Today, you’ll learn about a new groundbreaking bionic leg, the problem with first impressions, and new tech that can detect microplastics in water in milliseconds.

Bionic Leg

• “Bionic leg makes walking quicker and easier for amputees, trial shows.” by Hannah Devlin. 2024.
• “5.6 Million++ Americans are Living with Limb Loss and Limb Difference: New Study Published.” Amputee Coalition. 2024.
• “Agonist-antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI).” MIT Media Lab. N.D.
• “Continuous neural control of a bionic limb restores biomimetic gait after amputation.” by Hyungeun Song, et al. 2024.

First Impressions

• “How first impressions can trap us into making suboptimal decisions.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.
• “Missing out by pursuing rewarding outcomes: Why initial biases can lead to persistent suboptimal choices.” by Chris Harris, et al. 2023.

Nanoplastic Detection

• “Cutting-edge technology detects nanoplastics in water - instantly.” McGill. 2024.
• “Scientists find about a quarter million invisible nanoplastic particles in a liter of bottled water.” by Seth Borenstein. 2024.
• “Nanoplastics in Water: Artificial Intelligence-Assisted 4D Physicochemical Characterization and Rapid In Situ Detection.” by Zi Wang, et al. 2024.

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.

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Today, you’ll learn about the smart soil that gives plants a massive boost even when they’re watered less, how our love of certain odors could be more nurture than nature, and a moss that could one day fill greenhouses on Mars.

Smart Soil

• “‘Smart soil’ grows 138% bigger crops using 40% less water.” by Michael Irving. 2024.
• “Climate Change Indicators: Drought.” EPA. 2024.
• “Water for Prosperity and Peace.” Unesco. 2024.
• “Self-watering SMAG-soil pulls moisture from the air.” by Ben Coxworth. 2020.
• “Self-Irrigation and Slow-Release Fertilizer Hydrogels for Sustainable Agriculture.” by Jungjoon Park, et al. 2024.

Smell Preferences

• “Do you smell what I smell? New study reveals surprising variability in odor preferences.” by Mane Kara-Yakoubian. 2024.
• “Is the perception of odour pleasantness shared across cultures and ecological conditions? Evidence from Amazonia, East Africa, New Guinea, Malaysia, and Poland.” by Piotr Sorokowski, et al. 2024.

Mars Moss

• “Scientists find desert moss ‘that can survive on Mars’.” by Nicola Davis. 2024.
• “The extremotolerant desert moss Syntrichia caninervis is a promising pioneer plant for colonizing extraterrestrial environments.” by Xiaoshuang Li, et al. 2024.
• “This desert moss has the potential to grow on Mars.” Science News. 2024.

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.

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Today, you’ll learn about the first ever total larynx transplant that gave one cancer patient his voice back, a new way to conduct gold-standard sleep studies without all the wires, and how a new discovery is changing the way scientists understand the mammalian brain.

Larynx Transplant

• “Mayo Clinic marks medical milestone with world’s first known successful total larynx transplant performed in a patient with an active cancer as part of a clinical trial.” EureAlert! 2024.
• “Total Laryngeal Transplantation in the Setting of Active Laryngeal Malignancy.” by David G. Lott, MD, et al. 2024.
• “Laryngeal Cancer Data.” Iowa Health & Human Services. 2024.

Sleep Studies

• “Sleep studies simplified: Gold-standard results with far less wiring.” by Paul McClure. 2024.
• “Cardiosomnography: ECG-only sleep studies.” Cardiosomnography.com. 2024.

Mammal Brains

• “Co-evolutionary dynamics of mammalian brain and body size.” by Chris Venditti, et al. 2024.
• “Brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolution trend.” Durham University. 2024.

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.

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Today, you’ll learn about the so-called super synchronizers who are super attractive to potential partners, a new quantum compass that could one day replace GPS, and how a rare seabird rides out tropical cyclones.

Super Synchronizers

• “Scientists discover ‘Super Synchronizers’ with heightened romantic appeal.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.
• “Social and nonsocial synchrony are interrelated and romantically attractive.” by M. Cohen, et al. 2024.

Quantum Compass

• “‘It’s the perfect place’: London Underground hosts tests for ‘quantum compass’ that could replace GPS.” by Robin McKie. 2024.
• “Quantum ‘compass’ could allow navigation without relying on satellites.” by Hayley Dunning, et al. 2018.
• “What Is GPS and how do global positioning systems work?” Geotab. 2024.

