Bombing Volcanoes, Gold from Neutron Stars, Mind Wandering

Learn why the US military bombed a volcano; where heavy elements in the universe come from; and why your mind wanders.

January 26, 2022

Why the U.S. Government Bombed Mauna Loa in 1935 by Cameron Duke

Every element heavier than iron was made in a cosmic explosion by Briana Brownell

Your Mind Wanders Half the Time You’re Awake by Ashley Hamer originally ran April 30, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/how-often-your-mind-wanders-smiling-at-dogs-and-ri

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Up

Curiosity Daily Podcast: What to Do if You Can’t Sleep, Diet Soda Weight Loss Myths, and Gold from Neutron Stars

Learn about how scientists traced some of Earth’s heaviest elements to an ancient star collision; what to do if you’re lying in bed and you can’t sleep; and whether diet soda can help you lose weight.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Wait Less Weight Loss, Birth Control For Men, Seed Bombing

Today, you’ll learn about a new drug that could help you safely lose up to a fifth of your body weight, a new, non-hormonal birth control pill that is made for men, and how drones may hold the key to reforestation.

The Medicinal Power of Plants, World Record Internet Speed

Learn about how plants could help us solve the superbug crisis; and how engineers set a world record for internet speed.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Project Blue Book, Cooking Hacks Using Chemistry, and “Sea Nomads”

In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you learn something new in just a few minutes:

Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Most Influential Film Ever, Your Memory on Riding A Bike, and Mistletoe’s Poisonous Roots

Learn what scientists say was the most influential film of all time; the special way riding a bike is stored in your memory; and the truth behind mistletoe, a Christmas tradition that’s actually a poisonous parasite.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Mathematical Thinking Can Open New Worlds

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.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: COVID-19 Myths and FAQs with Dr. Amesh Adalja, Epidemiologist

Epidemiologist Amesh Adalja answers frequently asked questions about COVID-19 in this special bonus episode. Dr. Adalja is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, and will help you understand what we know and what we don’t know as of this week.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Octopuses Have Sleep Cycles, Too

Learn about imaginary beams of motion coming from people’s eyes; where lost luggage ends up; and octopus sleep cycles.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Craving Healthy Foods, What Grew Astronomy (w/ Dr. David Warmflash), $1 Million Math Problems

Learn about why starting an exercise routine might give you healthier food cravings; math problems that you could get a million dollars for solving; and the story of what drove the growth of astronomy in the Middle Ages, with some help from Dr. David Warmflash.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Gold Mining (w/ Gold Rush Stars Rick Ness and Tony Beets) and Why Musical Tastes Change

Learn about modern-day gold mining from Rick Ness and Tony Beets, two of the stars of Discovery’s #1 TV show, “Gold Rush.” In that vein, Curiosity Daily hosts Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer explain sluice boxes, resistivity surveys, and other gold mining techniques. They also discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about why you stop liking new music as you get older: https://curiosity.im/33G3ixC