Curiosity Weekly

Learn about why liars may mimic your body language; why “tend and befriend” is an alternative response to “fight or flight”; and why lakes freeze from the top down, not the bottom up.Liars imitate the body language of the person they're lying to by Kelsey DonkLesté-Lasserre, C. (2020). Lying men mimic the body language of other men they are talking to. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2264607-lying-men-mimic-the-body-language-of-other-men-they-are-talking-to/A liar and a copycat: nonverbal coordination increases with lie difficulty | Royal Society Open Science. (2021). Royal Society Open Science. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.200839#d1e417Instead of "Fight or Flight," Women Might "Tend and Befriend" by Reuben WestmaasHow to Transform Stress into Courage and Connection. (2015). Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_transform_stress_courage_connectionLebo, H. (2000, May 17). UCLA Researchers Identify Key Biobehavioral Pattern Used by Women to Manage Stress. UCLA Newsroom. https://web.archive.org/web/20180828074327/http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/UCLA-Researchers-Identify-Key-Biobehavioral-1478Taylor, S. E. (2012). Tend and befriend theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (p. 32–49). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249215.n3Why does a lake freeze from the top down, and not the bottom up? by Cameron DukeWhy Does Water Freeze from the Top Down? | Britannica. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-water-freeze-from-the-top-downStewart, R. H. (2008). Introduction to physical oceanography. Texas A & M University.US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2021). What is a thermocline? Noaa.gov. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/thermocline.htmlSubscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/liars-may-imitate-your-body-language Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about why time management can make you happier; how catnip can protect your cat from mosquitoes; and 3 ways your identity could be stolen without getting your computer hacked — and how to protect yourself.Time management has a stronger effect on wellbeing than on job performance by Kelsey DonkAeon, B., Faber, A., & Panaccio, A. (2021). Does time management work? A meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0245066. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066Catnip may have a purpose beyond getting cats high -- it protects them from mosquitoes! by Cameron DukeIntoxicating chemicals in catnip and silver vine protect felines from mosquito bites. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/aaft-ici011921.phpUenoyama, R., Miyazaki, T., Hurst, J. L., Beynon, R. J., Adachi, M., Murooka, T., Onoda, I., Miyazawa, Y., Katayama, R., Yamashita, T., Kaneko, S., Nishikawa, T., & Miyazaki, M. (2021). The characteristic response of domestic cats to plant iridoids allows them to gain chemical defense against mosquitoes. Science Advances, 7(4), eabd9135. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd9135Weisberger, M. (2019, November 3). Does Catnip Really Make Cats “High”? Livescience.com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/does-catnip-get-cats-high.html3 Ways Your Identity Could Be Stolen (Without Having Your Computer Hacked) by Reuben WestmaasEvenden, I. (2020, September 4). How do thieves steal your identity (and how can you stop it)? TopTenReviews; Top Ten Reviews. https://www.toptenreviews.com/10-ways-thieves-steal-your-idHow to Identify an ATM Skimmer. (2021). NWCU. https://www.nwcu.com/learn/how-spot-atm-skimmerSubscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/time-management-can-make-you-happier Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about the science of sourdough starters; and why identical twins aren’t so identical after all. Then, play along at home as we test your podcast knowledge with this month’s Curiosity Challenge trivia game.Study of sourdough from around the world shows location doesn't matter for its microbes by Cameron DukeIntercontinental study sheds light on the microbial life of sourdough. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/ncsu-iss012621.phpKiniry, L. (2020). Why San Francisco does sourdough best. Bbc.com.http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200402-why-san-francisco-does-sourdough-bestLandis, E. A., Oliverio, A. M., McKenney, E. A., Nichols, L. M., Kfoury, N., Biango-Daniels, M., Shell, L. K., Madden, A. A., Shapiro, L., Shravya Sakunala, Kinsey Drake, Robbat, A., Booker, M., Dunn, R. R., Fierer, N., & Wolfe, B. E. (2021, January 26). The diversity and function of sourdough starter microbiomes. ELife; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd. https://elifesciences.org/articles/61644Identical twins aren't so identical after all by Steffie DruckerJarry, J. (2021, January 24). Identical Twins Are Not Identical. Office for Science and Society. McGill University. