Curiosity Daily

Today, you’ll learn about a new bacteria-busting polymer inspired by barnacles, how the things you do today will affect your brain in two weeks, and the memories elephants keep of their favorite people from long ago.  

 

Barnacle Polymers 

 

“Barnacle-inspired polymers could present new way to design antibiofilm materials, researchers say.” by Cynthia McCormick Hibbdrt. 2024.  “Coacervate Dense Phase Displaces Surface-Established Pseudomonas aeruginosaBiofilms.” by Apoorva Vishwakarma, et al. 2024.  

 

Two Week Brain 

 

“Your Brain Changes Based on What You Did Two Weeks Ago.” by Pandora Dewan. 2024.  “Longitudinal single-subject neuroimaging study reveals effects of daily environmental, physiological, and lifestyle factors on functional brain connectivity.” by Ana Maria Triana, et al. 2024.  

 

Elephant Memory 

 

“Do African Savanna Elephants (Loxodonta africana)Show Interspecific Social Long-Term Memory for Their Zoo Keepers?” by Martin Kranzlin, et al. 2024.  “Truth or Tail: Elephants have good memories.” Cleveland Zoo Society. 2021.  “Long-Term Olfactory Memory in African Elephants.” by Franziska Hoerner, et al. 2023.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the tiny tractor beam that could change how certain diseases are diagnosed, how a screw allowed an iconic historical building to go up faster than anyone thought possible, and why scientists are worried about the 33 dark spots with thousands of unknown plants. 

 

Tractor Beam 

 

“MIT engineers create a chip-based tractor beam for biological particles.” by Adam Zewe. 2024.  “Optical tweezing of microparticles and cells using silicon-photonics-based optical phased arrays.” by Tal Sneh, et al. 2024.  

 

Crystal Palace 

 

“How London’s Crystal Palace was built so quickly.” by Jennifer Ouellette. 2024.  “The Great Exhibition of 1851.” Christopher Marsden. N.d.  “Thread form at the Crystal Palace.” by John Gardner & Ken Kiss. 2024.  

 

Botany Dark Spots 

 

“Botanists identify 33 global ‘dark spots’ with thousands of unknown plants.” by Patrick Greenfield. 2024.  “‘Uncharted territory’: more than 2m fungi species yet to be discovered, scientists say.” by Patrick Greenfield. 2023.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about how whales could be carrying on conversations from over 60 miles away, the struggles of foster moms in the 1600s, and why your blood pressure reading might be way off.  

 

Whale Talk 

 

“Whales May Be Communicating Across Vast Distances.” by Joanna Thompson. 2024.  “Alaska’s Population of Bowhead Whales Rebounding.” by Riley Woodford. 2003.  “Orientation by means of long range acoustic signaling in baleen whales.” by Roger Payne & Douglas Webb. 1971.  “Synchronization of bowhead whales.” by Evgeny A. Podolskiy, et al. 2024.  

 

Foster Care History 

 

“Early foster care gave poor women power, 17th-century records reveal.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “History of Foster Care in the United States.” NEPA. N.D.  

 

Blood Pressure Test 

 

“Blood pressure may read falsely high if the arm isn’t positioned properly.” by Aimee Cunningham. 2024.  “Arm Position and Blood Pressure Readings.” by Hairong Liu, MHS. 2024.  “Estimated Hypertension Prevalence, Treatment, and Control Among U.S. Adults.” MillionHearts. 2023.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the entire neuron-for-neuron model of a fly brain, jellyfish that can merge together seamlessly, and how talking to our dogs in that way-too-cutesy voice might actually have a purpose.  

 

Fly Brains 

 

“Researchers simulate an entire fly brain on a laptop. Is a human brain next?” by Robert Sanders. 2024.  “A Drosophilacomputational brain model reveals sensorimotor processing.” by Philip K. Shiu, et al. 2024.  

 

Comb Jelly Fusion 

 

“Injured comb jellies can fuse into a single organism.” by Jacek Krywko. 2024.  “Rapid physiological integration of fused ctenophores.” by Kei Jokura, et al. 2024.  

 

Dog Voice 

 

“Our cutesy cringey dog voices could be practical, after all.” SciMex. 2024.  “Dog-human vocal interactions match dogs’ sensory-motor tuning.” by Eloise C. Deaux, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the cause of static electricity, how a new headband could help you stop a stroke before it happens, and why the ground in Siberia is exploding.  

 

Static Electricity 

 

“We Finally Know What Creates Static Electricity, After Thousands of Years.” by Michelle Starr. 2024.  “Why petting your cat leads to static electricity.” Northwestern. 2024.  

 

Stroke Headband 

 

“Laser headband non-invasively IDs stroke risk in real time.” by Bronwyn Thompson. 2024.  “Correlating stroke risk with non-invasive cerebrovascular perfusion dynamics using a portable speckle contrast optical spectroscopy laser device.” by Yu Xi Huang, et al. 2024.  

 

Exploding Craters 

 

“Chemists Finally Unravel the Mystery of Siberia’s Explosive Craters.” by Adam Kovac. 2024.  “Everything Is Extremely Normal and Totally Fine.” by Brian Kahn. 2020.  “Osmosis Drives Explosions and Methane Release in Siberian Permafrost.” by Ana M. O. Morgado, et al. 2024.  “The Mystery of Siberia’s Exploding Craters, Explained.” YouTube, Distilled. 2023.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about how scientists were able to witness water form at the molecular level and what that could mean for life on Mars, why Mount Everest is still growing, and why scientists are putting tiny backpacks on sea turtle hatchlings.   

 

Water Molecules 

 

“Researchers Watch Water Form at the Molecular Scale for the First Time.” Technology Networks. 2024.  “Ultrathin silicon nitride microchip for in situ/operando microscopy with high spatial resolution and spectral visibility.” by Kunmo Koo, et al. 2024.  “Unraveling the adsorption-limited hydrogen oxidation reaction at palladium surface via in situ electron microscopy.” by Yukun Liu, et al. 2024.  

 

Mount Everest Growth  

 

“Geologists Reveal a Surprising Reason Why Mount Everest Grows Taller Each Year.” by Rudy Molinek. 2024.  “Recent uplift of Chomolungma enhanced by river drainage piracy.” by Xu Han, et al. 2024.  

 

Turtle Backpacks 

 

“Scientists use tiny ‘backpacks’ on turtle hatchlings to observe their movements.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Swimming through  sand: using accelerometers to observe the cryptic, pre-emergence life-stage of sea turtle hatchlings.” by David Dor, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about a new transparent solar cell that could replace your windows to power your home, the discovery of hundreds of new mysterious Nazca Glyphs, and how singing in a choir might be good for your brain.  

 

Solar Cell Charging 

 

“All-back-contact neutral-colored transparent crystalline silicon solar cells enabling seamless modularization.” by Jeonghwan Park, et al. 2024.  “A smartphone that can charge itself from sunlight - scientists have created transparent solar cells that can be embedded in glass.” by Wayne Williams. 2024.  

 

Nazca Glyphs 

 

“Hundreds of Mysterious Nazca Glyphs Have Just Been Revealed.” by Michelle Starr. 2024.  “Over 140 New Nazca Lines Have Been Discovered, And We Finally Have Clues to Their Use.” by Peter Dockrill. 2019.  “See Newly Discovered Nazca Drawings That Depict Llamas, Human Sacrifices and More.” by Sonja Anderson. 2024.  

 

Singing & Brain Health 

 

“Choir singing associated with improved brain structure, especially in older adults.” by Bianca Setionago. 2024.  “Choir singing is associated with enhanced structural connectivity across the adult lifespan.” by Nella Moisseinen, et al. 2024.  “Playing an instrument, singing may help preserve brain health.”by Robby Berman. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the trouble hearts have in space, an ancient log that could help us hit climate targets, and how our brain divides our days into chapters.  

 

Heart Cells in Space  

 

“Space Travel Found To Disrupt Normal Rhythm in Heart Muscle Cells.” Technology Networks. 2024.  “Spaceflight-induced contractile and mitochondrial dysfunction in an automated heart-on-a-chip platform.” by Devin B. Mair, et al. 2024.  

 

Ancient Log 

 

“A thousands-year-old log demonstrates how burying wood can fight climate change.” by Jonathan Lambert. 2024.  “3775-year-old wood burial supports ‘wood vaulting’ as a durable carbon removal method.” by Ning Zeng, et al. 2024.  

 

Day Chapters 

 

“Our brains divide the day into chapters. New psychology research offers details on how.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Top-down attention shifts behavioral and neural event boundaries in narratives with overlapping event scripts.” by Alexandra De Soares, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a more sustainable jet fuel made from trees, how a new process allows you to 3D print glass, and why feeding coral reefs might save them from heat stress.  

 

Plant Jet Fuel 

 

“New continuous reaction process can help turn plant waste into sustainable aviation fuel.” by Seth Truscott. 2024.  “Lignin-based jet fuel and its blending effect with conventional jet fuel.” by Zhibin Yang, et al. 2022.  “A simultaneous depolymerization and hydrodeoxygenation process to produce lignin-based jet fuel in continuous flow.” by Adarsh Kumar, et al. 2024.  

 

3D-Printed Glass 

 

“How Do You 3D Print Glass?” by Rachel Berkowitz. 2024.  “Volumetric heating in digital glass forming.” by Luis Deutsch-Garcia, et al. 2024.  

 

Feeding Coral 

 

“Feeding coral reefs can aid their recovery from bleaching events.”by Tatyana Woodall. 2024.  “Ocean acidification does not prolong recovery of coral holobionts from natural thermal stress in two consecutive years.” by Kerri L. Dobson, et al. 2024.  “NOAA confirms 4th global coral bleaching event.” NOAA. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about how nuclear weapons might one day actually save the Earth, the video game that lets you power wash your bad mood away, and a study that suggests being a picky eater might be genetic.  

 

Asteroid Blast 

 

“Nuclear blast could save Earth from large asteroid, scientists say.” by Ian Sample. 2024.  “Simulation of asteroid deflection with a megajoule-class X-ray pulse.” by Nathan W. Moore, et al. 2024.  

 

Power Wash Positivity 

 

“It’s official: You can virtually power wash your way to a better mood.” by Abhimanyu Ghoshal. 2024.  “Affective Uplift During Video Game Play: A Naturalistic Case Study.” by Matti Vuorre, et al. 2024.  

 

Picky Eaters 

 

“Being A Picky Eater Could Be Genetic: Study.” by Anuradha Varanasi. 2024.  “Nature and nurture in fussy eating from toddlerhood to early adolescence: findings from the Gemini twin cohort.” by Zeynep Nas, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about a potential cure for diabetes, how ancient extinct volcanoes might provide a boost for your cell phones, and why sharks and rays fling themselves out of the water.  

 

Stem Cells & Diabetes 

 

“Stem cells reverse woman’s diabetes - a world first.” by Smriti Mallapaty. 2024.  “How a pioneering diabetes drug offers hope for preventing autoimmune disorders.” by Elie Dolgin. 2023.  

 

Rare Earth Metals  

 

“Humanity needs more rare earth elements. Extinct volcanoes could be a rich new source.” by Michael Anenburg. 2024.  “Demand for rare-earth metals is skyrocketing, so we’re creating a safer, cleaner way to recover them from old phones and laptops.” by Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo. 2021.  “Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth metals located in Kiruna area.” LKAB. 2023.  

 

Leaping Sharks 

 

“A review of elasmobranch breaching behavior: why do sharks and rays propel themselves out of the water into the air?” by A. Peter Klimley, et al. 2024.  “Sharks and Rays Leap Out of the Water for Many Reasons, Including Feeding, Courtship, and Communication.” by A. Peter Klimley. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about how earthquakes shake up quartz to make gold nuggets, the discovery of a new type of cell, and an effort to redefine sustainability in our oceans.  

 

Gold Nuggets 

 

“How do gold nuggets form? Earthquakes may be the key.” by Robin George Andrews. 2024.  “Gold nugget formation from earthquake-induced piezoelectricity in quartz.” by Christopher R. Voisey, et al. 2023.  

 

New Cell Type 

 

“New cell type discovered.” Scimex. 2024.  “Discovery of an embryonically derived bipotent population of endothelial-macrophage progenitor cells in postnatal aorta.” by Anna E. Williamson, et al. 2024.  “The facts about cells.” by ThoughtCo.com. 2017.  

 

Redefining Sustainability 

 

“Leading scientists redefine ‘sustainability’ to save the ocean and feed a hungry and warming planet.” by Alex Morrison. 2024.  “11 Overfishing Statistics and Facts You Should Know About.” by Martina Igini. 2022.  “Rethinking sustainability of marine fisheries for a fast-changing planet.” by Callum Roberts, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new way to use a defibrillator that works over 250% better, how octopuses go hunting with fish, and the keys to happiness.  

 

Defib Placement 

 

“New defib placement increases chance of surviving heart attack by 264%.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest different for men and women.” by Paul McClure. 2023.  “Initial Defibrillator Pad Position and Outcomes for Shockable Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.” by Joshua R. Lupton, et al. 2024.  

 

Octopus Hunting 

 

“Octopuses seen hunting together with fish in rare video - and punching fish that don’t cooperate.” by Evan Bush. 2024.  “Octopuses keep surprising us - here are eight examples how.” by Lisa Hendry. N.d.  

 

Keys to Happiness 

 

“Could this be the key to happiness? New research suggests so.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Who’s the Happiest and Why? The role of passion and self-regulation in psychological well-being.” by Robert J. Vallerand, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the synthetic slime that might help people heal from back surgery, how cities tend to get more rain than the rural areas around them, and a new genetically engineered golden lettuce packed with vitamins.  

