Learn about the shadowy “red market” of bones, with help from author Brian Switek. You’ll also learn why venting your anger is unhealthy, and what you should do instead; and, why asparagus makes your pee smell weird. 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: Is It Better to Vent Your Anger or Keep It Inside? — https://curiosity.im/2EACh3P Why Asparagus Makes Your Pee Smell Weird — https://curiosity.im/2EzSg21 August 2020 edit: Brian Switek is now known as Riley Black. Additional resources from Riley Black: “Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone” on Amazon — https://amazon.com Riley Black’s website — http://rileyblack.net/ Follow Riley on Twitter @Laelaps — https://twitter.com/Laelaps Riley’s articles on Smithsonian.com — https://www.smithsonianmag.com/author/riley-black/ Laelaps blog on Scientific American — https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/laelaps/ 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 the shadowy “red market” of bones, with help from author Brian Switek. You’ll also learn why venting your anger is unhealthy, and what you should do instead; and, why asparagus makes your pee smell weird.
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:
August 2020 edit: Brian Switek is now known as Riley Black. Additional resources from Riley Black:
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/human-bones-on-the-red-market-w-brian-switek-stop-venting-anger-and-asparagus-pee
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 the shadowy “red market” of bones, with help from author Brian Switek [SWEE-tech]. You’ll also learn why venting your anger is unhealthy, and what you should do instead; and, why asparagus makes your pee smell weird.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Brian Switek Interview Clip about the “Red Market” (“Skeleton Keys: Secret Life of Bones author) (Cody)
CODY: You can buy some weird things on the internet, but if you had to name one of the weirdest things, I have a feeling human bones might make the short list. Bones are a bigger deal than you might think, though, and that’s according to science writer Brian Switek [SWEE-tech]. He’s the author of the new book “Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone,” and we had a chance to ask him about a thing called the “red market.” It’s one of MANY bone-related subjects he tackles in the book, and here’s what he told us.
[CLIP 2:47]
CODY: Brian went on to say that bones have a dynamic and vibrant life, and that bone isn’t just something you see after death that’s dead tissue; it also tells you a lot about who we are and where we came from, and what we think about ourselves. Brian’s book is called “Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone,” and it was the #1 new release in general anthropology on Amazon when it came out just a couple weeks ago. You can find links to the book and more from Brian Switek in today’s show notes.
Is It Better to Vent Your Anger or Keep It Inside? — https://curiosity.im/2EACh3P (Ashley)
Studies show that venting your anger may not be the best way to get rid of it. Whether you’re complaining about your boss or you’re upset that [ad lib a thing that bothers you / e.g. your mom keeps asking you when you’re gonna get married / etc], sure, you might feel like venting your anger. But that might actually make you MORE angry. A 2007 study reviewed nearly five decades of anger-expression research, and based on the study’s findings, here’s what the authors wrote. Quote: “Psychological research has shown virtually no support for the beneficial effects of venting, and instead suggests that venting increases the likelihood of anger expression and its negative consequences,” unquote. Ouch. Also according to the research, people who vent a lot get angry more often. A 2013 study had similar findings. That study looked at people who like to vent online or send angry tweets to release their frustrations. And it found that people who read or write online rants are angrier or more unhappy after they do so. Fast forward to 2017, and a study found that people who complained about annoyances at work were more affected by those annoyances. When participants in that study did not complain or escalate minor issues or stew over problems too much, those bad events didn’t impact mood or work engagement. So when your boss drives you to start punching walls, what should you do? You don't need to bottle it up, necessarily. Experts suggest practical coping mechanisms like counting to ten, going for a walk, or taking some deep breaths. Or address the problem in a cooperative way, rather than hostile one. Here’s what the author of that 2007 study Jeffrey Lohr told Fast Company: quote, "What people fail to realize is that the anger would have dissipated had they not vented. Moreover, it would have dissipated more quickly had they not vented and tried to control their anger instead,” unquote.
Why Asparagus Makes Your Pee Smell Weird — https://curiosity.im/2EzSg21 (Republish) (Cody)
Our last story is all about why you should not be afraid of asparagus. I don’t know about you, but I love asparagus. Some people, not so much. And as reported by The Conversation, one of the reasons might be because of its pungent after-effects. As Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1781, quote, "A few stems of asparagus eaten, shall give our urine a disagreable odour," unquote. Yes, I’m talking about an odor that has become so well-known, it’s actually referred to as “asparagus pee.” Now, look. Asparagus provides a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and making it part of your healthy diet may reduce risk of cancer and cardiovascular-related diseases. I’m here to tell you that the odor in question is due to a pair of chemicals that you should NOT be afraid of. Scientists believe the smell comes from methanethiol [METH-an-NETH-ee-ya’ll] and S-methyl thioester [THIGH-oh-ESS-ter]. When your digestive tract breaks down the acids that are naturally present in asparagus, you end up with these compounds. And they turn into foul-smelling gas when your body gets rid of them. Weirdly, not everyone’s noses pick up on this scent. In fact, one study from last year found that only 40 percent of participants could smell the odor in their urine — or in the urine of others, for that matter. Yes, the participants in this study sniffed samples of other people’s asparagus pee. The things we do for science. And oddly, a lower proportion of women were able to detect the odor, despite the fact that researchers believe women generally have a better sense of smell than men. Researchers think you’re able to pick up on these smells based on your genetic makeup, although there are hundreds of variants in the DNA sequence across multiple genes involved in your sense of smell, so pinpointing an exact gene probably isn’t gonna happen in the near future. But whether you can smell it or not, remember: asparagus is your friend. Even if you might make some weird smells after you eat it. [ad lib]
ASHLEY: Today’s ad-free episode was brought to you by our Patrons. Special thanks to Scott Gates, Mary Rose, Walt DeGrange, Bob Buckley, and Braeden Johnson for your support on Patreon. We really appreciate it!
CODY: You can support Curiosity Daily, too! Just visit our Patreon page at patreon-dot-com-slash-curiosity-dot-com, all spelled out. One more time, that’s patreon-dot-com-slash-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!
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!