Do Masks Prevent Coronavirus, How Tuvan Throat Singers Sing Two Notes at Once, and Predicting Viral Content by Measuring Brain Activity

Learn about how scientists are predicting viral content by measuring people’s brain activity; how Tuvan throat singers are able to produce two notes at once; and how effective facemasks are in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

How our brains forecast what goes viral online by Kelsey Donk

• Stanford researchers find our brains are powerful – but secretive – forecasters of video virality. (2020, March 9). Stanford.Edu. https://news.stanford.edu/press/view/32654
• Tong, L. C., Acikalin, M. Y., Genevsky, A., Shiv, B., & Knutson, B. (2020). Brain activity forecasts video engagement in an internet attention market. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(12), 6936–6941. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1905178117

How does Tuvan Throat singing work? by Cameron Duke

• Bergevin, C., Chandan Narayan, Williams, J., Mhatre, N., Jennifer KE Steeves, Joshua GW Bernstein, & Story, B. (2020, February 12). Overtone focusing in biphonic tuvan throat singing. ELife; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd. https://elifesciences.org/articles/5047
• P. Cosi and G. Tisato. (2003) On the magic of overtone singing. Voce, Parlato. Studi in onore di Franco Ferrero, 83-100 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Piero_Cosi/publication/228780318_ON_THE_MAGIC_OF_OVERTONE_SINGING/links/09e4150a363d7236ff000000/ON-THE-MAGIC-OF-OVERTONE-SINGING.pdf
• Renaud, J. (2020, March 10). Researchers solve mystery of Tuvan throat singing. Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-mystery-tuvan-throat.html
• UNESCO. (2020). The Mongolian traditional art of Khöömei [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV8EJOvvPvY
• A tangentially related video of a Mongolian folk metal band (Just for fun): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1UhoGJ2PwA

How effective are masks for preventing Coronavirus by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Likhit)

• WHO | What can I do? (2015). WHO.int. https://doi.org//entity/csr/disease/swineflu/frequently_asked_questions/what/en/index.html
• Interim Guidance for the Use of Masks to Control Seasonal Influenza Virus Transmission. (2020). https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/maskguidance.htm
• Advice on the use of masks in the community, during home care and in healthcare settings in the context of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (2018). WHO.int. https://www.who.int/publications-detail/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak
• Romney, M. G. (2001). Surgical face masks in the operating theatre: re-examining the evidence. Journal of Hospital Infection, 47(4), 251–256. https://doi.org/10.1053/jhin.2000.0912
• Davies, A., Thompson, K.-A., Giri, K., Kafatos, G., Walker, J., & Bennett, A. (2013). Testing the Efficacy of Homemade Masks: Would They Protect in an Influenza Pandemic? Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 7(4), 413–418. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2013.43
• CDC. (2020, February 11). Use Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow Spread. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/do-masks-prevent-coronavirus-how-tuvan-throat-singers-sing-two-notes-at-once-and-predicting-viral-content-by-measuring-brain-activity

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