Curiosity Weekly

The brain is a complex and adaptable organ; one that can be transformed by a multitude of external factors. This episode, Dr. Samantha Yammine investigates the ways the brain can be altered from the outside in. First, she looks into new research on the brain’s response to consistent meditation practice. Then, she sits down with Dr. Ishrat Husain to discuss the efficacy of psychedelics in medical settings on mental health. And lastly, she digs into how modern football helmets utilize science and engineering to better protect the brain from concussions.   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. Terms apply. 

The trees are talking about us… but not the way you think. Almost thirty years ago, Dr. Suzanne Simard discovered a vast network of fungal threads beneath the forest floor that functions as a complex communication network. This episode, Dr. Simard joins Dr. Samantha Yammine to discuss how trees connect with one another and how that discovery changed the way we think about forest ecosystems. Sam also looks into an Austrian cow who’s learned how to use tools and a new study that claims to be able to regrow cartilage.   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. Terms apply.

It’s hard to imagine just how much misinformation lives online and it turns out that people are only able to identify it a fraction of the time. To speak more on developing the essential skill of recognizing misinformation online, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Professor Timothy Caulfield. Sam also investigates a new study on motivation that might help us all tackle tasks we’ve been avoiding and explains how artificial snow is made.   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. Terms apply. 

They say it’s better down where it’s wetter… but is it really? Aquanauts have more in common with astronauts than they do with singing marine life. In fact, NASA conducts research into the biological and psychological effects of space on the ocean floor. This episode, Sam is joined by Dr. Dawn Kernagis, an aquanaut and neuroscientist who spent 16 days living underwater for NASA’s NEEMO 21 Mission. Sam also digs into the recent updates on NASA’s Artemis Mission and how AI is being used to standardize pain classification.   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. 

If everyone wants happiness, why does it so often seem hard to achieve? This episode, host Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by psychologist Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky to talk about positive psychology and what science tells us about how to be happy. Sam also explores a new study that says swearing can give you a physical boost and, to celebrate the Olympics, she digs into the physics behind curling.   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. 

It’s not a stretch to say that everyone suffers from unwanted body odor from time to time. Whether it’s stress, exercise, or heat, there are plenty of reasons why we sweat and there is a lot to learn about our bodies from the odors they create. To learn more about the science of body odor, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Chris Callewaert, aka Dr. Armpit. Before that, Sam also digs into a new skin patch that might help out our friends with peanut allergies. Then, she explores a new theory into how the Black Death pandemic was able to spread so easily way back in the 1300s.   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.