Curiosity Daily

Today, you’ll learn about a new blood test that could revolutionize bipolar diagnoses, how music could help knock out pain, and how a changing climate is changing puffins.  Bipolar Blood Test  • “Simple blood test can help diagnose bipolar disorder.” University of Cambridge. 2023.   • “Bipolar Disorder.” NIH. n..d.  • “Diagnosis and management of bipolar disorders.” by Fernando S. Goes. 2023.  Music & Pain  • “Emotional responses to favorite and relaxing music predict music-induced hypoalgesia.” by Darius Valevicius, et al. 2023.   • “Editorial: Perspectives on music and pain: from evidence to theory and application.” by Annabel J. Cohen, et al. 2023.  Puffin Hybrid  • “Hybridization of Atlantic puffins in the Arctic coincides with 20th-century climate change.” by Oliver Kersten, et al. 2023.   • “Atlantic Puffin.” n.a. N.d.   • “Puffin FAQs.” Audubon. N.d.  

Today, you’ll learn about mind-reading machines, the brightest object in the known universe, and the potential power punch of cinnamon. Mind-Reading  • “Mind-reading devices are revealing the brain’s secrets.” by Miryam Naddaf. 2024.   • “The brain-reading devices helping paralysed people to move, talk and touch.” by Liam Drew. 2022.   • “The rise of brain-reading technology: what you need to know.” by Liam Drew. 2023.   • “How our brains decode speech: special neurons process certain sounds.” by Saima Sidik. 2023.  Universe’s Brightest Object  • “Astronomers discover universe’s brightest object - a quasar powered by a black hole that eats a sun a day.” by Tory Shepherd. 2024.   • “What is a quasar?” by Andy Briggs. 2021.   • “Revealed: the oldest black hole ever observed, dating to dawn of universe.” by Hannah Devlin. 2023.  Cinnamon  • “Cinnamon supplements reduce blood glucose in people with prediabetes.” by Dani Mann. 2024.   • “Cinnamon and Diabetes.” n.a. 2023.  • “Prediabetes (Borderline Diabetes).” by Mike Watts. 2022. 

Today, you’ll learn about a supervitamin you might already be taking some good news about the health of the world’s forests, and a new study that mapped ketamine’s effects on the brain.  B12  • “Vitamin B12 emerges as key player during cellular reprogramming.” by Alba Vilchez-Acosta. 2023.   • “Vitamin B12: A key player in cellular reprogramming and tissue regeneration.” ScienceDaily. 2023.  Healthy Forests  • “Twenty-year study confirms California forests are healthier when burned - or thinned.” by Kara Manke. 2023.   • “2023 North American Wildfires.” CDP. 2023.   • “Forest restoration and fuels reduction work: Different pathways for achieving success in the Sierra Nevada.” by Scott L. Stephens, et al. 2023.  Ketamine & the Brain  • “New Study Maps Ketamine’s Effects on Brain.” by Christopher D. Shea. 2023.   • “Ketamine.” reviewed by Melisa Puckey. 2023.   • “Whole-brain mapping reveals the divergent impact of ketamine on the dopamine system.” by Malika S. Datta, et al. 2023.   • “Understanding Ketamine Treatment for Depression.” n.a. 2023.  

Today, you’ll learn about the possible dangers of growing leafy greens in microgravity, a study that let AI tag along with a toddler to learn language the human way, and research on stabilizing elephant populations on the African savannah.  Microgravity Gardening  • “Simulated microgravity facilitates stomatal ingression by Salmonella in lettuce and suppresses a biocontrol agent.” by Noah Totsline, et al. 2024.   • “The Future.” NASA. N.D.   • “What will astronauts eat during long missions in space?” Leidos. 2023.  AI Learns Language  • “AI learns language through the experience of a single child in groundbreaking study.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.   • “Grounded language acquisition through the eyes and ears of a single child.” by Wai Keen Vong, et al. 2024.  Elephant Numbers  • “Protecting and connecting landscapes stabilizes populations of the Endangered savannah elephant.” by Ryan M. Huang, et al. 2024.   • “The African Savanna.” by Michael Swiderek. 2021.   • “Africa’s great savannahs may be more endangered than the world’s rainforests.” by Jeremy Hance. 2012.  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 bacteria that turns plastic into spider webs, a massive deep-sea discovery right in our own backyard, and how CRISPR could reshape agriculture for an entire continent. Silk-Making Bacteria  • “Researchers Engineer Bacteria That Eat Plastic, Make Multipurpose Spider Silk.” Technology Networks. 2024.   • “Two-step conversion of polyethylene into recombinant proteins using a microbial platform.” by Alexander Connor, et al. 2023.  • “Our planet is choking on plastic.” UNEP. n.d.   • “In Images: Plastic is Forever.” UN. n.d. Deep Coral  • “World’s largest deep-sea coral reef found lurking beneath the Gulf Stream ‘right on the doorstep’ of US coast.” by Harry Baker. 2024.   • “Status of Coral Reefs.” Reef Resilience Network. N.d.   • “Life Below Water.” UN. 2020.  CRISPR Agriculture  • “CRISPR-edited crops break new ground in Africa.” by Heidi Ledford. 2024.   • “Witchweed.” USDA. n.d.   • “Africa’s agricultural revolution: From self-sufficiency to global food powerhouse.” By Gareth Hodder & Brenda Migwalla. 2023.   • “GMOs or non-GMOs? The CRISPR Conundrum.” By Aftab Ahmad, et al. 2023.  

