Today you’ll learn about a zombie virus recovered from the arctic permafrost and brought back to life, some good news about 26 Australian animal species that have been brought back from the brink, and how a new pill could potentially limit the levels of “bad” cholesterol in the body. 

Zombie Virus 

• “Scientists have revived a ‘zombie’ virus that spent 48,500 years frozen in permafrost.” By Katie Hunt. 2023.
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/08/world/permafrost-virus-risk-climate-scn/index.html
• “Arctic permafrost is thawing rapidly. It affects us all.” By Katie Hunt. 2022.
  • https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/12/world/permafrost-climate-change-explainer-scn/index.html

Back From the Brink

• “Researchers find 26 Australian species recovered from the brink of extinction.” abc.net. 2023.
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-24/australian-animals-no-longer-meet-criteria-as-threatened-species/102020276
• “Lights at the end of the tunnel: The incidence and characteristics of recovery for Australian threatened animals.” by Woinarski, et al. 2023.
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723000460
• “Humpback whales no longer listed as endangered after major recovery.” by Claudia Long. 2022.
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-26/humpback-whales-no-longer-listed-as-endangered/100862644
• “Red List: Summary Statistics.” n.a. N.d.
  • https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/summary-statistics

Bad Cholesterol

• “Oral pill cuts bad cholesterol by 60% in phase 2 clinical trial” By Michael Irving
  • https://newatlas.com/medical/oral-pill-bad-cholesterol-phase-2-clinical-trial/
• “Efficacy and safety of the oral PCSK9 inhibitor MK-0616: a phase 2b randomized controlled trial” by Christie M. Ballantyne et al.
  • https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.02.018
• “What Is the Difference Between Good and Bad Cholesterol?” by Keck Medicine of USC
  • https://www.keckmedicine.org/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-good-and-bad-cholesterol/#:~:text=As%20a%20general%20rule%2C%20HDL,cholesterol%20directly%20to%20your%20arteries.
• “Coronary artery disease” by Mayo Clinic
  • https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350613#:~:text=If%20there's%20too%20much%20cholesterol,blood%20flow%20through%20an%20artery.
• “PCSK9 gene” by MedLine Plus
  • https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/pcsk9/#:~:text=The%20PCSK9%20protein%20controls%20the,in%20regulating%20blood%20cholesterol%20levels.

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/zombie-virus-back-from-the-brink-bad-cholesterol">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/zombie-virus-back-from-the-brink-bad-cholesterol

Today you’ll learn about how scientists are working on developing an injection to treat endometriosis, how bees solve puzzles, and how lemon juice is able to block the formation of kidney stones. 

Endometriosis Shot

• “An antibody injection could one day help people with endometriosis.” By Meghan Rosen. 2023.
  • https://www.sciencenews.org/article/antibody-injection-help-endometriosis
• “Endometriosis.” World Health Organization. 2021.
  • https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis#:~:text=Endometriosis%20is%20a%20disease%20characterized,other%20parts%20of%20the%20body.
• “A long-acting anti-IL-8 antibody improves inflammation and fibrosis in endometriosis.” By Ayako Nishimoto-Kakiuchi, et al. 2023.
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abq5858

Bee Puzzles

• “Bumblebees solve puzzles by watching other bees, just like humans do.” By Sarah Knapton. 2023.
  • https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/07/bumblebees-solve-puzzles-watching-bees-just-like-humans-do/
• “Bumblebees feel pain too, and their rights ‘should be protected’.” By Olivia Rudgard. 2022.
  • https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/07/27/bumblebees-can-feel-pain-rights-should-protected/
• “Watch: Bumblebees play with balls just for fun.” Sarah Knapton. 2022.
  • https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/27/watch-bumblebees-play-balls-just-fun/

Lemonade Kidney Stones 

• “Here’s how lemon juice may fend off kidney stones.” by Meghan Rosen. 2023.
  • https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lemon-juice-get-rid-kidney-stones
• “Kidney stones grow and dissolve much like geological crystals.” by Aimee Cunningham. 2018.
  • https://www.sciencenews.org/article/kidney-stones-grow-and-dissolve-much-geological-crystals
• “Lemon-Derived Extracellular Vesicle-like Nanoparticles Block the Progression of Kidney Stones by Antagonizing Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Renal Tubular Cells.” by Lei Zhang, et al. 2023.
  • https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c05099

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here:daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/endometriosis-shot-bee-puzzles-lemonade-kidney-stones">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/endometriosis-shot-bee-puzzles-lemonade-kidney-stones

Today you’ll learn about how remote work is resulting in people having more children than before the pandemic, how scientists are searching for new treatments for acne, and how indigenous groups in South America have a genetic resistance to Chagas disease. 

