Learn about the true history of penicillin; why wireless charging may be bad for your battery; and why the “alpha dog” is a canine myth. 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: In the Story of Penicillin, Alexander Fleming Was a Minor Character — https://curiosity.im/2SD8bmX Bad News: Wireless Charging May Be Bad for Your Battery — https://curiosity.im/2LspOoE The "Alpha Dog" Is a Canine Myth — https://curiosity.im/2LrOCx7 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 the true history of penicillin; why wireless charging may be bad for your battery; and why the “alpha dog” is a canine myth.
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:
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/wireless-charging-may-be-bad-for-your-battery-alpha-dog-myths-and-penicillins-full-origins
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 how you might be able to transfer data in the future through music. You’ll also learn about the world of possibilities for cell-sized robots, in the final edition of our Microscale Mondays mini-series.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Scientists Found a Way to Transfer Data Through Music — https://curiosity.im/2SFglLi (Ashley)
Scientists have found a way to transfer data through music. Imagine a world where you don't have to ask for the Wi-Fi password in hotels or cafes; where instead, the access data is transferred through music. And no, it's not a jingle that spells out "password-1-2-3-4-5." A team of researchers at ETH Zurich recently developed a technology to store data using musical notes that the human ear won’t hear, but a smartphone can. This might sound like an existing wireless technology like Bluetooth, which does use radio waves to transmit data between devices. But Bluetooth can be finnicky, and it only works if users pair devices. This new technology straight-up uses sound. And since every smartphone has a built-in microphone that can pick up audio data, users could decode that data by doing something as simple as downloading an app that reads the right algorithm. Companies have been experimenting with sound wave data transmission since 2009, but the Zurich team stands apart because of their mission to integrate data into music without affecting listening pleasure. The scientists used notes at very high frequencies that the human ear can barely register, to signal where the decoder algorithm should look for data. Then, over the dominant frequencies in the music, they added slightly higher and lower notes at a quieter volume. These overlaid notes are what carry the data. With this technology, the researchers were able to achieve a transfer rate of 400 bits per second, while preserving the source music.
Here’s a sample of what the music might sound like. We’ll play a clip of a performance from the ETH Big Band with no data, and we’ll play a clip of the music with data. But you have to guess which is which. Here’s your first clip. [AUDIO] And here’s your second clip. [AUDIO] That second clip contained data! That data being the shortened URL for the press release. Could you even hear the difference?
The ETH team noted that the data transfer rate realistically would be closer to 200 bits per second, because some repetition of data is necessary to ensure accuracy and quality. Considering the tradeoff between the transfer rate, quality of data, and quality of music, this technology works best for short and simple pieces of data, like Wi-Fi passwords. And another industry where sharing data through music could come in handy is proximity marketing. Someday, you might be able to receive special promotions or product information from music played over a store's speakers. Where there's background music and smartphone users, the possibilities are endless. [ad lib]
[ETTITUDE]
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ASHLEY: Ettitude sheets--they’re soft as silk, breathable as linen, but at the price of cotton. You’re going to love them! And when you support our sponsors, you support our show. Right now, Curiosity Daily listeners will get 20 percent off their sheet set… and FREE shipping! Just text CURIOUS to 47-47-47.
CODY: The ONLY way to get 20 percent off your set of Ettitude sheets (and FREE shipping) is
to text CURIOUS to 47-47-47. That’s C-U-R-I-O-U-S to 4-7-4-7-4-7. Message and data rates may apply.
Microscale Mondays #4 (final) — Future applications and possibilities for microscale machines [4:14] (8/5) (Cody)
CODY: Machines that are the size of a human cell could change the future. And you’re about to learn how, in the final edition of our Microscale Mondays mini-series. Over the last few weeks, you’ve learned how these machines are made, how they move, and how we communicate with them. And Cornell University physicists Paul McEuen and Itai Cohen are back this week with some pretty cool ideas about the true potential of these origami robots. Here’s Paul McEuen.
[CLIP 3:24]
CODY: Big changes in neuroscience are just the beginning of the possibilities for these microscale machines. Here’s Paul with some final thoughts on the future of origami robots.
[CLIP 0:50]
CODY: We hope you enjoyed our Microscale Mondays mini-series, featuring Paul McEuen, Director of the Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, and Itai Cohen, Professor of Physics at Cornell University. We’ll keep an eye on the latest and greatest developments in their research, and, of course, you can learn more their work in today’s show notes.
ASHLEY: So what did we learn today, Cody?
CODY: Today we learned that scientists have figured out a way to transfer data through music, and it could make signing into WiFi a lot easier in the future.
ASHLEY: And that light-activated cell-sized robots could use microscopic lasers to change neuroscience and surgery forever. Does this means size matters or size doesn’t matter?
[ad lib]
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Stay curious!