Curiosity Daily

Today, you’ll learn about an effort to create palm oil without burning down millions of acres of forest, the surprising way polyglots’ brains approach their own native language, and new research on how the powerful psychedelic drug ayahuasca extinguishes fear. 

Palm-Less Oil 

• “They Want to Make Palm Oil in a Lab. Without Palm Trees.” by Dionne Searcey. 2024.  
• “Things To Know About Palm Oil.” WWF. n.d...

Today, you’ll learn about a new study shedding light on what species are most vulnerable to extinction from climate change, why species of living fossils take their time evolving, and a new theory about how the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also impacted birds.  

Extinction Risk  

• “New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.” University of Oxford. 2024...

Today, you’ll learn about a compelling study on twins and the nature versus nurture debate, how scientists solved a 60-year-old mystery about bees, and why you shouldn’t go last.  

Twin Trauma 

• “One Twin Was Hurt, the Other Was Not. Their Adult Mental Health Diverged.” by Ellen Barry. 2024.  
• “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental Health Outcomes.” by Hilda Bjork Danielsdottir, et al. 2024...

Today, you’ll learn about a new plan to use waste from beer brewing to clean metal out of our water supply, a study that puts languages like Orc and Klingon to the test, and a discovery about the direction our memories travel in our brains.  

Brewer’s Yeast  

• “The same beer waste that gives us Vegemite could help us recycle metal waste.” n.a. 2024...

Today, you’ll learn about a medication that can successfully treat frostbite, the study of bloodsplatter in space, and a surprising finding about the supposed benefits of small class sizes. 

Frostbite Treatment 

• “The U.S. now has a drug for severe frostbite. How does it work?” by Saugat Bolakhe. 2024.  
• “Frostbite.” NIH. 2023.  
• “FDA Approves First Medication to Treat Severe Frostbite.” FDA. 2024...

Today, you’ll learn about a skin printer that could lead to scar-free surgeries, the possibility of bringing the wooly mammoth back to life, and how to work at being happy.  

Printed Skin 

• “Scar-free surgery prints living skin (and maybe hair) right into wounds.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  
• “New bioink promotes growth & regeneration of 3D-printed muscle tissue.” by Paul McClure. 2023...

Today, you’ll learn about a radical idea for installing a curtain around a massive ice sheet, how positive vibrations might help people with social anxiety, and new tech that could remove dangerous forever chemicals from our environment.  

Glacier Curtain 

• “Scientists want to build 62-mile-long curtains around the ‘doomsday glacier’ for a $50 billion Hail Mary to save it.” by Ellyn Lapointe. 2024...

Today, you’ll learn about a surprising discovery inside the worms of Chernobyl, a way to protect metals at sea inspired by barnacles, and foot-eye coordination.  

Chernobyl Worms 

• “Radiation-proof Chernobyl worms offer answers about cancer.” by Paul McClure. 2024.  
• “Chernobyl Accident 1986.” n.a. 2022...

Today, you’ll learn about the magic of the upcoming solar eclipse, a simple way to reduce the amount of microplastics in your drinking water, and the connection between self-control and the perception of power. 

Livestream of the total solar eclipse on Discovery’s YouTube channel on April 8 at 2:15pm ET here!

Eclipse 2024 

• “What this solar eclipse can teach us about our planet and beyond.” by Kasha Patel. 2024...

Today, you’ll learn about a potentially risky new idea to geoengineer our way out of extreme heat, bad news for fans of artificially sweetened drinks, and an incredible new discovery about butterflies.  

Geoengineering 

• “Dehydrate the stratosphere to curb global warming? Scientists float new risky strategy.” by Paul Voosen. 2024...