Curiosity Daily Podcast: What Makes People Cultural Omnivores, Archaeologists’ Prehistoric Poop Problem, and How to Tell Stars and Planets Apart in the Sky
Learn about how archaeologists are solving a prehistoric poop problem; what leads people to be “cultural omnivores”; and an easy trick for telling stars and planets apart when you’re stargazing.
May 27, 2020
Episode Show Notes:
What can we learn from prehistoric poop? by Cameron Duke
- Borry, M., Cordova, B., Perri, A., Wibowo, M., Prasad Honap, T., Ko, J., Yu, J., Britton, K., Girdland-Flink, L., Power, R. C., Stuijts, I., Salazar-García, D. C., Hofman, C., Hagan, R., Samdapawindé Kagoné, T., Meda, N., Carabin, H., Jacobson, D., Reinhard, K., … Warinner, C. (2020). CoproID predicts the source of coprolites and paleofeces using microbiome composition and host DNA content. PeerJ, 8, e9001. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9001
- Fossilized Feces Tell Tale of Earliest Americans. (2008, April 3). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89355318
- Shillito, L.-M., Blong, J. C., Green, E. J., & Van Asperen, E. (2020). The what, how and why of archaeological coprolite analysis. Earth-Science Reviews, 103196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103196
- The origin of feces: CoproID reliably predicts sources of ancient poop. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/mpif-too041420.php
Research uncovers what leads people to be "cultural omnivores" — and it's not nice by Kelsey Donk
- Pop Concert, Opera — Or Both? What Drives People To Become “Cultural Omnivores.” (2020, April 23). Research Digest; Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2020/04/23/pop-concert-opera-or-both-what-drives-people-to-become-cultural-omnivores/
- Shin, H., & Youn, N. (2020). How insecure narcissists become cultural omnivores: Consuming highbrow culture for status seeking and lowbrow culture for integrity signaling. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000303
There's an Easy Trick to Telling Stars and Planets Apart in the Sky by Cody Gough
- Byrd, D. (2015). Why do stars twinkle, but planets don’t? | EarthSky.org. Earthsky.Org. https://earthsky.org/space/why-dont-planets-twinkle-as-stars-do
- Ashwin. (2015, July 17). Why Do Stars Twinkle, But The Sun Doesn’t? Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/universe/why-do-stars-twinkle-but-the-sun-planets-doesnt.html
- Astronaut James Reilly Describes Seeing Stars in Space (2014). SpaceFlight Insider - Official Page YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaUCMzgidvs
Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY
Next Up
Investigate the Mind of a Shark on 'How to Train a Great White'
See how these apex predators actually think. Will they completely transform our understanding of their intelligence?
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.
Get Ready for Puppy Bowl XXII on Animal Planet!
Puppy Bowl XXII premieres Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 2:00PM ET/11:00AM PT with more adoptable puppies from shelters and rescues than ever before.
Watch Ken Jeong & Rei Ami Make a Splash on 'K-Pop Shark Heroes'
They'll use the power of K-Pop to change the way we view sharks forever!
Get Ready for Puppy Bowl XXI on Animal Planet!
Puppy Bowl XXI premieres Sunday, February 9 at 2P ET/11A PT with more adoptable puppies from shelters and rescues than ever before.
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.
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.
Get Ready for Puppy Bowl XX on Animal Planet!
Puppy Bowl XX premieres Sunday, February 11 at 2P ET/11A PT with more adoptable puppies from shelters and rescues than ever before.
Top Five Rarest Bottom Dwellers
National Insect week occurs between June 20 -26. The week focuses on the importance of insects within ecosystems, nature, and wildlife. Insects do have a bad reputation, as some are a nuisance, and some are scary, but each plays a key role in maintaining order in nature. In celebration of the hard-working insects that you may see in your backyard, here’s a list of the ones you won’t be seeing. The rarest insects on the planet.