 

Cow Slime  

 

“Cow slime can help disc herniation patients after surgery.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Preserving the Immune-Privileged Niche of the Nucleus Pulposus: Safeguarding Intervertebral Discs from Degeneration after Discectomy with Synthetic Mucin Hydrogel Injection.” by Huan Wang, et al. 2024.  

 

City Rainfall 

 

“Unprecedented global study shows that most cities receive more rainfall than surrounding rural areas.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “The escalating impact of global warming on atmospheric rivers.” by Saima May Sidik. 2024.  

 

Golden Lettuce 

 

“‘Golden Lettuce’ genetically engineered to pack 30 times more vitamins.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  “CRISPR tomatoes genetically engineered to be richer in vitamin D.” by Michael Irving. 2022.  “Scientists fine-tune iodine and potassium levels in designer veggies.” by Michael Franco. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the brain science behind choking under pressure, a newer, tougher, stronger concrete inspired by bones, and how skin cancer rates in Sweden could offer a sign of hope. 

 

Pressure & Performance 

 

“Choking under pressure: Brain neurons misfire when the stakes are highest.” by Bronwyn Thompson. 2024.  “Research sheds new light on decreased performance under pressure.” by Sara Vaccar. 2024. “A neural basis of choking under pressure.” by Adam L. Smoulder, et al. 2024.  

 

Bone Concrete 

 

“Tougher concrete, inspired by bone.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Tough Cortical Bone-Inspired Tubular Architected Cement-Based Material with Disorder.” by Shashank Gupta & Reza Moinin. 2024.  

 

Cancer Decline 

 

“Breaking the trend: Skin cancer incidence in young adults declines.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Melanoma Incidence and Mortality Trends in Sweden.” by Hildur Helgadottir, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about how surgeons operated on a pig from 5,000 miles away, a population of neanderthals that were isolated for 50,000 years, and why trees could be linked to lower risks of ADHD in kids.  

 

Remote Surgery  

 

“Remote surgery performed on a pig 9,000 km away using a game controller.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  “Teleoperated Magnetic Endoscopy: A Case Study and Perspective.” by Alexandre Mescot, et al. 2024.  

 

Isolated Neanderthals 

 

“An ancient Neanderthal community was isolated for over 50,000 years.” Scimex. 2024.  “Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction.” by Ludovic Slimak, et al. 2024.  

 

Greenspace & ADHD 

 

“Tree-covered neighborhoods linked to lower ADHD risk in children.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Lifelong greenspace exposure and ADHD in Polish children: Role of physical activity and perceived neighbourhood [sic] characteristics.” by Dorota Buczylowska, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new device that can get inside the mind of babies, the edible protein that’s made out of carbon dioxide, and how the modern ideal of the 15-minute city might not be for everyone.  

 

Baby Brain Device  

 

“Wearable brain imaging device shines a light on how babies respond in real-world situations.” UCL. 2024.  “Whole-head high-density diffuse optical tomography to map infant audio-visual responses to social and non-social stimuli.” by Liam H. Collins-Jones, et al. 2024.  

 

CO2 Protein 

 

“Powered by renewable energy, microbes turn CO2 into potentially edible protein and vitamins.” Scimex. 2024.  “Power-to-vitamins: producing folate (vitamin B9) from renewable electric power and CO2 with a microbial protein system.” by Lisa Marie Schmitz, et al. 2024.  

 

15-Minute Cities 

 

“15-minute city: Why time shouldn’t be the only factor in future city planning.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “A universal framework for inclusive 15-minute cities.” by Matteo Bruno et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about how climbing on monkey bars and other risky play could be a gift from our ancestors, the dangers of mold in space, and new evidence on how cravings take root in our brains.  

 

Risky Play 

 

“Risky Play Exercises an Ancestral Need to Push Limits.” by Morgan Kelly. 2024.  “Commemorating the monkey bars, catalyst of debate at the intersection of human evolutionary biology and public health.” by Luke D. Fannin, et al. 2024.  

 

Mold in Space  

 

“Keeping mold out of future space stations.” by Tatyana Woodall. 2024.  “Predicting how varying moisture conditions impact the microbiome of dust collected from the International Space Station.” by Nicholas Nastasi, et al. 2024.  

 

Brain Cravings 

 

“‘Sticky’ brain activity is linked to stronger feelings of craving.” by Mallory Locklear. 2024.  “Network state dynamics underpin basal craving in a transdiagnostic population.” by Jean Ye, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a potential positive side to side effects, how mega El Niños triggered the world’s worst mass extinction event, and the antidote to pesticides that could save bees.  

 

Positive Side Effects  

 

“How side effects can improve treatment efficacy: a randomized trial.” by Lieven A. Schenk, et al. 2024.  “Side-effects are often a curse. Can they also be a blessing?” by Katja Wiech, et al. 2024.  

 

Mega El Niño 

 

“Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction.” by Jake Buehler. 2024.  “Mega El Niño instigated the end-Permian mass extinction.” by Yadong Sun, et al. 2024.  

 

Bee Protector 

 

“Scientists hopeful antidote can help protect bumblebees from pesticides.” by Helena Horton. 2024.  “Ingestible hydrogel microparticles improve bee health after pesticide exposure.” by Julia S. Caserto, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a breakthrough in our understanding of the behavior and abilities of bacteria, the queen ants that cannibalize their sick larvae and recycle it, and how tiny shards of plastic are finding their way into our brains.  

 

Bacteria Behavior 

 

“New discovery of how bacteria navigate their environment could change how we treat infection.” University of Sheffield. 2024.  “Individual bacterial cells can use spatial sensing of chemical gradients to direct chemotaxis on surfaces.” by James H.R. Wheeler, et al. 2024.  

 

Ant Cannibals 

 

“Ant queens cannibalize [sic] their sick offspring - then ‘recycle’ them.” University of Oxford. 2024.  “Ant queens cannibalize infected brood to contain disease spread and recycle nutrients.” by Flynn Bizzell & Christopher D. Pull. 2024.  “Black garden ant.” The Wildlife Trusts. N.d.  

 

Brain Plastic 

 

“Tiny shards of plastic are increasingly infiltrating our brains, study says.” by Sandee LaMotte. 2024.  “Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains Assessed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.” by Matthew Campen, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the connection between chronic sinus infections and anxiety, a new way to recycle plastic by vaporizing it, and how marmosets call each other by name.   

 

Sinuses & Mental Health  

 

“Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Mental Health.” by Najm S. Khan, et al. 2024.  “Chronic Sinusitis.” CDC. 2022.  

 

Vaporizing Plastic 

 

“New process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases [sic] to make new, recycled plastics.” by Robert Sanders. 2024.  “Plastic Pollution.” by Hannah Ritchie, et al. 2022.  

 

Monkey Names 

 

“These monkeys use names to communicate with each other, study finds.” by Lianne Kolirin. 2024.  “These Monkeys Call One Another by Name.” by Emily Anthes. 2024.  “Vocal labeling of others by nonhuman primates.” by Guy Oren, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about how common table salt could help our bodies fight cancer, an ancient underwater bridge that’s changing what we know about human migration in Europe, and the hyper precise nuclear clock breakthrough.  

 

Salt & Cancer 

 

“Common salt activates anti-tumor cells.” by Charlotte Fuchs and Friederike Gawlik. 2024.  “Sodium chloride in the tumor microenvironment enhances T cell metabolic fitness and cytotoxicity.” by Dominik Soll, et all. 2024.  

 

Ancient Bridge 

 

“Submerged bridge constructed at least 5600 years ago indicates early human arrival in Mallorca, Spain.” by Bogdan P. Onac, et al. 2024.  “What a submerged ancient bridge discovered in a Spanish cave reveals about early human settlement.” ScienceDaily. 2024.  “Mallorca Facts.” Mallorca.com. Nd.  

 

Nuclear Clock  

 

“A nuclear clock prototype hints at ultraprecise timekeeping.” by Emily Conover. 2024.  “How Does the NIST-7 Atomic Clock Work?” by Bruce Morser. 2012.  “A new ultrafast laser emits pulses of light 30 billion times a second.” by Emily Conover. 2018.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about an injectable pacemaker that dissolves after 5 days, how a black hole is starving a galaxy to death, and the bats with record-high blood sugar levels.  

 

Injectable Pacemaker 

 

“Injectable pacemaker regulates heartbeat for 5 days then dissolves.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  “In situ assembly of an injectable cardiac stimulator.” by Umut Aydemir, et al. 2024.  “Arrythmia.” Cleveland Clinic. N.d.  

 

Black Hole Starves 

 

“Astronomers detect black hole ‘starving’ its host galaxy to death.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “A fast-rotator post-starburst galaxy quenched by supermassive black-hole feedback at z=3.” by Francesco D’Eugenio, et al. 2024.  

 

Bat Blood Sugar 

 

“Sugar assimilation underlying dietary evolution of Neotropical bats.” by Jasmin Camacho, et al. 2024.  “Some bats are surviving and thriving with blood sugar levels that would be lethal for other mammals.” Stowers Institute for Medical Research. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the new air conditioner that cools without conditioning the air, how understanding our false memories can be a window into our problem solving skills, and a study examining the grieving of cats.  

 

AC Not Conditioned   

 

“Device provides air conditioning without conditioning air.” by Ellen Phiddian. 2024.  “A pure radiant cooling device for ‘air conditioning’ without conditioning air.” by Xinyao Zheng, et al. 2024.  “2023 was the warmest year in the modern temperature record.” by NOAA Centers for Environmental Information. 2024.  

 

False Memories 

 

“False memories revealing mathematical reasoning.” University of Geneva. 2024.  “Revealing mental representations of arithmetic word problems through false memories: New insights into semantic congruence.” by H. Gros, et al. 2024.  

 

Cat Grief 

 

“Cats appear to grieve death of fellow pets - even dogs, study finds.” by Hannah Devlin. 2024.  “A Brief History of House Cats.” by David Zax. 2007.  “Is companion animal loss cat-astrophic? Responses of domestic cats to the loss of another companion animal.” by Brittany Greene & Jennifer Vonk. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new tool that maps out our incredibly complex gut microbiome to tell you if it’s healthy or… not so much, how metalworkers are taking lessons from insects to shape metal at room temperature, and the psychology behind our feelings toward unusually colored animals.  

 

Microbiome Map 

 

“Mayo researchers develop tool that measures health of a person’s gut microbiome.” by Susan Murphy. 2024.  “Gut Microbiome Wellness Index 2 enhances health status predictions from gut microbiome taxonomic profiles.” by Daniel Chang, et al. 2024.  

 

Insect Metalwork 

 

“Room temperature metalworking inspired by insects and crab shells.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  “Shrimp shells to serve as the basis for new multi-protective coatings.” by David Szondy. 2020.  “A Biological Approach to Metalworking Based on Chitinous Colloids and Composites.” by Shiwei Ng, et al. 2024.  

 

Animal Colors 

 

“How color shapes which animals we fear - and which we protect.” by Kara Manke. 2024.  “Of Rarity and Symbolism: Understanding Human Perceptions of Charismatic Color Morphs.” by Tyus D. Williams, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the mushrooms that are controlling the movements of robots, how horses might be a lot smarter than we thought, and what makes a strongman… strong.  

 

Mushroom Robot 

 

“Engineers Gave a Mushroom a Robot Body And Let It Run Wild.” by Mike Grace. 2024.  “Mushrooms as Nature’s Alchemists: Cycles, Connections, Healing, and Vision.” by Dana O’Driscoll. 2023.  “Fungi May Be Communicating in a Way That Looks Uncannily Like Human Speech.” by David Nield. 2022.  “‘Cyborg Soil’ Unearths a Complex Web of Hidden Microbial Cities.” by Edith Hammer. 2021.  “Mushrooms Appear to Have Electrical ‘Conversations’ After It Rains.” by Russell McLendon. 2023.  “Sensorimotor control of robots mediated by electrophysiological measurements of fungal mycelia.” by Anand Kumar Mishra, et al. 2024.  

 

Horse Smarts  

 

“Horses can plan ahead and think strategically, scientists find.” by Donna Ferguson. 2024.   “Horses can plan and strategise, new study shows.” by Jacqueline Howard. 2024.  “Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task.” by Louise Evans, et al. 2024.  

 

Strongman Muscles 

 

“Strongman’s muscles reveal the secrets of his super-strength.”by Paul McClure. 2024.  “11 Things That Weight [sic] Around 1000 lbs (pounds).” by Niklas. 2024.  “Muscle and tendon morphology of a world strongman and deadlift champion.” by Thomas G. Balshaw, et al. 2024.  

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Today, you’ll learn about the massive new study that suggests cell phones don’t cause cancer as some feared, a fluffy orange fungus that could one day turn your food waste into dinner, and how scientists are helping crocodiles refine their tastes.  

 

Phones & Brain Cancer   

 

“Mobile phones are not linked to brain cancer, according to a major review of 28 years of research.” by Sarah Loughran & Ken Karipidis. 2024.  “Brain tumour risk in relation to mobile telephone use: results of the INTERPHONE international case-control study.” International Journal of Epidemiology. 2010.  “Mobile phone use and incidence of brain tumour histological types, grading or anatomical location: a population-based ecological study.” by Ken Karipidis, et al. 2018.  

 

Fungus Food 

 

“A fluffy, orange fungus could transform food waste into tasty dishes.” by Anna Gibbs. 2024.  “Neurospora intermediafrom a traditional fermented food enables waste-to-food conversion.” by Vayu Maini Rekdal, et al. 2024.  

