Menu Close

Articles on Curiosity

Displaying 1 - 20 of 42 articles

Download this collection of articles, or read them here. The Conversation

A sampler of our most popular articles of 2022

A selection of fact-based journalism from 2022, covering topics ranging from super-earths to mosquito magnets, and from why we need to file tax returns to why we can’t just throw all our trash into volcanoes.
Could schools be putting a damper on children’s curiosity? Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Images

How to keep kids curious – 5 questions answered

A philosophy professor looks at the learning styles of different creatures to gain insight into curiosity among human beings.
Creativity has many academic, professional and personal benefits. Stephen Simpson/Stone Collection via Getty Images

How to nurture creativity in your kids

Art classes and STEM toys are nice, but there are simple and free ways parents can encourage their child’s creativity – or keep it from getting squashed.
Some of the dishes that make up the Square Kilometre Array’s radio telescope system. This kind of “blue skies” research can have great real-world value. MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP via Getty Images

COVID-19 budget pressures threaten curiosity-driven science. That’s a bad thing

The pandemic has underscored that the world requires agility for survival. That makes blue skies science, which encourages curiosity and nimble thinking, perhaps more important than ever.
A person’s resting metabolism is very sensitive to temperature, and offices are often too cold for people. Steelcase/Wikimedia Commons

Going back to the office? The colder temperature could lead to weight gain

Going back to work at an office? An expert explains how the relatively cool temperature many offices are kept at may affect your body – and your health.
The Wi-Fi symbol, like the technology it represents, has become ubiquitous. Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images

How does Wi-Fi work? An electrical engineer explains

Wi-Fi has become a fundamental part of modern digital life, but its foundation is the same as the technology that allowed your great-grandparents to listen to their favorite radio programs.
One of the most common reactions during a crisis is the urge to help others. Here a health-care worker watches as the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are delivered to a long-term care facility in Montréal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

From the Cold War to COVID-19: The 8 common ways people behave in a crisis

While the world is dealing with the biggest health emergency in more than a century, the way people have reacted to the crisis is familiar and predictable.
Getting the job done. A female Asian water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) produced a daughter (left) without the assistance of a male. Skip Brown/Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Virgin births from parthenogenesis: How females from some species can reproduce without males

Parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction in which an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by sperm, might be more common than you realized.
A variety of clues can tip off archaeologists about a promising spot for excavation. Gabriel Wrobel

How do archaeologists know where to dig?

Archaeologists used to dig primarily at sites that were easy to find thanks to obvious visual clues. But technology – and listening to local people – plays a much bigger role now.
Some places, like Nazaré Canyon in Portugal, produce freakishly huge waves. AP Photo/Armando Franca

What makes the world’s biggest surfable waves?

Some beaches in the world tend to consistently produce huge waves. Places like Nazaré Canyon in Portugal and Mavericks in California are famous for their waves because of the shape of the seafloor.

Top contributors

More