Learn how calling loved ones builds stronger social connections than texting does, why the return of wolves improved life for every animal in Yellowstone, and how body snatchers of the 19th century contributed to modern medicine.
Call, Don’t Text, for a Stronger Social Connection by Kelsey Donk Kumar, A., & Epley, N. (2020). It’s surprisingly nice to hear you: Misunderstanding the impact of communication media can lead to suboptimal choices of how to connect with others. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000962 Texas McCombs. (2020, September 10). When We Fear an Awkward Phone Call, We Often Turn to Text. Medium; Big Ideas. https://medium.com/texas-mccombs/when-we-fear-an-awkward-phone-call-we-often-turn-to-text-62ac6eec93e5 Phone Calls Create Stronger Bonds Than Text-Based Communications. (2020, September 11). UT News. https://news.utexas.edu/2020/09/11/phone-calls-create-stronger-bonds-than-text-based-communications/
The Return of Wolves Improved Life for Every Animal in Yellowstone by Reuben Westmaas Tobin, K. (2015, September 4). Did wolves help restore trees to Yellowstone? PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/wolves-greenthumbs-yellowstone Peglar, T. (2020, June 30). 1995 Reintroduction of Wolves in Yellowstone. My Yellowstone Park. https://www.yellowstonepark.com/park/yellowstone-wolves-reintroduction Travsky, A. (2014, February 19). Wolves Bring Aspen Back. My Yellowstone Park. https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wolves-bring-yellowstone-back Farquhar, B. (2020, June 30). Wolf Reintroduction Changes Ecosystem. My Yellowstone Park. https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wolf-reintroduction-changes-ecosystem
Why 19th-Century Body Snatchers Were an Essential Part of Medical Science by Steffie Drucker Body Snatching Around The World | History Detectives | PBS. (2014). Pbs.Org. https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/body-snatching-around-the-world/ The Era of the Body Snatchers. (2014, October 16). Mentalfloss.Com. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/59550/era-body-snatchers Body snatching | Britannica. (2020). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/body-snatching#ref1179705 Burke and Hare, grave robbers and murderers. (2017). Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Burke-Hare-infamous-murderers-graverobbers/ Ghazanfar, H., Rashid, S., Hussain, A., Ghazanfar, M., Ghazanfar, A., & Javaid, A. (2018). Cadaveric Dissection a Thing of the Past? The Insight of Consultants, Fellows, and Residents. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.2418
Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Ashley Hamer and Natalia Reagan (filling in for Cody Gough). 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
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Learn about whether parasites can turn us into zombies, why awkward silences are so awkward, and why bubbles form in boiling water.
Could parasites turn us into zombies? By Cameron Duke Ahmed, I. (2019, November). The science of zombies: Will the undead rise? Phys.Org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-science-zombies-undead.html Blum, J., Schmid, C., & Burri, C. (2006). Clinical aspects of 2541 patients with second stage human African trypanosomiasis. Acta Tropica, 97(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2005.08.001 Flegr, J. (2007). Effects of Toxoplasma on Human Behavior. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 33(3), 757–760. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbl074 McAuliffe, K. (2012, February 6). How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/ Pappas, S. (2011, October 20). Unrelenting Sex Drive May Signal Deadly Rabies. Livescience.Com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/16627-sex-drive-rabies-infection.html Thomas, B. (2015, October 29). Meet the Parasites That Control Human Brains. Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/meet-the-parasites-that-control-human-brains
The Science of Awkward Silences by Anna Todd Koudenburg, N., Postmes, T., & Gordijn, E. H. (2011). Disrupting the flow: How brief silences in group conversations affect social needs. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(2), 512–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.12.006 Koudenburg, N., Postmes, T., & Gordijn, E. H. (2013). Resounding Silences. Social Psychology Quarterly, 76(3), 224–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272513496794
Why do bubbles form in boiling water? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Abu) UCSB Science Line. (2020). Ucsb.Edu. http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=3197 Why Does Water Bubble When It Boils? (2019, November 2). Wonderopolis.Org. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-water-bubble-when-it-boils Helmenstine, A.M. (2019). Know the Chemical Composition of Bubbles in Boiling Water. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-the-bubbles-in-boiling-water-4109061 Breslyn, W. (2016). Boiling, Atmospheric Pressure, and Vapor Pressure [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag4lLUXKuSM FAQ: Boiling and altitude/pressure. (2020). IAPWS.org. http://www.iapws.org/faq1/boil.html
Learn about how eclipses on Mars can tell scientists more about the planet’s interior, why we behave irrationally when our freedom is threatened, and how an ‘80s video game was at the center of a conspiracy theory.
