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- [00:02]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Race the rudders.
- [00:03]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Race the sails. Race the sails. Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching.
- [00:07]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Over.
- [00:08]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Roger, wait.
- [00:10]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Is that an enterprise sales solution? Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors. With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title and more. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Get started today@LinkedIn.com results, terms and conditions apply.
- [00:30]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Foreign hey, curious listeners, I'm Dr. Samantha Yamin, also known as Science Sam back at it. As your new host of Curiosity Weekly from Discovery, I spent years working in research labs being mesmerized at the microscope, albeit very hunched over and my back still hasn't forgiven me. I've since made it my goal to share that sense of wonder and awe I felt after every day in the lab with as many people as possible. I know sometimes people like to say that they're not a quote unquote science person, but I say no more of that. Science is for everyone and we're going to dive into it all together. On this show every week, we'll get into the latest in science news, plus chat with experts with the inside scoop on everything from AI to mental health, the gut, microbiome, and yes, even puppies. Today we're discussing how social media is used to self diagnose adhd. I'll give you a sneak peek if.
- [01:32]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
People could also remember that the relationships you form online sometimes can feel so real and so tangible. But when it comes to your health, most of these people really, they actually don't have a relationship with you. They don't know who you are and where you've been. The actual help that you need is somebody that is not at your fingertips.
- [01:55]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Dr. Linda Charmaraman is the founder and director of the Youth Media and well Being Research Lab. She studies the influence of social media on health and decision making. And then we'll learn about how people are using echolocation to navigate the world in new ways. That's using sound to get a sense of your surroundings. And we'll share some research on how the brain adapts to this new skill. But first, let's address some critical news about wildfires and technology. Wildfires have caused immense devastation to communities, including the heartbreak and loss from the very recent destructive fires in Los Angeles. This report isn't just about tech though. This is about how science and innovation are stepping up in the face of climate disasters. When it comes to wildfires, catching one.
- [02:42]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Early is key to keeping it from exploding.
- [02:46]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Now researchers at UC San Diego in California. California are bringing AI to the fight to do it.
- [02:54]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
They took more than two decades worth.
- [02:56]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Of data from a growing statewide network of cameras and trained the technology to spot wildfire smoke. We have a true proven AI algorithm that gives us that immediate feedback from a ground based sensor. That was CNN reporting on California's firefighters and a new technology to detect wildfires. In fact, just last month in December, the Orange County Fire Authority received a wildfire alert not from a person, but from AI driven detection software. With urgency and a lot of momentum, fire scientists and tech companies are working together to tackle wildfires and drought. They're testing everything from AI monitoring systems to tree mounted sensors, transforming how we respond to climate threats. Take this. UC San Diego's AI detection system sent an alert in December to the Orange County Fire Authority south of la. It wasn't a person reporting the fire, it was AI. The system is part of the Alert California camera network and it spotted a wildfire in a low traffic or underpopulated area that might have been missed otherwise. Thanks to this early alert, first responders contained the blaze and embers quickly with no injuries or evacuations. This AI system already covers over a thousand fire prone spots in California and it's outperforming 911 calls more than 30% of the time. Still, it's pretty early days for this technology and it's not yet widely deployed. Wildfires are becoming more dangerous every year. At the start of 2025, Los Angeles faced its most destructive fire in history and faces a long road ahead toward healing and rebuilding. But this isn't just a California problem, it's global. Hawaii, Australia, Canada and countries across South America have all faced record breaking fire seasons in recent years. In 2024, Canada alone lost 17 million hectares of land to wildfires. That's about the entire size of Florida. Here's what's driving this. A study published in Nature Climate Change confirmed what many that climate change is a major contributor to the surge in wildfire activity. Rising temperatures and prolonged droughts are making conditions