Curiosity Daily Podcast: Who Ate the First Oyster? (With Cody Cassidy)
Learn about why we remember things in the opposite order as we see them and how spiders use atmospheric electricity to balloon through the air. You’ll also learn who actually ate the first oyster from author Cody Cassidy.
September 29, 2020
Episode Show Notes:
You Remember in the Opposite Order as You See by Reuben Westmaas
- Human brain recalls visual features in reverse order than it detects them: Study challenges traditional hierarchy of brain decoding; offers insight into how the brain makes perceptual judgements. (2017). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171009154946.htm
- Ding, S., Cueva, C. J., Tsodyks, M., & Qian, N. (2017). Visual perception as retrospective Bayesian decoding from high-to low-level features. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706906114
- Mohs, R. (2007, May 8). How Human Memory Works. HowStuffWorks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory1.htm
Ballooning spiders surf on electric fields by Cameron Duke
- Kuchment, A. (2012). How Spiders “Balloon.” Scientific American, 307(1), 28–28. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0712-28b
- Martin Lister. (2020). Ypsyork.Org. https://www.ypsyork.org/resources/yorkshire-scientists-and-innovators/dr-martin-lister/
- Palermo, E. (2015, May 15). Cloudy with a Chance of Arachnids? “Spider Rain” Explained. Livescience.Com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/50856-spider-rain-explained.html
- Morley, E. L., & Robert, D. (2018). Electric Fields Elicit Ballooning in Spiders. Current Biology, 28(14), 2324-2330.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.057
- Spiders go ballooning on electric fields. (2018, July 5). Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2018-07-spiders-ballooning-electric-fields.html
- Science Magazine. (2018). Watch a ‘ballooning’ spider take flight [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrS0igctMi0
- Yong, E. (2018, July 5). Spiders Use Earth’s Electric Field to Fly Hundreds of Miles. The Atlantic; The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/07/the-electric-flight-of-spiders/564437/
Additional resources from author Cody Cassidy:
- Pick up “Who Ate the First Oyster?: The Extraordinary People Behind the Greatest Firsts in History” on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FvRQOI
- Cody Cassidy’s articles on Wired: https://www.wired.com/author/cody-cassidy/
- Cody Cassidy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CodyCassidy
Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Ashley Hamer and Natalia Reagan (filling in for Cody Gough). 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
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Next Up
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Hacking Device, Designer Seaweed, Accent Exposure
We discuss the latest in phone hacking technology, how aquaculture may be able to help the global food crisis, and how engaging with people who speak in a foreign accent may help us retain language.
Curiosity Daily Podcast:The Myth of Man Flu, Arctic Lakes, Buzzing Bats
Let’s talk about whether “man flu” is fact or fiction, how the Arctic lakes just threw a curveball at our climate change projections, and the genius new way bats are tricking their predators.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Pee and Seagrass, Heart Sound Maps, Modified Mosquitos
Today we talk about how crystallizing human urine can help save seagrass, a new AI program that can detect early signs of heart disease, and how mosquitos can be used to vaccinate against malaria.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Flirting Cats, Walking Sharks, Preventing Cerebral Palsy
We discuss a new app that can translate a cat’s meow into human languages, how the Epaulette shark is teaching us about climate change, and a potential treatment that might prevent cerebral palsy.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Geckos & Skin Cancer, Music in Childhood, Underwater Camera
Today we discuss the connection between skin cancer and a leopard gecko named Mr. Frosty, how playing a musical instrument in childhood can affect brain function as we age, and how a new underwater camera can help us explore previously-unseen parts of the ocean.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Volcanic Violence, a Salt & Battery, Crustacean Conspiracy
Today, you’ll learn about a massively mysterious volcanic explosion that literally sent shockwaves around the world, how salty batteries are set to sweeten the competition in the energy storage industry, and how scientists have no idea why animals keep evolving into crabs.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Dirty, Smelly History of Soap (w/ Cody Cassidy)
Cody Cassidy is back to talk about how soap was invented. You’ll also learn about a bias that makes people believe poor people have thicker skin, and how good anxiety can help you get things done.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: 3-Step Fear Control Method, Quantum Physics Changing the Past, and Red Meat Allergies from Tick Bites
Learn about a quantum physics quirk that might mean you can change the past; how a bite from a lone star tick could make you allergic to red meat; and a fear researcher’s three-step RIA method you can use to control your fears.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: We Found the First Pregnant Mummy Ever Documented
Learn about a pregnant mummy; the three body problem; and why you should take off your shoes when you enter your house.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: The First Telepathic Brainstorm, Ghost-Creating Toxic Mold, and Cropsey: the Real Boogeyman
In this Halloween episode, learn how scientists were able to get three people to communicate with each other using only the power of their brains, and why toxic mold might make you see ghosts. Plus, hear the story of “Cropsey,” a terrifying boogeyman who turned out to be real.