Curiosity Weekly

When someone goes into a coma or vegetative state, it is only natural for their doctors and loved ones to try to understand their level of awareness of the world around them. But, every patient is different and it’s not as simple as it looks in the movies. This episode, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by a noted expert in the field of covert consciousness, Dr. Adrian Owen. They discuss his work on how the brain perceives the w...

Microgravity causes a ton of changes in the human body and there’s been a lot of research showing how these changes affect astronauts. One bodily function that hasn’t been studied during an active space mission? Menstruation. This episode, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Manju Bangalore, an astronaut-in-training and reproductive scientist aiming to research how the human body menstruates while in microgravity. &n...

There’s a misconception that feeling deep emotions is a personality trait, rather than a neurological phenomenon. A lot of the time, it’s nature, not nurture that causes heightened emotional sensitivity. This episode, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Sasha Hamdani, a board-certified psychiatrist and author of Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply. They discuss how the brain process...

Most people are right-handed. So this episode, we are celebrating International Left-Handers Day to honor the 10% of the population that are left-handed. To discuss the unique elements of the left-hand brain, host Dr. Samantha Yammine speaks with clinical neuropsychologist Dr. David Carey. She also dives into the question of why so many people are right-handed and later, she explores a study that shows how to figure out which paw p...

It’s been 57 years since humans first landed on the moon and there are a lot of ways that space travel has evolved since then. One of the major differences is that we now support and give credit to the families supporting the astronauts behind the scenes. Here to discuss how those communities shaped the Apollo Era and how we’ve learned to better support astronaut families is sociologist Dr. Tracy Scott. Dr. Scott runs t...

Researching apex predators often means putting yourself in situations that are mind-boggling to the average person. Our guest, Rosie Moore, is no stranger to this. She’s found herself lost at sea researching bull sharks, waist deep the Everglades trying to find Burmese pythons, and in shark-infested waters right after an attack.  

This episode, she talks to host Dr. Samantha Yammine about her research. They discuss R...

It’s that time of year again… #SharkWeek starts July 26 on Discovery and HBO Max. To celebrate, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by renowned shark behavior expert and Shark Week star, Dr. Tristan Guttridge. The two talk all things sharks; from their social dynamics to their genetics to their migration patterns and beyond.  

Before that, Sam looks at a study that explores how ocean acidification corrodes shark te...

There is some recent research that’s testing out cancer treatments that can utilize the power of our immune systems to attack cancer cells. It’s called CAR T-cell therapy and it involves programming immune cells to target and attack cancer in the body. Here to explain more is Dr. Shreya Shukla, a biomedical engineer specializing in this treatment. But first, host Dr. Samantha Yammine will separate hype from fact when it...

Everybody experiences feelings of the old green-eyed monster now and again, but for such a common mental state, there’s a surprising lack of scientific research about it. This episode, Dr. Samantha Yammine speaks with author Dr. Jennifer Bevan about her research on jealousy and how we communicate it to others. Before that, Sam digs into the latest sunscreen ingredient approved by the FDA and what that means for our skin. Late...

Understanding animal communication has always seemed out of reach, but as technology advances, it might be more possible than ever before. Project CETI is an organization aimed at translating the language of sperm whales. This episode, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. David Gruber– the founder and CEO of Project CETI– to discuss how and why his team is translating whale conversations. Before that, Sam looks into th...

The universe is expanding and the people of Earth want to know more! The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is set to launch sometime in 2026 which will bring about some answers when it comes to understanding dark energy and how it stretches the universe. Here to discuss this groundbreaking project is Swapna Krishna, a science journalist who specializes in all things space. Before that, Sam will look into how mathematicians were able to (...

In this episode, host Dr. Samantha Yammine is asking a hard-hitting question: why are scientists giving salmon cocaine? Well, it turns out that the reasoning has less to do with throwing a fish rave and more to do with understanding how chemical pollutants affect animals living in our waterways. Sam is joined by study author Dr. Jack Brand to get further insight and talk about what exactly happens to salmon when they’re expos...

Science and art have always intersected but are still thought of as separate and opposing disciplines. This week, to talk about how the two concepts converge and how they benefit one another, host Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by interdisciplinary artist Kindra Crick. Sam also investigates a very interesting finding about a previously unseen remora behavior as well as a study that looks into why there are so few cases of cancer in...

For a subject that won the Nobel Prize in 2012 and could be considered a scientific miracle, we surprisingly don’t hear a lot about cloning today. This episode, Dr. Vilceu Bordignon joins Dr. Samantha Yammine to give us an update on where we are with the science of cloning and how that technology is moving forward. Sam also looks into some new studies that explain why some old houses feel haunted and a surprisingly eco-friend...

It might sound like a sci-fi concept, but out-of-body experiences are surprisingly common, affecting up to 20% of the population. To explore what happens when our sense of self detaches from our physical form, we are joined by neuroscientist Dr. Marina Weiler, who challenges the traditional view that the brain creates the mind. Before that, Sam investigates the evolutionary mystery of why true crabs walk sideways, and later, a new ...

All you late night caffeine drinkers, it turns out that habit might be making you more impulsive. And with all the news of the hantavirus outbreak, we’ve brought on Laurel Bristow to break down what we know about hantavirus historically, what’s happening now and if there’s anything to fear. And later on, we’ll learn what is actually happening with brain-based computers and how soon the future might be here.&...

It might sound like a wacky treatment, but recently, the fecal microbiota transplant has emerged as an effective way to help reshape our gut microbiomes. There are a lot of ideas on how to use this emerging therapy, so to help us sort through the misinformation, we are joined by author and general surgeon, Dr. James Kinross. Before that, Sam digs into a bizarre question: why do humans have chins? And later, a new study re...

The debate about video games and mental health has been happening for decades and sometimes it can be hard to cut through the noise. This episode, host Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Craig Anderson, an expert on media and aggression, to understand what science says happens when kids play violent video games. Before that, Sam will dig into how something called the Grandmother Hypothesis separates us from our primate cous...

Artificial Intelligence has seemingly taken over every industry and headline in the past year, making it hard to keep up with advances in the technology. And things are evolving quickly, particularly in medicine. Here to help us understand where AI can help and hinder processes in the medical industry is Dr. Nina Kottler, a radiologist and AI expert. Before that, we explore a new study detailing some surprising findi...