Learn about why most conversations go on for a lot longer than we want them to; a genetic mutation that makes some people resilient to the cold; and how homing pigeons pass down their knowledge.

Most conversations go on for twice as long as we want them to by Kelsey Donk

• When people want conversations to end. (2021). EurekAlert! wpw022421.php">https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/potn-wpw022421.php
• Mastroianni, A. M., Gilbert, D. T., Cooney, G., & Wilson, T. D. (2021). Do conversations end when people want them to? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(10), e2011809118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2011809118

Around 20% of people have a genetic mutation that makes them resilient to the cold by Grant Currin

• People with this muscle protein gene variant tolerate the cold better. (2021). EurekAlert! pwt021121.php">https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/cp-pwt021121.php
• Wyckelsma, V. L., Venckunas, T., Houweling, P. J., Schlittler, M., Lauschke, V. M., Tiong, C. F., Wood, H. D., Ivarsson, N., Paulauskas, H., Eimantas, N., Andersson, D. C., North, K. N., Brazaitis, M., & Westerblad, H. (2021). Loss of α-actinin-3 during human evolution provides superior cold resilience and muscle heat generation. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 108(3), 446–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.01.013
• Impervious to cold? A gene helps people to ward off the chills. (2021). Nature, 590(7847), 531–531. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00433-0

Move Over, Ancient Sages: Homing Pigeons Pass Down Knowledge Too by Hayley Otman

• Sasaki, T., & Biro, D. (2017). Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups. Nature Communications, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15049
• Homing pigeons share our ability to build knowledge across generations | University of Oxford. (2017, April 17). Ox.ac.uk. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-04-18-homing-pigeons-share-our-ability-build-knowledge-across-generations#

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Find episode transcript here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/most-conversations-go-on-longer-than-we-want-them-to">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/most-conversations-go-on-longer-than-we-want-them-to