Curious by Nature – Details, episodes & analysis

Dr. Cory Haltman, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, studies the psychology behind gift-giving and how people make decisions when choosing presents.

Gift-giving can be enjoyable, but it can also become stressful when we start overthinking it. Many people worry about finding the “perfect” gift, giving it at the right time, or making sure it feels meaningful enough.

Dr. Haltman explains what research reveals about the psychology of gift-giving, why people often worry about the wrong things, and what actually matters most to the person receiving the gift.

Dr. Pooja Budhiraja, Transplant Nephrologist and Living Donor Medical Director at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, focuses on protecting the health and well-being of living organ donors while expanding access to transplantation.

Every day, thousands of people are waiting for a life-saving transplant, and for many, that wait can last years. While the demand for organs continues to grow, one of the most powerful solutions comes from living donors, individuals who choose to donate a kidney or part of their liver to someone in need.

Dr. Sahen Gupta, Senior Lecturer in Applied Sport Psychology at the University of Portsmouth and a PhD in Sport and Performance Psychology from Glasgow Caledonian University, studies how people perform and recover under pressure.

Sports psychologists often examine the intense demands placed on professional athletes because sports provide a natural setting to study how humans respond to failure, pressure, and constant evaluation. In these environments, mistakes happen frequently and resilience often determines who thrives and who burns out.

Dr. Gupta discusses how resilience develops in high-pressure environments, not only in sports but also among musicians, pilots, and other high performers. His research explores how emotional control, mindset, and recovery from setbacks can help individuals perform better and build resilience that extends far beyond the game.

Dr. Christopher Roos, Professor of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University, studies the long history connecting people, fire, and landscapes.

Wildfires are often seen only as destructive, but history tells a more complex story. For centuries, Indigenous communities used fire intentionally to shape ecosystems and manage the land.

Using tree-ring science and archaeology, Dr. Roos examines how the Western Apache used controlled burning to help landscapes adapt to drought and climate extremes. In this episode, we explore how this deep history of Indigenous fire management offers important lessons for today, as communities search for better ways to live with fire rather than simply fight it.

Dr. Phoebe Hughes, Lecturer in Musicology at Binghamton University, studies popular music and how it reflects cultural and musical change.

Taylor Swift is one of the most influential musicians of our time, but what exactly explains her impact? Dr. Hughes is the author of Cranking Up Taylor Swift: Her Musical Journey in 11 Songs, a book that explores Swift’s work not just to celebrate her success, but to understand why it resonates so strongly with audiences.

We look at how Swift’s music reflects broader cultural shifts and what her career reveals about the evolving sound of country and pop music in the 21st century.

Professor Bruce Weinberg, Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, studies how scientific breakthroughs happen and the environments that help innovation thrive.

“There are no new ideas, but there are novel ways of combining old ideas to create something new.” This concept lies at the heart of Professor Weinberg’s research. By analyzing the career paths of Nobel Prize winners, he and his colleagues discovered that where researchers work and the people they interact with can have a powerful influence on groundbreaking discoveries.

Professor Weinberg explains how spending time in different research environments and collaborating with new communities can accelerate innovation and play a key role in the development of Nobel Prize–winning ideas.

Dr. Kathleen Casey, Professor of History and Director of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Furman University, a small liberal arts college in South Carolina, studies how everyday objects can reveal deeper stories about culture, identity, and history.

A purse isn’t just an accessory. It can be a story, a statement, and sometimes even a lifeline. In her book The Things She’s Carried: A Cultural History of the Purse in America, Dr. Casey explores how this seemingly ordinary object reflects powerful connections to gender, identity, privacy, and survival.

In this episode, we discuss how purses have intersected with major moments in American history, from the civil rights movement to workplace struggles and personal memory, revealing how a simple item people carry every day can hold a rich tapestry of cultural meaning.

Dr. Steven Lee-Kong, Professor of Surgery and Colorectal Surgeon at Hackensack University Medical Center, studies colorectal diseases and emerging trends in colon cancer.

Colon cancer has long been considered a disease that primarily affects older adults. But in recent years, doctors have noticed a troubling rise in cases among younger patients. While genetics play a role, researchers are increasingly exploring other possible contributors, including changes in diet, lifestyle, and the gut microbiome.

One area receiving growing attention is the widespread use of protein supplements, particularly among teens and young adults. With protein shakes, bars, and high-protein diets often promoted as part of a healthy lifestyle, researchers are asking an important question: could there be hidden risks to long-term colon health?

Dr. Jacqueline Bober, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician at Stony Brook University Hospital and the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital on Long Island, New York, works on the front lines treating childhood emergencies and preventing accidental injuries.

Every summer, headlines warn about rising temperatures, air quality, and the need for sunscreen. But there is another silent danger that increases this time of year: drowning. It can happen quickly and is tragically common among young children. While many people think drownings only occur in oceans or rough waters, most actually happen in backyard pools, vacation rentals, or even bathtubs.

In this episode, Dr. Bober shares what she has seen as a pediatric emergency physician and explains why she has made it her mission to prevent these tragedies before they happen. Through public awareness campaigns, community partnerships, and practical safety steps, she offers guidance every parent should know.

Dr. Dustin Scheinost, Associate Professor in the Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at Yale School of Medicine, studies how brain imaging and artificial intelligence can help scientists better understand psychiatric disorders.

What if brain scans could help explain the symptoms of a psychotic episode as they happen? And what if artificial intelligence could identify patterns in brain activity to help predict them?

In this episode, Dr. Scheinost discusses a new frontier in mental health research that combines functional MRI and machine learning to study psychosis. By examining the brain not just through behavior but through networks, circuits, and connectivity, researchers hope to better understand how psychiatric illness unfolds and how future tools might help clinicians detect and treat these conditions earlier.