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/general-science/identical-twins-are-not-identicalGuardian staff reporter. (2021, January 8). Identical twins are not so identical, study suggests. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jan/08/identical-twins-are-not-so-identical-study-suggestsMachemer, T. (2021, January 13). Many Identical Twins Actually Have Slightly Different DNA. Smithsonian Magazine; Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/identical-twins-can-have-slightly-different-dna-180976736/Nicoletta Lanese. (2021, January 7). Identical twins don’t share 100% of their DNA. Livescience.com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/identical-twins-dont-share-all-dna.htmlJonsson, H., Magnusdottir, E., et. al. (2021). Differences between germline genomes of monozygotic twins. Nature Genetics, 53(1), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-020-00755-1Episodes referenced in Curiosity Challenge Trivia game:Chronotypes: https://www.curiositydaily.com/why-does-february-have-28-days/Ants on stilts: https://www.curiositydaily.com/why-scientists-made-ants-walk-on-stilts/Smellicopter: https://www.curiositydaily.com/the-dark-ages-werent-really-dark/Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/identical-twins-arent-as-identical-as-we-thought Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning journalist Tim Harford explains what it means when you hear that a COVID vaccine is 95% effective. Then, learn about Sentinel Island, home to the last uncontacted people on Earth; and what we can learn about our solar system’s theoretical “Planet Nine” from the newly discovered planet HD 106906 b.Additional resources from Tim Harford:Pick up "The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ad1dQ4Tim Harford's website: https://timharford.com/Tim Harford on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimHarfordNorth Sentinel Island Is Home to the Last Uncontacted People on Earth by Reuben WestmaasKane, S. (2016, May 15). This isolated tribe has rejected contact for centuries and remained hostile toward outsiders. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/sentinelese-uncontacted-island-tribe-photos-2016-5Sen, S. (2009). Savage bodies, civilized pleasures: M. V. Portman and the Andamanese. American Ethnologist, 36(2), 364–379. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1425.2009.01140.xNorth Sentinel Island History. (2019). North Sentinel Island. https://northsentinelisland.com/north-sentinel-history/McDougall, D. (2006, February 12). Survival comes first for Sentinel islanders – the world’s last “stone-age” tribe. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/12/theobserver.worldnews12Alastair Jamieson, Fieldstadt, E., & Associated Press. (2018, November 21). American killed by isolated tribe on India’s North Sentinel Island, police say. NBC News; NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/american-killed-isolated-tribe-india-s-north-sentinel-island-police-n938826Scientists discovered a solar system with its own version of the theoretical "Planet Nine" by Grant CurrinPlanet X. (2019, December 19). NASA Solar System Exploration. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/hypothetical-planet-x/in-depth/Hubble identifies strange exoplanet that behaves like the long-sought. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/eic-his121020.phpNguyen, M. M., De Rosa, R. J., & Kalas, P. (2020). First Detection of Orbital Motion for HD 106906 b: A Wide-separation Exoplanet on a Planet Nine–like Orbit. The Astronomical Journal, 161(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/abc012Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/what-a-95-effective-vaccine-actually-means Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning journalist and economist Tim Harford explains three simple rules for understanding statistics and evaluating truth in the news. Then, you’ll learn about why our microbiomes may have come from dirt.Additional resources from Tim Harford:Pick up "The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ad1dQ4Tim Harford's website: https://timharford.com/Tim Harford on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimHarfordMicrobes in dental plaque are more like soil microbes than tongue microbes, which suggests our microbiomes came from dirt by Cameron DukeCaldwell, A. (2020, December 15). Microbes in dental plaque look more like relatives in soil than those on the tongue. EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/uocm-mid121420.phpShaiber, A., Willis, A. D., Delmont, T. O., Roux, S., Chen, L.