 

Crocs & Toads  

 

“Taste aversion training can educate free-ranging crocodiles against toxic invaders.” by Georgia Ward-Fear, et al. 2024.  “Introduction of cane toads.” National Museum of Australia. 2023.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about how to sync up clocks on Earth with clocks on the moon, a nanoparticle that could help relieve stubborn allergies, and the culture of birds.  

 

Moon Clock  

 

“Researchers figure out how to keep clocks on the Earth, Moon in sync.” by John Timmer. 2024.  “The Relativistic Framework to Estimate Clock Rates on the Moon.” by Neil Ashby & Bijunath R. Patla. 2024.  

 

Meat Allergy 

 

“Tick-borne red meat allergy prevented in mice through new nanoparticle treatment.”by Jim Lynch. 2024.  “TAK-101 Nanoparticles Induce Gluten-Specific Tolerance in Celiac Disease: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.” by Ciaran P. Kelly, et al. 2021.  

 

Bird Culture 

 

“When birds build nests, they’re also building a culture.” by Nell Greenfieldboyce. 2024.  “Social learning in nest-building birds: a role for familiarity.” by Lauren M. Guillette, et al. 2016.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about a record-breaking deep drill into the Earth’s mantle, the new science behind the ancient Chinese diagnostic practice of tongue examination, and how a new discovery at Stonehenge is opening up yet more mysteries.  

 

Mantle Drill 

 

“Geologists drill 1.2 km into rare rocks from Earth’s mantle.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  “Internal Structure of Earth: Crust, Mantle & Core, Discontinuities.” Rau’s IAS. 2024. “Earth’s layers: Exploring our planet inside and out.” by Daisy Dobrijevic. 2023.  “A long section of serpentinized depleted mantle peridotite.” by C. Johan Lissenberg, et al.  

 

Tongue Exam 

 

“Say ‘aah’ and get a diagnosis on the spot: is this the future of health?” University of South Australia. 2024.  “Tongue Disease Prediction Based on Machine Learning Algorithms.” by Ali Raad Hassoon, et al. 2024.  

 

Stonehenge Discovery 

 

“Stonehenge’s Strangest Rock Came From 500 Miles Away.” by Meghan Bartels. 2024.  “A Scottish provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehenge.” by Anthony J. I. Clarke, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about a new groundbreaking bionic leg, the problem with first impressions, and new tech that can detect microplastics in water in milliseconds.  

 

Bionic Leg  

 

“Bionic leg makes walking quicker and easier for amputees, trial shows.” by Hannah Devlin. 2024.  “5.6 Million++ Americans are Living with Limb Loss and Limb Difference: New Study Published.” Amputee Coalition. 2024.  “Agonist-antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI).”MIT Media Lab. N.D.  “Continuous neural control of a bionic limb restores biomimetic gait after amputation.” by Hyungeun Song, et al. 2024.  

 

First Impressions 

 

“How first impressions can trap us into making suboptimal decisions.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Missing out by pursuing rewarding outcomes: Why initial biases can lead to persistent suboptimal choices.” by Chris Harris, et al. 2023.  

 

Nanoplastic Detection 

 

“Cutting-edge technology detects nanoplastics in water - instantly.” McGill. 2024.  “Scientists find about a quarter million invisible nanoplastic particles in a liter of bottled water.” by Seth Borenstein. 2024.  “Nanoplastics in Water: Artificial Intelligence-Assisted 4D Physicochemical Characterization and Rapid In Situ Detection.” by Zi Wang, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the smart soil that gives plants a massive boost even when they’re watered less, how our love of certain odors could be more nurture than nature, and a moss that could one day fill greenhouses on Mars. 

 

Smart Soil  

 

“‘Smart soil’ grows 138% bigger crops using 40% less water.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  “Climate Change Indicators: Drought.” EPA. 2024.  “Water for Prosperity and Peace.” Unesco. 2024.  “Self-watering SMAG-soil pulls moisture from the air.” by Ben Coxworth. 2020.  “Self-Irrigation and Slow-Release Fertilizer Hydrogels for Sustainable Agriculture.” by Jungjoon Park, et al. 2024.  

 

Smell Preferences 

 

“Do you smell what I smell? New study reveals surprising variability in odor preferences.” by Mane Kara-Yakoubian. 2024.  “Is the perception of odour pleasantness shared across cultures and ecological conditions? Evidence from Amazonia, East Africa, New Guinea, Malaysia, and Poland.” by Piotr Sorokowski, et al. 2024.  

 

Mars Moss 

 

“Scientists find desert moss ‘that can survive on Mars’.” by Nicola Davis. 2024.  “The extremotolerant desert moss Syntrichia caninervis is a promising pioneer plant for colonizing extraterrestrial environments.” by Xiaoshuang Li, et al. 2024.  “This desert moss has the potential to grow on Mars.” Science News. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the first ever total larynx transplant that gave one cancer patient his voice back, a new way to conduct gold-standard sleep studies without all the wires, and how a new discovery is changing the way scientists understand the mammalian brain.  

 

Larynx Transplant 

 

“Mayo Clinic marks medical milestone with world’s first known successful total larynx transplant performed in a patient with an active cancer as part of a clinical trial.” EureAlert! 2024.  “Total Laryngeal Transplantation in the Setting of Active Laryngeal Malignancy.” by David G. Lott, MD, et al. 2024.  “Laryngeal Cancer Data.” Iowa Health & Human Services. 2024.  

 

Sleep Studies 

 

“Sleep studies simplified: Gold-standard results with far less wiring.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Cardiosomnography: ECG-only sleep studies.” Cardiosomnography.com. 2024.  

 

Mammal Brains 

 

“Co-evolutionary dynamics of mammalian brain and body size.” by Chris Venditti, et al. 2024.  “Brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolution trend.” Durham University. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the so-called super synchronizers who are super attractive to potential partners, a new quantum compass that could one day replace GPS, and how a rare seabird rides out tropical cyclones.  

 

Super Synchronizers   

 

“Scientists discover ‘Super Synchronizers’ with heightened romantic appeal.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Social and nonsocial synchrony are interrelated and romantically attractive.” by M. Cohen, et al. 2024.  

 

Quantum Compass 

 

“‘It’s the perfect place’: London Underground hosts tests for ‘quantum compass’ that could replace GPS.” by Robin McKie. 2024.  “Quantum ‘compass’ could allow navigation without relying on satellites.” by Hayley Dunning, et al. 2018.  “What Is GPS and how do global positioning systems work?” Geotab. 2024.  

 

Seabirds & Cyclones 

 

“Groundbreaking study reveals oceanic seabirds chase tropical cyclones.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Oceanic seabirds chase tropical cyclones.” by Francesco Ventura, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new way for doctors to use neural networks - or AI - to figure out the risks of organ transplants in individual patients, a new fabric that is - literally - cool, and how serotonin affects fertility.  

 

Rejection Prediction 

 

“Decoding the hallmarks of allograft dysfunction with a comprehensive pan-organ transcriptomic atlas.” by Harry Robertson, et al. 2024.  “History of transplantation.” UNOS. n.d.  

 

Cool Fabric 

 

“New fabric makes urban heat islands more bearable.” by Paul Dailing. 2024.  “Spectrally engineered textile for radiative cooling against urban heat islands.” by Ronghui Wu, et al. 2024.  

 

Serotonin & Fertility 

 

“Intriguing connection found between serotonin and fertility.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Raphne glucose-sensing serotonergic neurons stimulate KNDy neurons to enhance LH pulses via 5HT2CR: rat and goat studies.” by Sho Nakamura, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about how an existing blood pressure drug might prevent epilepsy, the pint-sized 3D printer that can print inside your body, and why doing something kind for someone else can be a boost for your own well-being.   

 

Epilepsy Preventer  

 

“Epilepsy risk drops up to 30% on existing blood pressure drugs.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Types of Blood Pressure Medications.” Heart.org. 2024.  “The epidemiology of epilepsy in older adults: A narrative review by the ILAE Task Force on Epilepsy in the Elderly.” by Ettore Beghi, et al. 2023.  “Seizures and Epilepsy After Stroke: Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Management.” by Marian Galovic, et al. 2021.  “The role of inflammation in the development of epilepsy.” by Amna Rana & Alberto E. Musto. 2018.  

 

Tiny 3D Printer 

 

“This 3-D printer can fit in the palm of your hand.” by Claire Yuan. 2024.  “Silicon-photonics-enabled chip-based 3D printer.” by Sabrina Corsetti, et al. 2024.  

 

Acts of Kindness 

 

“New psychology research shows acts of kindness predict seven types of well-being.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Everyday acts of kindness predict greater well-being during the transition to university.” by Tiara A. Cash, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the part of the brain that keeps us focused on our goals - even when it would be better to quit, a massive discovery of lost wheat genes that could help feed a crowded planet, and the new wearable technology that could diagnose disease by monitoring your sweat.  

 

Sunk Cost Fallacy   

“The neuroscience behind the sunk cost fallacy: Key brain region identified.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Goal commitment is supported by vmPFC through selective attention.” by Eleanor Holton, et al. 2024.  

 

Wheat Genes 

“Hidden genetic treasure: wheat discovery could sustainably feed global population.” University of Bristol. 2024.  “The A.E. Watkins landrace collection of bread wheat: Who was AE Watkins?” John Innes Centre. 2024.  “Harnessing landrace diversity empowers wheat breeding.” by Shifeng Cheng, et al. 2024.  

 

Sweat Monitor 

“Sweat health monitor measures levels of disease markers.” by Tina Hilding. 2024.  “3D-Printed Flexible Microfluidic Health Monitor for In SituSweat Analysis and Biomarker Detection.” by Chuchu Chen, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the amazing transformative power of an out-of-body experience, how scientists want to use brain cells to do their computing, and a study that suggests eating cheese might make you live longer.  

 

Out-Of-Body Experience  

 

“Exploring the transformative potential of out-of-body experiences: A pathway to enhanced empathy.” by Marina Weiler, et al. 2024.  “Out of body experiences and their neural basis.” by Olaf Blanke. 2004.  

 

Brain Cell Computing 

 

“Open and remotely accessible Neuroplatform for research in wetware computing.” by Fred D. Jordan, et al. 2024.  “Neuromorphic wetware for artificial neural networks that overcome the limits of traditional computer hardware.” Innovation Toronto. 2023.  “How Many Joules Does My Surge Protector Need?” by Karenann Brow. 2024.  

 

Cheese & Aging  

 

“Eating cheese plays a role in healthy, happy aging - who are we to argue?” by Bronwyn Thompson. 2024.  “Mendelian randomization evidence for the causal effect of mental well-being on healthy aging.” by Chao-Jie Ye, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about how moms helped us evolve to live longer, the jumping leeches of Madagascar, and how cities affect bird diversity.  

 

Maternal Bonds 

 

“Mothers’ care is central factor in animal, human longevity.” by Caitlin Hayes. 2024.  “Why Humans Live So Long.” by Heather Pringle. 2013.  “Maternal care leads to the evolution of long, slow lives.” by Matthew N. Zipple, et al. 2024.  

 

Jumping Leeches 

 

“A jumping terrestrial leech from Madagascar.” by Mai Fahmy & Michael Tessler. 2024.  “New leech-like device to suck blood for sampling instead of needling.”by Shubhangi Dua. 2024.  “100-year-old mystery solved as first jumping leech found in Madagascar.” People Movers. 2024.  

 

Urban Birds 

 

“Dense city centers support less evolutionary unique bird communities than sparser urban areas.” by Federico Morelli, et al. 2024.  “2.5 The Impact Of Urban Greenspace On Bird Populations.” by Kristin J. Harpster. N.d.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the effect of space on our kidneys, how a simple display of pride can win a fight, and bad news for artists we know bad things about.  

 

Kidneys & Space   

 

“Would astronauts’ kidneys survive a roundtrip to Mars?” UCL. 2024.  “Cosmic kidney disease: an integrated pan-omic, physiological and morphological study into spaceflight-induced renal dysfunction.” by Keith Siew, et al. 2024.  

 

Boxing Pride 

 

“Pride displays can sway perceptions of victory in evenly matched boxing fights.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “The effects of nonverbal pride and skill on judgements of victory and social influence: a boxing study.” by Jason P. Martens & Lucy Doytchinova. 2024.  

 

Art & The Artist 

 

“Art perception is affected by negative knowledge about famous and unknown artists.” by Hannah Kaube & Rasha Abdel Rahman. 2024.  “The role of expertise and culture in visual art appreciation.” by Kohinoor M. Darda & Emily S. Cross. 2022.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a potential breakthrough in stroke detection, how AI could help put a lid on online hate speech and create safer spaces, and the delicious development of healthier chocolate.  

 

Stroke Blood Test  

 

“Researchers develop ‘game-changing’ blood test for stroke detection.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Large Vessel Occlusion in Acute Stroke.” by Lena-Alexandra Beume, et al. 2018.  “Prospective Validation of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein, D-Dimer, and Clinical Scales for Acute Large-Vessel Occlusion Ischemic Stroke Detection.” by Yasir Durrani, et al. 2024.  

 

Hate Speech Monitoring  

 

“AI saving humans from the emotional toll of monitoring hate speech.” by Media Relations, University of Waterloo. 2024.  “Multi-Modal Discussion Transformer: Integrating Text, Images and Graph Transformers to Detect Hate Speech on Social Media.” by Liam Hebert, et al. 2024.  

