Learn how a newly detected methane spike on Mars may change our understanding of the red planet; and how you can participate in a new research study on game transfer phenomena, with researcher Angelica Ortiz de Gortari. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about a methane spike we found on Mars: https://curiosity.im/2RyGmf3 Additional Game Transfer Phenomena resources from Angelica Ortiz de Gortari: Gamers Needed for Web Experiment on Game Transfer Phenomena (Participate in the Study Here) — https://gametransferphenomena.com/2019/05/gamers-needed-for-web-experiment-on-game-transfer-phenomena-2/ Game Transfer Phenomena Website — https://gametransferphenomena.com/ Follow Angelica Ortiz de Gortari on Twitter @cyberpsyke — https://twitter.com/cyberpsyke Game Transfer Phenomena and its associated factors: An exploratory empirical online survey study | ScienceDirect — https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215003568 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 how a newly detected methane spike on Mars may change our understanding of the red planet; and how you can participate in a new research study on game transfer phenomena, with researcher Angelica Ortiz de Gortari.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about a methane spike we found on Mars: https://curiosity.im/2RyGmf3
Additional Game Transfer Phenomena resources from Angelica Ortiz de Gortari:
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/game-transfer-phenomena-w-angelica-ortiz-de-gortari-and-the-methane-spike-on-mars
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 it’s a big deal that we’ve detected a methane spike on Mars; and how you can participate in a new research study on game transfer phenomena, with researcher Angelica Ortiz de Gortari.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
We Found a Methane Spike on Mars That Could Be Life — or Something Else — https://curiosity.im/2RyGmf3 (Ashley)
ASHLEY: In case you haven’t already heard, the Curiosity rover has found a methane spike on Mars. And the reason this is such a big deal is because it COULD be evidence of life on the red planet! Methane is sometimes associated with things like rock-water interactions or volcanic eruptions — but here on Earth, it's also associated with microbial life. So let’s get into what we know aboutt he finding. Over the decades, we’ve detected wildly different measurements of methane from year to year and from spacecraft to spacecraft. After the Curiosity rover landed, researchers figured they might as well get some “ground truth,” so it took some measurements. The latest readings showed a volume of about 21 parts per billion units by volume, or ppbv. A single ppbv means that in a given volume of air on Mars, a billionth of that volume is methane. 21 ppbv is a super-small amount by any standard, but it’s the largest amount of methane Curiosity has ever measured. And we need to do a lot more dedicated work with the rover — and probably with help from other spacecraft — before we figure out how old the methane is, or whether it’s from biology or geology, or even whether the methane variations are just seasonal. But NASA can’t figure out why the measured methane seems to be spiking more randomly and in a different pattern than seasonal change. Of course, this all goes back to the fundamental question of whether Mars can actually host life. It seems unlikely for many reasons, including the radiation baking its surface and its extremely cold nights. But to be fair, scientists have found hints of underground lakes that are sheltered from the surface, which could provide a small pocket for life. Another possibility is a strange feature known as recurring slope lineae, which are dark streaks that appear on the sides of craters — although later results suggested that they aren't water streaks, but dust. Hopefully we’ll get some answers during future trips for Mars; until then, we’ll just have to work on coming to terms with the fact that methane, of all things, has piqued our curiosity.
[INDEED]
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Interview Clip - Angelica Ortiz de Gortari, Game Transfer Phenomena (Cody)
CODY: New research is helping us understand just how differently video games can affect us than other media. A few months ago, we talked about the “Tetris Effect,” which is when things you focus on for a long time show up in your dreams — like Tetris or another video game. The Tetris Effect is a visual phonomenon, but there are other effects video games can have on your brain, that kinda blur the line between what you see on a screen and what you see in the real world. The over-arching term for what I’m talking about is game transfer phenomena, and today’s guest is a pioneering researcher on the subject. Angelica Ortiz de Gortari is a postdoctoral researcher who literally coined the term in 2010, and she’s been working on the subject ever since. She told us that game transfer phenomena covers a wide variety of sensory modalities, from gamers hearing sound effects and voices to making involuntary movements with their fingers in the real life. But when she told us exactly how deeply these effects are felt, it blew our minds.
[CLIP 3:36]
In case you missed any of that: from 82 to 97 percent of gamers in these studies have experienced some form of game transfer phenomena. And it really can be as intense as literally seeing video game menus when you’re having a conversation with someone, or seeing power bars and health bars above people’s heads when you’re playing sports with your friends. Pretty intense. Whether you’ve experienced this type of thing or not, Angelica Ortiz de Gortari could use YOUR help with a new study on Game Transfer Phenomena. If you’re 18 to 50 years old and you play video games for at least 6 hours a week on any platform, then you’re invited to participate in her new study on Game Transfer Phenomena, online, RIGHT NOW. Just visit game-transfer-phenomena-dot-com and look for the recent blog post titled “Gamers needed for web experiment on Game Transfer Phenomena.” The study aims to examine the relationship between Game Transfer Phenomena and cognitive processes. All you need to do to participate is answer a short questionnaire, and then complete three short tasks online. I did it myself and it was pretty fun — AND by participating, you get to play an active role in advancing research in a brand-new field of study. Remember, you need to take it in the next few days while participation is still open, so what are you waiting for? Go take it right away, or at least please share with your gamer friends, in the name of science. One more time, the website is game-transfer-phenomena-dot-com, and as always, we’ll put a link in today’s show notes.
ASHLEY: That’s all for today, but you can keep learning all weekend on curiosity-dot-com.
CODY: We’ll be back tomorrow with another special Saturday episode of Curiosity Daily. It’s another exciting episode on how science and technology are being applied to drive innovation and change the world. And then, of course, we’ll be back Sunday to do our usual thing!
ASHLEY: Don’t forget to tell your friends to participate in that game transfer phenomena study. It would be a HUGE help to Angelica and her research team. Then, come back soon for another episode of the award-winning Curiosity Daily to learn something new in just a few minutes. I’m Ashley Hamer.
CODY: And I’m Cody Gough. Have a great weekend!
ASHLEY: And stay curious!