Learn about why it’s harder to clean grease off of plastic than glass; how zoos use their own version of dating apps for breeding programs; and why science says you don’t have to be married to be happy.
Learn about why it’s harder to clean grease off of plastic than glass; how zoos use their own version of dating apps for breeding programs; and why science says you don’t have to be married to be happy.
Why is it harder to clean grease off of plastic than glass? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Lili)
Zoos Use Their Own Versions of Dating Apps for Breeding Programs by Reuben Westmaas
You don't have to be married to be happy by Kelsey Donk
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/zoos-have-their-own-dating-apps-why-grease-is-hard-to-clean-off-plastic-and-you-dont-have-to-be-married-to-be-happy
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, we’ll answer a listener question about why it’s harder to clean grease off of plastic than glass. Then, you’ll learn about how zoos use their own version of dating apps for breeding programs; and why science says you don’t have to be married to be happy.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
We got a listener question from Lili, who asks, “Why is it harder to get rid of grease and oil from plastic containers than glass ones?” Great question, Lili!
Considering how many dishes many of us have been doing in lockdown, I think a lot of people know this pain. You can hand-wash mac ‘n cheese leftovers off of a glass container, no problem, but a plastic one? It’s basically going to wear that meal like a badge of honor through the next several dish loads.
This all comes down to chemistry. Grease and oil are lipids, which are mostly made up of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms hanging off of them (those are called hydrocarbon chains). Hydrocarbon chains are non-polar, which means their charge is balanced and they’re not pulled in any particular direction. Water, or H2O, is a polar molecule, since hydrogen has a slightly positive charge and oxygen has a slightly negative charge. Polar substances like water can dissolve other polar substances, like salt, but they can’t dissolve nonpolar substances, like oil. Likewise, nonpolar substances like oil can dissolve other nonpolar substances like egg yolk, but they can’t dissolve polar substances. Like dissolves like. You might remember us talking about this a couple months ago when we explained why peanut butter gets gum out of hair.
So to get oil off of any container, you’re going to need something better than water. That’s why soap is so important: it’s polar on one end and nonpolar on the other. It can literally bring oil and water together, surrounding the oil in a bubble of water so it can be washed away.
But here’s the thing — remember how like dissolves like? And how lipids like oil contain a hydrocarbon chain? Well, plastic is literally made of hydrocarbons. So when you put oil in a plastic container, the two substances are very attracted to each other. With those kinds of attractive forces at play, soap just isn’t as effective. But glass molecules are polar, so soap has a much easier time separating them from nonpolar fat molecules.
So, how do you get grease out of your plastic containers? There’s no magic hack, but by using hot water and scrubbing with either a lot of soap or a good helping of baking soda, you should be able to get the thing reasonably clean. Or, you can do what I did: just switch to glass containers. Thanks for your question, Lili! If you have a question, send it in to podcast at curiosity dot com, or leave us a voicemail at 312-596-5208.
In this day and age, you've probably used a dating app, or at least know somebody who has. They’re hit or miss, at best. But there is a matchmaking formula out there that actually works! Unfortunately, it’s specifically designed for zoo animals. That’s right: zoo breeding programs use their own versions of dating apps.
For an example of the kind of matchmaking these algorithms can do, take the love story of Baraka and Calaya [B’RAH-kah and K’LAY-ah, like “clay-uh”], gorillas at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. When the female gorilla Calaya arrived from Seattle, Baraka watched her the whole time she was in quarantine. When they were finally allowed to be in the same room together, they mated within an hour. But it wasn't a match made in heaven — it was a match made in a piece of advanced software. How romantic.
The animal matchmaking program isn't just for gorillas, and it takes some things into consideration that probably aren't on Tinder's radar. It scores every animal on a variety of traits (and when I say "every" animal, I mean there's an entry for each flamingo in each American zoo). Those traits include social skills, age, experience, family history, interpersonal relationships, and genetic diversity.
You know how on OkCupid, they tell you that you and another person are, say, 80 percent friends, 15 percent enemies, and 5 percent neutral? The animal matchmaking program does that too, using a scale of 1 to 6. A 1 is the best — it means the two don't share a lot of genetic similarities, and their personalities are likely to mesh well with each other. Baraka and Calaya scored a 1 before they ever met, so zookeepers weren't especially surprised to see that they got along so well. He's laid back but responsible, and she's confident and quirky. That means he'll provide her with a sense of security, but he won't be put off by some of her odd habits.
Sounds like marital bliss to me. Too bad they can’t make a human dating app this good.
Do you have to get married to be happy? Well, the answer to that might be good news, whether you’re on a dating app or you’re just not sure you want to tie the knot with your special someone. And this isn’t just my opinion: the research says you can — in fact — be happy without being married!
That’s right. Researchers from Michigan State University have done one of the first studies of its kind to quantify how happy married, formerly married, and single people are. How much does marriage matter when it comes to living a good life?
To figure that out, the researchers studied data from more than 7,500 people who participated in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. That’s a long-term study that’s tracked a nationally representative group of Americans since 1968. So researchers had access to the participant’s relationship histories from the ages of 18 to 60 — almost their whole adult lives. Every year, these participants answered survey questions about a whole bunch of things, including their relationship status and their general life satisfaction.
79 percent of the people in the data pool were consistently married. Meaning, they spent most of their lives in one marriage.
8 percent were consistently single. They spent their whole lives unmarried.
13 percent had varied histories, which the researchers defined as a history of moving in and out of relationships, divorcing, remarrying, or becoming widowed.
To answer their main question, the researchers looked at each group’s overall life-satisfaction ratings to see if there was any difference in happiness between married and unmarried people.
They were surprised to find the same levels of happiness in people who were consistently single and in people who had varied relationship histories. So those who’d once felt love or been in and out of relationships weren’t actually happier than lifelong singletons.
And married people? They turned out to be just slightly happier than those who were single for life or in varied relationships. But that difference was incredibly small. As the study authors concluded, quote, “This suggests that there are not dramatic differences between people with dramatically different marital histories,” unquote.
The study is a good reminder that being in a relationship isn’t the be-all end-all for a satisfying life. It’s possible to have unhappy relationships, and it’s also possible to have a wildly enjoyable life as a single person. When it comes to happiness, relationships are just one part of the puzzle.
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 whether some trees really are immortal;
That time some woodpeckers shut down a NASA space shuttle launch;
What to do when your pet is scared;
The creative way mapmakers catch copycats;
And more! Okay, so now, let’s recap what we learned today.
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s stories were written by Ashley Hamer, Reuben Westmaas, and Kelsey Donk, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Curiosity Daily is produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Have a great weekend, and join us again Monday to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!