Smart Drugs, Frozen Organ Transplant, Curly Hair Cool

08/16/23 • 13 min

1 Listener

Today, you’ll learn about a new study that shows drugs like Ritalin aren’t so smart after all, how frozen rat kidneys could lead to a medical revolution, and a new study that shows how people with curly hair are extra cool.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/smart-drugs-frozen-organ-transplant-curly-hair-cool

Smart Drugs

“'Smart Drugs' Make You Worse at Solving Complex Problems, New Study Finds.” by Elizabeth Bowman, et al. 2023.
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add4165
“People who use ‘smart drugs’ worse at complex tasks, study finds.” by Melissa Davey. 2023.
- https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/15/people-who-use-smart-drugs-worse-at-complex-tasks-study-finds

Frozen Organ Transplant

“Scientists Successfully Unfroze Rat Organs and Transplanted Them - a 'Historic' Step that Could Someday Transform Transplant Medicine.” by Marion Renault. 2023.
- https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/21/cryogenic-organ-preservation-transplants/
“Organ Donation Statistics.” HRSA. 2023.
- https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics
“Vitrification.” Wikipedia. N.d.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrification

Curly Hair Cool

“Life Before Air Conditioning: Curly Hair Kept Early Humans Cool.” by Francisco Tutella. 2023.
- https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/life-air-conditioning-curly-hair-kept-early-humans-cool/
“Human scalp hair as a thermoregulatory adaptation.” by Tina Lasisi, et al. 2023.
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2301760120

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Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/smart-drugs-frozen-organ-transplant-curly-hair-cool

Smart Drugs

“'Smart Drugs' Make You Worse at Solving Complex Problems, New Study Finds.” by Elizabeth Bowman, et al. 2023.
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add4165
“People who use ‘smart drugs’ worse at complex tasks, study finds.” by Melissa Davey. 2023.
- https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/15/people-who-use-smart-drugs-worse-at-complex-tasks-study-finds

Frozen Organ Transplant

“Scientists Successfully Unfroze Rat Organs and Transplanted Them - a 'Historic' Step that Could Someday Transform Transplant Medicine.” by Marion Renault. 2023.
- https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/21/cryogenic-organ-preservation-transplants/
“Organ Donation Statistics.” HRSA. 2023.
- https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics
“Vitrification.” Wikipedia. N.d.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrification

Curly Hair Cool

“Life Before Air Conditioning: Curly Hair Kept Early Humans Cool.” by Francisco Tutella. 2023.
- https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/life-air-conditioning-curly-hair-kept-early-humans-cool/
“Human scalp hair as a thermoregulatory adaptation.” by Tina Lasisi, et al. 2023.
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2301760120

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

High Voice Gene, Egyptian Art X-Ray, Finding Fresh Water

Today, you’ll learn about a newly discovered genetic link between high voices and high blood pressure, a mysterious new discovery behind some ancient Egyptian art, and about freshwater lying underneath the ocean floor.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/high-voice-gene-egyptian-art-x-ray-finding-fresh-water

High Voice Gene

“Have a High-Pitched Voice? It Might Be In Your Genes.”
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01901-5
“Do you have high-pitched voice? Note, it's in your genes.” by IANS. 2023.
- https://www.onmanorama.com/lifestyle/health/2023/06/13/you-have-high-pitched-voice-it-is-in-genes.amp.html

Egyptian Art X-Ray

“Paint Like an Egyptian: X-Rays Reveal Creative Process Behind Ancient Tomb Art.” by Tanvi Dutta Gupta. 2023.
- https://www.science.org/content/article/paint-egyptian-xray-egyptian-tomb-art
“Hidden mysteries in ancient Egyptian paintings from the Theban Necropolis observed by in-situ XRF mapping.” by Philippe Martinez, et al. 2023.
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287647

Finding Fresh Water

“Found: Giant Freshwater Deposits Hiding Under the Sea.”
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/found-giant-freshwater-deposits-hiding-under-the-sea/
“5 Billion People Will Face Water Shortages by 2050, U.N. Says.” by Daniel Cusick. 2022.
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/5-billion-people-will-face-water-shortages-by-2050-u-n-says/
“Earth’s Underground Water Quantified.” by Jonathan Amos. 2015.
- https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34837461

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Next Episode

Pine Tree Painkiller, Cell Spitting Creature, Manifestation

Today, you’ll learn about painkillers made from pine trees, a creature that spits out its old cells, and how the power of positive thinking might not be all that powerful.

Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/pine-tree-painkiller-cell-spitting-creature-manifestation

Pine Tree Painkiller