Curiosity Daily

Today, you’ll learn about tiny robotic nerve cuffs, an orangutan that treated its own wound with medicine, and how nostalgia encourages us to take part in rituals.   Robotic Nerve Cuffs  “Robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ could help treat a range of neurological conditions.” University of Cambridge. 2024.  “Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).” Cleveland Clinic. 2022. “Electrochemically actuated microelectrodes for minimally invasive peripheral nerve interfaces.” by Chaoqun Dong, et al. 2024.   Orangutan Medicine  “In a first, an orangutan was seen treating his wound with a medicinal plant.” by Evan Bush. 2024.  “Active self-treatment of a facial wound with a biologically active plant by a male Sumatran orangutan.” by Isabelle B. Laumer, et al. 2024.   Ritual Nostalgia  “New research reveals the psychological impact of nostalgia on ritual engagement and meaning in life.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “Nostalgia, Ritual Engagement, and Meaning in Life.” by Yige Yin, et al. 2024.  “Nostalgia.” The Emotions Lab. 2022.  

Today, you’ll learn about a new way to turn certain blood types into universal blood types that could save countless lives, how exercise makes time slow down, and the new plastic made of eggshells that could clean up our water and stop plastic pollution.   Universal Donors  “Bacterial enzyme strips away blood types to create universal donor blood.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  “Blood safety and availability.” WHO. 2023.  “Facts About Blood and Blood Types.” American Red Cross. 2024.  “Akkermansia muciniphila exoglycosidases target extended blood group antigens to generate ABO-universal blood.” by Mathias Jensen, et al. 2024.   Exercise & Time  “Time warps when you workout: Study confirms exercise slows our perception of time.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.  “The perception of time is slowed in response to exercise, an effect not further compounded by competitors: behavioral implications for exercise and health.” by Andrew Mark Edwards, et al. 2024.   Eggshell Plastic  “Researchers Develop Bioplastic From Eggshells as Sustainable Alternative to Plastic.” Technology Networks. 2024.  “Eggshell incorporated agro-waste adsorbent pellets for sustainable orthophosphate capture from aqueous media.” by Bernd G. K. Steiger, et al. 2024.  “Phosphorus and Water.” USGS. 2018.   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 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.