Learn about new sustainability rules that could help us cut space debris; why you shouldn’t blow your nose when you have a cold; and why you unconsciously copy other people’s mannerisms. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: These New Space Sustainability Rules Could Help Cut Space Debris — https://curiosity.im/2YyTCCK Blowing Your Nose When You Have a Cold Isn't Helping — https://curiosity.im/2YxMdn4 Here's Why You Unconsciously Copy Other People's Mannerisms — https://curiosity.im/2YvRtYs Follow Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day withCody Gough andAshley Hamer — for free! You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here:https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY
Learn about new sustainability rules that could help us cut space debris; why you shouldn’t blow your nose when you have a cold; and why you unconsciously copy other people’s mannerisms.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
Follow Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free! You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/space-sustainability-rating-system-the-chameleon-effect-and-how-to-blow-your-nose
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 new sustainability rules that could help us cut space debris; why you shouldn’t blow your nose when you have a cold; and why you unconsciously copy other people’s mannerisms.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
These New Space Sustainability Rules Could Help Cut Space Debris — https://curiosity.im/2YyTCCK (Republish) (Ashley)
We’ve covered the problems with space junk on this show before, and today we’ve got some good news: new rules about sustainability in space could help us cut space debris. As reported by Universe Today, there are 20-thousand objects orbiting Earth that are larger than 4 inches, or 10 centimeters. Out of all of those objects, only about ten percent of them are operational satellites. That means there are 18-THOUSAND pieces of junk out there, and it’s not just regular junk: it’s very dangerous junk. Even if you’ve got something the size of a cell phone flying around, it can do a ton of damage if it’s traveling at thousands of miles per hour. It’s bad news if something crashes into one of those 2-thousand satellites up in orbit, since they help us with things like navigation, weather forecasting, hurricane tracking, communications, and climate science. Fortunately, the space junk problem is being addressed by a new initiative led by the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Space Technologies. The Council is spearheading a project to come up with what they call the Space Sustainability Rating System, or SSR. It’s basically a set of voluntary guidelines to help nations that are developing and launching satellites. Some countries already have laws in place to govern companies operating on their soil, but the SSR is being set up as a global initiative. It’s being worked on by a pretty diverse team, including members from the Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab and members from the European Space Agency. A big part of their focus right now is to come up with guidelines for what happens after a satellite stops functioning: for example, hopefully, the SSR can come up with a way to help satellite operators set the altitude and the lifespan of a satellite so it doesn’t just stay up in space forever. The group has just started working on the problem, but the clock is ticking: according to a press release from the team working on this, there are a LOT of countries working on new space programs, so it’s important to have the SSR in place as soon as possible. Still, it’s good knowing that someone has taken the first step towards sustainability in space. After all, we’ve got a lot of universe to explore. Can’t have our dirty laundry getting in the way!
Blowing Your Nose When You Have a Cold Isn't Helping — https://curiosity.im/2YxMdn4 (Cody)
Blowing your nose is a great cure for the sniffles, but when you have a COLD, it turns out that blowing your nose is actually a bad idea! In fact, blowing your nose the wrong way could be a bad thing any time. So let’s get into some nose-blowing safety tips. According to at least one allergist, blowing your nose with too much force can actually cause breakage of blood vessels and undue stress. It can also force bacteria and other bad stuff back up into your sinuses, which could increase your risk of infection. Mucus isn't even the real reason your nose feels stuffy. The stuffy sensation is a signal that the blood vessels in your nose are swollen. You do produce more mucus when you're sick, but only a little more. And even if you blow some of it out on occasion, your body just replenishes the disgusting supply. Even in on a normal, healthy day, your body makes enough mucus to fill a 20-ounce bottle. Soooo yeah. You’re not gonna win that battle. Anyway, the real problem is the underlying sickness you have — typically the common cold, sinusitis, or hay fever. Mucus is a sideshow, and trying to blow it all out can cause more problems than it solves. So, what should you do? Well, blowing your nose isn't forbidden. It may not be super helpful in the long-term, but it can give you a brief respite from your symptoms. Just make sure to do it properly. That’s according to Dr. Anil Kumar Lalwani, the chairman of the department of otolaryngology [OH-toe-LEHR-in-gah-luh-gy] at the New York University Langone [lan-GOHN] Medical Center. He told the New York Times that you shouldn’t blow too forcefully, and that you shoul actually blow your nostrils one at a time. Blowing too hard has actually caused some real problems: in rare but documented cases, overenthusiastic nose-blowing has even led to eye socket injuries, esophagus ruptures, and other medical issues. But with a safe nose-blowing technique and some decongestants, you should stay decently comfortable through your nasal troubles.
[SKILLSHARE]
ASHLEY: Today’s episode is sponsored by Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community for creators. They offer more than 25,000 classes in design, business, and more, to help YOU find new ways to fuel your curiosity, creativity, and career.
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CODY: That’s right, Skillshare is offering Curiosity Daily listeners two months of unlimited access to thousands of classes for free. To sign up, go to Skillshare dot com slash CURIOSITY. Again, go to Skillshare dot com slash CURIOSITY to start your two months now.
ASHLEY: One more time, that’s Skillshare dot com slash CURIOSITY.
Here's Why You Unconsciously Copy Other People's Mannerisms — https://curiosity.im/2YvRtYs (Ashley)
Research suggests that in social situations, we tend to unconsciously imitate the people around us. And today we’ll get into some reasons why it might actually be a good thing if you find yourself doing this a lot. [ad lib]
ASHLEY: Your tendency to copy other people’s mannerisms is what researchers call the chameleon effect. In 1999, researchers from New York University detailed three experiments that roughly mapped out how it works. One experiment had participants work with a partner on a task where they took turns describing photos. They were all paired with actors (although they didn’t know that at the time), and when the actor would smile or jiggle his foot or rub his face, his partner tended to follow suit. In exit interviews, though, most participants said they hadn’t even noticed their partner’s mannerisms, so it seemed to be an unconscious tendency. In the second experiment, participants were paired with actors once again, but this time, the actors either mimicked their partners’ behaviors or they adopted neutral mannerisms. Participants whose partners had mimicked them were significantly more likely to say they liked their partners, and that the interaction had gone smoothly. And in the third experiment, researchers measured people’s empathy using something called Davis’s Interpersonal Reactivity Index, which tests how likely you are to spontaneously try on another person's perspective. They found that the more empathetic someone was, the more likely they were to mimic their partner's mannerisms. The team said that this made sense because empathetic people pay more attention to the people around them and have an overall greater perception of those people. Now, as for WHY the chameleon effect exists, researchers argue the mechanism behind all this is a thing called the perception-behavior link. That’s the phenomenon where you’re more likely to do something just because you see someone else doing it. This link is well documented when it comes to micro-level behaviors you can imitate unconsciously, like gestures, postures, speech patterns, and moods. In other words, it's not just yawning that's contagious — it's pretty much every move we make in front of another person. Mimicry seems to work like social glue, helping pairs to bond and promoting group cohesion. And as the researchers behind this study pointed out, it seems to help us bond even when we're not trying to. So the next time you find yourself mirroring someone's gestures or mimicking someone's accent, don't be embarrassed — just remind yourself that it means you're an empathetic human being
CODY: Read about today’s stories and more on 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!