Curiosity Weekly

LeVar Burton has been a storyteller for decades. From his acting roles as Kunta Kinte in "Roots" and Geordi LaForge on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to his decades of work with "Reading Rainbow," he's been a central figure in some of the most influential media in recent memory. Also a director, producer, and author, Burton has now turned his storytelling skills toward the world of podcasting with "LeVar Burton Reads." On this episode of the Curiosity Podcast, he discusses the power of literature and why books are such a meaningful tool for storytelling.Resources from LeVar Burton and other related links:"LeVar Burton Reads" PodcastLeVar Burton KidsThe Science Of Breathing: How Slowing It Down Can Make Us Calm And Productive | ForbesSpontaneous Group Synchronization of Movements and Respiratory Rhythms | NCBIFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/levar-burton-believes-the-stories-we-tell-determine-who-we-are Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is there a right or wrong way to learn? Dr. Stephen Kosslyn is an expert on the science of learning, with more than 30 years of experience working at elite institutions such as Harvard and Stanford. He also thinks that higher education could learn a lot about how people learn, and that's why he became the Founding Dean and Chief Learning Officer of the Minerva Schools at KGI. On this podcast, Dr. Kosslyn explains how people learn and how his institution is changing the way learning is approached — one student at a time.Resources from Dr. Stephen Kosslyn:Minerva Schools at KGI"Building the Intentional University: Minerva and the Future of Higher Education""Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses"Studies and research discussed:Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics | 2014 studyAcademically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses | Inside Higher EdTutors See Stereotypes and Gender Bias in SAT. Testers See None of the Above. | New York TimesNew Evidence of Racial Bias on SAT | Inside Higher EdStereotype Threat and the Intellectual Test Performance of African Americans | Claude M. Steele. Stanford University, 1995Stereotype Susceptibility: Identity Salience and Shifts in Quantitative Performance | Margaret Shih, Todd L. Pittinsky, Nalini Ambady, 1999Twenty Years of Stereotype Threat Research: A Review of Psychological Mediators | National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine"Cognitive Psychology: Mind And Brain""Image and Brain: The Resolution of the Imagery Debate"Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/the-future-of-learning-is-now-thanks-to-science Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mining asteroids, traveling on laser beams, and developing self-aware robots: science fiction or science fact? World-renowned physicist and futurist Michio Kaku says that these milestones are not only in humanity's future, but are beginning to occur right now. Dr. Kaku joins the Curiosity Podcast for a fascinating inside look at interstellar travel, artificial intelligence, human immortality, and alien contact.Additional links from Dr. Michio Kaku:Official Website of Dr. Michio KakuDr. Michio Kaku on Twitter @MichioKaku"The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and Our Destiny Beyond Earth""Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel""The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind"Other resources discussed:How Elon Musk Names His Inventions | InverseNew technology is forcing us to confront the ethics of bringing people back from the dead | QuartzEternime wants you to live forever as a digital ghost | CNETAugmented Eternity and Swappable Identities | MITWhen you have an itch, what is happening under your skin? | HowStuffWorksCody Gough on Twitter @ProducerCodyAshley Hamer on Twitter @SmashleyHamerFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/michio-kaku-on-interstellar-travel-artificial-intelligence-and-immortality Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jared Bauer, co-founder and head of content at Wisecrack, believes it's important to explore big ideas and meaningful topics through the lens of pop culture and media. On this episode of the Curiosity Podcast, the man who helped bring you Thug Notes, 8-Bit Philosophy, Earthling Cinema, The Philosophy of Everything, What Went Wrong?, Show Me the Meaning!, and more joins the Curiosity Podcast to discuss how studying the humanities and understanding cinema and television shows (like South Park and Rick and Morty) can enrich your life and make society better.Additional resources discussed:Special Guest Cody Gough from Curiosity.com Discusses Andrew Niccol's Gattaca with the Wisecrack crew (Jared, Austin, and Ryan)! on "Show Me The Meaning!"5 Ways The Incredibles Is Ayn Randian Propaganda | Houston PressWhy is 10:10 the Default Setting for Clocks and Watches? | Mental FlossWisecrack:Wisecrack on YouTubeWisecrack.co (Official Website)Christopher Nolan Video PlaylistStar Wars: The Last Jedi – Themes Explained – Wisecrack Quick TakeShow Me The Meaning! – A Wisecrack Movie Podcast (Explicit)Respect Our Authoritah! – A SOUTH PARK Podcast by Wisecrack (Explicit)Wisecrack's THE SQUANCH: A Rick & Morty Podcast (Explicit)Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/wisecracks-jared-bauer-on-how-movies-and-tv-shows-like-south-park-and-rick-and-morty-help-us-understand-ourselves Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might think you're not a "math person," but maybe that's because math doesn't mean what you think it means. Mathematical and logical thinking can open up new ways of thinking about everything from social and political issues to art to even gender. And on this episode, Dr. Eugenia Cheng, author and Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, explains how to tap into it.Additional resources discussed:Dr. Eugenia Cheng (Official Website)"How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics""Beyond Infinity: An Expedition into the Outer Limits of Mathematics""The Art of Logic in an Illogical World"In Defense of Polymaths | Harvard Business ReviewToni Morrison's tweet about writing booksWhy Don't Figure Skaters Get Dizzy When They Spin? | Scientific AmericanThe Brutal Neuroscience of Figure Skating: How Spinning Athletes Overcome Dizziness | LiveScienceFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/mathematical-thinking-can-open-new-worlds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artificial intelligence is all the rage, but using swarm intelligence might be the best way to solve the world's biggest problems. Dr. Louis Rosenberg is the Founder & CEO of Unanimous AI, an artificial intelligence company that amplifies human