Curiosity Daily Podcast: Yeah, About That Phosphine on Venus...

Learn about the surprising memory skills of infants; why that whole “phosphine on Venus” discovery may not be as exciting as we thought; and how medical science answered Molyneux's problem, a 300-year-old philosophy question.

March 08, 2021

Episode Show Notes:

3-year-olds can recognize a person they met once when they were 1 year old by Kelsey Donk

That whole "phosphine on Venus" discovery, suggesting life? That probably wasn't phosphine after all by Cameron Duke

  • Lincowski, A. P., Meadows, V. S., Crisp, D., Akins, A. B., Schwieterman, E. W., Arney, Giada N, Wong, M. L., Steffes, P. G., Niki, P. M., & Domagal-Goldman, S. (2021). Claimed detection of PH$_3$ in the clouds of Venus is consistent with mesospheric SO$_2$. ArXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.09837

Medical Science Has Answered This 300-Year-Old Philosophy Question by Reuben Westmaas

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Up

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Defending Against “Murder Hornets” with Bee Balls, Aphantasia and the Two Extremes of the “Mind’s Eye,” and Venus’s Freaky-Fast Atmosphere

Learn about the surprising way Japanese honeybees defend themselves against "murder hornets" (actual name: Asian giant hornets); how “atmospheric tidal waves” make Venus’s atmosphere rotate faster than the actual planet; and the wide spectrum of how people mentally visualize images, including aphantasia and hyperphantasia.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Changing Someone’s Identity, Mushballs on Uranus and Neptune, Curiosity Challenge

Learn about how someone can change their identity (and their mind); and “mushballs” on Uranus and Neptune. Plus: trivia!

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why Are Spacesuits White?

Learn why spacesuits are white, and how to avoid drama by breaking the Karpman Drama Triangle. Then, test your podcast knowledge with this month’s Curiosity Challenge trivia game.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: How Astronauts Clean Their Underwear

Learn why narcissism may come from insecurity, how lobster became a delicacy, and how astronauts clean their underwear.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Known Solar System Just Got Bigger

Learn about how mice seem to feel each other’s pain; why our known solar system just got a little bigger thanks to “Farfarout” 2018 AG37; and the history of quinine, the malaria cure that eventually led to the gin and tonic.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Birthday Effect, Psychological Richness, Star or Satellite?

Learn about the link between birthdays and COVID-19; “psychological richness” for a good life; and satellites vs. stars.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: What Rain is Like on Other Planets

Learn about rain on other planets; why Americans used to not use forks; and whether sleep or exercise is more important.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: School Should Start Later, Daydreaming Perks, Hycean Planets

Learn about why high school starts too early; why daydreaming might be a good sign; and finding life on Hycean planets.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Space Slingshot, Ancient Modern Pants, Lifesaving Silence

Hear about a slingshot launching payloads into space, the impressively modern-looking world’s oldest pants, and how moth wings are able to absorb sound to avoid detection from bats.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Your Second Brain, Jupiter’s Hot Atmosphere, Placebo Buttons

Learn about the “second brain” in your gut; what makes Jupiter’s atmosphere so hot; and why placebo buttons are useful.

Related To: