Episode Details

Learn about why most conversations go on for a lot longer than we want them to; a genetic mutation that makes some people resilient to the cold; and how homing pigeons pass down their knowledge.  Most conversations go on for twice as long as we want them to by Kelsey Donk When people want conversations to end. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/potn-wpw022421.php  Mastroianni, A. M., Gilbert, D. T., Cooney, G., & Wilson, T. D. (2021). Do conversations end when people want them to? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(10), e2011809118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2011809118  Around 20% of people have a genetic mutation that makes them resilient to the cold by Grant Currin People with this muscle protein gene variant tolerate the cold better. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/cp-pwt021121.php  ‌Wyckelsma, V. L., Venckunas, T., Houweling, P. J., Schlittler, M., Lauschke, V. M., Tiong, C. F., Wood, H. D., Ivarsson, N., Paulauskas, H., Eimantas, N., Andersson, D. C., North, K. N., Brazaitis, M., & Westerblad, H. (2021). Loss of α-actinin-3 during human evolution provides superior cold resilience and muscle heat generation. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 108(3), 446–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.01.013  ‌Impervious to cold? A gene helps people to ward off the chills. (2021). Nature, 590(7847), 531–531. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00433-0  Move Over, Ancient Sages: Homing Pigeons Pass Down Knowledge Too by Hayley Otman Sasaki, T., & Biro, D. (2017). Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups. Nature Communications, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15049  Homing pigeons share our ability to build knowledge across generations | University of Oxford. (2017, April 17). Ox.ac.uk. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-04-18-homing-pigeons-share-our-ability-build-knowledge-across-generations#  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.