physiology

February 9, 2021history, physiology, Curiosity Daily Episodes

How Does Fever Help You Get Better?

Learn about how a fever helps you get better; why the first reliable and widely available pregnancy test was the African clawed frog; and a potential breakthrough in the shockingly […]
September 4, 2020physiology, food, brains, Curiosity Daily Episodes

The Myth of Pregnancy Cravings, Why Raindrops Don’t Damage Insect Wings, and August’s Curiosity Challenge Trivia

Learn why pregnancy cravings might be more cultural than biological; and why raindrops don’t damage delicate insect wings. Then, play along at home and test your podcast knowledge with this […]
July 30, 2020history, physiology, guest interview, Curiosity Daily Episodes

Why New Habits Have to Be Tiny (w/ Dr. BJ Fogg) and Why Human Infants Are Late Bloomers

Stanford behavior scientist Dr. BJ Fogg, author of “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything,” explains why the best new habits are tiny ones. Then, learn why human infants […]
February 19, 2020physiology, health, artificial intelligence, Curiosity Daily Episodes

How Beauty Sleep Boosts Beauty, Plants Talk to Worms for Self-Defense, and Fighting Deepfakes with Heart Rate

Learn about why “beauty sleep” has real benefits for your skin; how plants learn the chemical language of pests to use for self-defense; and a new algorithm that’s fighting deepfakes […]
February 17, 2020physiology, productivity, business, Curiosity Daily Episodes

Employees Should Surf the Web at Work, Hear a 3,000-Year-Old Mummy’s Voice, and Being Cold Makes Us Crave Social Contact

Learn about why bosses should let employees surf the web at work; how researchers made it possible for you to hear a mummy’s voice after 3,000 years; and why cold […]
February 13, 2020history, physiology, guest interview, Curiosity Daily Episodes

How GPS Clocks Work (w/ Hugo Fruehauf) and Why Stress Turns Hair Gray

Learn how atomic clocks and how GPS clocks work, with help from the engineer who made GPS clocks possible: Hugo Fruehauf. But first, you’ll learn about how Harvard researchers finally […]
March 21, 2019physiology, health, biology, brains, guest interview, Curiosity Daily Episodes

How Babies Handle Vaccines (w/ Paul Duprex), Sniffing Is Contagious, and Albino Ghost Trees

Learn about why sniffing is contagious; and, how one biologist solved the mystery of a rare tree that scientifically shouldn’t exist, but does. Plus, virologist Paul Duprex explains how vaccines […]
March 18, 2019physiology, food, life hacks, communication, guest interview, Curiosity Daily Episodes

Human Bones on the Red Market (w/ Brian Switek), Stop Venting Anger, and Asparagus Pee

Learn about the shadowy “red market” of bones, with help from author Brian Switek. You’ll also learn why venting your anger is unhealthy, and what you should do instead; and, […]
March 17, 2019history, physiology, biology, physics, life hacks, Curiosity Daily Episodes

Why Hangovers Get Worse, How Quickly You’d Age at Light Speed, and Upright Neanderthals

Learn how quickly you’d age if you could move at the speed of light; how scientists discovered that Neanderthals actually walked upright; and why hangovers seem to get worse with […]
March 14, 2019physiology, food, biology, genetics, Curiosity Daily Episodes

“What Is Life?” with Carl Zimmer, Why You Always Have Room for Dessert, and Learning Myths

Learn about common misconceptions around learning that even educators believe; the scientific reason why it feels like you always have more room for dessert; and how science writer Carl Zimmer […]