Remote Work Baby Boom    

• “The Surprising Effects of Remote Work” by Derek Thompson
  • https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2023/03/us-remote-work-impact-fertility-rate-babies/673301/
• “Early Remote Work Impacts on Family Formation” by Lyman Stone and Adam Ozimek
  • https://eig.org/remote-work-family-formation/
• “Career Paths with a Two-Body Problem: Occupational Specialization and Geographic Mobility” by Valeria Rueda and Guillaume Wilemme
  • https://research.upjohn.org/up_workingpapers/346/
• “The Great Pandemic Baby Bump” By Jerusalem Demsas
  • https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/pandemic-baby-bump-fertility/671964/

Acne Antibiotics 

• “Antibiotics for acne: Study shows why one works best.” By Isabella Backman. 2023.
  • 03-antibiotics-acne.html">https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-antibiotics-acne.html
• “Acne.” National Institutes of Health. 2020.
  • https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/acne#:~:text=Acne%20is%20a%20common%20skin,commonly%20called%20pimples%20or%20zits.

Chagas Infection

• “Genetic adaptations help Amazonian populations resist chaga infection.” n.a. 2023.
  • 03-genetic-amazonian-populations-resist-chagas.html">https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-genetic-amazonian-populations-resist-chagas.html
• “Parasites - American Trypanosomiasis (also known as Chagas Disease): Detailed FAQs.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2022.
  • https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/gen_info/detailed.html#intro
• “Amazonian Populations Have Genetic Protection Against Chagas Disease.” n.a. 2023.
  • https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/amazonian-populations-have-genetic-protection-against-chagas-disease-370944
• “Indigenous people from Amazon show genetic signatures of pathogen-driven selection.” By Caina M. Couto-Silva, et al. 2023.
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo0234
• “Parasite Drove Natural Selection in Amazonian Indigenous Groups.” By Natalia Mesa, PhD. 2023.
  • scientist.com/news-opinion/parasite-drove-natural-selection-in-amazonian-indigenous-groups-71004">https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/parasite-drove-natural-selection-in-amazonian-indigenous-groups-71004

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/remote-work-baby-boom-acne-antibiotics-chagas-infection">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/remote-work-baby-boom-acne-antibiotics-chagas-infection

Today you’ll learn about how foreign accent syndrome works, how an AI algorithm can create a physical copy of a mental picture, and how invasive marsh grass is taking over China’s coastline.

Foreign Accent Syndrome 

• “Scientists reveal why American man with prostate cancer developed ‘uncontrolled’ Irish accent” by Vishwam Shankaran
  • man-irish-brogue-prostate-cancer-b2292537.html?utm_source=reddit.com">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/american-man-irish-brogue-prostate-cancer-b2292537.html?utm_source=reddit.com
• “Foreign accent syndrome as a heralding manifestation of transformation to small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer” by Amanda Broderick et al.
  • https://casereports.bmj.com/content/16/1/e251655
• “After Surgery: Discomforts and Complications” by Johns Hopkins Medicine
  • https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/after-surgery-discomforts-and-complications
• “A Man’s Prostate Cancer Gave Him An 'Uncontrollable' Irish Accent” by Ed Cara
  • https://gizmodo.com/prostate-cancer-caused-irish-accent-medical-case-1850088239
• “A man in the US got prostate cancer. It made him start speaking with an Irish accent.” by Catherine Schuster-Bruce
  • https://www.insider.com/man-us-prostate-cancer-irish-accent-2023-2

