Curiosity Daily Podcast: Most Conversations Go On Longer Than We Want Them To

Learn about why most conversations go on for a lot longer than we want them to; a genetic mutation that makes some people resilient to the cold; and how homing pigeons pass down their knowledge.

April 05, 2021

Episode Show Notes:

Most conversations go on for twice as long as we want them to by Kelsey Donk

Around 20% of people have a genetic mutation that makes them resilient to the cold by Grant Currin

  • People with this muscle protein gene variant tolerate the cold better. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/cp-pwt021121.php
  • ‌Wyckelsma, V. L., Venckunas, T., Houweling, P. J., Schlittler, M., Lauschke, V. M., Tiong, C. F., Wood, H. D., Ivarsson, N., Paulauskas, H., Eimantas, N., Andersson, D. C., North, K. N., Brazaitis, M., & Westerblad, H. (2021). Loss of α-actinin-3 during human evolution provides superior cold resilience and muscle heat generation. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 108(3), 446–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.01.013
  • ‌Impervious to cold? A gene helps people to ward off the chills. (2021). Nature, 590(7847), 531–531. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00433-0

Move Over, Ancient Sages: Homing Pigeons Pass Down Knowledge Too by Hayley Otman

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Up

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Introducing If/Then

What gets you curious? Virtual experiences, celestial bodies, water worlds or maybe just the tiniest mysteries inside your brain? The endlessly curious and curiously funny, Gillian Jacobs (Community, Netflix's LOVE) and Diona Reasonover (NCIS), step off set to go on tangents with real-life astronauts, astrophysicists, science artists, mathematician-types and other really smart people that investigate what seems impossible.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Curiosity Podcast Wraps Up with Yoga, Volcanoes, and Meditation

Learn from some of our favorite expert guests about yoga, volcanoes, meditation, and more on this special episode of the Curiosity Podcast. You'll hear from accomplished authors and academics from past episodes, in addition to a special guest you've never heard before on the show. Plus, hear about the past, present, and future of the Curiosity Podcast.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Does ESP Exist?

Learn about ESP; why people panicked about electricity in the 1800s; and how embryos use sound to prepare for the world.

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: Do Opposites Really Attract?

Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect” and how physical distance affects the way we feel about other people; and the history of when and why we started using last names.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: How to Talk to Strangers, Red Dead Redemption 2 Naturalists, July Curiosity Challenge

Learn how to get better at talking to strangers; and how Red Dead Redemption 2 turns gamers into naturalists. Trivia too!

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why Multitasking Keeps You Snacking

Learn about how rats might not have been all to blame for the bubonic plagues and why we’re more prone to mindlessly eat while we multitask.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Insecure People Use More Jargon

Learn about how naked mole-rats invade neighboring colonies and steal babies, the average person is hiding 13 secrets, and people use more jargon when they're insecure about their status.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why April Fool’s Day Exists

Learn about what the “frenemy effect” can teach us about bullying; the surprising ability of marmosets to eavesdrop on each others’ conversations; and why April Fool’s Day may have originated from an out-of-date calendar.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Do Single-A Batteries Exist?

Learn about whether there’s such a thing as “single A” batteries; 5 surprising ways volunteering improves your physical health; and how duckbill dinosaurs may have crossed an ocean to reach Africa.