Learn about why younger kids don’t understand sarcasm; a 24,000 year old living worm; and Betelgeuse’s “Great Dimming.”

Kids don't get sarcasm until around age 7 because of the kind of thinking it requires by Kelsey Donk

• Pexman, P. (2021, June 8). Why it’s difficult for children to understand sarcasm. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/why-its-difficult-for-children-to-understand-sarcasm-160915
• Do young children understand irony? (2007, January 25). Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2007/01/25/do-young-children-understand-irony/
• An Acquired Taste: Children’s Perceptions of Humor and Teasing in Verbal Irony. (2021). Discourse Processes. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15326950dp4003_5
• Pexman, P. M., & Glenwright, M. (2007). How do typically developing children grasp the meaning of verbal irony? Journal of Neurolinguistics, 20(2), 178–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneuroling.2006.06.001

A 24,000 year old worm was discovered in Siberia, alive and kicking by Cameron Duke

• Grover, N. (2021, June 7). 24,000-year-old organisms found frozen in Siberia can still reproduce. Theguardian.com; The Guardian. https://amp.theguardian.com/science/2021/jun/07/24000-year-old-organisms-found-frozen-in-siberia-can-still-reproduce
• Shmakova, L., Malavin, S., Iakovenko, N., Vishnivetskaya, T., Shain, D., Plewka, M., & Rivkina, E. (2021). A living bdelloid rotifer from 24,000-year-old Arctic permafrost. Current Biology, 31(11), R712–R713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.077

Remember when Betelgeuse was acting weird? Turns out it was just a dust cloud by Steffie Drucker

• Original Betelgeuse episode: https://www.curiositydaily.com/live-longer-by-appreciating-art-betelgeuse-might-go-supernova-and-birds-freaky-fast-vision/
• Mystery solved: Dust cloud led to Betelgeuse’s “Great Dimming.” (2021). EurekAlert! msd061221.php">https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/hcfa-msd061221.php
• Plait, P. (2021, June 16). We may finally know why Betelgeuse dimmed so much. Bonus: No supernova. Yet. SYFY WIRE; SYFY WIRE. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/we-may-finally-know-why-betelgeuse-dimmed-so-much-bonus-no-supernova-yet
• Betelgeuse Merely Burped, Astronomers Conclude. (2021). The New York Times. montarges-star-supernova.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/science/betelgeuse-montarges-star-supernova.html
• Castelvecchi, D. (2021). Why the supergiant star Betelgeuse went mysteriously dim last year. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01633-4
• Montargès, M., et. al. (2021). A dusty veil shading Betelgeuse during its Great Dimming. Nature, 594(7863), 365–368. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03546-8

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. 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.

Find episode transcript here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/kids-v-sarcasm-24-000-year-old-worm-why-betelgeuse-dimmed">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/kids-v-sarcasm-24-000-year-old-worm-why-betelgeuse-dimmed