Learn about simple solutions for resolving human-wildlife conflict; and how exposure to sunlight can increase romance. Plus: Trivia! More from “America’s funniest science writer” Mary Roach: Pick up "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law" at your local bookstore to learn more about the weird world of human-wildlife conflict: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781324001935 Mary Roach’s official website: https://maryroach.net/ Follow @mary_roach on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mary_roach Exposure to sunlight releases sexy hormones, leading to more romantic passion by Grant Currin Exposure to sunlight enhances romantic passion in humans. (2021, August 25). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/926348 Parikh, R., Sorek, E., Parikh, S., Michael, K., Bikovski, L., Tshori, S., Shefer, G., Mingelgreen, S., Zornitzki, T., Knobler, H., Chodick, G., Mardamshina, M., Boonman, A., Kronfeld-Schor, N., Bar-Joseph, H., Ben-Yosef, D., Amir, H., Pavlovsky, M., Matz, H., & Ben-Dov, T. (2021). Skin exposure to UVB light induces a skin-brain-gonad axis and sexual behavior. Cell Reports, 36(8), 109579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109579 Episodes referenced in Curiosity Challenge Trivia game: One purchase leads to more: https://www.curiositydaily.com/diderot-effect-animated-cave-art-running-benefits-your-knees/ Cells kill bacteria: https://www.curiositydaily.com/mapping-the-ocean-soap-making-cells-crows-comprehend-zero/ Mountains on neutron stars: https://www.curiositydaily.com/backward-letters-dogs-detect-lies-neutron-star-mountains/ Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day withCody Gough andAshley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Learn about simple solutions for resolving human-wildlife conflict; and how exposure to sunlight can increase romance. Plus: Trivia!
More from “America’s funniest science writer” Mary Roach:
Exposure to sunlight releases sexy hormones, leading to more romantic passion by Grant Currin
Episodes referenced in Curiosity Challenge Trivia game:
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/simple-wildlife-solutions-sunlights-sexy-hormones-trivia
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 simple, humane solutions for resolving human-wildlife conflict, with “America’s funniest science writer” Mary Roach; and how getting some sun can lead to more romantic passion. Then, test your knowledge with this month’s edition of the Curiosity Challenge trivia game.
CODY: Let’s satisfy AND CHALLENGE some curiosity.
Yesterday, Mary Roach told us about the science of human-wildlife conflict and what it takes to keep people in India safe from elephants. Today, we're zooming in on North America to talk about simple solutions to everyday wildlife problems. Mary Roach has been called "America's funniest science writer" and is the author of five bestselling nonfiction books, including her latest: "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law." And here's what she said when we asked if there were any simple solutions out there for human-wildlife conflict.
[CLIP 3:23]
I mean, come on, humane solutions are better for everybody. Again, that was Mary Roach, author of the new book "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law." You can find a link to pick up the book in the show notes.
Hot vax summer 2021 didn’t live up to the hype, but researchers studying love hormones are making up for that with a fascinating new discovery. It turns out that ultraviolet radiation from sunlight can boost romantic passion in humans. And these researchers got closer to figuring out how it happens.
They started by building a tanning salon for mice. They exposed mice to UV rays and then carefully tracked how their bodies changed. The results weren’t hard to detect. The female mice spent more time in heat and their ovaries grew larger. The males and females were more into each other than usual, and they got real frisky.
Then the researchers repeated the experiment, but with mice that were missing an important skin protein called p53. That protein plays a big role in managing how skin deals with radiation from the sun. p53 causes tanning, and it also finds damaged DNA in need of repair. And as it turns out, p53 was an important link in the physiological chain of events that caused those first mice to have such a good time at the tanning salon. Mice without the protein didn’t display any of the same changes when exposed to UVB rays as their normal counterparts did.
In the final stage of their experiment, the researchers turned to humans. They had research participants fill out questionnaires that measure romantic passion and aggression, then exposed them to UVB rays. They filled out the same survey again afterward. All of the participants reported feeling more romantic passion after they soaked up the sun. The men reported higher levels of aggression, too.
The researchers also looked at the biochemistry in play. They asked 32 people to stay out of the sun for two days, and then to spend time outdoors. When they compared blood samples taken before and after that fun in the sun, they saw ample evidence that hormones like testosterone circulated at a higher level after just 25 minutes of UVB exposure.
This study is just the beginning of research into sunlight and romantic feelings, but it already hints at possible treatment options for people with sexual hormone disorders. But if you’re still reeling from a summer love, well — thank your skin proteins.
It's time for the Curiosity Challenge! Every month, I call up a listener and put them to the test by asking them three questions about stories we ran on Curiosity Daily in the previous month. For this Curiosity Challenge, I talked to Hannah in Seattle, Washington. Have a listen!
2 out of 3 ain't bad at all. How did YOU do? If you’d like to play next month, OR if you have a question you’d like us to answer on the show, shoot us an email at curiosity at discovery dot com, or leave us a voicemail at 312-596-5208!
CODY: Before we recap what we learned today, here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll hear next week on Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Next week, you’ll learn about why it’s a problem that high school starts so early;
What scientists saw when a black hole collided with a star and made it EXPLODE;
New research that says it’s okay if you don’t always feel resilient;
How British women fought for the right to vote by using martial arts;
And more! Okay, so now, let’s recap what we learned today.
[ad lib optional]
ASHLEY: The writer for today’s sunlight story was Grant Currin.
CODY: Our managing editor is Ashley Hamer, who was also a writer and audio editor on today’s episode.
ASHLEY: Our producer and lead audio editor is Cody Gough.
CODY: Have a great weekend! [AD LIB SOMETHING FUNNY] Then, join us again Monday to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!