Curiosity Weekly – Details, episodes & analysis

Literacy is murkier than we think. This episode, as a part one of our literacy series, we explore recent research related to one of the most important milestones in our academic lives: learning to read. Host Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Emily Wood, a speech language pathologist who studies the methods we use for testing literacy in kids. She speaks with Sam about how we can better address gaps in reading among children and what options are available for multilingual kids in the classroom. Sam also looks into a study that reports on the benefits of handwriting vs typing while learning to read and a study about how using AI in the classroom might not be the best idea.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

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Every parent has wondered if their baby’s crying is normal at some point or another. While there is no “normal,” evidence shows that genetics might actually have a part to play in how long babies cry for. And another universal experience, harking back to “the good old days” in pop culture and our personal lives. Senior Producer, Teresa Carey, speaks with Dr. Clay Routledge about the good feelings - and sometimes sad memories - that come with nostalgia. And finally, host Samantha Yammine explains neuroplasticity and what physically changes in your brain when you practice something. Even juggling.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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It’s Pride Month! To help us celebrate, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Shawn Hercules, a queer, non-binary cancer researcher and science communicator. They’ll discuss Shawn’s research into breast cancer among people of African ancestry, how policies around gender affirming care can positively affect healthcare at large, and the importance of diverse voices in scientific research. Sam also explores the right to disconnect – aka how important it is to log off from work and give your brain some rest. After that, she explains the ins and outs of deep sea mining and how it has the potential to disrupt deep sea ecosystems.  

Link to Show Notes HERE 

Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. 

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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.  

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

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Learn about common mistakes people make in the shower. Then, learn about the history and science of the two-by-four from author Kevin O’Connor, host of the home renovation television series This Old House.

5 Common Mistakes People Make In The Shower by Anna Todd

http://www.curiosity.com/topics/5-common-mistakes-people-make-in-the-shower-curiosity

Additional resources from This Old House host Kevin O’Connor:

• From This Old House, Clearstory is a podcast that sheds light on the surprising stories behind our homes — https://www.thisoldhouse.com/clearstory
• More about This Old House — https://www.thisoldhouse.com/
• Follow @KevinOConnorTOH on Twitter — https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorTOH
• Follow @ThisOldHouse on Twitter — https://twitter.com/ThisOldHouse
• This Old House on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/the-invention-of-the-two-by-four-w-kevin-oconnor-and-common-mistakes-you-make-in-the-shower

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Learn about why an overheard phone conversation is so distracting; how big or small a black hole can get; and why you should definitely tell your anesthesiologist if you smoke marijuana.

Why an Overheard Phone Conversation Is so Incredibly Distracting by Anna Todd

https://curiosity.com/topics/why-an-overheard-phone-conversation-is-so-incredibly-distracting-curiosity

How Big (or Small) Can a Black Hole Get? by Matthew Francis

https://curiosity.com/topics/how-big-or-small-can-a-black-hole-get-curiosity

Why You Should Definitely Tell Your Anesthesiologist If You Smoke Marijuana by Ashley Hamer

https://curiosity.com/topics/why-you-should-definitely-tell-your-anesthesiologist-if-you-smoke-marijuana-curiosity

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-overheard-phone-conversations-are-so-distracting-how-big-black-holes-get-and-why-anesthesia-is-risky-on-marijuana

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Learn about why we actually learn better from success than failure; why ravens are so smart, they’re making us re-think the way brains work; and why reaching a temperature of absolute zero is absolutely impossible.

You Learn Better from Success than Failure by Kelsey Donk

• Do We Really Learn From Our Mistakes? | Association for Psychological Science — https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/do-we-really-learn-from-our-mistakes.html
• Eskreis-Winkler, L., & Fishbach, A. (2019). Not Learning From Failure—the Greatest Failure of All. Psychological Science, 30(12), 1733–1744. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619881133

Ravens Can Plan Ahead Just As Well As Apes Can by Ashley Hamer

https://curiosity.com/topics/ravens-can-plan-ahead-just-as-well-as-apes-can-curiosity

It's Finally Settled: Absolute Zero Is Impossible by Joanie Faletto

https://curiosity.com/topics/its-finally-settled-absolute-zero-is-impossible-curiosity

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/you-learn-better-from-success-than-failure-ravens-plan-ahead-and-absolute-zero-is-impossible

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Learn about a trick for conquering sadness by thinking of it as a person; how Neanderthals may have releived their pain with a familiar drug; and the surprising science of how cows each use a unique “voice” to talk to each other.