AI Reads Minds  

• “AI re-creates what people see by reading their brain scans” by Kamal Nahas
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/ai-re-creates-what-people-see-reading-their-brain-scans
• “High-resolution image reconstruction with latent diffusion models from human brain activity” by Yu Takagi and Shinji Nishimoto
  • https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.18.517004v2

Alien Marsh

• “China battles alien marsh grass at unprecedented scale” by Erik Stokstad
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/china-battles-alien-marsh-grass-unprecedented-scale
• “Spartina invasive management - a review of the evidence” by Sam Reynolds et al.
  • https://osf.io/vpswn
• “China aims to contain proliferation of invasive plant by 2025” by Xinhua
  • https://english.news.cn/20230216/322678d5264347dda95d17f928263b5a/c.html

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/foreign-accent-syndrome-ai-reads-minds-alien-marsh">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/foreign-accent-syndrome-ai-reads-minds-alien-marsh

Today you’ll learn about how men with physically strenuous jobs have higher testosterone levels and, ahem, sperm counts, about how a researcher studying whales figured out an ancient mystery, and how providing women with more opportunities actually increases men’s life expectancy. 

Men At Work

• “Physically Demanding Work Tied to Male Fertility.” By Miles Martin. 2023.
  • https://hms.harvard.edu/news/physically-demanding-work-tied-male-fertility
• “Secular trends in semen parameters among men attending a fertility center between 2000 and 2017: Identifying potential predictors.” By Minguez-Alarcon, et al. 2018.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30389382/
• “Why more men are suffering from infertility than ever before.” By Susannah Cahalan. 2021.
  • https://nypost.com/2021/02/20/why-more-men-are-suffering-from-infertility-than-ever-before/
• “Occupational factors and markers of testicular function among men attending a fertility center.” By Minguez-Alarcon, et al. 2023.
  • https://academic.oup.com/humrep/advance-article/doi/10.1093/humrep/dead027/7034534?utm_source=authortollfreelink&utm_campaign=humrep&utm_medium=email&guestAccessKey=87e840cd-75fb-4975-8010-b2705f827fbb&login=false

Whale Interrupted 

• “Ancient texts shed new light on mysterious whale behaviour that ‘captured imagination’.” By Donna Lu. 2023.
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/01/ancient-texts-power-new-light-shed-on-mysterious-whale-behaviour-that-captured-imagination
• “Parallels for cetacean trap feeding and tread-water feeding in the historical record across two millennia.” By McCarthy, Sebo, & Firth. 2023
  • https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.13009

Gender Equality 

• “Greater Gender Equality Helps Both Women and Men Live Longer.” George Institute for Global Health. 2023.
  • https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/981404
• “Gender equality related to gender differences in life expectancy across the globe gender equality and life expectancy.” By Ana-Catarina Pinho-Gomes, et al. 2023.
  • https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0001214
• “Greater gender equality helps both women and men live longer.” ScienceDaily. 2023.
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230306143509.htm

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/men-at-work-whale-interrupted-gender-equality">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/men-at-work-whale-interrupted-gender-equality

Today you’ll learn about whether or not birth order affects how rebellious you are, how researchers are working to turn a human brain into a machine, and what Zimbabwe is doing to try and solve their energy crisis. 

Birth Order   

• “New study disputes the birth order theory that later-born are “born to rebel”” by Laura Staloch
  • https://www.psypost.org/2023/02/new-study-disputes-the-birth-order-theory-that-later-born-are-born-to-rebel-68636
• “Birth order, personality, and tattoos: A pre-registered empirical test of the ‘born to rebel’ hypothesis” by Gareth Richards et al.
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886922005487
• “Rebelling Against Born to Rebel” by Frederic Townsend (PAYWALL, first page free)
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1061736197900096
• “Steppenwolf’s Jerry Edmonton: The Man With The ‘Born To Be Wild’ Beat” by Paul Sexton
  • https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/jerry-edmonton-steppenwolf-drummer/
• “Mars Bonfire” by AllMusic
  • https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mars-bonfire-mn0000793570

