as he made enough money, he began investing in human space flight, creating a company called Space Adventures.Richard Garriott Interview from 4/23/22https://app.trint.com/editor/_xFCb8WQRFyO4qID1o4q4AFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/explorers-club-richard-garriott Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, you’ll learn about the state of the Amazon rainforest, the truth behind the mythical sugar rush, and how studies involving MRI scans may have been too small to produce significant results, but researchers may have found a solution.The forest needs attention - not the company.“75% of Amazon rainforest shows signs of loss, a 'tipping point' of dieback, study shows” by Doyle Ricettps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/03/07/amazon-rainforest-dieback-deforestation-climate-change-study/9380372002“Fires in the Amazon are out of Control. Again” by Benji Joneshttps://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2021/8/27/22639885/amazon-rainforest-fires-climate-change-2021“Heaviest Object on Earth Weighs 116B Pounds” by Jenn Gidmanhttps://www.newser.com/story/259238/the-10-heaviest-objects-on-earth.html“A Framework for Quantifying Resilience to Forest Disturbance” by Timothy Bryant, Kristen Waring, Andrew Sánchez Meador, and John B. Bradfordhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00056/full“7 Organizations You Can Support to Protect the Amazon Rainforest” by Erica Sánchez, Pia Gralki, and Joe McCarthyhttps://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/organizations-donate-amazon-rainforest/ Maybe sugar isn’t the problem.“Sugar rush or high on life? Dieticians explain why kids become hyperactive at parties” by Kate Dorrellhttps://www.abc.net.au/everyday/sugar-rush-dietician-does-sweet-food-make-kids-hyperactive/100839044“There’s No Such Thing as a Sugar Rush, According to Science” by Joshua A. Krischhttps://www.fatherly.com/health-science/theres-no-thing-sugar-rush-according-science/Data sets need to grow to bolster studies.“M.R.I.s Are Finding Connections Between Our Brain Activity and Psychology” By Kim Tingleyhttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/magazine/mri-brain-activity-psychology.html“Reproducible brain-wide association studies require thousands of individuals” By Scott marek et alhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04492-9“Brain scans may reveal a lot about mental illness, but not until studies get bigger” by Jon Hamiltonhttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/04/26/1094319294/mri-brain-scan-mental-illness-brain-researchFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/the-amazons-future-sugar-rush-retcon-a-study-on-studies Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, you’ll learn about why our ability to remember things seems to get worse with age—it’s not memory loss, which animals could become the new dominant species in the event of our extinction, and how an unsupportive romantic partner can actually affect the way you think and feel about yourself.Maybe your mom was right about cleaning your room.“How Memory ‘Clutter’ Makes it Harder to Remember Things as we Get Older” by Alexander Eastonhttps://theconversation.com/how-memory-clutter-makes-it-harder-to-remember-things-as-we-get-older-176767“Memory Issues for Older People Could be the Result of ‘Clutter’” by Sarah Sloathttps://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/memory-issues-older-people-result-clutter-rcna15133The next era for animals.“When humans are gone, what animals might evolve to have our smarts and skills?” by Joanna Thompsonhttps://www.livescience.com/what-animals-will-fill-human-niches“Can introduced animals replace extinct ones?” by Brigitte Osterathhttps://www.dw.com/en/can-introduced-animals-replace-extinct-ones/a-16937417Couples therapy may in fact help your brain.“Having an unsupportive romantic partner is associated with neurophysiological changes in error processing” by Eric W. Dolanhttps://www.psypost.org/2022/04/having-an-unsupportive-romantic-partner-is-associated-with-neurophysiological-changes-in-error-processing-62977“Unsupportive romantic partner behaviors increase neural reactivity to mistakes” by Erin N Palmwoodhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876021008886Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/a-clutterful-mind-heir-to-the-earth-partnership Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Calli and Nate interview members of The Explorers Club, and today you’re going to hear from a man who largely represents what The Explorers Club is all about - Josh Gates. Josh Gates is a fearless explorer and adventurer and host of Discovery's popular, long running series Expedition Unknown. He's also hosting a brand new series that chronicles the incredible history of the club, called Tales from The Explorers Club.Interview conducted with Josh Gates on 5/3/22.Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/the-explorers-club-josh-gates Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, you’ll learn about how cultures across the world often make constellations from the same groups of stars due to the nature of vision and perception, what to do when an animal tries to steal your food during a picnic on the beach, and drones smaller than a red blood cell that can be controlled using only the power of light.Does your star pattern look like my star pattern?“Constellations Across Cultures: How Our Visual Systems Pick Out Patterns in the Night Sky” from the Association for Psychological Sciencehttps://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/2022-march-constellations-across-cultures.html“Perceptual Grouping Explains Similarities in Constellations Across Cultures” by Charles Kemp, Duane W. Hamacher, Daniel R. Little, and Simon J. Cropperhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09567976211044157“The Big Dipper (the Plough)”https://nineplanets.org/the-big-dipperThe Astronomical Leaguehttps://www.astroleague.org/content/constellations-other-cultures-checklistStaring contests really do work."Stare at Seagulls and They'll Leave Your Food Alone” by Mindy Weisbergerhttps://www.livescience.com/staring-at-seagulls-stops-stealing.html“Stare seagulls out to save your snacks, researcher says” by Ian Samplehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/07/stare-seagulls-out-to-save-your-snacks-researcher-says“Staring down seagulls can stop them stealing your chips” by Sam Wonghttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2212592-staring-down-seagulls-can-stop-them-stealing-your-chips/“Herring gulls respond to human gaze direction” by Madeleine Goumashttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0405Sun doesn’t just give plants life, but drones, too.“Microdrones With Light-driven Nanomotors” By Universitat Wurzburghttps://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/news-and-events/news/detail/news/licht-motoren-fuer-mikrodrohnen-1/“Light-Driven Motors Power Tiny Drones” By Patricai Daukantashttps://www.optica-opn.org/home/newsroom/2022/april/light-driven_motors_power_tiny_drones/“Polarization” by The Physics Classroomhttps://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/light/Lesson-1/Polarization#:~:text=Polarized%20light%20waves%20are%20light,of%20methods%20of%20polarizing%20lightFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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 transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/seeing-stars-seagull-staredown-itsy-bitsy-microdrones Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.