Learn about why a rising robot workforce may make humans less prejudiced towards other people; how studying a salamander that can regrow lost limbs could help us figure out how to help humans heal faster; and hormonal changes that happen in dads-to-be.
Learn about why a rising robot workforce may make humans less prejudiced towards other people; how studying a salamander that can regrow lost limbs could help us figure out how to help humans heal faster; and hormonal changes that happen in dads-to-be.
A rising robot workforce may make humans less prejudiced by Kelsey Donk
Can knowing how salamanders regrow their limbs help humans do the same? by Andrea Michelson
Dads-to-Be Experience Hormonal Changes, Too by Ashley Hamer
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/robot-workers-may-change-prejudices-hormonal-changes-in-dads-to-be-and-how-salamanders-regrow-their-limbs
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about why a rising robot workforce may make humans less prejudiced towards other people; how studying a salamander that can regrow lost limbs could help us figure out how to help humans heal faster; and hormonal changes that happen in dads-to-be.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
According to new research, robots might be making us less prejudiced toward each other. Pretty cool! And robots might still feel like something from the future, but they’re already all around us. We might not have delivery drones yet, but we do have self-driving cars, self-checkout machines, robo-vacuums, smart speakers — and yes, robots in the workplace. This recent study suggests that as robot workers become more and more common, the differences between humans might seem less and less important. Basically, the presence of robots makes us feel more united as human beings.
Let’s think this through. And keep in mind, we could do a whole weekly podcast JUST on automation — it’s a whole “thing,” and there’s a LOT to talk about. But we’re just gonna have to do what we can in the 2 to 3 minutes we’ve got. That said: Current predictions show that as many as 73 million American jobs could be lost to automation in the next decade. And economically, that’s pretty scary to a lot of people. And when people are scared, they’re not exactly at their best. When the United States was industrializing in the late 19th century, ethnic and class tensions ran high as immigrants took many of the lowest-paying jobs. And in one recent study, scientists learned that countries with the most working robots — which tend to have rising rates of unemployment — have also seen an increase in prejudice and distrust of new arrivals in the last 40 years.
But here’s the thing. Even when job loss happens because of automation, some politicians still blame immigrants. So what if the problem wasn’t automation, but blame? If people were more aware of a rising robot workforce, would they still react with distrust and prejudice toward immigrants and minorities?
The research shows that when people are the only workers, they see people of a different race or religion as separate from themselves. But when robots are added to the working pool, other humans look a lot more like one of their own. After all, humans all eat, think, and sleep. Robots don’t.
Researchers think that people are probably always going to have an “us” versus “them” mentality. But this study shows that in the right situation, all humans can be seen as “us” — and that leaves the automated systems without feelings or inner lives in the “them” category. So next time you’re in the self-checkout line, look around. You probably have more in common with the people behind you than you do with the robot scanning your produce.
There’s a type of salamander that can regrow lost limbs, and scientists finally understand how. That knowledge might even help us borrow these salamander powers for ourselves.
The axolotl [AX-uh-LOT-uhl] is an aquatic salamander with red, frilly gills and a special ability to grow back lost body parts. Not only can these little guys regrow lost arms and legs, but they also can regenerate ovary, heart, and lung tissue and even parts of their brain and spinal cord.
Scientists have been fascinated by this salamander’s regenerative powers for hundreds of years, and they’ve established a basic understanding of how it works. First, just minutes after an injury, the axolotl’s blood clots. Then, its skin cells divide and cover the wound in a healing layer called wound epithelium [epi-THEE-lee-um]. Finally, more cells migrate to the wound and form a lump of tissue called a blastema [blas-TEE-mah], which eventually turns into a perfectly sized and oriented limb. In 2016, scientists in Germany tracked the movement of cells to the wound site. They found that in cases of significant regrowth, cells will come from as far as half a millimeter away to form a blastema. That’s a long haul for a microscopic cell.
The axolotl’s genome is long and repetitive, so it took some time for researchers to get a sense of how regeneration works on a genetic level. But a European research team finally succeeded in sequencing the axolotl genome in 2018, and their work could help answer many questions. For one thing, scientists have found that cells in a regenerating limb will turn certain genes on or off to mimic the genetic profile of an embryonic limb bud. In other words, they’ll turn back the clock to act like the cells in a growing embryo. If scientists could figure out how to turn on the right genes in humans to turn back our own genetic clocks, regeneration might be a possibility.
But for now, they’re focusing on more realistic applications. While you shouldn’t expect humans to grow new limbs anytime soon, this salamander’s secrets could help scientists develop better skin grafts for burn victims and regenerate retinas for people suffering from macular degeneration. The power of regeneration might be in us already — we just need to figure out how to unlock it.
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Expecting a baby completely transforms the body. But I’m not just talking about moms-to-be: A growing body of research is showing that expectant fathers go through hormonal changes of their own.
For years, research has shown that fathers experience hormonal changes after the birth of a baby. Several studies find that they tend to experience an increase in oxytocin, which is the so-called "cuddle" hormone. Other studies have found that dads who stay close to their kiddos experience a rise in vasopressin, which promotes bonding, and prolactin, which, well, keeps your eyes from wandering toward new potential mates. With the rise in these nurturing hormones comes a drop in testosterone, the infamous hormone that's associated with aggression, risk-taking, and high libido.
There had been one caveat with all of this research, however. Dads had to be near their kids to experience the hormonal effects. But later research suggested that that’s not necessarily required.
A 2014 study published in the American Journal of Human Biology said that hormonal changes happen in fathers even before their baby is born. Researchers tested the saliva of 29 heterosexual couples who were expecting a first baby. They administered the tests at 12, 20, 28, and 36 weeks, respectively. As expected, all four of the hormones they were studying increased in the women, including testosterone; the stress hormone cortisol; estradiol [ESS-tra-DYE-oll], which is a form of estrogen associated with caregiving and bonding; and progesterone, a female hormone associated with maternal behavior. But the surprise is what happened in men: their cortisol and progesterone levels stayed the same, but their estradiol and testosterone levels decreased. The changes began as early as 20 weeks.
Why might this be? Well, a 2016 study may have a clue: it showed that fathers who had larger decreases in these two hormones made larger contributions to household tasks and infant care after the baby was born. Seems like biology prepares both parents for the challenges of raising a child.
Let’s do a quick recap of what we learned today
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CODY: Today’s stories were written by Ashley Hamer, Andrea Michelson, and Kelsey Donk, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Curiosity Daily is produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!