
Tool Use and Language in the Brain, Why Black Holes Get Bigger
Learn how tool use and language work in the brain; and why black holes get bigger due to the expansion of the universe.
February 17, 2022
Tool use and language ability go hand in hand by Grant Currin
- Using mechanical tools improves our language skills. (2021, November 11). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934004
- Thibault, S., Py, R., Gervasi, A. M., Salemme, R., Koun, E., Lövden, M., Boulenger, V., Roy, A. C., & Brozzoli, C. (2021). Tool use and language share syntactic processes and neural patterns in the basal ganglia. Science, 374(6569). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe0874
- Know Your Brain: Basal Ganglia. (2014). Neuroscientifically Challenged. https://neuroscientificallychallenged.com/posts/what-are-basal-ganglia
Black holes get bigger from the expansion of the universe itself by Briana Brownell
- New study proposes expansion of the universe directly impacts black hole growth. (2021, November 3). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/933693
- Croker, K. S., Zevin, M., Farrah, D., Nishimura, K. A., & Tarlé, G. (2021). Cosmologically Coupled Compact Objects: A Single-parameter Model for LIGO–Virgo Mass and Redshift Distributions. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 921(2), L22. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac2fad
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: Neural Networks, Why You Get Brain Freeze, and A Science-Based Trick for Learning a New Language
Learn about why you get brain freeze, just how advanced neural networks are these days, and a science-backed trick for learning a new language.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: 5 Coronavirus Myths Debunked, Why You Shouldn’t Get Your News on Social Media, and the Discovery of a Black Hole Missing Link
Learn about why people are less likely to verify their sources on social media; and why it’s a huge deal that researchers found an intermediate-mass black hole. We’ll also debunk five myths about the coronavirus.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Stay Happy and Healthy by Maintaining Your Routines, How Dolphins Learn to Use Tools, and Can Adults Grow New Brain Cells?
Learn about whether adult neurogenesis can help humans grow new brain cells; the super cool way dolphins learn how to use tools; and how keeping good “zeitgeber hygiene” by sticking to a regular routine can keep you happy and healthy.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: You Can Totally BS a BSer
Learn about why you can BS a BS-er; how you can get your hands on some of the world’s oldest books at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library; and a sea slug in the genus Elysia that cuts off its own head when it wants a new body.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Lost National Museum of Brazil Artifacts, Swimming After You Eat, and Weird U.S. State Laws
Learn about what we lost in the blaze that destroyed the National Museum of Brazil; the myth that it’s dangerous to go swimming right after you eat; and some of the weirdest laws in U.S. states.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: You Can Control Your Dreams with Science
Learn how fathers benefit from being involved with their newborn babies, what you can do to control your dreams with science, and why the asterisk is used for corrections.
David Copperfield’s Magic on the Moon, Fish and Whale Tails, a Giant Magnetic Tunnel
Learn about where to find David Copperfield’s secrets; a magnetic tunnel surrounding the Earth; and marine mammal tails.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Predict the Weather Using Facebook Photos (w/ Randall Munroe) and Spoken Data Speeds
Learn about how quickly different languages can transmit information. Then, learn how you can predict the weather by analyzing the pixels of your Facebook photos, with some help from Randall Munroe, creator of the popular geek webcomic xkcd.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why Does February have 28 Days?
Learn about why February only has 28 days; why early birds and night owls aren’t the only two chronotypes; and why the anchoring effect says you should always make the first offer when you’re negotiating.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Smallest Flying Tech, Myers-Briggs Myth, Brazil Nut Effect
Learn about the smallest flying structure ever made; Myers-Briggs’ big problem; and why the biggest nuts end up on top.