The Martian Moon Phobos Creates a Yearly Solar Eclipse — and Its Effects Could Tell Us More About the Planet by Grant Currin Surprise on Mars. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/ez-som090420.php Stähler, S. C., R. Widmer‐Schnidrig, J.‐R. Scholz, M. van Driel, A. Mittelholz, K. Hurst, Johnson, C. L., Lemmon, M. T., Lorenz, R. D., P. Lognonné, Müller, N. T., L. Pou, A. Spiga, D. Banfield, S. Ceylan, C. Charalambous, Clinton, J., D. Giardini, F. Nimmo, … Banerdt, W. B. (2020). Geophysical observations of Phobos transits by InSight. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089099 InSight’s Landing Site: Elysium Planitia. (2011). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/pia22232/insight-s-landing-site-elysium-planitia
Reactance Is Why You Act Irrationally When Your Freedom Is Threatened by Cody Gough Original episode: https://www.curiositydaily.com/odds-of-dying-national-safety-council-ken-kolosh-r/
Was This 1980s Arcade Game Really at the Centre of a Government Conspiracy? by Reuben Westmaas Matulef, J. (2015, May 22). Polybius: The story behind the world’s most mysterious arcade cabinet. Eurogamer.Net; Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-22-polybius-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-mysterious-arcade-cabinet Streckert, J. (2020, February 24). Storied & Scandalous Portland, Oregon: A History of Gambling, Vice, Wits, and Wagers. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. https://books.google.com/books?id=GkHCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=1980s+portland+gambling+busts+arcade&source=bl&ots=dAu5xBVV3C&sig=ACfU3U2BzLOI9ozFgH89pxv9RAz6I8YYyQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi3nZn7-ZPsAhVlIjQIHargA1U4ChDoATACegQICBAC#v=onepage&q=1980s%20portland%20gambling%20busts%20arcade&f=false Tummy Derails Asteroids Champ. (1981, November 29). AP News. Eugene Register-Guard. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19811129&id=arRQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=V-IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6688,7639998&hl=en Zarrelli, N. (2016, April 28). The Urban Legend of the Government’s Mind-Controlling Arcade Game. Atlas Obscura; Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-urban-legend-of-the-governments-mindcontrolling-arcade-game
Learn about how being a “Viking” was actually a career choice, not an ethnicity, why it’s easy to plant false memories, and how the pandemic has made birdsong more complex.
“Viking” was a job description, not heredity by Grant Currin Helmets. (2020). National Museum of Denmark. https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/weapons/helmets/ Curry, A. (2020, September 16). ‘Viking’ was a job description, not a matter of heredity, massive ancient DNA study shows. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/viking-was-job-description-not-matter-heredity-massive-ancient-dna-study-shows Margaryan, A., Lawson, D. J., Sikora, M., Racimo, F., Rasmussen, S., Moltke, I., Cassidy, L. M., Jørsboe, E., Ingason, A., Pedersen, M. W., Korneliussen, T., Wilhelmson, H., Buś, M. M., de Barros Damgaard, P., Martiniano, R., Renaud, G., Bhérer, C., Moreno-Mayar, J. V., Fotakis, A. K., … Willerslev, E. (2020). Population genomics of the Viking world. Nature, 585(7825), 390–396. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2688-8
It’s Surprisingly Easy to Plant False Memories by Ashley Hamer Scientists and Practitioners Don’t See Eye to Eye on Repressed Memory. (2013). Association for Psychological Science – APS. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/scientists-and-practitioners-dont-see-eye-to-eye-on-repressed-memory.html#.WRJKslMrKi4 And the Memory Wars Wage On. (2014, March 5). Nationalgeographic.Com. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2014/03/05/and-the-memory-wars-wage-on/ Loftus, E. F. (2020). Elizabeth F. Loftus | Elizabeth F. Loftus. Uci.Edu. https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/eloftus/ Creating False Memories. (2020). Washington.Edu. https://staff.washington.edu/eloftus/Articles/sciam.htm
The Pandemic Has Made Birdsong More Complex by Steffie Drucker Simon, M. (2020, September 24). How the Pandemic Transformed This Songbird’s Call. Wired; WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/how-the-pandemic-transformed-this-songbirds-call/ In San Francisco bay area, shutdown reduced anthropogenic noise, which changed birdsong quality. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/aaft-isf092120.php Stokstad, E. (2020, September 24). When COVID-19 silenced cities, birdsong recaptured its former glory. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/when-covid-19-silenced-cities-birdsong-recaptured-its-former-glory Derryberry, E. P., Phillips, J. N., Derryberry, G. E., Blum, M. J., & Luther, D. (2020). Singing in a silent spring: Birds respond to a half-century soundscape reversion during the COVID-19 shutdown. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd5777
Learn about why predators don’t hunt their prey into extinction, then discover the history of crossword puzzles from author Adrienne Raphel!
Why Don’t Predators Hunt Their Prey Into Extinction? By Cameron Duke Dickman, C., Nimmo, D., Ritchie, E., & Doherty, T. (2019, May 14). Invasive predators are eating the world’s animals to extinction – and the worst is close to home. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/invasive-predators-are-eating-the-worlds-animals-to-extinction-and-the-worst-is-close-to-home-64741 Krohne, D. T. (2018). Ecology : evolution, application, integration. Oxford University Press. PREDATOR-PREY DYNAMICS. (2019). Utk.Edu. http://www.tiem.utk.edu/~gross/bioed/bealsmodules/predator-prey.html The Red Queen | The American Naturalist. (2020). The American Naturalist. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/283213?journalCode=an
Additional resources from Adrienne Raphel: Pick up “Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and The Puzzling People Who Can’t Live Without Them” on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3kOjdCv Adrienne Raphel’s website: https://www.adrienneraphel.com/ Adrienne Raphel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrienneraphel
Learn about what it would be like to travel through a wormhole, how the pumpkin became North America’s Halloween mascot, and how social isolation can fuel conspiracy theories.
What Would It Be Like to Ride Through a Wormhole? By Ashley Hamer Lindley, D. (2005). The Birth of Wormholes. Physics, 15. https://physics.aps.org/story/v15/st11 Nola Taylor Redd. (2017, October 21). What Is Wormhole Theory? Space.Com. https://www.space.com/20881-wormholes.html Ceurstemont, S. (2012, March 13). What a trip through a wormhole would look like. New Scientist TV. https://web.archive.org/web/20120415112903/http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2012/03/what-a-trip-through-a-wormhole-would-look-like.html What does a journey through a wormhole actually look like? (2014, November 13). Physicscentral.Com. http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/2014/11/what-does-journey-through-wormhole.html
How Did Pumpkins Become Halloween’s Go-to Decoration? By Kelsey Donk History.com Editors. (2019, October 25). How Jack O’Lanterns Originated in Irish Myth. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins Butler, S. (2013, October 25). The Halloween Pumpkin: An American History. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/the-halloween-pumpkin-an-american-history Why Do We Carve Pumpkins at Halloween? | Britannica. (2020). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-carve-pumpkins-at-halloween
Social Isolation Could Breed Conspiracy Theorists by Anna Todd Graeupner, D., & Coman, A. (2017). The dark side of meaning-making: How social exclusion leads to superstitious thinking. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 69, 218–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.10.003 Hutson, M. (2017). A Conspiracy of Loneliness. Scientific American Mind, 28(3), 15–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamericanmind0517-15b Social Exclusion Leads to Conspiratorial Thinking, Study Finds | Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. (2017). Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. https://spia.princeton.edu/news/social-exclusion-leads-conspiratorial-thinking-study-finds
Learn about why officials in Idaho once dropped beavers from parachutes, how your romantic partner might be influencing your goals (and vice versa), and test your podcast knowledge with this month’s Curiosity Challenge trivia game.