worse. But don't worry, there's hope. Scientists and innovators are rethinking how to manage and prevent wildfires. Take the state of Michigan, where researchers are developing a tiny sensor that detects wildfire smoke. It hangs from tree branches and is powered by their natural sway. No batteries needed. The motion generates static electricity to keep the device running. It's a simple yet effective tool to alert fire responders. Early AI and new tech also have some useful applications here. Descartes Lab In Santa Fe, New Mexico uses AI to analyze satellite images every 10 minutes if there's a change in smoke patterns or heat signatures, responders get notified immediately. These systems help predict how fires might spread, giving communities more time to act. Then there are apps like WatchDuty, a nonprofit platform where first responders and dispatchers provide real time updates on nearby wildfires to keep communities informed and safe. Climate change remains a critical challenge. With 2024 marking a turning point, Earth has now passed the 1 1/2 degree Celsius global warming threshold. While tech won't solve the root causes, these innovations are vital for saving lives and reducing destruction. With tools like these, we're better equipped to detect, manage and respond to wildfires before they grow out of control and hopefully prevent tragedies like the recent devastating fires in Los Angeles. To make switching to the new Boost Mobile risk free, we're offering a 30 day money back guarantee. So why wouldn't you switch from Verizon or T Mobile? Because you have nothing to lose. Boost Mobile is offering a 30 day money back guarantee. No, I asked why wouldn't you switch from Verizon? T Mobile wouldn't because you love wasting money as a way to punish yourself because your mother never showed you enough.
- [07:13]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Love as a child.
- [07:13]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Whoa, easy there. Yeah.
- [07:15]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Applies to online activations, requires port in and autopay. Customers activating in stores may be charged non refundable activation fees.
- [07:29]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Look, no one loves scrolling through TikTok more than me. And in addition to the entertainment factor, it's also really become a hub for education and unfortunately, misinformation. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Auckland analyzed TikTok videos with the hashtag ADHD test. They found 92% of the videos were misleading. And what's more, the misleading videos had far more engagement and were way more popular than the accurate videos. This certainly raised some questions for me because look, I built my for you page brick by brick and I really feel like the algorithm knows me and yet it's out here trying to diagnose me with something every single day. I really worry how it could be harmful for people who might see those kinds of videos and start to take them literally and self diagnose. Take this for the truth without seeking out a trained medical professional. Dr. Linda Charmarman is the founder and director of the Youth Media and well Being Research Lab. She studies how social media impacts our health and decision making, especially with young people. Dr. Charmarman, thanks for joining me. Can you talk a little bit about the work you do at the Youth Media and Wellbeing Research Lab?
- [08:44]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Sure. Back in 2018, I founded the Youth Media and Wellbeing Research Lab because there was really no other space on our campus that had the focus of the youth of the next generation using media technologies in ways that we had never researched before and to really think about their well being at the same time. Usually most studies are about screen time and quantifying time, but actually the well being of people using social technologies is really the focus that our lab wanted to do.
- [09:17]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
I know social media, it's such a powerful tool, it can shape our behaviors and perceptions for better and for worse. Why do you think it's important for us to look into specific types of misinformation on social media? Like, especially when it comes to mental health and neurodivergence like adhd?
- [09:34]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Absolutely. I mean my area of expertise in terms of age range is the middle school years. And so that's actually a time in which a lot of neurodivergence is diagnosed. And it's also a time that's very sensitive in terms of getting your first phone and also using your first social media accounts. And so I think the context of social media is especially really salient for people who process information differently. You know, for instance, people with adhd. And there probably are some special safeguards that need to be in place for people with attention difficulties. You know, in those early years I've.
- [10:15]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Seen misinformation coming from people with credentials and really helpful information coming from people without. And so it can be really hard to navigate and to know what information to trust, what's credible. And that's why like just trying to practice those critical thinking when scrolling, it's, it's so, so important. What do you think this says about the way mental health content is consumed today?