 

Healthy Chocolate 

 

“Scientists develop method of making healthier, more sustainable chocolate.” by Ajit Niranjan. 2024.  “Valorization of cocoa pod side streams improves nutritional and sustainability aspects of chocolate.” by Kim Mishra, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about AI that can detect wildfires from space, why going to bed late might not be so great on your mental health, and a breakthrough in recycling.  

 

Space Firefighting 

 

“Fighting fires from space in record time: how AI could prevent a repeat of Australia’s devastating wildfires.” University of Southern Australia. 2024.  “Fire detection from space.” YouTube Video, University of South Australia. 2024.  “Number of wildfires to rise by 50% by 2100 and governments are not prepared, experts warn.” UN. 2022.  “Onboard AI for Fire Smoke Detection Using Hyperspectral Imagery: An Emulation for the Upcoming Kanyini Hyperscout-2 Mission.” by Sha Lu, et al. 2024.  

 

Sleep Schedules  

 

“Perils of the nighttime: Impact of behavioral timing and preference on mental health in 73,888 community-dwelling adults.” by Renske Lok, et al. 2024.  “Dictionary of Circadian Physiology.” Circadian.org. N.d.  “Circadian Rhythm.” by Lucy Bryan & Dr. Lulu Guo. 2024.  

 

Polystyrene 

 

“New polystyrene recycling process could be world’s first to be both economical and energy-efficient.” University of Bath. 2024.  “Thermodynamic and economic analysis of a deployable and scalable process to recover Monomer-Grade styrene from waste polystyrene.” by Madison R. Reed, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about how a simple walk through nature could make you want to eat healthier foods, a new finding that T.rexes might not have been as cognitively advanced as we thought, and the sheath that keeps sawfish from doing battle in the womb.  

 

Nature & Healthy Food   

 

“Experiencing nature seems to have an important impact on food choices.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  https://www.psypost.org/experiencing-nature-seems-to-have-an-important-impact-on-food-choices/ “Experiencing nature leads to healthier food choices.” by Maria Langlois & Pierre Chandon. 2024.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00072-x 

 

T.Rex Intelligence   

 

“T. rex not as smart as previously claimed, scientists find.” University of Bristol. 2024.  https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2024/april/t-rex-not-as-smart.html “How smart was T. rex? Testing claims of exceptional cognition in dinosaurs and the application of neuron count estimates in palaeontological research.” by Kai R. Caspar, et al.  https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.25459 

 

Baby Sawfish  

 

“A built-in pocket protector keeps sawfish from ‘sword fighting’ in the womb.” by Natalie van Hoose. 2024.  https://www.sciencenews.org/article/stops-sawfish-from-sword-fighting-womb “Smalltooth Sawfish.” Oceana. N.d.  https://oceana.org/marine-life/smalltooth-sawfish/ “Morphology, composition, and deterioration of the embryonic rostral sheath of the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata).” by Gregg R. Poulakis, et al. 2024.  https://fisherybulletin.nmfs.noaa.gov/content/morphology-composition-and-deterioration-embryonic-rostral-sheath-smalltooth-sawfish 

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new method to cryopreserve parts of the brain for later use, the personality changes that happen after organ transplants, and how fungicides cause dangerous fungi to self-destruct. 

 

Cryopreservation 

 

“Effective cryopreservation of human brain tissue and neural organoids.” by Weiwei Xue, et al. 2024.  “Brain organoids: Establishment and application.” by Hao Chen, et al. 2022.  

 

Personality Transplant 

 

“Personality Changes Associated with Organ Transplants.” by Brian Carter, et al. 2024.  https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3943/5/1/2 “Does changing the heart mean changing personality? A retrospective inquiry on 47 heart transplant patients.” by B Bunzel, et al. 1992.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1299456/ 

 

Fungal Azoles 

 

“Azoles activate type I and type II programmed cell death pathways in crop pathogenic fungi.” by Martin Schuster, et al. 2024.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48157-9 “Leaf Blotch Disease of Wheat - Septoria tritici Blotch, Stagonospora nodorum Blotch and Tan Spot.” by Jorge David Selgado & Pierce A. Paul. 2016.  https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-cer-07 

 

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Today, you’ll learn about why giving babies foods with peanuts could crack the peanut allergy problem, a wild discovery of cancer treatment 4,000 years ago, and the sneaky way cuckoos evolve to look like other birds so they can live in their nests.  

 

Peanut Allergy  

 

“Giving young children peanut products cuts allergy risk, study finds.” by Ian Sample. 2024.  “Peanut Allergies.”Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 2024.  “Follow-up to Adolescence after Early Peanut Introduction for Allergy Prevention.” by George Du Toit, et al. 2024.  

 

Ancient Cancer Treatment  

 

“‘Extraordinary’ 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull may show signs of attempts to treat cancer.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Case report: Boundaries of oncological and traumatological medical care in ancient Egypt: new palaeopathological insights from two human skulls.” by Tatiana Tondini, et al. 2024.  

 

Cuckoo Evolution 

 

“Cuckoos evolve to look like their hosts - and form new species in the process.” University of Cambridge. 2024.  “Cuckoo guide: why they call ‘cuckoo’, how they trick other birds, and where they go in winter.” by Megan Shersby. 2022.  “Coevolution with hosts underpins speciation in brood-parasitic cuckoos.” by N.E. Langmore, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the lifelong learning of chimps, a mysterious strange signal from space, and the possible treatment for depression that involves heating up the body.  

 

Chimp Tools   

 

“Chimps are lifelong learners, study on tool use shows.” by Charles Mpaka. 2024.  “Protracted development of stick tool use skills extends into adulthood in wild western chimpanzees.” by Mathieu Malherbe, et al. 2024.  

 

Space Radio  

 

“A strange intermittent radio signal from space has astronomers puzzled.” by Manisha Caleb & Emil Lenc. 2024.  “An emission-state-switching radio transient with a 54-minute period.” by M. Caleb, et al. 2024.  

 

Hyperthermia Treatment  

 

“Whole-body hyperthermia shows promising antidepressant effects through anti-inflammatory pathways.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “The antidepressant effect of whole-body hyperthermia is associated with the classical interleukin-6 signaling pathway.” by Naoise Mac Giollabhui, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about how when chimpanzees can’t figure out how to do something they get their friends to teach them, a potential breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer, and how singing repairs the brain after a stroke. 

 

Chimpanzee Learning 

 

“Chimpanzees use social information to acquire a skill they fail to innovate.” by Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen, et al. 2024.  “Like Humans, Bumblebees and Chimpanzees Can Pass on Their Skills to Form ‘Cumulative Culture’.” by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes. 2024.  

 

Breast Cancer Gel  

 

“Scientists make potential breast cancer breakthrough after preserving tissue in gel.” by Matthew Weaver. 2024.  “Breast cancer statistics.” Cancer Research UK. n.d.  

 

Singing Brain Repair 

 

“Singing repairs the language network of the brain after a cerebrovascular accident.” University of Helsinki. 2024.  “Vocal music boosts the recovery of language functions after stroke.” University of Helsinki. 2021.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the remarkable social memory of chimps, the gut bacteria that could help fight cancer, and how gene therapy might one day help you out with that pesky lower back pain.  

 

Chimp Memory 

 

“Chimps Can Still Remember Faces After a Quarter Century.” by Carl Zimmer. 2023.  “Bonobos and chimpanzees remember familiar conspecifics for decades.” by Laura S. Lewis, et al. 2023.  

 

Bacterial Tumor Killer 

 

“Gut bacteria boost immune response to fight tumors.” by Marta Wegorzewska. 2024.  “The Human Microbiome and Its Impacts on Health.” by Grace A. Ogunrinola, et al. 2020.  

 

Gene Disc Repair 

 

“Gene therapy relieves back pain, repairs damaged disc in mice.” by Emily Caldwell. 2024.  “Increased Frequency of Low Back Pain in Recent Times: Does the Answer Lie in COVID-19?” by Sreedhar Sathu, et al. 2023.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the surprising prevalence of heart abnormalities in elite athletes, how an oxytocin nasal spray might help with chronic loneliness, and a discovery that could help doctors diagnose a disease just by looking at your fingernails.  

 

Elite Athlete Hearts   

 

“Why are elite athletes prone to abnormal heart rhythms?” by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel. 2024.  “2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Join Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines.” by Jose A. Joglar, et al. 2023.  “Stroke in endurance athletes with atrial fibrillation.” by Marius Myrstad, et al. 2020.  

 

Oxytocin & Loneliness  

 

“Can oxytocin help against loneliness?” Uni-Bonn. 2024.  “Modulating Social Behavior with Oxytocin: How does it work? What does it mean?” by Patricia S. Churchland & Piotr Winkielman. 2011.  “Relationship Between Loneliness, Psychiatric Disorders and Physical Health? A Review on the Psychological Aspects of Loneliness.” by Raheel Mushtaq, et al. 2014.  “Oxytocin-Augmented Modular-Based Group Intervention for Loneliness: A Proof-Of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial.” by Ruben Berger, et al. 2024.  

 

Nail Diagnosis 

 

“Benign nail condition linked to rare syndrome that greatly increases cancer risk.” NIH. 2024.  “Long Term Follow-up of Mesothelioma Patients and Their Family Members With Germline Mutations in BAP1 and Other Genes.” Study. 2024.  

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Today, you’ll learn about what goes on in our brains when we sleepwalk, how playing video games might actually help us navigate the world IRL, and the endurance hunting of traditional societies.  

 

Sleepwalker Brain  

 

“Scientists Discover What’s Happening Inside a Sleepwalker’s Brain.” by Rhianna-lily Smith. 2024.  “Shared EEG correlates between non-REM parasomnia experiences and dreams.” by Jacinthe Cataldi, et al. 2024.  “Consciousness and cortical responsiveness: a within-state study during non-rapid eye movement.” by Jaakko O. Nieminen, et al. 2016.  “Parasomnia: what happens inside a sleepwalker’s brain?” Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. 2024.  

 

Games & Navigation 

 

“Playing video games linked to enhanced wayfinding abilities.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Sea Hero Quest.” Spiers Lab. n.d.  “5 facts about Americans and video games.” by Andrew Perrin. 2018.  “Video gaming, but not reliance on GPS, is associated with spatial navigation performance.” by Emre Yavuz, et al. 2024 

 

Endurance Hunting 

 

“Born to run? Endurance running may have evolved to help humans chase down prey.” by Kermit Pattison. 2024.  “Ethnography and ethnohistory support the efficiency of hunting through endurance running in humans.” by Eugene Morin & Bruce Winterhalder. 2024.

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Today, you’ll learn about a breakthrough in the effort to create a vaccine for HIV, how engineers are turning carbon dioxide into useful products, and the silk fabric that could one day make your clothes noise-canceling.  

 

HIV Vaccine 

 

“A Trial HIV Vaccine Triggered Elusive and Essential Antibodies in Humans.” Duke Health. 2024.  “The impact of antiretroviral treatment on mortality trends of HIV-positive adults in rural Uganda: a longitudinal population-based study, 1999-2009.” by Ivan Kasamba, et al. 2012.  

 

CO2 New Uses 

 

“Engineers find a new way to convert carbon dioxide into useful products.” by Anne Trafton. 2024.  “Highly Efficient Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction via DNA-Directed Catalyst Immobilization.” by Gang Fan, et al. 2024.  

 

No Noise Fabric 

 

“Single Layer Silk and Cotton Woven Fabrics for Acoustic Emission and Active Sound Suppression.” by Grace H. Yang, et al. 2024.  “How Piezoelectricity Works to Make Crystals Conduct Electric Current.” by Edwin Robledo. 2023.  https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/blog/piezoelectricity/ 

 

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Today, you’ll learn about people who lack an inner voice, how yoga could help cancer survivors defog their minds, and the newly discovered hormone that is connected to promiscuous behavior in mice.  

 

No Inner Voice  

 

“People without an inner voice have poorer verbal memory.” University of Copenhagen. 2024.  “Not Everybody Has an Inner Voice: Behavioral Consequences of Anendophasia.” by Johanne S. K. Nedergaard & Gary Lupyan. 2024.  

 

Yoga & Brain Health 

 

“Yoga shows ‘most improvement’ in restoring brain health in long-term cancer survivors, Northeastern researcher says.” by Cynthia McCormick Hibbert. 2024.  “Management of Cancer-related Cognitive Dysfunction - Conceptualization Challenges and Implications for Clinical Research and Practice.” by Pascal Jean-Pierre. 2010.  “Yoga improves self-reported cognitive function among cancer survivors: results from the STAYFit trial.” by Neha P. Gothe, et al. 2024.  

 

Monogamous Mice 

 

“Some mice have a cheating heart. It’s a hormonal thing, scientists find.” by Mark Johnson. 2024.  “History of Adrenal Research: From Ancient Anatomy to Contemporary Molecular Biology.” by Walter L. Miller & Perrin C. White. 2023.  “Monogamy Rare In the Wild.” by Alisa Opar. 2013.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a gel that stops alcohol from making you drunk and harming your liver, the ancient viruses of Yellowstone hot springs, and the song that tiger beetles sing to confuse bats.  

 

Anti-Drunk Gel 

 

“Anti-intoxicant gel keeps alcohol out of the bloodstream.” by Ben Coxworth. 2024.  “Single-site iron-anchored amyloid hyrdrogels as catalytic platforms for alcohol detoxification.” by Jiaqi Su, et al. 2024.  

 

Hot Spring Viruses 

 

“Hot springs viruses at Yellowstone National Park have ancient origins and are adapted to thermophilic hosts.” by L. Felipe Benites, et al. 2024.  “Yellowstone’s Best Geothermal Features.” by Amelia Mayer. 2023.  “Hot Springs.” National Park Service. 2017.  

