Today is the LAST DAY to vote in the 2018 Podcast Awards!Please help our show by nominating Curiosity Daily in the categories of People’s Choice, Education, and Science & Medicine. Just register at the link and select Curiosity Daily from each category’s drop-down menu. We really appreciate it!https://curiosity.im/podcast-awards-2018 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: Epileptic Seizures Can Be Triggered by a Lot More Than Just Lights What's the Difference Between a Fact, a Hypothesis, a Theory, and a Law in Science? See How David Bowie, Marcel Proust, and Jane Goodall Answered The Proust Questionnaire, a 132-Year-Old Personality Quiz To find out how science happens in the real world, check out "The Secret Life of Science: How It Really Works and Why It Matters" by Jeremy J. Baumberg. We handpick reading recommendations we think you may like. If you choose to make a purchase, Curiosity will get a share of the sale. Learn about these topics and more onCuriosity.com, and download our5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram. Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable ourAlexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
Today is the LAST DAY to vote in the 2018 Podcast Awards! Please help our show by nominating Curiosity Daily in the categories of People’s Choice, Education, and Science & Medicine. Just register at the link and select Curiosity Daily from each category’s drop-down menu. We really appreciate it! https://curiosity.im/podcast-awards-2018
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:
To find out how science happens in the real world, check out "The Secret Life of Science: How It Really Works and Why It Matters" by Jeremy J. Baumberg. We handpick reading recommendations we think you may like. If you choose to make a purchase, Curiosity will get a share of the sale.
Learn about these topics and more on Curiosity.com, and download our 5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable our Alexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/epileptic-seizure-triggers-fact-vs-hypothesis-vs-theory-vs-law-and-proust-questionnaire
[MUSIC PLAYING] CODY GOUGH: OK. We've got three stories from curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: And I'm Ashley Hamer. Today you'll find out the difference between a fact, a hypothesis, a theory, and a law when talking about science, potential triggers for epileptic seizures that don't involve lights, and how Jane Goodall, Marcel Proust, and David Bowie answered questions in a 132-year-old personality quiz.
CODY GOUGH: Let's satisfy some curiosity. You've probably seen epileptic seizure warnings in certain TV shows or movies or especially video games these days, but bright, rapidly flashing lights are not the only potential triggers for epileptic seizures. Today we wrote about some potential threats that we thought you should know about.
And for some context, about half of people diagnosed with epilepsy have no identifiable cause for their condition. Even when there is a particular reason, the way the disorder works isn't very well understood. Basically, the causes can range from genetics to injury to disease and disorders. But doctors have made categories for three distinct types of seizures based on where they start in the brain. Ashley can tell you about those.
ASHLEY HAMER: The first is a generalized onset seizure, which starts in both sides of the brain at the same time. You've probably seen a portrayal of the stereotypical seizure where a person loses consciousness and shakes and stiffens. That's called a tonic-clonic seizure and used to be called a grand mal seizure, and that's a type of generalized onset seizure.
The second type is called a focal onset seizure that starts in just one cluster of brain cells and can give a person hallucinations, nausea, migraine, or even deja vu while that person is awake. The last type of seizure is kind of a catch-all because it's called an unknown onset seizure, and it comes up when medical professionals can't figure out where the seizure started. They can be complicated to diagnose if the seizure starts in one part of the brain and moves to other parts.
CODY GOUGH: So now you know about different types of seizures, but what about triggers? The brain is pretty complicated, and certain patterns besides lights can trigger them for certain people. In 1993, a group of doctors wrote about a patient who experienced seizures when he told a lie, literally. It turned out that a brain tumor was responsible. And once that was removed, he stopped having the problem.
A patient in 1982 experienced seizures when doing certain math calculations in his head, including multiplication and division, but not including addition and subtraction. And other patients have been triggered by what's called musicogenic seizures, which are actually caused by music.
ASHLEY HAMER: There's a lot to learn about conditions like epilepsy, but we hope we dispelled some common misconceptions. Hey, Cody. Have you ever heard anyone say that evolution is just a theory?
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. Really great argument, right?
ASHLEY HAMER: Right. [CHUCKLES] Well, that's just a basic misunderstanding of what a theory means in science. We talk about science all the time, but do you really know the difference between a fact, a hypothesis, a theory, and a law in science? Well, today we'll refresh your memory.
A fact is pretty straightforward. In the science world, a fact is an observation that's been confirmed so many times that scientists can basically accept it as true. Everything in science has some level of uncertainty, so nothing is ever true beyond any doubt. But the chance has to be really infinitesimally small that it's not true.
Then there's a hypothesis. That's a tentative explanation about an observation that can be tested. It's a starting point for more investigation. You think why you know a thing happens, then you test it. That's your hypothesis.
Then there's a law. In science, a law is a detailed description of how some aspect of the natural world behaves, usually involving math. Isaac Newton came up with the law of universal gravitation, for example. But a law only describes how something acts, not why. We don't actually know why gravity exists, for example. But we know how it behaves, so it's the law of gravity.
