Choose to be Curious

Sofia Forss, an evolutionary biologist, discusses the curiosity of apes and its influence on their behavior. She challenges assumptions about primate curiosity, explores ethical considerations in studying apes, and compares human and ape curiosity. Additional topics include curiosity exercises, analogies, and the intentional parenting style of curious apes.

Sonny Portacio, host of The Podcacher Podcast, discusses the adventure of geocaching, a GPS treasure hunt game. They cover the various types of geocaches, educational resources, and connecting with new people. They explore curiosity practices and habits of geocachers and draw analogies comparing curiosity to taking a shower and fire.

Learn what it means to be an Askable Adult in Arlington, Virginia. Ashley Blowe, Siobhan Grayson, and Scotney Young discuss the importance of non-judgmental resources for youth and the significance of building trust. Creating safe spaces for youth engagement, empowering young people, and the need for multiple askable adults in their lives are also highlighted.

Naomi Campbell, Director of RQI's Legal Empowerment program, discusses the role of curiosity in legal empowerment, the importance of teaching the skill of question formulation, and the transformative effects it can have. The podcast also explores the significance of reflection in learning and delves into the complexity of curiosity through analogies.

Luca Gattoni-Celli, a local housing advocate, discusses urbanism and the importance of viewing the world with fresh eyes. They explore the impact of urbanism on housing expenses and transportation access, as well as the contagious nature of curiosity. The podcast also touches on the intersection of urbanism, curiosity, and climate change, emphasizing the need for sustainable lifestyles.

Rich Maxham and Danny Smith engage in an apprenticeship partnership in the luthier craft, where they both learn and teach from each other. The podcast explores curiosity in apprenticeship, the sensory experience of traditional arts, the relationship between curiosity and the violin, and the enlightening experience of learning from Danny. A joyful and insightful conversation.

Kasha Patel is a triple threat: scientist, journalist and stand-up comedian, the perfect person to join me for a conversation about the rich alchemy of leaning into all three. Kasha Patel is the deputy weather editor for the Capital Weather Gang at The Washington Post, covering weather, climate change and the environment. Before joining The Post, she produced news stories, videos and features about the Earth sciences, climate change and satellite research for NASA. And, she's a stand up comedian. Funny, smart, with a vision for how curiosity, science and humor can help us all, wherever we are. Kasha Patel: https://www.kashapatel.com Antidote for partisanship? In science, curiosity seems to work: https://news.yale.edu/2017/01/26/antidote-partisanship-science-curiosity-seems-work Center for Media & Social Impact, Yes...And Laughter Lab & GoodLaughs: https://cmsimpact.org Our theme and other music are by Sean Balick.

The speaker explores Rotterdam's diversity and recounts a failed visit to a floating farm. They delve into the diverse language landscape and the influence of translation on perceptions. The chapter also discusses the speaker's geocache adventure, reflecting on Rotterdam's history and the importance of curiosity and imagination.

Curiosity, say Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett, is a practice of connection: it connects ideas into networks of knowledge, and it connects knowers themselves, both to the knowledge they seek and -- perhaps even more importantly -- to each other. Twins, professors, and true curiosity connoisseurs, Perry & Dani return to Choose to be Curious for this delightful multidisciplinary distillation of this thing we call curiosity, celebrating the release of their groundbreaking book, Curious Minds: The Power of Connection. Perry Zurn is a professor of philosophy at American University. He is the author of Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry and co-editor of Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge. https://www.perryzurn.com Dani S. Bassett is J. Peter Skirkanich Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. They are the author of more than 300 scientific articles in neuroscience, physics, network science, and complete systems science. https://complexsystemsupenn.com Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Charcoal Lines" by Sketchbook, via Blue Dot Sessions. This episode first aired on WERA in September 2022; it has been refreshed for distribution, September 2023.

The podcast explores the role of curiosity in language evolution and its connection to love.