Seabirds & Cyclones

• “Groundbreaking study reveals oceanic seabirds chase tropical cyclones.” EurekAlert! 2024.
• “Oceanic seabirds chase tropical cyclones.” by Francesco Ventura, et al. 2024.

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.

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Today, you’ll learn about a new way for doctors to use neural networks - or AI - to figure out the risks of organ transplants in individual patients, a new fabric that is - literally - cool, and how serotonin affects fertility.

Rejection Prediction

• “Decoding the hallmarks of allograft dysfunction with a comprehensive pan-organ transcriptomic atlas.” by Harry Robertson, et al. 2024.
• “History of transplantation.” UNOS. n.d.

Cool Fabric

• “New fabric makes urban heat islands more bearable.” by Paul Dailing. 2024.
• “Spectrally engineered textile for radiative cooling against urban heat islands.” by Ronghui Wu, et al. 2024.

Serotonin & Fertility

• “Intriguing connection found between serotonin and fertility.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.
• “Raphne glucose-sensing serotonergic neurons stimulate KNDy neurons to enhance LH pulses via 5HT2CR: rat and goat studies.” by Sho Nakamura, et al. 2024.

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.

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Today, you’ll learn about how an existing blood pressure drug might prevent epilepsy, the pint-sized 3D printer that can print inside your body, and why doing something kind for someone else can be a boost for your own well-being.

Epilepsy Preventer

• “Epilepsy risk drops up to 30% on existing blood pressure drugs.” by Paul McClure. 2024.
• “Types of Blood Pressure Medications.” Heart.org. 2024.
• “The epidemiology of epilepsy in older adults: A narrative review by the ILAE Task Force on Epilepsy in the Elderly.” by Ettore Beghi, et al. 2023.
• “Seizures and Epilepsy After Stroke: Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Management.” by Marian Galovic, et al. 2021.
• “The role of inflammation in the development of epilepsy.” by Amna Rana & Alberto E. Musto. 2018.

Tiny 3D Printer

• “This 3-D printer can fit in the palm of your hand.” by Claire Yuan. 2024.
• “Silicon-photonics-enabled chip-based 3D printer.” by Sabrina Corsetti, et al. 2024.

Acts of Kindness

• “New psychology research shows acts of kindness predict seven types of well-being.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.
• “Everyday acts of kindness predict greater well-being during the transition to university.” by Tiara A. Cash, et al. 2024.

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.

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Today, you’ll learn about the part of the brain that keeps us focused on our goals - even when it would be better to quit, a massive discovery of lost wheat genes that could help feed a crowded planet, and the new wearable technology that could diagnose disease by monitoring your sweat.

Sunk Cost Fallacy

• “The neuroscience behind the sunk cost fallacy: Key brain region identified.” by Eric W. Dolan. 2024.
• “Goal commitment is supported by vmPFC through selective attention.” by Eleanor Holton, et al. 2024.

Wheat Genes

• “Hidden genetic treasure: wheat discovery could sustainably feed global population.” University of Bristol. 2024.
• “The A.E. Watkins landrace collection of bread wheat: Who was AE Watkins?” John Innes Centre. 2024.
• “Harnessing landrace diversity empowers wheat breeding.” by Shifeng Cheng, et al. 2024.

Sweat Monitor

• “Sweat health monitor measures levels of disease markers.” by Tina Hilding. 2024.
• “3D-Printed Flexible Microfluidic Health Monitor for In Situ Sweat Analysis and Biomarker Detection.” by Chuchu Chen, et al. 2024.

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.

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Today, you’ll learn about the amazing transformative power of an out-of-body experience, how scientists want to use brain cells to do their computing, and a study that suggests eating cheese might make you live longer.

Out-Of-Body Experience

• “Exploring the transformative potential of out-of-body experiences: A pathway to enhanced empathy.” by Marina Weiler, et al. 2024.
• “Out of body experiences and their neural basis.” by Olaf Blanke. 2004.

Brain Cell Computing

• “Open and remotely accessible Neuroplatform for research in wetware computing.” by Fred D. Jordan, et al. 2024.
• “Neuromorphic wetware for artificial neural networks that overcome the limits of traditional computer hardware.” Innovation Toronto. 2023.
• “How Many Joules Does My Surge Protector Need?” by Karenann Brow. 2024.

Cheese & Aging

• “Eating cheese plays a role in healthy, happy aging - who are we to argue?” by Bronwyn Thompson. 2024.
• “Mendelian randomization evidence for the causal effect of mental well-being on healthy aging.” by Chao-Jie Ye, et al. 2024.

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.

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