Curiosity Daily Podcast: Seeing Opinions as Facts, Bird-Killing Pisonia Trees, and How Much the Tooth Fairy Pays

In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:

June 13, 2018

Episode Show Notes:

  • Your Brain Involuntarily Sees Opinions You Agree With as Facts
  • The Stroop Effect Is A Window Into Perception
  • The Pisonia Tree Lures and Murders Birds for No Good Reason
  • The Tooth Fairy Pays a Lot More Than She Used To

For a more adult perspective on dental health over time in the United States, check out "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America" by health journalist Mary Otto. Curious for more of nature's killers? Check out "Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities."

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Up

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: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: Reverse Aging, Cooperation Increase, Time & Covid

Today we explore a potential scientific fountain of youth, how cooperation among strangers has, contrary to popular belief, actually increased in recent years, and how the pandemic has caused the perception of time distortion.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Magic Addiction Fix, Parkinson’s Detection, Wind Turbines

Today we talk about how psilocybin from magic mushrooms can help those struggling with alcohol addiction, a new device that can detect Parkinson’s disease from breathing patterns, and how we can recycle wind turbines.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Flirting Cats, Walking Sharks, Preventing Cerebral Palsy

We discuss a new app that can translate a cat’s meow into human languages, how the Epaulette shark is teaching us about climate change, and a potential treatment that might prevent cerebral palsy.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Pee and Seagrass, Heart Sound Maps, Modified Mosquitos

Today we talk about how crystallizing human urine can help save seagrass, a new AI program that can detect early signs of heart disease, and how mosquitos can be used to vaccinate against malaria.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Geckos & Skin Cancer, Music in Childhood, Underwater Camera

Today we discuss the connection between skin cancer and a leopard gecko named Mr. Frosty, how playing a musical instrument in childhood can affect brain function as we age, and how a new underwater camera can help us explore previously-unseen parts of the ocean.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Dead Speak, Egyptian Discoveries, Pyramid Building

Join us for a deep dive into the latest and wildest new discoveries from Ancient Egypt to get you ready for the release of DC’s new film Black Adam, only in theaters. The dead speak! Yes, scientists have recreated the voice of a 3,000 year old mummy and we’ll tell you all about it as well as how some ancient Egyptian tombs contain more than just gold, and a recent discovery as to how the pyramids were built.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why Birds Wore Funny Hats for Science

Learn about how curiosity gives your memory a boost; what happened when researchers put feathered hats on birds to see if other birds found them sexy; and how we trick bacteria into making insulin for us.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Early Warning Birds, Ancient Fairy Tales, Breaks vs. Sprains

Learn about how birds could help us predict natural disasters; fairy tales’ old origins; and how breaks and sprains heal.

Related To: