Bacteria Behavior, Ant Cannibals, Brain Plastic
10/16/24 • 11 min
1 Listener
Today, you’ll learn about a breakthrough in our understanding of the behavior and abilities of bacteria, the queen ants that cannibalize their sick larvae and recycle it, and how tiny shards of plastic are finding their way into our brains.
Bacteria Behavior
- “New discovery of how bacteria navigate their environment could change how we treat infection.” University of Sheffield. 2024.
- “Individual bacterial cells can use spatial sensing of chemical gradients to direct chemotaxis on surfaces.” by James H.R. Wheeler, et al. 2024.
Ant Cannibals
- “Ant queens cannibalize [sic] their sick offspring - then ‘recycle’ them.” University of Oxford. 2024.
- “Ant queens cannibalize infected brood to contain disease spread and recycle nutrients.” by Flynn Bizzell & Christopher D. Pull. 2024.
- “Black garden ant.” The Wildlife Trusts. N.d.
Brain Plastic
- “Tiny shards of plastic are increasingly infiltrating our brains, study says.” by Sandee LaMotte. 2024.
- “Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains Assessed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.” by Matthew Campen, et al. 2024.
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, you’ll learn about a breakthrough in our understanding of the behavior and abilities of bacteria, the queen ants that cannibalize their sick larvae and recycle it, and how tiny shards of plastic are finding their way into our brains.
Bacteria Behavior
- “New discovery of how bacteria navigate their environment could change how we treat infection.” University of Sheffield. 2024.
- “Individual bacterial cells can use spatial sensing of chemical gradients to direct chemotaxis on surfaces.” by James H.R. Wheeler, et al. 2024.
Ant Cannibals
- “Ant queens cannibalize [sic] their sick offspring - then ‘recycle’ them.” University of Oxford. 2024.
- “Ant queens cannibalize infected brood to contain disease spread and recycle nutrients.” by Flynn Bizzell & Christopher D. Pull. 2024.
- “Black garden ant.” The Wildlife Trusts. N.d.
Brain Plastic
- “Tiny shards of plastic are increasingly infiltrating our brains, study says.” by Sandee LaMotte. 2024.
- “Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains Assessed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.” by Matthew Campen, et al. 2024.
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Sinuses & Mental Health, Vaporizing Plastic, Monkey Names
Today, you’ll learn about the connection between chronic sinus infections and anxiety, a new way to recycle plastic by vaporizing it, and how marmosets call each other by name.
Sinuses & Mental Health
- “Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Mental Health.” by Najm S. Khan, et al. 2024.
- “Chronic Sinusitis.” CDC. 2022.
Vaporizing Plastic
- “New process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases [sic] to make new, recycled plastics.” by Robert Sanders. 2024.
- “Plastic Pollution.” by Hannah Ritchie, et al. 2022.
Monkey Names
- “These monkeys use names to communicate with each other, study finds.” by Lianne Kolirin. 2024.
- “These Monkeys Call One Another by Name.” by Emily Anthes. 2024.
- “Vocal labeling of others by nonhuman primates.” by Guy Oren, et al. 2024.
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Positive Side Effects, Mega El Niño, Bee Protector
Today, you’ll learn about a potential positive side to side effects, how mega El Niños triggered the world’s worst mass extinction event, and the antidote to pesticides that could save bees.
Positive Side Effects
- “How side effects can improve treatment efficacy: a randomized trial.” by Lieven A. Schenk, et al. 2024.
- “Side-effects are often a curse. Can they also be a blessing?” by Katja Wiech, et al. 2024.
Mega El Niño
- “Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction.” by Jake Buehler. 2024.
- “Mega El Niño instigated the end-Permian mass extinction.” by Yadong Sun, et al. 2024.
Bee Protector
- “Scientists hopeful antidote can help protect bumblebees from pesticides.” by Helena Horton. 2024.
- “Ingestible hydrogel microparticles improve bee health after pesticide exposure.” by Julia S. Caserto, et al. 2024.
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/curiosity-weekly-37687/bacteria-behavior-ant-cannibals-brain-plastic-76340607"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to bacteria behavior, ant cannibals, brain plastic on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy