A Wandering Mind, Song of the Humpback, Robocap

Curiosity Weekly

Warner Bros. Discovery

Self-improvement, Science, Astronomy, Education

4.6 • 935 Ratings

🗓️ 11 November 2022

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today we discuss the science behind a wandering mind, the ins and outs of songs composed by humpback whales, and how an innovative new robotic capsule might help our digestive systems absorb drugs that aren’t as effective to take orally.

A Wandering Mind

“The science of a wandering mind” By Tim Vernimmen
- https://knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2022/science-wandering-mind
“How Self-Generated Thought Shapes Mood—The Relation between Mind-Wandering and Mood Depends on the Socio-Temporal Content of Thoughts” by Florence J. M. Ruby, Jonathan Smallwood, Haakon Engen, and Tania Singer
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0077554

Song of the Humpback

“Humpback Whales Pass Their Songs Across Oceans” by Carl Zimmer
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/science/humpback-whale-songs-cultural-evolution.html
“Humpback Whales Almost 9,000 Miles Apart Have Been Caught Singing The Same Song” by Carly Casella
- https://www.sciencealert.com/humpback-whales-almost-9000-miles-apart-have-been-caught-singing-the-same-song

Robocap

“RoboCap – The Robotic Capsule Designed to Improve Drug Delivery in the Gut” by Sarah Whelan
- https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/robocap-the-robotic-capsule-designed-to-improve-drug-delivery-in-the-gut-366073
“RoboCap: Robotic mucus-clearing capsule for enhanced drug delivery in the gastrointestinal tract” by SHRIYA S. SRINIVASAN et al.
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abp9066
“Tiny robotic pill RoboCap delivers drugs to guts and could end injections like insulin” by Nergis Firtina
- https://interestingengineering.com/health/tiny-robotic-pill-robocap-drugs-guts
“Human Insulin Injection” by MedLine Plus
- https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682611.html

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, you're about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from Discovery.
0:08.6	Time flies when you learn in super cool stuff.
0:11.0	I'm Nate.
0:12.0	And I'm Callie. If you're dropping in for the first time
0:14.0	welcome to curiosity where we aim to blow your mind by helping you to grow your mind.
0:17.6	If you're a loyal listener, welcome back. Today you'll learn about the science behind a
0:22.1	wandering mind, the ins and outs of songs composed by Humpback Wales,
0:26.8	and how an innovative new robotic capsule might help our digestive system absorb drugs
0:31.8	that aren't as effective to take orally.
0:34.0	Without further ado, let's satisfy some curiosity.
0:37.0	Do you ever wonder how weird it is that our minds wander, sometimes completely at random?
0:42.0	Like one minute I'm thinking about
0:43.5	the science of mines wandering and the next I'm thinking about a delicious pizza from
0:47.9	a spot in Jersey City. Well thankfully there are people like
0:51.3	Psychologist Jonathan Smallwood who have devoted their life's work to the science of why our minds wonder, and he's found out some pretty surprising results.
0:59.4	Even while you were saying all that, my mind wandered towards how I could get to that place in Jersey
1:04.2	city to get pizza before you finished.
1:07.4	Jokes aside though, why do our minds wander?
1:10.0	Like many things related to the brain, it comes down to emotions. To put it simply
1:14.1	unhappy people have minds that focus on the past such as things we've done or could
1:18.8	have done differently. However happier people let their minds wander toward the future, primarily things we should do.
1:24.8	And all of this is a subtle self-training exercise for the brain to be prepared for things to come.
	...

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