-X., Schmid, A. C., Yousef, M., Watson, A. R., Lolans, K., Esen, Ö. C., Lee, S. T. M., Downey, N., Morrison, H. G., Dewhirst, F. E., Mark Welch, J. L., & Eren, A. M. (2020). Functional and genetic markers of niche partitioning among enigmatic members of the human oral microbiome. Genome Biology, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-020-02195-wSubscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/did-your-microbiome-come-from-dirt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about what researchers found when they sequenced the bizarre duck-billed platypus genome; a trick for unlocking your creativity; and the strange reasons for job-specific voices, like those of pilots, newscasters, and poets.The duck-billed platypus genome was just sequenced, and it's a doozy by Grant CurrinCassella, C. (2021). Now We Know Why Platypus Are So Weird - Their Genes Are Part Bird, Reptile, And Mammal. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/platypus-genes-reveal-some-of-the-bizarre-traits-that-come-with-5x-and-5y-chromosomesZhou, Y., Shearwin-Whyatt, L., Li, J., Song, Z., Hayakawa, T., Stevens, D., Fenelon, J. C., Peel, E., Cheng, Y., Pajpach, F., Bradley, N., Suzuki, H., Nikaido, M., Damas, J., Daish, T., Perry, T., Zhu, Z., Geng, Y., Rhie, A., & Sims, Y. (2021). Platypus and echidna genomes reveal mammalian biology and evolution. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-03039-0Platypus | National Geographic. (2010, September 10). Animals. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/p/platypus/Villazon, L. (2019). Do platypuses really sweat milk? BBC Science Focus Magazine; BBC Science Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/do-platypuses-really-sweat-milk/To Unlock Creativity, Brainstorm and Then Step Away by Sonja HodgenMolly Dannenmaier-UT Austin. (2019, March 25). To unlock creativity, you need to step away - Futurity. Futurity. https://www.futurity.org/creativity-incubation-period-2017292-2/Kachelmeier, S. J., Wang, L. W., & Williamson, M. G. (2018). Incentivizing the Creative Process: From Initial Quantity to Eventual Creativity. The Accounting Review, 94(2), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-52196The Strange Reasons for Pilot Voice, Newscaster Voice, and Poet Voice originally aired June 5, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/gluten-free-labels-the-fbi-s-most-viewed-file-andSubscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/the-duck-billed-platypus-is-weirder-than-you-thought Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about the surprising memory skills of infants; why that whole “phosphine on Venus” discovery may not be as exciting as we thought; and how medical science answered Molyneux's problem, a 300-year-old philosophy question.3-year-olds can recognize a person they met once when they were 1 year old by Kelsey DonkThe amazing durability of infant memory: Three-year-olds show recognition of a person they met once at age one. (2014, March 17). Research Digest; Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2014/03/17/the-amazing-durability-of-infant-memory-three-year-olds-show-recognition-of-a-person-they-met-once-at-age-one/Kingo, O. S., Staugaard, S. R., & Krøjgaard, P. (2014). Three-year-olds’ memory for a person met only once at the age of 12months: Very long-term memory revealed by a late-manifesting novelty preference. Consciousness and Cognition, 24, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2013.12.011That whole "phosphine on Venus" discovery, suggesting life? That probably wasn't phosphine after all by Cameron DukeLincowski, A. P., Meadows, V. S., Crisp, D., Akins, A. B., Schwieterman, E. W., Arney, Giada N, Wong, M. L., Steffes, P. G., Niki, P. M., & Domagal-Goldman, S. (2021). Claimed detection of PH$_3$ in the clouds of Venus is consistent with mesospheric SO$_2$. ArXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.09837Medical Science Has Answered This 300-Year-Old Philosophy Question by Reuben WestmaasStudy of Vision Tackles a Philosophy Riddle (Published 2011). (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/health/research/26blind.htmlDegenaar, M., & Lokhorst, G.-J. (2017). Molyneux’s Problem (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford.edu. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/molyneux-problem/Held, R., Ostrovsky, Y., de Gelder, B., Gandhi, T., Ganesh, S., Mathur, U., & Sinha, P. (2011). The newly sighted fail to match seen with felt. Nature Neuroscience, 14(5), 551–553. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2795Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/yeah-about-that-phosphine-on-venus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about why you can’t suffocate by holding your breath; how being angry makes you more likely to believe misinformation; and that time scholars tried to kick Latin out of English, thanks to words like honorificabilitudinitatibus.Why can't you suffocate by holding your breath? