Human Genes, Dry Mouth Relief, Yawning Psychopaths

Curiosity Weekly

Warner Bros. Discovery

Science

4.6 • 963 Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, you’ll learn about the 139 genes that set the human mind apart from our primate cousins, a new gel that could change the game for those suffering from dry mouth, and why psychopaths could be immune from the contagious yawn.

Human Genes

“139 Genes Set Human Cognitive Ability Apart From Other Primates.” by Sarah Whelan, PhD. 2023.
“Comparative single-cell transcriptomic analysis of primate brains highlights human-specific regulatory evolution.” by Hamsini Suresh, et al. 2023.
“Middle Temporal Gyrus.” by Kostas Konstantopoulos & Dimitrios Giakoumettis. 2023.

Dry Mouth Relief

“New Microgel Lubricant Could Provide Relief From Dry Mouth.” by Alexander Beadle. 2023.
“How Common is Dry Mouth? Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis of Prevalence Estimates.” by Bernardo Antonio Agostini, et al. 2018.
“Benchmarking of a microgel-reinforced hydrogel-based aqueous lubricant against commercial saliva substitutes.” by Olivia Pabois, et al. 2023.

Yawning Psychopaths

“Why Psychopaths Are Immune to Contagious Yawning.” by Gary Drevitch. 2015.
“Psychopathy.” n.a. N.d.
“Contagious and spontaneous yawning in autistic and typically developing children.” by Fiorenza Giganti & Maria Esposito Ziello. 2009.

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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.
0:09.0	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
0:13.9	welcome to curiosity where we aim to blow your mind by helping you to grow your mind.
0:17.4	If you're a loyal listener, welcome back. Today you'll learn about the 139 genes that set the human mind apart from our primate cousins,
0:25.7	a new gel that could change the game for those suffering from dry mouth, and why psychopaths
0:31.7	could be immune from the contagious yawn.
0:34.3	Without further ado, let's satisfy some curiosity.
0:37.2	People have always looked at our primate cousins with a kind of wonder.
0:41.2	We're so alike that sometimes it feels a little weird. I know what you mean.
0:45.4	Like humans and chimpanzees both formed super complex social relationships and
0:51.0	friendships. Chimps even comfort each other just like humans and all kinds of relationships and
0:54.3	all kinds of primates use tools like we even kind of look alike.
0:58.9	Exactly. Well, we're also genetically very similar.
1:02.4	Around 96% of our DNA sequence is literally identical to that of chimpanzees, for example.
1:08.1	But one thing that is remarkably different is our cognitive ability.
1:11.7	I mean, look, other primates are pretty clever, but none of them have built
1:15.2	wildly complex civilizations full of plumbing and electricity and massive infrastructure.
1:19.8	None of them have written novels or sent one of their own to the moon.
1:22.8	Now that would be some breaking news.
1:24.8	Yeah, I know.
	...

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