 

Tiger Beetles 

 

“Tiger beetles fight off bat attacks with ultrasonic mimicry.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Echolocation.” Neighbourhood Bat Watch. N.d.  “Tiger beetles produce anti-bat ultrasound and are probably Batesian moth mimics.” by Harlan M. Gough, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new anxiety-free way to collect blood samples modeled on the sucking power of leeches, the super carbon-gobbling power of blue-green algae, and a new understanding of how asthma happens - and maybe how to stop it.  

 

Leeches & Blood Tests 

 

“Blood diagnostics modeled on leeches.” by Fabio Bergamin. 2024.  “Prevalence, causes, impacts, and management of needle phobia: An international survey of a general adult population.” by Kimberly Alsbrooks & Klaus Hoerauf. 2022.  “ A Bioinspired and Cost-Effective Device for Minimally Invasive Blood Sampling.” by Nicole Zoratto, et al. 2024.  

 

Algae & Carbon 

 

“Scientists unlock key to breeding ‘carbon gobbling’ plants with a major appetite.” Scimex. 2024.  “Light and carbon: Synthetic biology toward new cyanobacteria-based living biomaterials.” by Isabella M. Goodchild-Michelman, et al. 2023.  “Cyanobacterial a-carboxysome carbonic anhydrase is allosterically regulated by the Rubisco substrate RuBP.” by Sacha B. Pulsford, et al. 2024.  

 

Asthma Cause 

 

“Chronic asthma could be caused by cell overcrowding in the airways.” by Monique Brouillette. 2024.  “Asthma Surveillance Data.” CDC. 2021. “Bronchoconstriction damages airway epithelial by crowding-induced excess cell extrusion.” by Dustin C. Bagley, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a groundbreaking new treatment for hair loss caused by autoimmune skin disease, a condition that affects the imagination, and the gadget that will put a cold brew coffee in your cup in minutes instead of hours. 

 

Hair Loss Treatment 

 

“New treatment could reverse hair loss caused by an autoimmune skin disease.” by Anne Trafton. 2024.  “Microneedle-mediated Delivery of Immunomodulators Restores Immune Privilege in Hair Follicles and Reverses Immune-Mediated Alopecia.” by Nour Younis, et al. 2024.  

 

Aphantasia 

 

“Aphantasia linked to abnormal brain responses to imagined and observed actions.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “What It’s Like to Be ‘Mind Blind’.” by Nayantara Dutta. 2022.  “Explicit and implicit motor simulations are impaired in individuals with aphantasia.” by William Dupont, et al. 2024.  

 

Ultrasound Coffee 

 

“Cold brew coffee in under 3 minutes? Ultrasound makes it possible.” by Paul Ridden. 2024.  “Laser-extracted cold-brew coffee could be a Monday-morning game changer.” by Loz Blain. 2022.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the possible link between asthma, ADHD, and income in children, how whale communication is much more complex than we thought, and the secret lithium hidden away for millions of years under Pennsylvania. 

 

Asthma & ADHD  

 

“ADHD, asthma, and economic hardship: New research suggests a causal pathway.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Associations between symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, socioeconomic status and asthma in children.” by Makiko Omura, et al. 2024.  

 

Whale Codas 

 

“Contextual and combinatorial structure in sperm whale vocalizations.” by Pratyusha Sharma, et al. 2024.  “Behaviors: Communicating.” Sperm Whales: Dominica. 2018. 

 

Hidden Lithium 

 

“Estimates of lithium mass yields from produced water sourced from the Devonian-aged Marcellus Shale.” by Justin Mackey. 2024.  “The Middle Devonian.” Palaeos. 2000. 

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about an accidental discovery of a dial in the brainstem that controls the body’s inflammation level, how centipedes might offer a treatment for kidney disease, and the problem with bringing back our deceased loved ones using AI. 

 

Brainstem Dial  

 

“Found: the dial in the brain that controls the immune system.” by Giorgia Guglielmi. 2024.  “Your brain could be controlling how sick you get - and how you recover.” by Diana Kwon. 2023.  “Tissues, not blood, are where immune cells function.” by Donna L. Farber. 2021.  

 

Centipedes & Kidneys 

 

“Centipedes used in traditional Chinese medicine offer leads for kidney treatment.” ACS. 2024.  “Giant Redheaded Centipede.” Missouri Department of Conservation. 2024. “Structurally Diverse Alkaloids with Anti-Renal-Fibrosis Activity from the Centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans.”by Bin-Yuan Hu, et al. 2024.  

 

AI Ghosts 

 

“Call for safeguards to prevent unwanted ‘hauntings’ by AI chatbots of dead loved ones.” University of Cambridge. 2024.  “Griefbots, Deadbots, Postmortem Avatars: on Responsible Applications of Generative AI in the Digital Afterlife Industry.” by Tomasz Hollanek & Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basinska. 2024.  “Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence.” LCFI. 2024. 

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about how sleep isn’t the brain detoxifier we thought it was, a new glass made out of bamboo, and the connection between leprosy and red squirrels in medieval England.  

 

Sleeping Brain 

 

“Sleep does not help brain wash out toxins, study suggests.” by Hannah Devlin. 2024.  “The sleep-deprived human brain.” by Adam J. Krause, et al. 2017.  “Brain clearance is reduced during sleep and anesthesia.” by Andawei Miao, et al. 2024.  

 

Bamboo Glass 

 

“A Novel Flame-Retardant, Smoke-Suppressing, and Superhydrophobic Transparent Bamboo.” by Jiahui Su, et al. 2024.  “Glass Transmittance.”Linshang Technology. 2020.  “Is Bamboo Sustainable? All You Need to Know About Eco-Friendly Bamboo.” by Raf Chomsky. 2023.  

 

Leprosy & Squirrels 

 

“In medieval England, leprosy spread between red squirrels and people, genome evidence shows.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Ancient Mycobacterium lepraegenome reveals medieval English red squirrels as animal leprosy host.” by Christian Urban, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about how reading fiction could make you smarter, the first ever likely transmission of bird flu from a cow to a human, and how a beluga whale communicates with its squishy head. 

 

Fiction Readers   

 

“People who read a lot of fiction tend to have better cognitive skills, study finds.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Cognitive effects and correlates of reading fiction: Two preregistered multilevel meta-analyses.” by Lena Wimmer, et al. 2024.  

 

Bird Flu Transmission 

 

“Texas dairy farm worker’s case may be first where bird flu virus spread from mammal to human, scientists say.” by Helen Branswell. 2024.  “Bird Flu Detections Reporting in Backyard and Commercial Birds.” CDC. 2024.  “Avian Influenza.” World Organization For Animal Health. 2023. “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection in a Dairy Farm Worker.” by Timothy M. Uyeki, M.D., M.P.H., et al. 2024.  

 

Beluga Heads 

 

“Belugas may communicate by warping a blob of forehead fat.” by Elizabeth Anne Brown. 2024.  “Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) create facial displays during social interactions by changing the shape of their melons.” by Justin T. Richard, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new and stimulating method that could potentially help smokers kick the habit, an innovative copper coating that kills bacteria on touchscreens, and the little birds that sometimes make for great stepdads.  

 

Tobacco Treatment 

 

“Can brain stimulation help people kick their tobacco addiction?” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Why Won’t Our Patients Stop Smoking?” by David M. Mannino, MD. 2009.  “A randomized controlled trial of intermittent theta burst stimulation to the medial prefrontal cortex for tobacco use disorder: Clinical efficacy and safety.” by Merideth A. Addicott, et al. 2024.  

 

Clean Touchscreen 

 

“Copper coating turns touchscreens into bacteria killers.” by Ben Coxworth. 2024.  “Towards transparent and durable copper-containing antimicrobial surfaces.” by Christina Graham, et al. 2024.  

 

Parrot Stepdads 

 

“New animal dads often kill their stepchildren. These parrots adopt them instead.” by Virginia Morell. 2024.  “Eviction-driven infanticide and sexually selected adoption and infanticide in a neotropical parrot.” by Steven R. Beissinger & Karl S. Berg. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the demand for a compound called squalene that is decimating deepwater shark populations, an amazing effort to create an eco-friendly lubricant using green chemistry, and the surprising connection between shepherds, women, and wildfires. 

 

Shark Oil  

 

“Deepwater Sharks Are Threatened by Demand for Liver Oil.” by David Shiffman. 2024.  “100 Million Sharks Killed Every Year, Study Show On Eve of International Conference on Shark Protection.” National Geographic. 2013.  “Fishing for oil and meat drives irreversible defaunation of deepwater sharks and rays.” by Brittany Finucci, et al. 2024.  

 

Eco-Friendly Lubricant 

 

“New eco-friendly lubricant additives protect turbine equipment, waterways.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Minimizing Toxicity and Optimizing Lubricity of Ionic Liquids for Eco-Friendly Lubrication.” by Xin He, et al. 2024.  

 

Historic Land Management 

 

“Anthropologist documents how women and shepherds historically reduced wildfire risk in Central Italy.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Wildfires as legacies of agropastoral abandonment: Gendered litter raking and managed burning as historic fire prevention practices in the Monte Pisano of Italy.” by Andrew S. Mathews & Fabio Malfatti. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a newly discovered deep sea ghost shark, the best way to treat prolonged grief disorder, and how the blood vessels in our brain coordinate to improve brain functioning.  

 

Ghost Shark  

 

“‘Ghost shark’ with enormous head and giant iridescent eyes discovered off Thailand.” by Elise Poore. 2024.  “Chimaera.” Shark Trust. 2020. “Chimaera supapae(Holocephali: Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae), a new species of chimaera from the Andaman Sea of Thailand.” by David A. Ebert, et al. 2024.  

 

Grief Treatment 

 

“Which therapy works best to treat prolonged grief disorder?” by Lachlan Gilbert. 2024.  “Cognitive Behavior Therapy vs Mindfulness in Treatment of Prolonged Grief Disorder.” by Richard A. Bryant, et al. 2024.  “Comparing the efficacy of mindfulness-based therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression in head-to-head randomized controlled trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis of equivalence.” by Kristine Tretto Sverre, et al. 2022.  “Prolonged Grief Disorder.” Psychology Today. N.d. 

 

Blood Vessel Coordination 

 

“Coordinating Blood Vessel Activity Might be Associated with Better Brain Performance.” Tohoku University. 2024.  “Plastic vasomotion entrainment.” by Daichi Sasaki, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the incredible dynamics that make the thresher shark so good at threshing, how people with a rare growth disorder might actually have an advantage that leads to longer lifespans, and why people listen to sad music.  

 

Thresher Shark  

 

Fear the Tails, Not the Jaws, of These ‘Weirdo’ Sharks.” by Kate Golembiewski. 2024.  “Vertebral morphology in the tail-whipping common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus.” by Jamie L. Knaub, et al. 2024.  

 

Laron Syndrome 

 

“People with Rare Longevity Mutation May Also Be Protected from Cardiovascular Disease.” by Beth Newcomb. 2024.  “Normal or improved cardiovascular risk factors in IGF-I-deficient adults with growth hormone receptor deficiency.” by Jaime Guevara-Aguirre, et al. 2024.  

 

Sad Music 

 

“New insights into the psychological enigma of sad music.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Liking music with and without sadness: Testing the direct effect hypothesis of pleasurable negative emotion.” by Emery Schubert. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about the possible holy grail of great white shark sightings, a new flu vaccine that could knock out every strain and last a long time, and a map of human consciousness.  

 

Newborn Great White 

 

“Great white sighting may reveal ‘holy grail’ of shark science.” by Katie Hunt. 2024.  “Novel aerial observations of a possible newborn white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in Southern California.” by Carlos Gauna & Phillip C. Sternes. 2024.  

 

Long-Term Flu Shot 

 

“New strategy could lead to universal, long-lasting flu shot.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Duke University Developing Universal Flu Vaccine.” YouTube Video. 2023.  “Understanding Influenza (Flu) Infection: An Influenza Virus Binds to a Respiratory Tract Cell.” CDC. 2019. 

 

Consciousness Map 

 

“Brain imaging study reveals connections critical to human consciousness.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Consciousness.” by Anil Seth. n.d. “What is the Connectome Coordination Facility?” CCF. n.d.  “Stimulant Therapy Targeted to Individualized Connectivity Maps to Promote ReACTivation of Consciousness (STIMPACT).” by Brian L. Edlow, M.D. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the rare study of a hammerhead shark embryo, how touching your teammate might help them make free throws, and a super alloy that doesn’t break - it kinks.  

 

Hammerhead Embryos 

 

“Secrets of Hammerhead Sharks Revealed in ‘Very Rare’ Images.” by Robyn White. 2024.  “Bonnethead shark.” David A. Ebert, et al. 2021.  “Are Hammerhead Sharks Dangerous and Do They Attack Humans?” by Robyn White. 2022.  “Embryonic development in the bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo), a viviparous hammerhead shark.” by Steven R. Byrum, et al. 2023.  

 

Free Throw Touch 

 

“Physical touch from teammates appears to improve free throw accuracy in basketball.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “The power of human touch: Physical contact improves performance in basketball free throws.” by Christiane M. Buttner, et al. 2024.  

 

Kinky Alloy 

 

“This Allow is Kinky.” by Aliyah Kovner. 2024.  “Kink bands promote exceptional fracture resistance in a NbTaTiHf refractory medium-entropy alloy.” by David H. Cook, et al. 2024.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about a massive prehistoric shark, the controversial plan to kill millions of barred owls, and how a condition called misophonia could be linked to stress and trauma.  