Today, you’ll learn about a new polymer that could battle antibiotic resistant infections, a possible new way to detect life on other planets from afar, and what to expect when you’re expecting to adopt a furry friend.Powerful Polymer  • “Texas A&M Team Develops Polymers That Can Kill Bacteria.” by Shana K. Hutchins. 2023.   • “The global threat of antibiotic resistance.” ReAct. N.d.   • “Ring-opening metathesis polymerization of N-methylpyridinium-fused norbornenes to access antibacterial main-chain cationic polymers.” by Sarah N. Hancock, et al. 2023.  Exoplanet CO2   • “A carbon-lite atmosphere could be a sign of water and life on other terrestrial planets, MIT study finds.” by Jennifer Chu. 2023.   • “Atmospheric carbon depletion as a tracer of water oceans and biomass on temperate terrestrial exoplanets.” by Amaury H.M.J. Triaud, et al. 2023.   • “How do astronomers find exoplanets?” by Daniela Breitman. 2017.  Adoption Science   • “What To Expect When You Adopt A Shelter Pet, According To Scientists.” by Holly Large. 2023.   • “18 Interesting Pet Adoption Statistics & Facts to Know in 2024.” by Misty Layne. 2024.   • “Do Dogs Cry? Signs Your Beloved Pup Might Be Sad.” by Tom Hale. 2023.  

Today, you’ll learn about why you may want to consider letting yourself daydream, how a sense of humor might protect you from depression and anxiety, and the effects of caffeine on the performance of soccer players.  Daydream Brain   • “What Happens in the Brain While Daydreaming?” by Catherine Caruso. 2023.   • “Is the role of sleep in memory consolidation overrated?” by Mohammad Dastgheib, et al. 2022.   • “Cortical reactivations predict future sensory responses.” by Nghia D. Nguyen, et al. 2023.   • “Why Daydreaming Is Good For Us.” by David B. Feldman Ph.D. 2017.  Power of a Laugh  • “Your type of humor might say something about your risk of depression and anxiety.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2023.   • “Understanding the Association Between Humor and Emotional Distress: The Role of Light and Dark Humor in Predicting Depression, Anxiety, and Stress.” by Alberto Dionigi, et al. 2023.  Caffeine & Soccer   • “Caffeine highs and lows footballers should be aware of.” n.a. 2023.   • “The effects of acute caffeine ingestion on decision-making and pass accuracy in young soccer players: A preliminary randomized controlled trial.” by Negar Jafari, et al. 2023.  

Today, you’ll learn about how babies pick up language before they’re even born, an AI that takes on the busy work for doctors, and new insight into how humans collaborate.  Baby Language  • “Babies’ Brains Are Primed For Their Native Language Before Birth.” by Nyla Husain. 2023.   • “Prenatal experience with language shapes the brain.” by Benedetta Mariani. 2023.   • “The What and When of Universal Perception: A Review of Early Speech Sound Acquisition.” by Katerina Chladkova & Nikola Paillereau. 2020.  AI Medicine  • “Medical AI tool from UF, NVIDIA gets human thumbs-up in first study.” by Jim W. Harper. 2023.   • “AI Training AI: GatorTronGPT at the Forefront of University of Florida’s Medical AI Innovations.” by Mona Flores. 2023.   • “A study of generative large language model for medical research and healthcare.” by Cheng Peng, et al. 2023.   • “Physicians, paperwork, and paying attention to patients.” by Dr. Monique Tello. 2016.  Human Collaboration   • “How we play together.” n.a. 2023.   • “The evolution of human cooperation.” Coren L. Apicella & Joan B. Silk. 2019.  

oday, you’ll learn about a new test that can show how well each of your organs are aging, some interesting links between comfort food and stress, and a surprising finding about certain snails. Organ Age  • “Are your organs ageing well? The blood holds clues.” by Max Kozlov. 2023.   • “Blood test shows if organs are ageing fast or slowly.” by Michelle Roberts. 2023.  Comfort Food   • “Comfort eating can impair body’s recovery from stress, study shows..” by Rachel Hall. 2023.   • “Stress and Eating Behaviors.” by Yvonne H. C. Yau & Marc N. Potenza. 2013.   • “Fatty foods can impair the body’s response to everyday stress - study.” by Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten. 2023.  Speedy Snails   • “Japanese snail adaptation and speciation in anti-predation escape behavior.” by Yuta Morii. 2023.   • “The divergence of mobility and activity associated with anti-predator adaptation in land snails.” by Yuta Morii, et al. 2023.