intelligence by building "hive minds" modeled after biological swarms. Learn how swarm intelligence can combine the brainpower of humans and computers to solve humanity's biggest problems.Additional resources discussed:What is Swarm AI?Sports Predictions using Swarm IntelligenceBusiness uses of Swarm IntelligenceNew hope for humans in an A.I. world | Louis Rosenberg | TEDxKCWaggle Dance Distances as Integrative Indicators of Seasonal Foraging ChallengesIndependence and interdependence in collective decision making: an agent-based model of nest-site choice by honeybee swarms | National Center for Biotechnology InformationThat "Old Book Smell" Is a Mix of Grass and Vanilla | Smithsonian.comFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/can-swarm-intelligence-solve-humanitys-biggest-problems Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Achieving goals can be difficult, but that may be because you're setting the wrong goals in the first place. That's why happiness expert and executive coach Stella Grizont returns to the Curiosity Podcast to discuss how to set the right goals and how to overcome the challenges of sticking to them.Additional resources discussed:The Vision Generator (free worksheet from Stella Grizont)Dopamine Functions | News-Medical.netDopamine regulates the motivation to act, study shows | ScienceDailyGoal Progress and Happiness | Psychology TodayA CONVERSATION WITH Daniel Kahneman; On Profit, Loss and the Mysteries of the Mind | The New York TimesOvercoming an Aversion to Loss | The New York TimesThe Psychology of Sunk Cost | Ohio UniversityWOOPAAH (Stella Grizont is Founder and CEO)@StellaGrizont on TwitterThe Surprisingly Recent Time Period when Boys Wore Pink, Girls Wore Blue, and Both Wore Dresses | TodayIFoundOut.comNo Girls Allowed | PolygonFollow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/how-to-set-the-right-goals-and-actually-achieve-them Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Humans eat just like every other living creature. Have you ever wondered what drives us to binge eat, or spend too much time at the grocery store? And how does the food we eat impact us emotionally? We talk to Dr. Rachel Herz, author of "Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food," about the surprising science of food in our daily lives.Dr. Herz is a leading world expert on the psychological science of smell, and has been conducting research on olfaction, sensory perception, emotion, motivated behavior and cognition since 1990. She holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and sometimes teaches in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences at Brown University.Additional resources discussed:"Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food"Dr. Rachel Herz website (RachelHerz.com)Dr. Rachel Herz faculty bio (Brown University)Diet beverage drinkers compensate by eating unhealthy food, study finds (Science Daily)U.S. News Best Diets: How We Rated 40 Eating Plans (U.S. News & World Report)Think organic food is better for you, animals, and the planet? Think again (The Telegraph)Does organic farming reduce environmental impacts? – A meta-analysis of European research (ScienceDirect)Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review (American College of Physicians)Conventional and organic foods: A comparison focused on animal products (Cogent)Grapefruit And Salt: The Science Behind This Unlikely Power Couple (NPR)Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-we-eat-what-we-eat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Language encapsulates every part of a culture, from its history of ideas to the way its speakers perceive reality itself. And according to linguistics expert Arika Okrent, author of "In the Land of Invented Languages," even "made-up" languages like Klingon and Esperanto serve an important purpose. She joins the Curiosity Podcast to discuss the field of linguistics and why we say what we say.In addition to her first-level certification in Klingon, Arika Okrent's education includes an M.A. in Linguistics from Gallaudet, the world's only university for the deaf, and a joint PhD from the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Psychology's Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience Program at the University of Chicago.Additional resources discussed:"In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build A Perfect Language"Arika Okrent's websiteLingua Francas, Pidgins, and CreolesDevelopment and Use of the Klingon Language"J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography""The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 6)""The Treason of Isengard: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Two (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 7)""The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 8)"The Klingon Language Institute's annual conference, qep'a'The Whorfian time warp: Representing duration through the language hourglassThe Whites of Our Eyes (New York Times)Qapla'Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/klingon-and-esperanto-are-important-languages-too Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this special episode of the Curiosity Podcast, we celebrate the end of our show's first year with a look back at some of the stories you never got to hear. You'll hear stories and lessons from past guests that we didn't get to share the first time around! Plus, hosts Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer let their hair down and give you an inside look at how the show is produced. It's a refreshing (and very entertaining) look back at 2017 and forward towards the future of the Curiosity Podcast!Among other surprising facts and stories you'll hear, this episode features:Bryan Davis, founder and owner of Lost Spirits Distillery, telling a fascinating story about the international alcohol industry (with a hilarious history lesson on the side).Dr. Alan Hirsch of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation dropping some knowledge about how your sense of smell is linked to your memory and more.Handwriting analyst Dale Roberts swapping stories with Cody about the surprising world of hand modeling.Dr. Sam Sternberg, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing expert, discussing classical music and finding some surprising things in common with both Cody and Ashley.Some behind-the-scenes fun that could change the way you think about the Curiosity Podcast.Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — 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. Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/learn-a-little-about-a-lot-from-curiosity-podcast-favorites Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.