Learn about how climate change leads to more kidney stones; the “doorway effect;” and exercising on an empty stomach.
Bestselling author and CBS news correspondent David Pogue explains why climate change is leading to more kidney stones and bar fights. Then, learn about the “doorway effect” when you forget why you walked into a room; and whether you should exercise on an empty stomach.
Additional resources from David Pogue:
A new study dives into the 'doorway effect,' or the tendency to forget things when you walk in a room by Cameron Duke
Should You Exercise on an Empty Stomach? originally aired November 29, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/exercising-on-an-empty-stomach-how-to-measure-curi
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/should-you-exercise-on-an-empty-stomach
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 hear some good news and some weird news about climate change, with bestselling author and CBS news correspondent David Pogue. Then, you’ll learn about why you walk into a room and forget why you did; and whether you should exercise on an empty stomach.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Yesterday, David Pogue told us why preparing for climate change can actually make us feel better about the future. Today, he's back to tell us about a couple of truly weird effects of climate change — and some very good news about our planet's efforts to turn this crisis around. David Pogue is a bestselling author, CBS Sunday Morning science and technology correspondent, and the author of the new book "How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos." When we spoke with him, he briefly mentioned that climate change increases the incidence of kidney stones and bar fights. And we were like....what? Kidney stones?
[CLIP 3:51]
Again, that was David Pogue, a bestselling author, CBS Sunday Morning science and technology correspondent, and the author of the new book "How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos." You can find a link to pick it up in the show notes.
Have you ever walked into a room and instantly forgotten why you went in there? We all do it from time to time. It’s so common that it has a name: the doorway effect. But what is it about doorways that makes us so forgetful?
The doorway effect feels like a glitch in the system or a short-circuit in your brain. But for such a common phenomenon, we know very little about it. I mean, for starters, is it even real?
To learn about the doorway effect, a team of researchers had 74 volunteers put on virtual reality headsets and move from one virtual room to another. All they had to do was remember a series of objects they saw in the first room as they moved into the next. It was an easy task, and at first, there was no doorway effect. So the researchers cranked up the difficulty by having the volunteers remember the objects while counting backward. With that added challenge, the doorway effect seemed to rear its ugly head.
But when they moved on to follow-up experiments, like when they tried to replicate the VR experiments in real life, the effect faded. Overall, they found that doorways themselves don’t play a significant role in memory, or the lack thereof. So if the doorway effect isn’t caused by doorways, then what’s really going on?
The real underlying cause, according to the researchers, probably has more to do with our brain’s limitations. Remembering a list of tasks is like juggling. There are only so many things we can remember at one time, and moving to a new and different location primes our brains to receive new information — so it might drop a ball or two. This forgetful effect gets worse if we’re tired or stressed.
The researchers say it’s probably not so much the doorway as the change of scenery that’s important, since different scenery tells your brain there’s something new here. If you walk through a doorway between two similar rooms, the doorway effect probably won’t appear.
So the doorway effect might not be as real as it seems. But the frustrating feeling it brings? That’s genuine.
CODY: The weather is finally getting nice enough to where you can lace up your running shoes and go for a jog first thing in the morning. But… should you? Here’s a classic Curiosity Daily clip from 2018 that could help you start your summer fitness routine on the right foot.
[ASHLEY: 2:22 clip]
Let’s do a quick recap of what we learned today
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CODY: Today’s stories were written by Cameron Duke and Ashley Hamer, with script and audio editing by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: 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!