Think of Sadness as a Person by Kelsey Donk

• How can you conquer ordinary, everyday sadness? Think of it as a person | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/08/how-can-you-conquer-ordinary-everyday-sadness-think-of-it-as-a-person
• Chen, F., Chen, R.P. and Yang, L. (2020), When Sadness Comes Alive, Will It Be Less Painful? The Effects of Anthropomorphic Thinking on Sadness Regulation and Consumption. J Consum Psychol. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcpy.1137

Neanderthals Treated Pain With A Form Of Aspirin by Ashley Hamer https://curiosity.com/topics/neanderthals-treated-pain-with-a-form-of-aspirin-curiosity

Cow Voices by Kelsey Donk

• Stand out from the herd: How cows commoonicate through their lives | EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/uos-sof121719.php
• Green, A., Clark, C., Favaro, L. et al. Vocal individuality of Holstein-Friesian cattle is maintained across putatively positive and negative farming contexts. Sci Rep 9, 18468 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54968-4

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/think-of-sadness-as-a-person-neanderthals-using-aspirin-and-cow-voices

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Learn about how AI and Twitter could help you find the perfect job, and how the world is actually a greener place than it was 20 years ago. We’ll also answer a listener question about why we use the color “blue” to say we’re sad.

Job-Matching with Your Tweets by Kelsey Donk

Sources:

• Robot career advisor: AI may soon be able to analyse your tweets to match you to a job | The Conversation — https://theconversation.com/robot-career-advisor-ai-may-soon-be-able-to-analyse-your-tweets-to-match-you-to-a-job-128777
• The Vocation Map (interactive) | Marian-Andrei Rizoiu — http://www.rizoiu.eu/documents/research/resources/Vocation_Map_Interactive.html
• Social media-predicted personality traits and values can help match people to their ideal jobs | PNAS December 26, 2019 116 (52) 26459-26464; first published December 16, 2019 — https://www.pnas.org/content/116/52/26459

Earth Is Greener Than Before by Kelsey Donk

Sources:

• Human Activity in China and India Dominates the Greening of Earth, NASA Study Shows | NASA — https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/human-activity-in-china-and-india-dominates-the-greening-of-earth-nasa-study-shows
• China and India lead in greening of the world through land-use management | Chen, C., Park, T., Wang, X. et al. China and India lead in greening of the world through land-use management. Nat Sustain 2, 122–129 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41893-019-0220-7 — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0220-7

Story 3 by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Becky and Britni)

Sources:

• Chaucer and the Country of the Stars: Poetic Uses of Astrological Imagery — https://curiosity.im/2NOyLIB
• blue (adj.1) | Online Etymology Dictionary — https://www.etymonline.com/word/blue?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_13636
• Drunk and dirty | BBC — http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/yoursay/lost_for_words/german/drunk_and_dirty.shtml
• Philip, Gill. (2006). Connotative Meaning in English and Italian Colour-Word Metaphors. Metaphorik. 10. — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44707159_Connotative_Meaning_in_English_and_Italian_Colour-Word_Metaphors

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily from Curiosity.com to learn something new every day! You can also hear Discovery’s Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/earth-is-greener-than-before-job-matching-with-your-tweets-and-why-blue-means-sad

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Learn about how most of the world’s lying comes from a small group of people; an invisible dye that stores vaccine history in the skin; and how language shows us that the ways we feel emotions are not universal.

Most Lying Is Done by a Few People by Steffie Drucker

Sources:

• Men think they're better liars | EurekAlert! — https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/uop-mtt122019.php
• Lie prevalence, lie characteristics and strategies of self-reported good liars | PLOS — https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0225566

Storing Vaccine History with Invisible Dye by Mae Rice

Sources:

• Storing medical information below the skin's surface | EurekAlert! — https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/miot-smi121619.php
• Medical history that’s skin deep | Cosmos — https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/medical-history-that-s-skin-deep
• Biocompatible near-infrared quantum dots delivered to the skin by microneedle patches record vaccination | Science Translational Medicine Vol. 11, Issue 523, eaay7162 — https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/11/523/eaay7162

Emotion Words Vary Across Cultures by Kelsey Donk

Sources:

• Words to express emotion vary greatly in their meanings across languages | EurekAlert! — https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/aaft-wte121619.php
• Mapping words reveals emotional diversity | Science, 20 Dec 2019: Vol. 366, Issue 6472, pp. 1444-1445 — https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6472/1444
• Emotion semantics show both cultural variation and universal structure | Science, 20 Dec 2019: Vol. 366, Issue 6472, pp. 1517-1522 — https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/366/6472/1517.full.pdf

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily from Curiosity.com to learn something new every day! You can also hear Discovery’s Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing

Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/most-lying-is-done-by-a-few-people-storing-vaccine-history-with-invisible-dye-and-emotion-words-vary-across-cultures

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