- [10:38]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Well, I think that for some people they want facts and figures and so that's a great way for the Internet to tell you, oh, what's the percentage of people my age that have depression? Or, you know, maybe they want to know what's the likelihood of getting adhd given that my mom and my dad both have adhd. And so, you know, there's, there's people that want to gather facts and figures and, and there's people that actually want to just understand lived experiences, you know, so somebody, they might be looking for people that feel the same way, maybe they were recently diagnosed and they want to hear about other people, their age or their circumstance, you know, how they're feeling and how they're dealing with it. And so it really depends on what the motivation is about what people are trying to Get. But hopefully when, when people digest some of that information, they'll realize that some, a lot of this lived experience storytelling are really anecdotes. You know, in the, in the scientific community they're called, you know, anecdotes. And they're not really meant to represent everybody's experience on ADHD or everybody's ways of being diagnosed or, you know, prognoses and all that kind of stuff. It's just like little snippets of narratives and stories that maybe help you not feel alone in the moment, but really aren't a way to tell you what to do with your own mental health or to confirm or disconfirm if you have something like ADHD or not.
- [11:57]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
You mentioned stigma, which got me thinking because you also said people should be going to their provider. Maybe social media is the awareness or the thing that gets you thinking about it, but then ultimately you need to go to an expert for that diagnosis and support. And I'm wondering why people don't. I think there are a lot of barriers, including stigma. It can take forever to book an appointment insurance, maybe there's an not transparency around costs. So what can we do or what should we do to make that more accessible?
- [12:27]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
There's a sector of people that need to get a reassurance from other folks, they're more social learners that maybe this is an issue I need to look into. And in a way they kind of crowdsource. Okay, there's a preponderance of kind of indicators that maybe I should look into this more and ask a professional. So those are people that use social media as the entry point, phase one, and then they go on in phase two of actually talking to real life people. But then there's other people who are maybe very either not well resourced, they don't have insurance. There's a whole group of people that no matter what, even if they really need mental health resources, they will not get them in real life from an actual trained professional. They either feel like maybe it's because of their gender or their cultural background, or for some reason they weren't raised to think that that was acceptable thing. Even if they, they got really good accurate information about something like ADHD online, they still might not act on it.
- [13:28]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Can you speak to the potential repercussions of a misdiagnosis in this case of adhd? And in what ways could that cause harm?
- [13:35]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Yes, I mean, I would say that if it's in the adolescent years, I know the procedure of that much more than the adult diagnosis time. But I feel like it's a very, even though there's a lot of, you hear of stories of how, oh my gosh, the rise of ADHD in that oftentimes it's because there's a lot better assessments now I would say nowadays it's much, much more likely to be under diagnosed than over diagnosed in that clinical sense, like getting like an IEP in school and those are all like, people take it very seriously in this day and age. Definitely. People might be diagnosing themselves more if they're only doing self tests like on, on social media and Google and, and it could mean that they are afraid to talk to somebody about it because maybe they're afraid of the stigma or maybe they don't want to, they're against medication if they're, they're thinking, oh, somebody's going to make me take medication and I don't have money, you know, or I've heard of people saying, I don't want it on my record because then insurance is not going to, is not going to take me if I, if I get off this insurance, if the next insurance is not going to take me because I'm such a, you know, expensive, you know, client. I've heard of a lot of different reasons why somebody wouldn't want to finally find out if it's real or not.
- [14:55]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
We've been talking about a recent study published in October in the Journal of Australasian Psychiatry and they classified 92% of the top TikTok videos using the hashtag ADHD test as misleading. That's a massive amount. Uh, what are some of the reasons you think this type of content becomes so widespread and how does it shape public understanding of things like adhd?
