Curiosity Daily Podcast: Nudge Theory’s Dark Side (w/ Richard Thaler), Hybrid Fruit Science, Words for “Pirate”

Learn about how to avoid getting dragged down by “Sludge”; how hybrid fruit like plumcots are made; and pirate parlance.

September 17, 2021

Episode Show Notes:

Additional resources from Richard Thaler:

How plumcots are made by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Carmelita in Newton, Massachusetts)

Difference between pirates, privateers, corsairs, buccaneers by Steffie Drucker

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. 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

Why We Know Nothing about Dark Matter and Dark Energy

Welcome to the era of precision cosmology…where we’ve managed to very precisely measure everything we don't know about the universe.

Shark Week: The Podcast - How To Have A Career in Shark Science

Shark Week’s Luke Tipple tackles the question “How can I work with sharks?” alongside two experts in the field – and their answers are not always the obvious ones. Luke is joined first by Kelly Link, Associate Curator of the Georgia Aquarium who talks about what it’s like to be an aquarist, how it differs from field work, and how to get yourself noticed. The second guest is Dr. Neil Hammerschlag who goes into detail on what it takes to become a prominent scientist, and what other paths you can take if a PhD isn’t for you. And at the end, researcher Sierra stops by to tell us about the world’s smallest shark.

Shark Week: The Podcast - Undiscovered Sharks and the State of the Ocean

Luke Tipple invites “The Lost Shark Guy,” Dr. Dave Ebert, who is personally responsible for finding dozens of shark species that were either previously unknown to science or thought to be extinct. He and Luke discuss why shark populations are a direct indicator of how healthy the ocean is, how to find undiscovered sharks, and why diversity in sharks is essential for marine life.

Shark Week: The Podcast - Do Scientists Need to Kill Sharks?

Host Luke Tipple welcomes two guests to discuss how researchers can kill sharks in the name of science – and whether they need to at all. The first is Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, shark researcher and founder of Atlantic Shark Expeditions, and an expert on data-gathering in the field. He’s followed by explorer Fred Buyle, a world-record-breaking freediver whose innovative methods of shark tagging are explored. Plus, our researcher Sierra tells us about how a 50-year study changed our understanding of tiger sharks – and much of the work wasn’t even done by scientists.

An Astronomical Review of “Don’t Look Up”

In our annual New Year’s family tradition of struggling to stay awake until midnight, we decided to watch “Don’t Look Up,” the Adam McKay satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and other fabulously good-looking people.

Scientists Watch as Stars Quake

The European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft has managed to watch stars tremble, their light subtly changing as starquakes ripple through their surfaces. Which is pretty cool, because Gaia wasn’t even designed to do it.

The Ultimate Origins of Your Thanksgiving Dinner

We’ve all heard the story of the first Thanksgiving, but this meal – and life itself, if we’re being honest – wouldn’t be possible without the elements themselves. And those elements took a long journey to end up on your dinner plate.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Alibi Memory, Denisova Cave History, Cleaning Fruit & Veggies

Learn how often people misremember alibis; new lessons from Denisova Cave; and how to remove pesticides from produce.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Pirates Plundered the Metric System, What Marsquakes Teach Us

Learn about the time pirates stopped the US from switching to the metric system; and new learnings about Mars’ interior.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Talkers Are Leaders, DNA Evidence Myth, Thinking Sans Brain

Learn about a key trait in group leaders; why DNA evidence is overrated; and a brainless slime mold that can “think.”