Curiosity Daily

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.  

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 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. 

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 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. 

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.  

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 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.

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 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.

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.  

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 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. 

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 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.