 

Giant Shark 

 

“Ancient, 30-foot relative of great white shark unearthed in Mexico quarry.” by Melissa Hobson. 2024.  “Exceptionally preserved shark fossils from Mexico elucidate the long-standing enigma of the Cretaceous elasmobranch Ptychodus.”by Romain Vullo, et al. 2024.  “Cretaceous period: Animals, plants and extinction event.” by Michael Dhar. 2022.  

 

Barred Owl Cull 

 

“They Shoot Owls in California, Don’t They?” by Franz Lidz. 2024.  “Northern Spotted Owl.” National Wildlife Federation. N.d.  “Barred-Owl-Letter.” Letter PDF. 2024.  

 

Misophonia Stress 

 

“Misophonia severity tied to higher stress and trauma, study shows.” by Vladimir Hedrih. 2024.  “What Is Misophonia?” by Paul Frysh. 2023.  “Misophonia is related to stress but not directly with traumatic stress.” by Rachel E. Guetta, et al. 2024. 

 

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Today, you’ll learn about tiny robotic nerve cuffs, an orangutan that treated its own wound with medicine, and how nostalgia encourages us to take part in rituals.  

 

Robotic Nerve Cuffs 

 

“Robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ could help treat a range of neurological conditions.” University of Cambridge. 2024.  “Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).” Cleveland Clinic. 2022. “Electrochemically actuated microelectrodes for minimally invasive peripheral nerve interfaces.” by Chaoqun Dong, et al. 2024.  

 

Orangutan Medicine 

 

“In a first, an orangutan was seen treating his wound with a medicinal plant.” by Evan Bush. 2024.  “Active self-treatment of a facial wound with a biologically active plant by a male Sumatran orangutan.” by Isabelle B. Laumer, et al. 2024.  

 

Ritual Nostalgia 

 

“New research reveals the psychological impact of nostalgia on ritual engagement and meaning in life.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Nostalgia, Ritual Engagement, and Meaning in Life.” by Yige Yin, et al. 2024.  “Nostalgia.” The Emotions Lab. 2022.  

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Today, you’ll learn about a new way to turn certain blood types into universal blood types that could save countless lives, how exercise makes time slow down, and the new plastic made of eggshells that could clean up our water and stop plastic pollution.  

 

Universal Donors 

 

“Bacterial enzyme strips away blood types to create universal donor blood.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Blood safety and availability.” WHO. 2023.  “Facts About Blood and Blood Types.” American Red Cross. 2024.  “Akkermansia muciniphila exoglycosidases target extended blood group antigens to generate ABO-universal blood.” by Mathias Jensen, et al. 2024.  

 

Exercise & Time 

 

“Time warps when you workout: Study confirms exercise slows our perception of time.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “The perception of time is slowed in response to exercise, an effect not further compounded by competitors: behavioral implications for exercise and health.” by Andrew Mark Edwards, et al. 2024.  

 

Eggshell Plastic 

 

“Researchers Develop Bioplastic From Eggshells as Sustainable Alternative to Plastic.” Technology Networks. 2024.  “Eggshell incorporated agro-waste adsorbent pellets for sustainable orthophosphate capture from aqueous media.” by Bernd G. K. Steiger, et al. 2024.  “Phosphorus and Water.”USGS. 2018.  

 

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Today, you’ll learn about how microgravity affects sleep and physiological rhythms, the half a billion year old bioluminescent octocoral, and the truth about women’s synchronized menstrual cycles. 

 

Microgravity Effects 

 

“Simulated microgravity affects sleep and physiological rhythms.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Effect of 60 days of head down tilt bed rest on amplitude and phase of rhythms in physiology and sleep in men.” by Maria-Angeles Bonmati-Carrion, et al. 2024.  

 

Octocorals 

 

“Glowing octocorals have been around for at least 540 million years.” by Jake Buehler. 2024.  “What is bioluminescence?” NOAA. N.D.  “Evolution of bioluminescence in Anthozoa with emphasis on Octocorallia.” by Danielle M. DeLeo, et al. 2024.  

 

Menstrual Sync 

 

“Do women who live together get their periods together, or is it a myth?” by Marlene Cimons. 2024.  “Women do not synchronize their menstrual cycles.” by Zhengwei Yang & Jeffrey C Schank. 2006.  “Menstrual synchrony: Fact or artifact?” by Anna Ziomkiewicz. 2026.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the life-crushing conditions on Venus that could actually tell us about life elsewhere in the universe, how indigenous cultural fire burning could help us create healthier forests, and the people who brew beer in their stomachs.  

 

Venus Environment  

“To find life in the universe, look to deadly Venus.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Davinci, a return to Venus’ clouds.” The Planetary Society. N.d.  “NASA’s Planetary Fleets, Including Mars, Venus, Discovery Missions, and Small Body Missions.” n.a. 2023.  “Missions to Venus: Highlights From History, and When We May Go Back.” by Shannon Stirone. 2020.  “Venus as an anchor point for planetary habitability.” by Stephen R. Kane & Paul K. Byrne. 2024.  “Venus.” NASA. 2024.  

 

Forest Stewardship  

“Research showcases Indigenous stewardship’s role in forest ecosystem resilience.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Blending Indigenous and western science: Quantifying cultural burning impacts in Karuk Aboriginal Territory.” by Skye M. Greenler, et al. 2024.  “The Karuk Used Fire to Manage the Forest for Centuries. Now They Want To Do That Again.” by Danielle Venton. 2021.  “North America’s summer of wildfire smoke: 2023 was only the beginning.” by Charles O. Stanier, Gregory Carmichael, & Peter S. Thorne. 2023. 

 

Auto-Brewery Syndrome 

“A Brewery Worker’s Drunken Driving Defense: His Stomach Made the Alcohol.” by Ali Watkins. 2024.  “Auto Brewery Syndrome: Can You Really Make Beer in Your Gut?” by Noreen Iftikhar, MD. 2018.  “Truck driver claims body produces alcohol, caused him to be drunk, crash and spill 11,000 salmon.” by Dana Hedgpeth. 2016.  “Case report and literature review of auto-brewery syndrome: probably an underdiagnosed medical condition.” by Fahad Malik, et al. 2019.  

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Today, you’ll learn about the amazing regenerative effects of thistle extract on damaged nerves, the first synthetic, lab-made cells, and new insights into the development of language in people with autism.  

 

Thistle Extract 

 

“Thistle extract accelerates nerve regeneration by up to 29%.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Nerves.” Byju’s. N.d. “Cnicin promotes functional nerve regeneration.” by Philipp Gobrecht, et al. 2024.  

 

Artificial Cells 

 

“UNC-Chapel Hill researchers create artificial cells that act like living cells.” by Carleigh Gabryel. 2024.  “What Are Peptides and What Are They Used For?” by Jillian Kubala, RD. 2023.  “Designer peptide-DNA cytoskeletons regulate the function of synthetic cells.” by Margaret L. Daly, et al. 2024.  

 

Autism Language 

 

“New research unveils three distinct language comprehension phenotypes in autistic children.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Autism Spectrum Disorder: Communication Problems in Children.” NIH. 2020. “Are there distinct levels of language comprehension in autistic individuals - cluster analysis.” by Andrey Vyshedskiy. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new way to purify water simply by walking, robots controlled by liquid and rubber balls, and an accident that led to a wild discovery about bumblebees.  

 

Clean Water Walking  

 

“Walking-induced electrostatic charges enable in situ electroporated disinfection in portable water bottles.” by Young-Jun Kim, et al. 2024.  “Freshwater Crisis.” National Geographic. N.d.  “A revolutionary solution for on-the-go water disinfection.” by Manish Kumar Sharma & Zong-Hong Lin. 2024.  

 

Metafluid 

 

“Tiny rubber spheres used to make a programmable fluid.” by Jacek Krywko. 2024.  “Harvard’s bizarre ‘metafluid’ packs programmable properties.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  “Metamaterials.” News Atlas Database. N.d.  “Shell buckling for programmable metafluids.” by Adel Djellouli, et al. 2024.  

 

Underwater Bees 

 

“Bumblebee species able to survive underwater for up to a week.” by Nicola Davis. 2024.  “Unveiling the submerged secrets: bumblebee queens’ resilience to flooding.” by Sabrina Rondeau & Nigel E. Raine. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the history of dragons, a lab-made gold that’s only a single atom thick, and a new low pressure way to make diamonds.  

 

Dragon History   

 

“Dragons: A brief history of the mythical, fire-breathing beasts.” by Callum McKelvie & Benjamin Radford. 2022.  “A Natural History of Dragons.” by Livia Gershon. 2022.  “Job 41.” Bible Study Tools. N.d.  

 

Gold Atom Layer 

 

“A single atom layer of gold - LiU researchers create goldene.” by Anders Torneholm. 2024.  “Synthesis of goldene comprising single-atom layer gold.” by Shun Kashiwaya, et al. 2024.  

 

Low Pressure Diamonds 

 

“A new method of making diamonds doesn’t require extreme pressure.” by Emily Conover. 2024.  “The Science Behind Diamonds.” by Dustin Lemick. 2023.  “Growth of diamond in liquid metal at 1 atm pressure.” by Yan Gong, et al. 2024.  

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Today, you’ll learn about a new tech that could turn all that nasty CO2 into electricity, the genes that allow cancer cells to metastasize, and the incredible, healing hearts of zebrafish. 

 

CO2 Into Electricity 

 

“Electricity generation from carbon dioxide adsorption by spatially nanoconfined ion separation.” by Zhuyuan Wang, et al. 2024.  “Novel Nanogenerator Turns CO2 Into Electricity.” Technology Networks. 2024.  “Can Removing Carbon From the Atmosphere Save Us From Climate Catastrophe?” by Renee Cho. 2018.  “Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.” by Rebecca Lindsey. 2024.  

 

Shapeshifting Cancer 

 

“Cancer Cells’ Shapeshifting Ability Reveals New Drug Targets.” by Blake Forman. 2024.  “Environmentally dependant and independent control of 3D cell shape.”by Lucas G. Dent, et al. 2024.  

 

Zebrafish 

 

“Why can zebrafish regenerate damaged heart tissue, while other fish species cannot?” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Distinct features of the regenerating heart uncovered through comparative single-cell profiling.” by Clayton M. Carey, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the genes that could make you left-handed, how trees are able to cope with heat waves, and what could possibly lie beneath the ice of Jupiter’s moon, Europa.  

 

Left Hand Gene 

 

“Gene involved in cell shape offers clues on left-handedness.” by Will Dunham. 2024.  “Half a century of handedness research: Myths, truths; fictions, facts; backwards, but mostly forwards.” by Chris McManus. 2019.  “One hundred famous left-handed people.” n.a. 2003.  

 

Heat Wave Trees 

 

“How do trees survive dry and hot summers? Leaf lifespan and growth recovery are key.” phys.org. 2024.  “Climate Change Impacts on Forests.” EPA. n.d.  “Guide to Conifers: 11 Types of Conifers Seen Across the US.” MasterClass. 2021.  

 

Europa 

 

“Our picture of habitability on Europa, a top contender for hosting life, is changing.” by Nikk Ogasa. 2024.  “Europa Clipper.” JPL. n.d. “Europa: Moon of Jupiter. Potential for life.” NASA. n.d.  “Europa: Facts.” NASA. 2024. 

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about how our perception of when old age hits is changing, a baby’s response to a happy face, and the housekeeping habits of neanderthals. 

 

When is Old Age?   

 

“Perception of when old age starts has increased over time, shows study.” by Nicola Davis. 2024.  “Psychology and Aging.” APA PsycNet database. 2024.  “The shift from old age to very old age: an analysis of the perception of aging among older people.” by Emile Escourrou, et al. 2022.  

 

Sensative Mothers 

 

“Researchers uncover link between maternal sensitivity and infant brain responses to happy faces.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Mary Ainsworth’s legacy: a systematic review of observational instruments measuring parental sensitivity.” by Judi Mesman & Rosanneke A G Emmen. 2013.  “Love on the developing brain: Maternal sensitivity and infants’ neural responses to emotion in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.” by Jessica A. Stern, et al. 2024.  

 

Neanderthal Homes 

 

“Study: Just Like Homo sapiens, Neanderthals Organized Their Living Space in Structured Way.” Sci News News Staff. 2024.  “Study Compares Neanderthal and Modern Human Living Spaces.” Archaeology. 2024.  “Homo Sapiens  and Neanderthal Use of Space at Riparo Bombrini (Liguria, Italy).” by Amelie Vallerand, et al. 2022.  

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Today, you’ll learn about a new class of antibiotics that kills drug-resistant bugs, a water pollution test that can tell scientists where the pollution came from, and spiders that collaborate.  

 

New Antibiotics 

 

“New antibiotic class effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria.” Uppsala Universitet. 2024.  “10 reasons YOU should be worried about antibiotic resistance.” by Diane Ashiru-Oredope. 2014.  “What You Need to Know About a Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection.” by Kirsten Nunez. 2022.  “Antibiotic class with potent in vivo activity targeting lipopolysaccharide synthesis in Gram-negative bacteria.” by Douglas L. Huseby, et al. 2024.  

 

H2O Pollution Test 

 

“New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects.” University of Cambridge. 2024.  “7 Effects Of Water Pollution.” AtlasScientific. 2023.  “Chemodiversity in freshwater health.” by Andrew J. Tanentzap & Jeremy A. Fonvielle. 2024.  