Braincell Computers 

• “Scientists unveil plan to create biocomputers powered by human brain cells” by FRONTIERS
  • https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980084
• “Organoid intelligence (OI): the new frontier in biocomputing and intelligence-in-a-dish” by Lena Smirnova et al.
  • https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/science/articles/10.3389/fsci.2023.1017235
• “What lab-grown 'mini-brains' are revealing about this mysterious organ” by Clare Wilson
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25533962-300-what-lab-grown-mini-brains-are-revealing-about-this-mysterious-organ/

Zimbabwe Hydro

• “In Zimbabwe, drought is driving a hydropower crisis—and a search for alternatives” BY ANDREW MAMBONDIYANI
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/zimbabwe-drought-driving-hydropower-crisis-and-search-alternatives
• “A Grid for all Seasons: Enhancing the Integration of Variable Solar and Wind Power in Electricity Systems Across Africa” by Sebastian Sterl
  • https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40518-021-00192-6
• “Hydropower plans in eastern and southern Africa increase risk of concurrent climate-related electricity supply disruption” by Declan Conway, Carole Dalin, Willem A. Landman & Timothy J. Osborn
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-017-0037-4
• “Potential for Battery Energy Storage System in Zimbabwe” by Njovana G. Allen et al.
  • https://www.jree.ir/article_155040.html
• “Biomass explained” by EIA
  • gas-and-biogas.php">https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/biomass/landfill-gas-and-biogas.ph

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/birth-order-braincell-computers-zimbabwe-hydro">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/birth-order-braincell-computers-zimbabwe-hydro

Today you’ll learn about neighborhood 3D-printed by a robot, a 4,500 year-old secret chamber recently discovered in the Great Pyramid of Giza, and about research that shows a genetic link between blood sugar and migraines. 

3D-Printed Community 

• “The World’s Largest 3D-Printed Neighborhood Is Here” by Todd Woody, 2023.
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-3d-printed-houses-austin-texas/?cmpid=BBD030323_GREENDAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=230303&utm_campaign=greendaily&sref=5p3yLRks
• “The Genesis Collection.” iconbuild.com, N.D. (no date).
  • https://www.iconbuild.com/homes/genesis-collection-at-wolf-ranch
• “Is the Revolution of 3D-Printed Building Getting Closer?” by Thessa Lageman, 2019.
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-11/3d-printed-architecture-more-evolution-than-revolution?sref=aiiNijqZ
• “Construction Has an Immense Environmental Impact - and the Industry Must Change.” by Rayna Skiver, 2022.
  • https://www.greenmatters.com/community/how-does-construction-affect-the-environment
• “Sustainable Management of Construction and Demolition Materials,” EPA Website. N.D.
  • https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-management-construction-and-demolition-materials
• “U.S. construction industry - statistics & facts.” Statista Website. N.D.
  • https://www.statista.com/topics/974/construction/#topicOverview
• “What has caused the global housing crisis - and how can we fix it?” by Victoria Masterson, 2022.
  • https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/how-to-fix-global-housing-crisis/

Secret Chamber in Giza  

• “Scientists have mapped a secret hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza | Ars Technica. Jennifer Ouellette. 2023
  • https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/scientists-have-mapped-a-secret-hidden-corridor-in-great-pyramid-of-giza/
• “#ScanPyramids - First conclusive findings with muography on Khufu Pyramid.” Press Release from Scan Pyramids Mission. 2016.
  • http://www.hip.institute/press/HIP_INSTITUTE_CP9_EN.pdf
• Italy’s famous dome is cracking, and cosmic rays could help save it.” Jennifer Ouellette. 2018.
  • https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/cosmic-rays-could-help-unlock-the-secrets-of-brunelleschis-dome/
• “Muon Tomography.” Wikipedia.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muon_tomography#:~:text=Muon%20tomography%20or%20muography%20is,Coulomb%20scattering%20of%20the%20muons.
• “Hidden Corridor in Egypt’s Great Pyramid mapped with cosmic rays.” Chris Stokel-Walker. 2023.
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/2362300-hidden-corridor-in-egypts-great-pyramid-mapped-with-cosmic-rays/
• “These are the world’s tallest structures throughout history.” Iman Ghosh. 2019.
  • https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/tallest-historical-structures#:~:text=The%20Stone%20Age%3A%208000%20%E2%80%94%202570%20BCE&text=Experts%20estimate%20that%20the%20Tower,to%20mark%20the%20summer%20solstice.

