Linguistic Laws in Nature and Fatherless Condor Chicks from Parthenogenesis
Learn about linguistic “laws” that also show up in nature; and how two California condors were born without fathers.
January 13, 2022
Linguistic “laws” like Zipf’s law of abbreviation and Menzerath’s law also show up in biology, geography, and more by Grant Currin
- Jonny Thomson. (2021, October 22). The unknown linguistic laws that apply to all life. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/life/linguistic-laws-biology/
- Semple, S., Ferrer-i-Cancho, R., & Gustison, M. L. (2021). Linguistic laws in biology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.08.012
Two condor chicks were born from parthenogenesis, something we’ve never seen before by Cameron Duke
- Harrison, S. (2021, October 28). California Condors Are Capable of Asexual Reproduction. Wired; WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/california-condors-are-capable-of-asexual-reproduction/
- Ryder, O. A., Thomas, S., Judson, J. M., Romanov, M. N., Dandekar, S., Papp, J. C., Sidak-Loftis, L. C., Walker, K., Stalis, I. H., Mace, M., Steiner, C. C., & Chemnick, L. G. (2021). Facultative Parthenogenesis in California Condors. Journal of Heredity. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esab052
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Conservation Scientists Report First Confirmed Hatchings of Two California Condor Chicks from Unfertilized Eggs. (2021). San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/pr/CondorParthenogenesis
- The Economist. (2021, October 30). No sex please, we’re condors. The Economist; The Economist. https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/10/30/no-sex-please-were-condors
- Zhang, S. (2021, October 28). The Atlantic. The Atlantic; theatlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/10/california-condors-are-capable-virgin-birth/620517/
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Next Up
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why It’s Relaxing to Breathe in Through Your Nose
Learn about why it’s relaxing to breathe in through your nose and the first woman who’s ever been struck by a meteor. We’ll also answer a listener question about why smacking electronics helps to make them work again.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Quitting Smoking Doesn’t Lead to Food Cravings, Narcissism Over Time, and Seeing Photons
Learn about how people become less narcissistic as they get older; how it’s possible that we can see a single photon with the naked eye; and, new research that says cigarette smokers won’t crave more food if they quit smoking.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Dark DNA, Why Married Couples Slept in Twin Beds, and Do Baths Get You Clean?
Learn about whether taking a bath actually gets you clean; “dark DNA,” the genetic code that should be there, but isn’t; and why married couples used to sleep in twin beds.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: How Badly We Need to Feel Socially Connected (w/ Vivian Zayas) and Work Commute Tips
Learn about the surprising power behind our need to feel socially connected, with guest Vivian Zayas, Director of the Personality, Attachment, and Control Laboratory at Cornell University. Plus, learn about how to make your commute a little happier.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Plants That Light Up When Attacked, A 5-Minute Trick for Falling Asleep, and The Creepy Carleton Villa
Learn about why scientists made a plant that lights up when it’s attacked; the history of what might be the creepiest house in the United States; and a 5-minute trick to help you fall asleep faster. Plus: hear Cody and Ashley react to Curiosity Daily being recognized as the 2018 Best Science & Medicine Podcast in the 13th Annual People’s Choice Podcast Awards!
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Your Nightmares Help You Survive, Tin Whiskers Break Your Gadgets, and Every Map Is Lying
Learn about “tin whiskers,” the mysterious reason why your gadgets suddenly stop working; threat simulation theory and how your nightmares might be helping you survive; and why every map is lying to you.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Carl Zimmer on What’s “In Your Genes,” Nudge Theory, and Post-Apocalyptic Cockroach Myths
Learn what it means when you have something “in your genes” with help from award-winning author Carl Zimmer; whether cockroaches really can survive a nuclear apocalypse; and how to change behaviors using a subtle suggestion.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: How Does Fever Help You Get Better?
Learn about how a fever helps you get better; why the first reliable and widely available pregnancy test was the African clawed frog; and a potential breakthrough in the shockingly complicated traveling salesperson problem.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why We Get Warning Fatigue, Prehistoric Monkeys Crossed the Atlantic on Rafts, and Why New Lovebirds Feel So Familiar
Learn about a bias in your brain that makes you ignore security warnings; why people who fall in love feel like they’ve known each other for years; and a crew of prehistoric monkeys that crossed the Atlantic Ocean on rafts.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: You Can Learn and Unlearn Emotions, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, and Loveland Castle’s Weird History
Learn about Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle; the weird history of Loveland Castle, a Medieval structure in Ohio; and why you’re not born with emotions — you learn (and can unlearn) them.