Mimetic Desires, Testing Witness Memories, Fermilab’s Ferret
Learn about why you want things just because others do too; a way to reduce wrongful convictions; and Fermilab’s ferret.
February 09, 2022
“Mimetic desires” are things you want because others want them — here’s how to spot them by Steffie Drucker
- Reese, H. (2021, November 8). Mimetic desire: How to avoid chasing things you don’t truly want. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/mimetic-desire-luke-burgis/
- Caprino, K. (2021, June 4). How To Identify Your True Desires And Stop Imitating Everyone Else’s. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2021/06/04/how-to-identify-your-true-desires-and-stop-imitating-everyone-elses/?sh=15125424699e
- Girard, Rene | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2015). Utm.edu. https://iep.utm.edu/girard/
- Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire by Luke Burgis – Summary & Quotes. (2021). Matthewvere.com. https://www.matthewvere.com/notes/wanting-the-power-of-mimetic-desire#toc-thick-desires
- Mimetic Theory | What It Is. (2019). Mimetic Theory. https://mimetictheory.com/what-it-is-2/
To reduce wrongful convictions, test a witness’s memory only once by Grant Currin
- One and done: Researchers urge testing eyewitness memory only once. (2021, November 3). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933794
- Wixted, J. T., Wells, G. L., Loftus, E. F., & Garrett, B. L. (2021). Test a Witness’s Memory of a Suspect Only Once. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 22(1_suppl), 1S18S. https://doi.org/10.1177/15291006211026259
- Kimball, S. (2021, January 28). US Supreme Court turns down Texas death row case concerning police hypnosis. Jurist.org; – JURIST – News – Legal News & Commentary. https://www.jurist.org/news/2021/01/us-supreme-court-turns-down-texas-death-row-case-concerning-police-hypnosis/
In the 1970s, one of Fermilab’s particle accelerator techs was a ferret named Felicia by Cameron Duke
- Felicia helps out. (2016, October 5). News. https://news.fnal.gov/2016/10/felicia-helps-out/
- Pinkowski, J. (2019, April 2). Why Physicists Tried to Put a Ferret in a Particle Accelerator. Atlas Obscura; Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/felicia-ferret-particle-accelerator-fermilab
- Searcy, M. (Fall 2014). A fuzzy concept. The University of Chicago Magazine. https://mag.uchicago.edu/science-medicine/fuzzy-concept
- Spichak, S. (2021, July 13). The Ferret Who Ran Inside the Fermi Particle Accelerator. Medium; History of Yesterday. https://historyofyesterday.com/the-ferret-who-ran-inside-the-fermi-particle-accelerator-fec5b3136b0b
Follow host Cody Gough on Giveo and at https://academicpodcasts.com. 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:The Myth of Man Flu, Arctic Lakes, Buzzing Bats
Let’s talk about whether “man flu” is fact or fiction, how the Arctic lakes just threw a curveball at our climate change projections, and the genius new way bats are tricking their predators.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Hacking Device, Designer Seaweed, Accent Exposure
We discuss the latest in phone hacking technology, how aquaculture may be able to help the global food crisis, and how engaging with people who speak in a foreign accent may help us retain language.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Are Facial Expressions Universal?
Learn about common ancestors shared by every human; evolution’s multiple directions; and universal facial expressions.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Weirdest Types of Lightning, Spotting Audio Lies Easily, and the Traveling Salesman Problem
Learn about some of the weirdest types of lightning; why nobody’s been able to solve the traveling salesman problem; and why it’s easier to spot a lie on a podcast or radio show than it is in other media.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Future of Learning Is Now, Thanks to Science
Is there a right or wrong way to learn? Dr. Stephen Kosslyn is an expert on the science of learning, with more than 30 years of experience working at elite institutions such as Harvard and Stanford. He also thinks that higher education could learn a lot about how people learn, and that's why he became the Founding Dean and Chief Learning Officer of the Minerva Schools at KGI. On this podcast, Dr. Kosslyn explains how people learn and how his institution is changing the way learning is approached — one student at a time.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Project Blue Book, Cooking Hacks Using Chemistry, and “Sea Nomads”
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you learn something new in just a few minutes:
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Normalcy Bounces Back Quickly in Times of Stress and the Female Astronauts of the Mercury 13
Learn about how people under stress can find a “new normal” surprisingly quickly, and why the Mercury 13 should have been the first women in space.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Always Ask for a Deadline Extension, Leaded Gasoline, and What Makes Time Stand Still
Learn why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for an extension when you’re up against a deadline; why we used to use lead in gasoline; and what causes that feeling that time is standing still.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Fighting the Most Common Form of Prejudice, Autokinetic Effect, and Fermat’s Last Theorem
Learn about the optical illusion that makes stars look like UFOs; surprising facts about Fermat’s last theorem, one of math’s greatest mysteries; and why the most common form of prejudice may surprise you.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Should You Exercise on an Empty Stomach?
Bestselling author and CBS news correspondent David Pogue explains why climate change is leading to more kidney stones and bar fights. Then, learn about the “doorway effect” when you forget why you walked into a room; and whether you should exercise on an empty stomach.