Migraine Hope 

• “Genetic links between migraine and blood sugar levels confirmed.” Author unlisted. 2023
  • https://www.qut.edu.au/news?id=185398
• “Cross-trait analyses identify shared genetics between migraine, headache, and glycemic traits, and a causal relationship with fasting proinsulin.” Islam, M.R. 2023
  • https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00439-023-02532-6
• “Migraine.” Amaal Starling, M.D. & Mayo Clinic Staff. N.D.
  • https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20360201#:~:text=A%20migraine%20is%20a%20headache,sensitivity%20to%20light%20and%20sound.
• “The Costs of Migraines.” No Listed Author. N.D.
  • https://www.themigrainereliefcenter.com/costs-of-migraines/#:~:text=According%20to%20an%2

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/3d-printed-community-secret-chamber-in-giza-migraine-hope">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/3d-printed-community-secret-chamber-in-giza-migraine-hope

Today we discuss the link between gastrointestinal disorders and mental health, how the path you take walking through a crowd can be predicted by mathematics, and how we’ve now witnessed an example of super propulsion in nature for the first time! 

GERD Anxiety 

• “The causal role of gastroesophageal reflux disease in anxiety disorders and depression: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study” by Youjie Zeng, Si Cao, and Heng Yang
  • https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1135923/full
• “Linking the Gut and the Mind: New Evidence Shows GERD May Increase Risk of Anxiety and Depression” by Heng Yang, Youjie Zeng, and Si Cao
  • https://oa.mg/blog/gerd-may-increase-risk-of-anxiety-and-depression/
• “Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)” by Mayo Clinic
  • https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/symptoms-causes/syc-20361940#:~:text=Gastroesophageal%20reflux%20disease%20(GERD)%20occurs,reflux%20from%20time%20to%20time.
• “GERD (Chronic Acid Reflux)” by Cleveland Clinic
  • https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17019-gerd-or-acid-reflux-or-heartburn-overview

Crowd Math 

• “Lane nucleation in complex active flows” by KAROL A. BACIK, BOGDAN S. BACIK, AND TIM ROGERS
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add8091
• “Stick to your lane: Hidden order in chaotic crowds” by University of Bath
  • 03-lane-hidden-chaotic-crowds.html">https://phys.org/news/2023-03-lane-hidden-chaotic-crowds.html
• “Mathematicians have discovered the hidden patterns that exist within ‘chaotic’ crowds” by Connie Lin
  • https://www.fastcompany.com/90860429/mathematics-of-crowds-patterns-theory

Insect Catapult  

• “Droplet superpropulsion in an energetically constrained insect” by Elio J. Challita, Prateek Sehgal, Rodrigo Krugner & M. Saad Bhamla
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36376-5
• “Insect that flings pee with a butt catapult is 1st known example of 'superpropulsion' in nature” By Charles Q. Choi
  • https://www.livescience.com/insect-that-flings-pee-with-a-butt-catapult-is-1st-known-example-of-superpropulsion-in-nature
• “Sharpshooter Insects Use ‘Superpropulsion’ to Catapult Their Pee” by Jack Tamisiea
  • https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sharpshooter-insects-use-superpropulsion-to-catapult-their-pee1/

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/gerd-anxiety-crowd-math-insect-catapult">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/gerd-anxiety-crowd-math-insect-catapult

Today you’ll learn about how children raised by same sex couples are just as psychologically healthy as other kids, how face blindness might be way more common than we think, and how paid sick leave is now scientifically proven to benefit both businesses and employees.

Same Sex Same Kids  

• “Children of same-sex couples fare at least as well as in other families - study.” By Nicola Davis. 2023
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/06/children-of-same-sex-couples-fare-at-least-as-well-as-in-other-families-study
• “Children raised by same-sex parents do as well as their peers, study shows.” by Anne Davies. 2017.
  • https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/23/children-raised-by-same-sex-parents-do-as-well-as-their-peers-study-shows
• “Family outcome disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual families: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” By Yun Zhang, et al. 2023
  • https://gh.bmj.com/content/8/3/e010556
• “Kids Raised By Same-Sex Parents Fare Same As - Or Better Than - Kids Of Straight Couples, Research Finds.” By Robert Hart. 2023.
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/03/06/kids-raised-by-same-sex-parents-fare-same-as-or-better-than-kids-of-straight-couples-research-finds/?sh=4fa01ad77738

Face Blindness 

• “How Common Is Face Blindness?” by Dennis Nealon
  • https://hms.harvard.edu/news/how-common-face-blindness
• “What is the prevalence of developmental prosopagnosia? An empirical assessment of different diagnostic cutoffs” by Joseph DeGutis
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945223000138?via%3Dihub
• “Prosopagnosia (face blindness)” by NHS
  • https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/face-blindness/#:~:text=There's%20no%20treatment%20for%20prosopagnosia,do%20to%20help%20recognise%20people.

Paid Sick Leave 

• “NEW STUDY FINDS OFFERING PAID SICK LEAVE IS GOOD FOR U.S. BUSINESS” BY GISELE GALOUSTIAN
  • https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/paid-sick-leave-business-study
• “Is paid sick leave bad for business? A systematic review” by Candice Vander Weerdt, Patricia Stoddard‐Dare, and LeaAnne DeRigne
  • https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajim.23469
• “What is presenteeism? The price of productivity loss” by Lauren Payne
  • https://www.enhesa.com/resources/article/what-is-presenteeism-the-price-of-productivity-loss/#:~:text=The%20cost%20of%20presenteeism%20for%20companies&text=An%20American%20Productivity%20Audit%20estimates,billion%20US%20dollars%20per%20year.
• “Presenteeism: At Work—But Out of It” by Paul Hemp
  • https://hbr.org/2004/10/presenteeism-at-work-but-out-of-it

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/same-sex-same-kids-face-blindness-paid-sick-leave">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/same-sex-same-kids-face-blindness-paid-sick-leave

Today you’ll learn about how archaeologists have found evidence of brain surgery from the Bronze era in the Middle East, how 3D-printed hearts are becoming closer to a reality than ever before, and the recent discovery of how a black hole is eating a dust cloud in space. 

Ancient Brain Surgery

• “Archaeologists uncover early evidence of brain surgery in Ancient Near East” by Brown University
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230222141115.htm
• “Cranial trephination and infectious disease in the Eastern Mediterranean: The evidence from two elite brothers from Late Bronze Megiddo, Israel” by Rachel Kalisher et al.
  • https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281020
• “Ancient Legacy of Cranial Surgery” by Mohammad Ghannaee Arani, Esmaeil Fakharian, and Fahimeh Sarbandi
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3876527/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20French%20physician,mentally%20ill%20people%20(4).
• “Clues to Bronze Age cranial surgery revealed in ancient bones” by Ari Daniel
  • https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/02/22/1158721573/clues-to-bronze-age-cranial-surgery-revealed-in-ancient-bones
• “Curiosities of medical history: Trepanation” by Maria Cohut
  • https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326281

3D Heart  

• “Custom, 3D-printed heart replicas look and pump just like the real thing” by Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230222141222.htm
• “Soft robotic patient-specific hydrodynamic model of aortic stenosis and ventricular remodeling” by LUCA ROSALIA et al.
  • https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.ade2184

Supermassive Black Hole 

• “A mysterious object is being dragged into the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center” by Holly Ober
  • https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/X7-debris-cloud-near-supermassive-black-hole
• “The Swansong of the Galactic Center Source X7: An Extreme Example of Tidal Evolution near the Supermassive Black Hole” by Anna Ciurlo et al.
  • https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acb344
• “A black hole is destroying this object. Scientists are watching its last days.” by Mark Kaufman
  • https://mashable.com/article/black-hole-destroying-object-milky-way-galaxy

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — 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.

Find episode transcripts here: daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/ancient-brain-surgery-3d-heart-supermassive-black-hole">https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/ancient-brain-surgery-3d-heart-supermassive-black-hole