Today, you’ll learn about a new plan to use waste from beer brewing to clean metal out of our water supply, a study that puts languages like Orc and Klingon to the test, and a discovery about the direction our memories travel in our brains.     Brewer’s Yeast     “The same beer waste that gives us Vegemite could help us recycle metal waste.” n.a. 2024.   “Spent brewer’s yeast as a selective biosorbent for metal recovery from polymetallic waste streams.” by Anna Sieber, et al. 2024.   “What Is E-Waste Recycling and How Is it Done?” by Tin Lok W ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about a medication that can successfully treat frostbite, the study of bloodsplatter in space, and a surprising finding about the supposed benefits of small class sizes.    Frostbite Treatment    “The U.S. now has a drug for severe frostbite. How does it work?” by Saugat Bolakhe. 2024.   “Frostbite.” NIH. 2023.   “FDA Approves First Medication to Treat Severe Frostbite.” FDA. 2024.     Blood in Space     “Bloodstain pattern dynamics in microgravity: Observations of a pilot study in the next frontier of ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about a skin printer that could lead to scar-free surgeries, the possibility of bringing the wooly mammoth back to life, and how to work at being happy.     Printed Skin    “Scar-free surgery prints living skin (and maybe hair) right into wounds.” by Paul McClure. 2024.   “New bioink promotes growth & regeneration of 3D-printed muscle tissue.” by Paul McClure. 2023.     Mammoth De-Extinction    “Wooly mammoth de-extinction inches closer after elephant stem cell breakthrough.” by Sascha Pare. 2024.   ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about a radical idea for installing a curtain around a massive ice sheet, how positive vibrations might help people with social anxiety, and new tech that could remove dangerous forever chemicals from our environment.     Glacier Curtain    “Scientists want to build 62-mile-long curtains around the ‘doomsday glacier’ for a $50 billion Hail Mary to save it.” by Ellyn Lapointe. 2024.   “Thwaites Glacier Facts.” International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. N.d.   “How We Came to Know and Fear the Doomsday Glacier.” by Marissa Grun ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about a surprising discovery inside the worms of Chernobyl, a way to protect metals at sea inspired by barnacles, and foot-eye coordination.     Chernobyl Worms    “Radiation-proof Chernobyl worms offer answers about cancer.” by Paul McClure. 2024.   “Chernobyl Accident 1986.” n.a. 2022.   “Environmental radiation exposure at Chornobyl has not systematically affected the genomes or chemical mutagen tolerance phenotypes of local worms.” by Sophia C. Tintori, et al. 2024.     Barnacle Proteins    “Barnac ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about the magic of the upcoming solar eclipse, a simple way to reduce the amount of microplastics in your drinking water, and the connection between self-control and the perception of power.  Livestream of the total solar eclipse on Discovery’s YouTube channel on April 8 at 2:15pm ET here! Eclipse 2024    “What this solar eclipse can teach us about our planet and beyond.” by Kasha Patel. 2024.   “Eclipse Soundscapes Project.” 2024.   “Globe Observer: Eclipse.” 2024.   “Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project Objectives.” 2024.&n ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about a potentially risky new idea to geoengineer our way out of extreme heat, bad news for fans of artificially sweetened drinks, and an incredible new discovery about butterflies.     Geoengineering    “Dehydrate the stratosphere to curb global warming? Scientists float new risky strategy.” by Paul Voosen. 2024.   “Contributions of Stratospheric Water Vapor to Decadal Changes in the Rate of Global Warming.” by Susan Solomon, et al. 2010.   “Considering intentional stratospheric dehydration for climate benefits.” by Joshua P. Schwar ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about an alarming new killer behavior in orcas, a potential breakthrough for patients with one of the deadliest cancers, and the brain science behind flow.     Shark Hunter    “Orcas Demonstrating They No Longer Need to Hunt in Packs to Take Down the Great White Shark.” Taylor & Francis. 2024.   “Further insights into killer whales Orcinus orca preying on white sharks Carcharodon carcharias in South Africa.” by A Towner, et al. 2024.   “Top 10 Facts About Orcas.” WWF. 2023.    Asbestos Cancer Treatment    ..read more

Happy 300 episodes to our Curiosity Daily listeners! Today, you’ll learn about a massive database of human genomes that’s uncovering major new genetic discoveries, the scientists building stone age tools from scratch… and then putting them to work, and a treasure trove of deep sea discoveries in an underwater mountain range.     Human Diversity     “Ambitious survey of human diversity yields millions of undiscovered genetic variants.” by Max Kozlov. 2024.   “NIH’s All of Us Research Program Releases First Genomic Dataset of Nearly 100,000 Whole Genome S ..read more

Today, you’ll learn about how we learn the same information differently from people we like than from those we don’t like, a drug men already take that could have incredible added benefits, and a weed that could feed a hungry world.     Learning From Friends     “The brain is ‘programmed’ for learning from people we like.” Lund University. 2024.   “Ingroup sources enhance associative inference.” by Marius Boeltzig. 2023.     Hair & Heart     “Common hair loss and prostate drug may also cut heart disease risk in men an ..read more