Learn about why earthworms are only good for the planet if they’re in the right place; whether it’s better to read books or listen to them; and the story of Phineas Gage's freak accident from the 1800s that changed brain science forever. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: Earthworms Aren't as Good for the Soil as You Think — https://curiosity.im/2UpoEOX Is It Better to Read Books or Listen to Them? — https://curiosity.im/2Usr3rX How Phineas Gage's Freak Accident Changed Brain Science Forever — https://curiosity.im/2UrNhuo If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Learn about why earthworms are only good for the planet if they’re in the right place; whether it’s better to read books or listen to them; and the story of Phineas Gage's freak accident from the 1800s that changed brain science forever.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom
Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/benefits-of-audiobooks-vs-reading-bad-earthworms-and-phineas-gages-freak-accident
CODY: Hi! We’re here from curiosity-dot-com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about why earthworms are only good for the planet if they’re in the right place; whether it’s better to read books or listen to them; and, a freak accident from the 1800s that changed brain science forever.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Earthworms Aren't as Good for the Soil as You Think — https://curiosity.im/2UpoEOX (Ashley)
Earthworms can be good for the planet, but only if they’re in the right place. And we’ll tell you how you can help your local parks by knowing what to do about them. Earthworms have long been considered a gardener's best friend, since they can help aerate and enrich the soil, and even help the planet as a whole. The problem is that most earthworm species you’ll find in North America also happen to be invasive pests that are a threat to hardwood forests. Yeah, here’s a fun fact: If you live in North America, you've probably never seen a native earthworm. Most of the native earthworm species around here were killed off during the last ice age, but earthworms from Europe started to show up with settlers in the 1600s, hitchhiking in ships' ballast and the soil of imported plants. And today, a global economy brings soil, mulch, and fishing bait from all over — complete with foreign worms from Asia, Europe, and elsewhere riding aboard. Meanwhile, for nearly 10 millennia, the forests of North America evolved to get along without earthworms. Trees and smaller plants rely on the thick layer of dead and partially decomposed leaves that blankets the forest floor to help them grow and protect their roots. That’s kind of a problem, since earthworms happen to love chomping through leaves. That’s why a lot of forests that used to have a thick organic carpet now have bald spots, which leads to decimated herb species and hardly any tree seedlings taking root. Researchers say earthworms also lead to a decline in populations of salamanders, songbirds, and orchids, to name a few, and they're also linked to the growth of invasive plant species. Not ALL earthworms are bad; according to Scientific American, only about 16 of the European and Asian species are responsible for a lot of the damage. But once those worms have moved in, there’s no getting them out. The best hope is to keep them from spreading, and that’s why you should check your local parks or natural resources department to see how you can help if you spot one. We’ve got links to those resources in our full write-up on this, which you can find on curiosity-dot-com and on our free Curiosity app for Android and iOS.
Is It Better to Read Books or Listen to Them? — https://curiosity.im/2Usr3rX (Cody)
Research says there’s a difference in how you learn when you read a book versus listening to the audiobook. And you’ll definitely want to HEAR THIS if you’re an audiobook afficionado. This comes from a 2010 study where 48 students either read or listened to an article about child psychology. Although the students spent the same amount of time with their material and did about the same number of distracting activities while they absorbed the information, they scored very differently on a 10-item quiz later: On average, the readers scored 81 percent whereas the listeners scored 59 percent. That’s a 22-point difference that takes you from a B- to an F, so that's not small potatoes. The learning disparity probably comes from two factors: first, most of us read more slowly than we listen, especially when you factor in pausing and rereading. And when you’re trying to absorb new information, slower tends to be better. Second, books offer visual cues that help our brains organize and understand new information. Things like chapter breaks, subheadings, and lists help us make sense of the material and understand how it fits together. You lose all that when you go the audio route. The bottom line is simple: Don't feel guilty about passing your commute with an audiobook. But, be aware of audio's limitations when it comes to studying, and seriously consider opting for good old-fashioned reading instead.
[INDEED]
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How Phineas Gage's Freak Accident Changed Brain Science Forever — https://curiosity.im/2UrNhuo (Ashley)
ASHLEY: We talk about a lot of brain research on this podcast, so today we wanted to take a step back and tell you about an event that made a lot of that research possible. In the 1800s, scientists were just starting to get a rough understanding of our brain’s actual purpose. That changed — violently — on a fateful day in 1848, when an iron rod rocketed through the brain of a young rail foreman named Phineas Gage. On September 13th, 1848, Gage was using explosives to clear rocks for the construction of a new rail line in Cavendish, Vermont. The work was simple, if a little dangerous: He'd drill a hole, fill it with explosive powder, pack it in with a tamping iron, then pour sand on top. But at one point, he tapped the iron in the hole, then turned to look at his men as he tapped it again. The tamping iron hit rock, which created a spark that detonated the explosive. That sent the three-and-a-half foot long, 13-pound bar into the air, and directly into Gage's head. He SURVIVED, and it’s possible he never even lost consciousness, but get this: that bar entered through his left cheek, plowed through his eye socket, and blasted out the top of his skull, obliterating brain tissue in its wake. This was not his best day, but he actually walked to the nearest doctor on his own two feet — and he even showed off some wit, when told the doctor, quote, “here is business enough for you,” unquote. And it was Gage's personality that landed him in the records of science history. The doctor treated Gage for a few months afterward, and made notes on the peculiar ways he changed as a person. Those who knew him said that before the accident, Gage had a well-balanced mind and was a shrewd, smart business man. But later, he was fitful, irreverent, and used a lot of profanity, which was never the case before. You can probably guess the cause: a brain injury had changed Gage's personality. And science had never seen this before. Since then, neuroscientists have visited and revisited that fateful day in 1848 to analyze Gage's injury with newer and newer technology. As for Gage’s life, he got along just fine for 12 more years after the accident. He even recovered from most of his personality changes! Ultimately, a seizure probably related to the injury took his life, but Phineas Gage will go down in history as ground zero for hard core brain research.
CODY: Read about today’s stories and more on curiosity-dot-com!
ASHLEY: Join us again tomorrow for the award-winning Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I’m [NAME] and I’m [NAME]. Stay curious!