Curiosity Weekly

We’re all about answering questions here at Curiosity Weekly. Questions like: where do baby sea turtles actually go when they waddle from their cozy beach nest into the ocean? Host Dr. Samantha Yammine explores the mysteries of adolescent sea turtles before bringing on our special guest, Jessica Malaty Rivera, to answer even more questions, this time about the recent uptick in measles cases in the U.S. and common misconceptions about the MMR vaccine. Finally, is there really a difference between diamonds from the earth and ones grown in a lab? Listen in to find out! 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.

 Spring has officially sprung! The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing and flowers are blooming. But, have you ever wondered the journey that flowers take from the soil to your vase at home? Today on Curiosity Weekly, author Amy Stewart joins Dr. Samantha Yammine to chat about the global flower trade. Sam is also joined by producer Teresa Carey for a climate tech showdown, where Teresa tries to stump Sam and the listeners with some of the wildest ideas in climate tech. Then, you’ll learn about the secret ingredient hidden in your can of chickpeas that’s changing the way we make vegan food.  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 Women’s History Month and to celebrate we have Katie Hafner on Curiosity Weekly to discuss the history of women in STEM and ways we can highlight their contributions today. Then, Sam looks into the Wooly Devil, aka the first new plant genus found in a national park in almost 50 years. Finally, Sam and producer Teresa Carey talk about what to know regarding male contraception. 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.

Cells may be the building blocks of life (and highschool biology), but who knew they were so complicated? Dr. Samantha Yammine digs into different types of cells and their functions with editorial correspondent Teresa Carey as they discuss the difficulties in defining what a cell even is. Then, Sam speaks with Dr. Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer, a pathogen evolutionary biologist about his work investigating diseases from history. Finally, some curious researchers and entrepreneurs are cultivating actual salmon meat in bioreactors so Sam investigates the process behind growing fish in a lab including the potential ecological effects of cell-cultured salmon hitting the market.   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. 

The new season of Naked and Afraid premieres Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 8pm EST on Discovery.   To celebrate, host Dr. Samantha Yammine talks to legendary survivalist Rob Nelson about his experiences thriving in some of the most extreme conditions on the planet. Rob also gets into some of the facts and myths behind common survival techniques. Then, Sam is joined by Naked and Afraid survivalist, Mandy Horvath. Mandy is the show’s first bi-lateral amputee contestant and she speaks on the physical, environmental, and emotional challenges of participating on the show. Sam also digs into the science behind what’s really going on with our bodies when trapped in the wilderness.   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.   

Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Tiara Moore who is a marine ecologist and the founder of Black in Marine Science to talk about her research as well as her advocacy work to ensure equitable systems are in place for Black scientists within the scientific community. Sam digs into a deep sea sponge that has inspired researchers to create a filter that can protect our oceans from a future oil spill and a recent study released where scientists created mice using the DNA from two sperms.   Link to full 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.

The White Lotus is about to be back on our screens on Max so today, we’re diving into the latest trend among elite travelers: longevity tourism. Then, our host Sam speaks to Dr. Jodi Halpern about the mental health effects that come along with the rise of AI technology. And finally, we explore the ins and outs of fracking.Link to all sources hereFollow 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.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, today our host Dr. Samantha Yammine digs into the science behind what really causes butterflies in your stomach when you’re experiencing infatuation. Then, astrobiologist Dr. Lynn Rothschild joins us to discuss extremophiles and what they can tell us about potential life on other planets. And finally, we discuss the ins and outs of the FDA’s recent ban of Red Dye 3. Red Dye 3“FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.” by JoNel Aleccia. 2025Source 2, Source 3, Source 4, Source 5, Source 6, Source 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,17 Extremophiles“Lynn J. Rothschild.” by NASA. 2024.Butterflies“Why Do I Feel Butterflies in My Stomach When I’m on a Date?” by Trisha Pasricha. 2023Source 2 , 3 , 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Today, we dive into the science around man’s best friend to celebrate the Puppy Bowl airing on Animal Planet, February 9th. Sam explores what’s really going on with the recent phenomenon of people teaching their dogs to communicate through word buttons. Dr. Janet Hoy-Gerlach joins the show to discuss her research into the mental health benefits of emotional support animals. Finally, we tackle the power and possibility of a dog’s sense of smell.   Canine Chat “Soundboard-trained dogs produce non-accidental, non-random and non-imitative two-button combinations.” by Amelia P. M. Bastos, Zachary N. Houghton, et al. 2024.  Source 2  Source 3 Source 4  Emotional Support Animals  “Exploring Benefits of Emotional Support Animals (ESAs): A Longitudinal Pilot Study with Adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI).” by Janet Hoy-Gerlach, Aviva Vincent, Barry Scheuermann, Mamta Ojha. 2022. Source 2  Source 3 Source 4 Source 5 Sniffer Dogs  “Massachusetts schools use dogs to sniff out Covid-19.” by Gary Tuchman. 2024. Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 Source 5 Source 6 Source 7 Source 8 Source 9 Source 10