And finally, a theory is an explanation of some aspect of the natural world that's well-substantiated by facts, tested hypotheses, and laws. A theory is the ultimate scientific statement, which is why when you hear someone say something like, the theory of evolution is just a theory, that person is really not doing a great job of criticizing it. Calling something a theory is literally like saying, oh, it's only passed the toughest tests we can throw at it. A scientific theory is strong because it's got such a solid foundation, you can trust that it's still true even if you find a few cracks in it.
Like we said, science never says anything with 100% certainty. We're only human, but we sure have come a long way in the last thousand years, don't you think? Thanks, science.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. We've made a couple of advancements. [CHUCKLES]
ASHLEY HAMER: Just a couple step.
CODY GOUGH: Ashley, do you enjoy personality tests?
ASHLEY HAMER: I do.
CODY GOUGH: What Hogwarts house are you?
ASHLEY HAMER: Oh, I'm definitely Ravenclaw.
CODY GOUGH: Oh, all right. I think we've talked about this before.
ASHLEY HAMER: I didn't even have to test that.
CODY GOUGH: Wow. [CHUCKLES] Wow. We'll wrap up today with a fun peek back at 132-year-old personality quiz. Move over, BuzzFeed. The Proust Questionnaire started with a popular parlor game from late 19th century Europe. The questions are open-ended and revealing. They're broad but personal. And reading the answers kind of makes you feel like you know the person.
We wrote about some of our favorite answers in our full write-up today on curiosity.com and on the Curiosity app for Android and iOS. But right now, we'll share some of our personal favorite answers from Marcel Proust himself, Jane Goodall, and the late great David Bowie.
ASHLEY HAMER: David Bowie's are really funny.
CODY GOUGH: So start with a high-level question, what is your idea of perfect happiness? Jane Goodall said, "sitting by myself in the forest and Gombe National Park, watching one of the chimpanzee mothers with her family."
ASHLEY HAMER: Aww. And Marcel Proust said, "to live in contact with those I love, with the beauties of nature, with a quantity of books and music, and to have within easy distance a French theater."
CODY GOUGH: Quantity, eh?
ASHLEY HAMER: Lovely
CODY GOUGH: David Bowie's answer literally one word, "reading." That's his idea of perfect happiness.
ASHLEY HAMER: It's going to be a theme, these short answers from David Bowie. I don't think he took this seriously.
CODY GOUGH: I don't know about that.
ASHLEY HAMER: What? You want to know David Bowie's greatest fear? Converting kilometers to miles.
(TOGETHER) [CHUCKLES]
CODY GOUGH: David Bowie also said, what historical figure do you most identify with? Santa Claus.
ASHLEY HAMER: [CHUCKLES] Well, Marcel Proust said, "a mixture of Socrates, Pericles, Mahomet, Pliny the Younger, and Augustin Thierry." I don't know who most of those people are.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. He had a healthy ego. Yes. I'm a mixture of Socrates and Pericles, et cetera. The living person that you most admire-- this was rather telling-- David Bowie simply said, "Elvis." That's fair. Jane Goodall answered, "my mother until her death, dedicated teachers, Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, and Muhammad Yunus."
ASHLEY HAMER: I love this one. What is the trait that you deplore most in others? Jane Goodall said hypocrisy. David Bowie said talent.
CODY GOUGH: [CHUCKLES] Yeah. This also shows its age and Jane Goodall's answer for, what is your greatest extravagance? Her answer was, "long distance phone calls to my friends."
ASHLEY HAMER: Aww.
CODY GOUGH: Remember when long-distance phone calls were a thing you had to pay for?
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah.
CODY GOUGH: She and I are just showing our age.
[CHUCKLES]
Brevity was certainly not a Proust approach compared to the rest. So when he was asked, who was your favorite hero of fiction? Proust said, "those of romance and poetry, those who are the expression of an ideal rather than imitation of the real." And then Jane Goodall just said Robin Hood.
ASHLEY HAMER: [CHUCKLES]
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. All right. Cool. I'm done with that. Anyway, the questionnaire itself has changed over time, and not all three of the people we wrote about answered the exact same set of questions. But still, we brought you some of the best ones. And again, you can find those today on Curiosity. But it's just a little bit of history, a little bit of trivia. And if you're a big fan of Proust or Jane Goodall or David Bowie, then this will be your bread and butter.
ASHLEY HAMER: Hey, Cody. When and where were you happiest?
CODY GOUGH: Oh. I know the answer, but it sounds so cheesy. My wedding day.
ASHLEY HAMER: Aww.
CODY GOUGH: [CHUCKLES]
ASHLEY HAMER: That's great.
CODY GOUGH: Uhm. Shy. What is your favorite occupation?
ASHLEY HAMER: Exercise.
CODY GOUGH: Is it?
ASHLEY HAMER: I really like running. I really do.
CODY GOUGH: That's great. Read about these stories and more today on curiosity.com.
ASHLEY HAMER: Join us again tomorrow for the Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I'm Ashley Hamer.
CODY GOUGH: And I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: Stay curious.
NARRATOR: On the Westwood One Podcast Network.
[MUSIC PLAYING]