 

Cooperative Camouflage 

 

“In a first, these crab spiders appear to collaborate, creating camouflage.” by Saugat Bolakhe. 2024.  “Crab Spider.” A-Z Animals. N.d. “Male and female crab spiders ‘cooperate’ to mimic a flower.” by Shi-Mao Wu & Jiang-Yun Gao. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the dreams of birds, why sound pollution in the oceans could be killing whales, and how fruit-eating birds are doing the work to save tropical forests.  

 

Bird Dreams 

 

“Birds sing in their sleep - and now we can decipher their dreams.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Replay of innate vocal patterns during night sleep in suboscines.” by Juan F. Doppler, et al. 2021.  “Synthesizing avian dreams.” by Juan F. Doppler, et al. 2024.  “What is World Environment Day.” n.a. N.d.  

 

Whales & Noise  

 

“Avoidance, confusion, solitude: whales react to rising noise pollution.” The University of Melbourne. 2024.  “Avoidance, confusion or solitude? Modelling how noise pollution affects whale migration.” by Stuart T. Johnston & Kevin J. Painter. 2024.  “How First Contact With a Whale Civilization Could Unfold.” by Ross Anderson. 2024.  

 

Fruit-Eaters Save Forest 

 

“Tropical forests can’t recover naturally without fruit eating birds.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Frugivores enhance potential carbon recovery in fragmented landscapes.”  by Carolina Bello. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a paralyzed man who is making a recovery after receiving stem cell therapy, how bees learn architecture, and a potential new treatment for postpartum depression in new mothers.  

 

Paralysis Recovery  

 

“Paralyzed man who can walk again shows potential benefit of stem cell therapy.” by Amanda Dimare. 2024.  “Study documents safety, improvements from stem cell therapy after spinal cord injury.” by Susan Barber Lindquist. 2024.  “Spinal cord injury.” WHO. 2024.  “Case report: Stem cells a step toward improving motor, sensory function after spinal cord injury.” by Susan Barber Lindquist. 2019.  

 

Bee Architecture 

 

“The inheritance of alternative nest architectural traditions in stingless bees.” by Viviana Di Pietro, et al. 2024.  “Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution.” by Christoph Gruter. 2020. “Stigmergy as a Universal Coordination Mechanism: components, varieties and applications.” by Francis Heylighen. N.d.  

 

Perinatal Treatment 

 

“Esketamine injection just after childbirth reduces depression in new mothers.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Is Esketamine the Game-Changer for Depression We Want?” by EJ Dickson. 2019.  “What is Perinatal Depression?” American Psychological Association. 2023.  

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Today, you’ll learn about how non-invasive brain stimulation might offer relief to older patients suffering from anxiety and depression, the first known molecular fractal, and a new discovery turning the view of bonobos as peace-loving primates on its head.  

 

Brain Stimulation 

 

“Brain stimulation treatment may improve depression, anxiety in older adults.” by Jill Pease. 2024.  “Mental health of older adults.” WHO. 2023.  “tDCS reduces depression and state anxiety symptoms in older adults from the augmenting cognitive training in older adults study (ACT). by Hanna K. Hausman, et al. 2024.  

 

Fractal Molecule 

 

“Discovery of the first fractal molecule in nature.” Max Plank Gesellschaft. 2024.  “How Fractals Work.” by Craig Haggit & Yara Simon. 2023.  “Six Sierpinski Triangle Constructions (visual mathematics).” YouTube Video. 2023.  

 

Bonobos 

 

“Bonobos not the peace-loving primates once thought, study reveals.” by Nicola Davis. 2024.  “Differences in expression of male aggression between wild bonobos and chimpanzees.” by Maud Mouginot, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about a new AI developed to help doctors identify and treat diseases like cancer, why watching sports might give our sense of wellness a boost, and the real reason we blink so much.  

 

AI Medical Research  

 

“Mayo researchers invented a new class of AI to improve cancer research and treatments.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “The Rise of Hypothesis-Driven Artificial Intelligence in Oncology.” by Zilin Xianyu, et al. 2024. 

 

Watching Sports 

 

“The joy of sports: How watching sports can boost well-being.” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Watching sport enhances well-being: evidence from a multi-method approach.” by Keita Kinoshita, et al. 2024.  

 

Blinking 

 

“Why do we blink so much?” EurekAlert! 2024.  “Eye blinks as a visual processing stage.” by Bin Yang, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about the traits most people value in romantic partners, a new link between a particular gut bacteria and cardiovascular health, and why dogs might make your kids healthier.  

 

Romantic Traits  

 

“Intelligence and kindness are the most valued traits in romantic partners, study finds.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “What Do Different People Look for in a Partner? Effects of Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Mating Strategies on Partner Preferences.” by Joao Francisco Goes Braga Takayanagi, et al. 2024.  

 

Heart & Gut 

 

“Scientists link certain gut bacteria to lower heart disease risk.” by Allessandra DiCorato. 2024.  “7 Crazy Facts About The Microbiome And Gut Bacteria.” by Ross Carver-Carter. N.d. “Gut microbiome and metabolome profiling in Framingham heart study reveals cholesterol-metabolizing bacteria.” by Chenhao Li, et al. 2024.  “Cholesterol Metabolism by Uncultured Human Gut Bacteria Influences Host Cholesterol Level.” by Douglas J. Kenny, et al. 2020.  “About the Framingham Heart Study.” n.a. N.d.  

 

Canine Play 

 

“The Serious Side of Kid And Canine Play.” UMass Amherst. 2024. “America’s Pandemic, Physical Inactivity.” PHIT America. 2023.  “Physical Activity: Children.” CDC. 2023.  “The KID Study (Kids Interacting With Dogs): Piloting a Novel Approach for Measuring Dog-Facilitated Youth Physical Activity.” by Colleen J. Chase, et al. 2024.  

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Today, you’ll learn about how diversifying farms has a ton of upsides and virtually no downsides, the way we tend to predict how something will smell before we smell it, and a universally shared preference for simple rhythms in music.  

 

Diversified Farming  

 

“Major study reports that people and environment both benefit from diversified farming, while bottom lines also thrive.” University of Copenhagen. 2024.  “Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture.” by Laura Vang Rasmussen, et al. 2024.  “The Green Revolution: Norman Borlaug and the Race to Fight Global Hunger.” by Ray Offenheiser. 2020.  

 

Sense of Smell  

 

“The sense of smell is influenced by cues from other senses.” Stockholm University. 2024.  “Olfactory categorization is shaped by a transmodal cortical network for evaluating perceptual predictions.” by Stephen Pierzchajlo, et al. 2024.  

 

Simple Rhythms 

 

“Cross-cultural research reveals universal bias towards simple rhythmic ratios in music.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Commonality and variation in mental representations of music revealed by a cross-cultural comparison of rhythm priors in 15 countries.” by Nori Jacoby, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a tantalizing new discovery about dark energy that could change our understanding of the entire universe, how scientists are pulling electricity from raindrops, and the barcode memory tool inside a chickadee’s brain.  

 

Dark Energy 

 

“A Tantalizing ‘Hint’ That Astronomers Got Dark Energy All Wrong.” by Dennis Overbye. 2024.  “What Is Dark Energy? An Astrophysicist Explains.” Ars Technica. YouTube Video. 2023.  “What is Dark Energy? Inside our accelerating, expanding universe.” by Chelsea Gohd. 2024.  “DESI Data Documentation.” Database. 2023. 

 

Electric Rain 

 

“New green technology harvests energy from raindrops and humidity.” by Robert F. Service. 2024.  “The Amazing Drinking Bird.” by Brian Rohrig. 2024. “Rapid progress of key clean energy technologies shows the new energy economy is emerging faster than many think.” IEA.org. 2023.  

  

Chickadees 

 

“Chickadees use memory ‘bar codes’ to find their hidden food stashes.” by Jake Buehler. 2024.  “Barcoding of episodic memories in the hippocampus of a food-caching bird.” by Selmaan N. Chettih, et al. 2024.  “Birdist Rule #71: Figure Out What Kind Of Chickadees You’ve Got.” by Nicholas Lund. 2016.  “Somewhere in the brain is a storage device for memories.” by Laura Sanders. 2018.  “A manifold neural population code for space in hippocampal coactivity dynamics independent of place fields.” by Eliott Robert Joseph Levy, et al. 2023.  “Heterogeneous representations in the hippocampus.” by Kazumasa Z. Tanaka. 2021.  

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Today, you’ll learn about some potential good news about whale populations, what decades-old cans of salmon can tell us about the health of the ocean, and how climate change is literally slowing down the world.  

 

Recovered Whales  

 

“Whale population recovers five years after hundreds washed up dead.” n.a. 2024.  “The gray whale die-off on West Coast is over, NOAA declares.” by Karen Garcia. 2024.  “Endangered Species Day Information.” Endangered Species Coalition. 2020. 

 

Old Salmon Cans 

 

“Decades-old Cans of Salmon Reveal Changes in Ocean Health.” by Rachel Nuwer. 2024.  “Opening a can of worms: Archived canned fish fillets reveal 40 years of change in parasite burden for four Alaskan salmon species.” by Natalie Mastick, et al. 2024.  

 

Climate Change & Time 

 

“Climate change is changing how we keep time.” by Carolyn Gramling. 2024.  “A global timekeeping problem postponed by global warming.” by Duncan Carr Agnew. 2024.  “50 years ago, timekeepers deployed the newly invented leap second.” by Cassie Martin. 2024.  

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Today, you’ll learn about an AI-designed window film that could keep your house cool, the mysterious ways Mars causes deep-sea erosion on Earth, and how playing the didgeridoo could help treat sleep apnea.  

 

Cooling Windows   

 

“New window film drops temperature, slashes energy consumption.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Engineers use quantum computing to develop transparent window coating that blocks heat, saves energy.” University of Notre Dame. 2022.  “The Solar Spectrum.” Ossila.com. N.d.  

 

Mars & Erosion 

 

“Mars as a Driver of Deep-Sea Erosion.” by Grace van Deelen. 2024.  “Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles and Their Role in Earth’s Climate.” NASA Science Editorial Team. 2020.  “Deep-sea hiatus record reveals orbital pacing by 2.4 Myr eccentricity grand cycles.” by Adriana Dutkiewicz, et al. 2024.  

 

Didgeridoo Slumber 

 

“Playing the Didgeridoo to Treat Sleep Apnea.”by Brandon Peters, MD. 2023.  “What Is Sleep Apnea?” by Brandon Peters, MD. 2023.  “Didgeridoo basics.” Hollow Log Digderidoos. N.d.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about an artificial reef that could save the shore from storms, how simply owning a pair of glasses can make you earn more income, and how air conditioners could help CSI detectives solve crimes. 

 

Artificial Reef 

 

“Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage.” by Jennifer Chu. 2024.  “Coastal Protection.” Coral Reef Alliance. 2024.  “Architected materials for artificial reefs to increase storm energy dissipation.” by Edvard Ronglan, et al. 2024.  

 

Glasses & Income 

 

“Having the right glasses could boost earning power by a third, Bangladesh study shows.” by Sarah Johnson. 2024.  “The effect on income of providing near vision correction to workers in Bangladesh: The THRIVE (Tradespeople and Hand-workers Rural Initiative for a Vision-enhanced Economy) randomized controlled trial.” by Farzana Sehrin, et al. 2024.  “Presbyopia.” Mayo Clinic. 2021. “The Global Burden of Potential Productivity Loss from Uncorrected Presbyopia.” by Kevin D. Frick, et al. 2015.  

 

AC DNA 

 

“Cold case: DNA in airconditioners to place suspects at the scene of a crime.”by Ben Coxworth. 2024.  “Up in the air: Presence and collection of DNA from air and air conditioner units.” by Mariya Goray, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a revolutionary new system that can turn saltwater into drinking water with the help of the sun, how your brain chooses what memories to keep, and a super-Earth with a really dark side.  

 

Solar Drinking Water 

 

“Solar-powered technology converts saltwater into drinking water emission-free.” King’s College London. 2024.  “Flexible batch electrodialysis for low-cost solar-powered brackish water desalination.” by Wei He, et al. 2024.  “Valuing Water.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 2021. 

 

Forgetting Memories 

 

“How the brain chooses which memories are important enough to save and which to let fade away.” by Linda Carroll. 2024.  “Relax! It’ll boost your memory, study shows.” by Kate Kelland. 2010.  “Normal and Abnormal Sharp Wave Ripples in the Hippocampal-Entohinal Cortex System: Implications for Memory Consolidation, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.” by Zhi-Hang Zhen, et al. 2021.  

 

Super-Earth 

 

“This super-Earth is the first planet confirmed to have a permanent dark side.” by Joseph Howlett. 2024.  “LHS 3844 b.” NASA Exoplanet Catalog. N.d.  “Tidal Locking.” NASA. 2024. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a massive discovery of new species from the depths of the ocean, why you shouldn’t buy your brand new driver their own car, and a possible breakthrough in microchip data collection from animals.  

 

New Marine Species  

 

“Scientists Discover 100 New Marine Species in New Zealand.” by Rebecca Carballo. 2024.  “Expedition to Uncover Secrets of New Zealand’s Unexplored Bounty Trough.” Ocean Census. 2024.  “Our Mission: Enhancing Ocean Life Discovery Worldwide.” Ocean Census. 2024.  “This metal marvel collects time capsules of life from the abyss.” Marine Biodiversity Hub. 2017.  

 

Teen Drivers 

 

“‘Don’t buy your kids a car’: young drivers with own cars in more crashes.” by Lachlan  Gilbert. 2024.  “Young drivers’ early access to their own car and crash risk into early adulthood: Findings from DRIVE study.” by Huei-Yang Chen, et al. 2024.  “Teen Drivers.” Injury Facts. 2024.  “Young Drivers.” NHTSA. 2022.  “Teen Driver Statistics.” Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. 2024.  

