Curiosity Daily Podcast: Was Farming Really a Step Up for Hunter-Gatherers?

Science journalist and author James Nestor explains how you can breathe better. Then, learn about the secret identity of Bitcoin creator “Satoshi Nakamoto” and whether farming really was a step up for our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

February 04, 2021

Episode Show Notes:

Additional resources for James Nestor:

No One Knows the Identity of Bitcoin's Creator by Cody Gough

Was farming really a step up for our hunter-gatherer ancestors? by Cameron Duke

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

Food Growers Use AI and Robotics to Tackle Pest Problem

Farmers around the world face serious challenges in growing food more effectively. Climate warming increases the risk of crop damage from insects, fungi, and bacteria. So to manage the threat farms are turning to artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and computer vision to target pests more effectively.

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: 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: 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: Are Facial Expressions Universal?

Learn about common ancestors shared by every human; evolution’s multiple directions; and universal facial expressions.

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: How Hollywood Gets Seances Wrong

Learn about how bacteria in your gut can produce electricity. Then, performer and lecturer Thom Britton will tell us about the origins of seances and how Hollywood gets them wrong.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Some Viruses Do You Good

Learn about how blind and low-vision gamers have an edge when it comes to certain games, with Cornell University Professor Andrew Campana. Then, learn how some viruses actually protect their hosts; and the shocking solution to the Monty Hall Problem, an infamous brain teaser that may leave you questioning your math skills.