Intellectually Curious

Intellectually Curious is a podcast by Mike Breault featuring over 1,400 AI-powered explorations across science, mathematics, philosophy, and personal growth. Each short-form episode is generated, refined, and published with the help of large language models—turning curiosity into an ongoing audio encyclopedia. Designed for anyone who loves learning, it offers quick dives into everything from combinatorics and cryptography to systems thinking and psychology.

Inspiration for this podcast:

"Muad'Dib learned rapidly because his first training was in how to learn. And the first lesson of all was the basic trust that he could learn. It's shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult. Muad'Dib knew that every experience carries its lesson."

― Frank Herbert, Dune

Note: These podcasts were made with NotebookLM. AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.

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Intellectually Curious

Anchiornis huxleyi: The Four-Winged Dinosaur That Painted the Origins of Birds

October 18, 2025 • Mike Breault

Take a deep dive into Anchiornis huxleyi, a late Jurassic paravian from China whose fossils reveal almost its entire appearance. We'll explore how scientists reconstructed its gray and black body with a dramatic reddish crest, white wings with black tips, and even feet feathering from melanosomes, offering a rare glimpse into dinosaur color and display. We discuss whether those leg feathers helped or hindered running, and how the anatomy points to display or limited flight rather than modern bird-style flapping. We'll place Anchiornis on the paraves family tree, consider evidence for a water-edge lifestyle from gastrolith pellets containing lizard bones and fish scales, and reflect on what this means for the evolution of feathers beyond flight. Brought to you by Embersilk.com.

Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.