Learn about a modern study that supports a 100-year-old hypothesis about schizophrenia; the weird “Phantom Time Hypothesis” about the history of calendars, along with some actual facts about the Middle Ages; and some tips from a computer scientist for better cyber hygeine and cybersecurity in 2019. 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: A Modern Study Supports a 100-Year-Old Hypothesis About Schizophrenia — https://curiosity.im/2Mh9AMy According to the Phantom Time Hypothesis, We're Currently in the 18th Century — https://curiosity.im/2MfAIf3 6 Tips for Better Cyber Hygiene from a Computer Scientist — https://curiosity.im/2MjhtkY Pick up “Mason & Dixon: A Novel” on Amazon. If you make a purchase using this link, then Curiosity gets a share of the sale! https://amazon.com 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 a modern study that supports a 100-year-old hypothesis about schizophrenia; the weird “Phantom Time Hypothesis” about the history of calendars, along with some actual facts about the Middle Ages; and some tips from a computer scientist for better cyber hygeine and cybersecurity in 2019.
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:
Pick up “Mason & Dixon: A Novel” on Amazon. If you make a purchase using this link, then Curiosity gets a share of the sale! https://amazon.com
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/the-phantom-time-hypothesis-cybersecurity-tips-and-new-schizophrenia-revelations
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 a modern study that supports a hundred-year-old hypothesis about schizophrenia; a weird, probably made-up theory about the history of calendars, along with some actual facts about them; and some tips for better cyber hygeine from a computer scientist.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
A Modern Study Supports a 100-Year-Old Hypothesis About Schizophrenia — https://curiosity.im/2Mh9AMy (Ashley)
A recent study supports a very old hypothesis about the causes of schizophrenia, and it could change the way we look at the disorder. We’ll start this episode with a mix of history and science. First, the history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the world's premier psychologists was named Emil Kraepelin [CRAPE-lin]. He specialized in a disorder called dementia praecox [PREE-cox] — which today we call schizophrenia. From 1896 up until his death in 1926, Kraepelin believed the disorder was what he called a whole-body madness. In other words, schizophrenia isn't just in the brain; it also has a strong physical component. Now, the association between schizophrenia and poor physical health isn't controversial. Doctors have seen for a long time that people with schizophrenia live about 10 to 20 years less than people without it, and the disorder is associated with an increased risk of other health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and suicide. Most modern doctors have assumed that this association went in one direction; for example, schizophrenic people often face homelessness and other factors that put their health at risk, so the assumption was that poor physical symptoms were a secondary feature that came up based on context. Well, here comes the science part of this story: according to a study from May 2018 led by Dr. Tom Pillinger from King's College London, Kraepelin might not have been so far off. The study found that even young people diagnosed with schizophrenia had more markers of inflammation, higher levels of certain hormones, and more heart disease risk factors than those without. There’s plenty more for us to learn about the condition, but here are a few ways the connection could pan out. One explanation could be that effects in the brain ripple out to cause effects in the body, like when the brain produces the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause weight gain, raised blood pressure, and diabetes. Another is that the disorder is rooted in the BODY instead, and these kinds of issues are REFLECTED in the brain. We’ve seen that before in certain rare cancers that cause psychosis until the tumor is removed. There's also the possibility that it's not really a question of the chicken and the egg as much as two symptoms that might be tied to a third, as-yet-unknown factor. We don't have all the answers yet, but learning more can only help people who are suffering from schizophrenia in the future.
According to the Phantom Time Hypothesis, We're Currently in the 18th Century — https://curiosity.im/2MfAIf3 (Cody)
People get REALLY worked up about calendars, and this next story is one great example of that. You’re going to learn about the Phantom Time Hypothesis, which says we’re currently in the 18th century. And then I’ll give you a little more, uh… historically agreed-upon calendar knowledge, if you will. The Phantom Time Hypothesis came from a German historian in 1986 who claimed the years 614-911 A.D. never happened. Here’s the evidence: not enough documents were produced from that period; and important historical figures of the time like Charlemagne and Alfred the Great either existed at different points in time, or were totally fictional. This huge leap in history's timeline may have been a result of some confusion when Pope Gregory XIII switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar starting in 1582 A.D., where there was a discrepancy of at least 10 days. Maybe there was a misinterpretation of documents somewhere along the line, as forged historical documents aren't necessarily rare. Or maybe... it was no accident at all! [insert Dun dun dunnnnnn! Sound effect] The leading theory as to why this would happen is that — are you ready for this? — Pope Sylvester the second and the Holy Roman Emperor Otto the third thought it would be cool to say they ruled during the year one-thousand A.D. By the way, Most academics write this theory off. Sorry, conspiracy theorists. Okay, but now to some real history, and some literature sprinkled in. Right now, in real life, I’m reading a book called Mason & Dixon, by Thomas Pynchon. It’s a FICTIONAL story of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon and their adventures around the time they surveyed the Mason-Dixon line that later became the border between the north and the south. I mention a fictional book because it references a lot of real-life events, including that switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. See, the Gregorian calendar was a modification of the Julian, introduced in 1582 by the pope. At first, only Catholic countries adopted it, and England didn’t join in until 1752. It’s the present calendar system, and it removed the leap year three times every four hundred years from the Julian calendar. It does a better job at keeping the summer solstice on June 21st. And the switch happened in 1752 because that’s when England and the eastern part of America started seeing the summer solstice arrive on June 10th — hence the need for an eleven day addition. There’s your REAL history fix — and a bonus book recommendation, as you can find a link to buy Mason & Dixon in today’s show notes.
6 Tips for Better Cyber Hygiene from a Computer Scientist — https://curiosity.im/2MjhtkY (Republished) (Ashley)
We’ll wrap up today with some tips from a computer scientist for better cyber hygeine. The way I see it, data breaches, widespread malware attacks, and microtargeted personal advertising were not exactly the most fun parts of digital life in 2018. So as reported by computer scientist Elissa Redmiles for The Conversation, here are a few ways to keep your digital life secure and free of manipulative disinformation. First: set your boundaries and STICK to them. Decide — on your own, and in advance — what data you're willing to share with apps and online services, and stick to those limits. That way, when the latest new app asks you for a permission that oversteps what you're willing to share, you'll be more prepared to answer. You won’t just tap “accept” automatically every time you see it. Next, manage your passwords. The biggest threat to password security isn’t just how strong your password is; it’s how many times you’re re-using the same password. Try using password manager software. Or, use the original low-tech method: writing your passwords down on paper. Believe it or not, it's a lot safer to write them down than reuse the same password everywhere. To get even more secure than that, turn on multi-factor authentication. MFA systems will ask you for a unique six-digit code to type in as part of your login process, which you’ll get from either a text on your phone, or from an authenticator app. You can even consider using a physical key that plugs into your computer to authorize a login. They can take some time to set up, but they work a lot faster than other methods once you’re all hooked up. Another piece of advice: delete apps you don’t use. Smartphone apps track where you are very closely, and share your location data with advertising and marketing companies. Just carrying a phone in your pocket can give tracking companies clues to where you go and how long you stay, and technical details about your phone can offer clues to your identity. If you don't use an app anymore, uninstall it from your phone. If you need it again, you can always reinstall it quickly — but in the meantime, it won't be tracking you around the world and around the web. And keep the apps you DO use up-to-date so hackers have fewer exploits to dig into. Surf smart, not hard, and we can all relax and enjoy a nice, secure 2019.
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