Romantic Partners Influence Each Other’s Goals by Kelsey Donk Romantic partners influence each other’s goals. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/uob-rpi090820.php Nikitin, J., Wünsche, J., L. Bühler, J., Weidmann, R., Burriss, R. P., & Grob, A. (2020). Interdependence of Approach and Avoidance Goals in Romantic Couples Over Days and Months. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa149
Why Idaho Officials Dropped Beavers from Parachutes by Steffie Drucker Wright, S. (2015). Parachuting Beavers Into Idaho’s Wilderness? Yes, It Really Happened. @KBSX915. https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/parachuting-beavers-idahos-wilderness-yes-it-really-happened#stream/0 Zorthian, J. (2015, October 23). The True History Behind Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers. Time; Time. https://time.com/4084997/parachuting-beavers-history/ Wagner, L. (2015, October 22). WATCH: Long-Lost Parachuting Beaver Footage From 1950. NPR.Org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/22/450958213/watch-long-lost-parachuting-beaver-footage-from-1950 Crew, B. (2015, January 29). Why 76 Beavers Were Forced to Skydive into the Idaho Wilderness in 1948. Scientific American Blog Network. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/why-76-beavers-were-forced-to-skydive-into-the-idaho-wilderness-in-1948/ VIDEO: https://youtu.be/APLz2bTprMA
Episodes referenced in Curiosity Challenge Trivia with Melissa: https://www.curiositydaily.com/the-rando-who-translated-gilgamesh-why-horses-lost-their-toes-and-a-sperm-swimming-discovery/ https://www.curiositydaily.com/a-harmful-mutation-evolved-for-good-why-astronauts-are-using-old-sailing-tech-in-space-and-codys-message/ https://www.curiositydaily.com/two-types-of-empathy-why-razors-dull-and-can-you-learn-perfect-pitch/
Learn about the disturbing original plots of five beloved fairy tales, how the HALT method can help control your impulses, and why our ability to drink milk evolved way faster than we thought!
Here Are the Disturbing and Gory Origins of 5 Beloved Fairy Tales by Stephanie Bucklin Grimm 021: Cinderella. (2011). Pitt.Edu. https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm021.html Snow White. (2014). Vcu.Edu. https://germanstories.vcu.edu/grimm/schneeeng.html Beauty and the Beast. (2011). Pitt.Edu. http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/beauty.html Hans Christian Andersen : The Snow Queen. (2019). Andersen.Sdu.Dk. https://andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheSnowQueen_e.html Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid. (2020). Gilead.Org.Il. http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html
Learn the “HALT” Method to Control Your Impulses by Annie Hartman Original episode: https://www.curiositydaily.com/space-elevator-science-halt-impulse-control-method/
Our ability to drink milk evolved way faster than we thought by Cameron Duke An Evolutionary Whodunit: How Did Humans Develop Lactose Tolerance? (2012, December 28). NPR.Org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/12/27/168144785/an-evolutionary-whodunit-how-did-humans-develop-lactose-tolerance Burger, J., Link, V., Blöcher, J., Schulz, A., Sell, C., Pochon, Z., Diekmann, Y., Žegarac, A., Hofmanová, Z., Winkelbach, L., Reyna-Blanco, C. S., Bieker, V., Orschiedt, J., Brinker, U., Scheu, A., Leuenberger, C., Bertino, T. S., Bollongino, R., Lidke, G., … Wegmann, D. (2020). Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.033 Stony Brook University. (2020, September 3). Genetic Analysis of Bones From a Bronze Age Battle Reveal Lactose Tolerance Quickly Spread Throughout Europe. Scitechdaily.Com. https://scitechdaily.com/genetic-analysis-of-bones-from-a-bronze-age-battle-reveal-lactose-tolerance-quickly-spread-throughout-europe/
I love this podcast. Perfect for short bursts of idle time I want to make interesting and productive, and the variety is a perfect balance of hard science and more "life hack" type stuff. Cody and Ashley have great chemistry and bring the laughs while NOT wasting time with a ton of incessant banter like so many other shows. If I had kids, I'd make them listen with me (and they'd love it)!
The award-winning Curiosity Daily podcast from Curiosity.com will help you get smarter about the world around you — every day. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll get a unique mix of research-based life hacks, the latest science and technology news, and more. Discovery’s Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer will help you learn about your mind and body, outer space and the depths of the sea, and how history shaped the world into what it is today.
Podcast hosts use Anatomy to get constructive comments on their show from other podcasters.