 

Animal Microchips 

 

“Injectable Microchip Tracks Animal Health.” by Julianne Pepitone. 2024. “Microchips Result In Higher Rate Of Return Of Shelter Animals To Owners.” by Linda Lord. 2009.  “A Subcutaneously Injectable Implant for Multimodal Physiological Monitoring in Animals.” by Parvez Ahmmed, et al. 2024.  

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Today, you’ll learn about the potential positive power of gossip, how climate change is making zooplankton in Lake Erie confused, and a surprising connection between new school buses and student performance in school.  

 

Gossip 

 

“Can’t Stand Gossip? Let’s Talk, New Research Suggests.” by Emily C. Nunez. 2024.  “Explaining the evolution of gossip.” by Xinyue Pan, et al. 2024.  “Who Gossips and How in Everyday Life?” by Megan L. Robbins, et al. 2019.  

 

Zooplankton 

 

“In Lake Erie, climate change scrambles zooplankton seasonal presence.” by Tatyana Woodall. 2024.  “Zooplankton Facts.” n.a. 2024.  “Biotic and thermal drivers alter zooplankton phenology in western Lake Erie.” by Jenna Bailey & James M. Hood. 2024.  

 

School Bus Science 

 

“Could riding older school buses hinder student performance?” University of Michigan. 2024.  “EPA Clean School Bus Rebate Program Offers $500 Million in Funding.” n.a. 2023.  “School Bus Rebate Program and Student Educational Performance Test Scores.” by Meredith Pedde, PhD, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about the science of getting in the groove, a newly discovered burial ground for elite medieval horses, and more evidence that coffee could help you fight off cancer.  

 

Grooving to Music 

 

“Neural dynamics of predictive timing and motor engagement in music listening.”by Arnaud Zalta, et al. 2024.  “Two Concepts of Groove: Musical Nuances, Rhythm, and Genre.” by Evan Malone. 2022.  “An expanded role for the dorsal auditory pathway in sensorimotor control and integration.” by Josef P Rauschecker. 2011.  

 

Horse Burial 

 

“Tudor era horse cemetery in Westminster revealed as likely resting place of elite imported animals.” by Andrew Merrington. 2024.  “Horse cemetery in Westminster revealed as likely resting place for elite imported animals.”n.a. 2024.  

 

Coffee & Cancer 

 

“Coffee drinkers have much lower risk of bowel cancer recurrence, study finds.” by Denis Campbell. 2024.  “Sixty seconds on…Coffee and cancer.” by Nigel Hawkes. 2016.  “Coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer recurrence and all-cause mortality.” by Abisola M. Oyelere, et al. 2024.  “Colorectal Cancer: Facts & Figures 2020-2022.” American Cancer Society. 2020.  

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Today, you’ll learn about the pros and mostly cons of using ChatGPT in the classroom, how wild animals responded to the sudden peace and quiet of Covid, and a new contact lens that can help heal eye wounds.  

 

ChatGPT in School 

 

“Is it harmful or helpful? Examining the causes and consequences of generative AI usage among university students.” by Muhammad Abbas, et al. 2024.  “Uses and Misuses of ChatGPT by Academic Community: An Overview and Guidelines.” by Muhammad Abbas. 2023. 

 

Quiet Covid 

 

“Hundreds of photos show animal behaviour during COVID-19 lockdowns.” by Andrew Kurjata. 2024.  “Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape.”by A. Cole Burton, et al. 2024.  “Scientists say new epoch marked by human impact - the Anthropocene - began in 1950s.” Associate Press. 2023.  “When COVID rules kept humans home, wildlife roamed more freely, international study shows.” by Wallis Snowdon. 2023.  

 

Healing Contact Lens  

 

“Fabrication and Characterization of an Enzyme-Triggered, Therapeutic-Releasing Hydrogel Bandage Contact Lens Material.” by Susmita Bose, et al. 2024.  “Corneal Injury.” NIH. 2023.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about why our brains are getting bigger and why that’s a good thing, how the sweet songs of the reef could help save it, and an AI device that gives a voice to the voiceless.  

 

Bigger Brains  

 

“Human brains are getting larger. That may be good news for dementia risk.” UC David Health. 2024.  “Trends in Intracranial and Cerebral Volumes of Framingham Heart Study Participants Born 1930 to 1970.” by Charles DeCarli, MD, et al. 2024.  “Framingham Heart Study.” Framingham Heart Study. N.d.  “Study examines factors behind decline in dementia incidence.”NIH. 2016.  

 

Reef Songs 

 

“Sounds appealing - reef recordings entice coral larvae to start building.”by Ben Coxworth. 2024.  “Life Below Water.” UN. n.d.  “Status of Coral Reefs.” Reef Resilience Network. N.d.  “Soundscape enrichment increases larval settlement rates for the brooding coral Porites astreoides.” by Nadege Aoki, et al. 2024.  

 

AI Speech 

 

“Speaking without vocal cords, thanks to a new AI-assisted wearable device.” by Christine Wei-li Lee. 2024.  “Speaking without vocal folds using a machine-learning-assisted wearable sensing-actuation system.” by Ziyuan Che, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a nasal spray that could one day let those with sleep apnea toss out their CPAP machines, house paint that kills mosquitos, and the incredible giant redwoods… of England.  

 

Sleep Spray  

 

“A novel TASK channel antagonist nasal spray reduces sleep apnea severity in physiological responders: a randomized, blinded, trial.” by Amal M. Osman, et al. 2024.  “Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” by Rob Newsom & Dr. Abhinav Singh. 2024.  

 

Insecticide Paint 

 

“Insecticide paint controls mosquito population up to 1 year, experiment shows.” by Stephanie Soucheray, MA. 2024.  “Mosquito-Borne Human Viral Diseases: Why Aedes aegypti?” by Jeffrey R. Powell. 2018.  “Insecticide paints: a new community strategy for controlling dengue and zika mosquito vectors in Cabo Verde.” by Lara Ferrero Gomez, et al. 2024.  “Special insecticide paint may help curb zika and dengue fever outbreaks.” EurekAlert! 2024.  

 

UK Redwoods 

 

“Hidden giants: how the UK’s 500,000 redwoods put California in the shade.” by James Tapper. 2024.  “11 FActs About Coast Redwoods, the Tallest Trees in the World.” by Melissa Breyer. 2020.  “California: visitors to world’s tallest tree face $5,000 fine and possible jail time.” Associated Press. 2022.  

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Today, you’ll learn about an effort to create palm oil without burning down millions of acres of forest, the surprising way polyglots’ brains approach their own native language, and new research on how the powerful psychedelic drug ayahuasca extinguishes fear. 

 

Palm-Less Oil 

 

“They Want to Make Palm Oil in a Lab. Without Palm Trees.” by Dionne Searcey. 2024.  “Things To Know About Palm Oil.” WWF. n.d. 

 

Polyglot Brain 

 

“For people who speak many languages, there’s something special about their native tongue.” by Anne Trafton. 2024.  “Functional characterization of the language network of polyglots and hyperpolyglots with precision fMRI.” by Saima Malik-Moraleda, et al. 2024.  

 

Ayahuasca & Fear  

 

“Ayahuasca accelerates fear extinction via its effect on serotonin receptors.” by Eric. W. Dolan. 2024.  “Ayahuasca-enhanced extinction of fear behaviour: Role of infralimbic cortex 5-HT2a and 5-HT1a receptors.” by Isabel Werle, et al. 2024.  “The Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca: Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization.” by Ede Frecska, et al. 2016.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Today, you’ll learn about a new study shedding light on what species are most vulnerable to extinction from climate change, why species of living fossils take their time evolving, and a new theory about how the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also impacted birds.  

 

Extinction Risk  

 

“New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.” University of Oxford. 2024.  “What is mass extinction and are we facing a sixth one?” by Tammana Begum. 2021. Updated 2023.  “Mass extinctions, their causes and consequences: an interview with Douglas H. Erwin and Shuzhong Shen.” by Shucheng Xie. 2023.  “Species and climate change.” IUCN. 2021.  “Humanity’s Fitting Place on the List of Mass Extinction Events.” by Sam Baker. 2018.  

 

Living Fossils 

 

“Study of slowly evolving ‘living fossils’ reveals key genetic insights.” by Mike Cummings. 2024.  “A New Discovery Reveals Why Darwin’s ‘Living Fossil’ Keeps Defying Evolution.” by Tim Newcomb. 2024.  “Giraffe Evolution.” by Adam Atwood. 2024.  

 

Asteroid vs Birds 

 

“An Asteroid Wiped Out Dinosaurs. Did It Help Birds Flourish?” by Carl Zimmer. 2024.  “Dust Might Have Snuffed Out the Dinosaurs.” by Miriam Fauzia. 2023.  “How Did Birds First Take Off?” by Carl Zimmer. 2023.  “Genomes, fossils, and the concurrent rise of modern birds and flowering plants in the Late Cretaceous.” by Shaoyuan Wu, et al. 2024.  

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Today, you’ll learn about a compelling study on twins and the nature versus nurture debate, how scientists solved a 60-year-old mystery about bees, and why you shouldn’t go last.  

 

Twin Trauma 

 

“One Twin Was Hurt, the Other Was Not. Their Adult Mental Health Diverged.” by Ellen Barry. 2024.  “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental Health Outcomes.” by Hilda Bjork Danielsdottir, et al. 2024.  “Recognizing the importance of childhood maltreatment as a critical factor in psychiatric diagnoses, treatment, research, prevention, and education.” by Martin H. Teicher, et al. 2022.  “Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults.” by Vincent J. Felitti MD, FACP, et al. 1998.  

 

Bee Mystery  

 

“A decades-old mystery has been solved with the help of newfound bee species.” by Darren Incorvaia. 2024.  “Canopy specialist Hylaeus bees highlight sampling biases and resolve Michener’s mystery.” by James B. Dorey, et al.  

 

Sequence Bias 

 

“A new study finds that the later we meet someone in a sequence, the more negatively we describe them.” by Douglas Heingartner. 2024.  “Differentiation in social perception: Why later-encountered individuals are described more negatively.” by Alex Koch, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a new plan to use waste from beer brewing to clean metal out of our water supply, a study that puts languages like Orc and Klingon to the test, and a discovery about the direction our memories travel in our brains.  

 

Brewer’s Yeast  

 

“The same beer waste that gives us Vegemite could help us recycle metal waste.” n.a. 2024.  “Spent brewer’s yeast as a selective biosorbent for metal recovery from polymetallic waste streams.” by Anna Sieber, et al. 2024.  “What Is E-Waste Recycling and How Is it Done?” by Tin Lok Wu. 2023.  

 

Constructed Languages  

 

“From Star Trek’s Klingon to Tolkien’s Orkish: Unraveling the auditory aesthetics of constructed languages.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Does Orkish Sound Evil? Perception of Fantasy Languages and Their Phonetic and Phonological Characteristics.” by Christine Mooshammer, et al. 2024.  

 

Memory Direction 

 

“Brain Waves Travel in One Direction When Memories Are Made and the Opposite When Recalled.” by Grant Currin. 2024.  “Theta and Alpha Oscillations Are Traveling Waves in the Human Neocortex.” by Honghui Zhang, et al. 2018. “The direction of theta and alpha travelling waves modulates human memory processing.” by Uma R. Mohan, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a medication that can successfully treat frostbite, the study of bloodsplatter in space, and a surprising finding about the supposed benefits of small class sizes. 

 

Frostbite Treatment 

 

“The U.S. now has a drug for severe frostbite. How does it work?” by Saugat Bolakhe. 2024.  “Frostbite.” NIH. 2023.  “FDA Approves First Medication to Treat Severe Frostbite.”FDA. 2024.  

 

Blood in Space  

 

“Bloodstain pattern dynamics in microgravity: Observations of a pilot study in the next frontier of forensic science.” by Zack Kowalske, et al. 2024.  “How Did NASA’S ‘Vomit Comet’ Get Its Name? A Brief History.” GoZeroG. 2023.  

 

Small Classes 

 

“Small Class Sizes Not Better for Pupils’ Grades or Resilience, Says Study.” Taylor & Francis. 2024.  “Typologies of secondary school student academic resilience in science with classroom and school context predictors.”by Tao Jiang, et al. 2024.  

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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Today, you’ll learn about a skin printer that could lead to scar-free surgeries, the possibility of bringing the wooly mammoth back to life, and how to work at being happy.  

 

Printed Skin 

 

“Scar-free surgery prints living skin (and maybe hair) right into wounds.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “New bioink promotes growth & regeneration of 3D-printed muscle tissue.” by Paul McClure. 2023.  

 

Mammoth De-Extinction 

 

“Wooly mammoth de-extinction inches closer after elephant stem cell breakthrough.” by Sascha Pare. 2024.  “Scientists Are Reincarnating the Woolly Mammoth to Return in 4 Years.” by Tim Newcomb. 2023.  “Why Are Scientists Trying to Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth?” by Teresa Ehrlich. 2022. 

 

Learning Happiness 

 

“Happiness can be learnt, but we have to work at it - study finds.” University of Bristol. 2024.  “Unit information: Science of Happiness.” University of Bristol. Course catalog.  “The Science of Well-Being.” Coursera Course.  “The Science of Happiness Course.” Greater Good Science Center. N.d. “Managing Happiness.” Harvard. Ongoing.  

 

 

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter withCalliandNate— for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go tohttps://discoveryplus.com/curiosityto start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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