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Daniel in Beirut)Parkes, M. J. (2005). Breath-holding and its breakpoint. Experimental Physiology, 91(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.2005.031625Parkes, M. J. (2012). The Limits of Breath Holding. Scientific American, 306(4), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0412-74Being angry makes you more likely to believe misinformation by Kelsey DonkDolan, E. W. (2021, January 8). A new study has found being angry increases your vulnerability to misinformation. PsyPost; PsyPost. https://www.psypost.org/2021/01/a-new-study-has-found-being-angry-increases-your-vulnerability-to-misinformation-59061Han, J., Cha, M., & Lee, W. (2020). Anger contributes to the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review. https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-39Greenstein, M., & Franklin, N. (2020). Anger increases susceptibility to misinformation. Experimental Psychology, 67(3), 202–209. https://doi.org/10.1027/1618-3169/a00048916th-Century Scholars Once Tried to Kick Latin Out of English by Arika OkrentSpecktor, B. (2017, October 2). Shakespeare’s Longest Word Is a Whopping 27-Letters Long. Reader’s Digest; Reader’s Digest. https://www.rd.com/article/shakespeares-longest-word/BERLIN, R. L. G. (2014, January 28). Johnson: What might have been. The Economist; The Economist. https://www.economist.com/prospero/2014/01/28/johnson-what-might-have-beenSubscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-cant-you-hold-your-breath-to-death Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about how quadruple-helix DNA could help us fight cancer; how diversity improves technology, with materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez; and how cats domesticated themselves.Quadruple-helix DNA exists - and it might be useful for fighting cancers by Cameron DukeRare quadruple-helix DNA found in living human cells with glowing probes. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/icl-rqd011321.phpResearchers Observe Formation of Four-Stranded DNA in Living Human Cells | Biology, Genetics | Sci-News.com. (2020). Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. http://www.sci-news.com/biology/dna-g-quadruplexes-human-cells-08693.htmlScientists Discover Quadruple Helix DNA in Human Cells | Genetics | Sci-News.com. (2013). Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. http://www.sci-news.com/genetics/article00835.htmlSummers, P. A., Lewis, B. W., Gonzalez-Garcia, J., Porreca, R. M., Lim, A. H. M., Cadinu, P., Martin-Pintado, N., Mann, D. J., Edel, J. B., Vannier, J. B., Kuimova, M. K., & Vilar, R. (2021). Visualising G-quadruplex DNA dynamics in live cells by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20414-7Additional resources from Ainissa Ramirez:Pick up "The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MyB4l8Ainissa's website: https://www.ainissaramirez.com/Ainissa Ramirez on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ainissaramirezIn True Feline Fashion, Cats Domesticated Themselves by Anna ToddOttoni, C., et. al. (2017). The palaeogenetics of cat dispersal in the ancient world. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1(7). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0139Smith, C. (2017, June 19). Cats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA Shows. National Geographic News. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/06/domesticated-cats-dna-genetics-pets-science/Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/quadruple-helix-dna-is-a-thing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn about why we still don’t know how eels reproduce and how scientists solved a 150-year-old question about how sandcastles hold together.We still don't know how eels reproduce by Grant CurrinTED-Ed. (2020). No one can figure out how eels have sex - Lucy Cooke [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFi6ISTjkR4Epic Eel Migration Mapped for the First Time. (2015, October 27). National Geographic News. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/10/151027-american-eel-migration-animal-behavior-oceans-science/100-year-old mystery solved: Adult eel observed for the first time in the Sargasso Sea. (2015). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151027132839.htmScientists have solved a 150-year-old equation that governs how sandcastles hold together by Grant CurrinOuellette, J. (2020, December 9). Physicists solve 150-year-old mystery of equation governing sandcastle physics. Ars Technica; Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/12/physicists-solve-150-year-old-mystery-of-equation-governing-sandcastle-physics/Pakpour, M., Habibi, M., Møller, P., & Bonn, D. (2012). How to construct the perfect sandcastle. Scientific Reports, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00549Yang, Q., Sun, P. Z., Fumagalli, L., Stebunov, Y. V., Haigh, S. J., Zhou, Z. W., Grigorieva, I. V., Wang, F. C., & Geim, A. K. (2020). Capillary condensation under atomic-scale confinement. Nature, 588(7837), 250–253. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2978-1Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/scientists-finally-know-how-sandcastles-work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.