- [15:19]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Well, the authors of that, of that study use one specific clinical assessment tool that they kind of measured against what the accurate information was. These people that are putting up these homemade ADHD tests, you know, for entertainment value, they might be looking up other tools online because when you just look really quickly at all the different tools there are to assess and self assess and community, you know, community assessments and school assessments, children based, adult based. There are so many. There's no gold standard of how to, like which one is the one that everybody should be using. So that's already very confusing to people. I, I would say that I bet those people that did those created those tests. Even if they use like the, the big standard, like, or like, like a very clinically, you know, approved assessment themselves, it's still not a real diagnosis until there's all these other Things that happen.
- [16:19]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Thinking of this particular study where not only were the majority of videos under that hashtag misleading, but the few that were pretty good and more accurate, they had so little engagement. Like 4% of the total likes, 1% of the total comments, 7% of the favorites. It breaks my heart. Do you, do you think it's an issue of media literacy or an issue of clickbait?
- [16:46]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
I think it's a combination of people will create content that's popular and so if they create content that's like kind of more on the dry academic or like this is good for you side and you know, you should be consuming my content because it's the most accurate. But maybe they're not as verse that particular, you know, medical influencer doesn't have the tricks of the trade of trying to get those likes. You know, they don't have like the flashy production team that is helping and some people, that's their job, their job is to try to get the clicks and the likes. And so I think some people just know how to get that attention algorithm to work for them and their site. If everybody's intention is to actually put out more accurate information is to maybe do more collabs with maybe a medical professional who is an ADHD expert and then they can do interviews with a person who's about lived experience and ADHD and they're really popular and they have a really big, big fan base and then maybe they can have a conversation and then, and then that will love those. Like you can bring them together like the, the fun, popular, catchy and then the one that's like the good for you, you know, this is accurate and, and I'll try to make it less boring for you.
- [18:03]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
I mean, it's true sometimes the truth, there's a lot of caveats. It's, you know, it can be difficult and the sensationalist stuff is definitely going to catch your attention. But the truth is sometimes more boring, but then fascinating once you dig in. This is the double edged sword, right? Because social media is so valuable. It really has helped increase awareness for a lot of things, including adhd. And for people seeking that sense of community and wondering, am I normal? What's wrong with me? It's just the misinformation that can perpetuate stereotypes and promote unscientific approaches to diagnosis and treatment that can be more harmful. So with all of that, how do we balance the benefits of spreading awareness with the potential harms of inaccurate information?
- [18:52]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
It depends on what your objective is in the moment. For some People in crisis, they might need something, anything. Nobody's around. And so this could be the only tool. Maybe it's 3am and this is the only thing that's around. And then hopefully it's like a temporary help that could lead to something that is a more permanent help, you know, like an actual support team, family, you know, trusted friends, medical professionals, you know, that could really help in the long term. And I would say that in terms of trying to reduce the potential harms, I think if people could also remember that the relationships you form online sometimes can feel so real and so tangible. But when it comes to your health, most of these people really, they actually don't have a relationship with you. They don't know who you are and where you, you've been. And they might be able to give you some friendly advice. But really the actual help that you need is somebody that is not at your fingertips. Online at the other end might seem like real help, but it's a temporary fix. The ongoing help with a trained professional to really under, undergo a real case study into your particular needs and your, you know, the way that you, you would thrive. A treatment plan for you if you need treatment.
- [20:16]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
I did get people sharing their experiences and helping me to know what accommodations to ask for, and that's really powerful. But I discussed them with my, you know, a professional therapist and we talked them through if they would make sense for me. And so you take the inspiration online and you gain the confidence to go and ask for more help for sure. But then you gotta tailor it to yourself because you don't know someone's full story, even though it feels like they're your bestie, because you see them every day through your phone, it's, it's very intimate.
- [20:47]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Oh, yeah. And if there's any kind of strange, you know, fad happening that's spreading through social media that it's like, oh, I don't have to take my medication. There's this other thing that I do that every else, you know, it seems to work for other people. That's something that also could cause harm. And, you know, people might think that there's a quick fix. I think those are the other things that might be, you know, harmful in trusting in unverified treatments. And one thing I wanted to just make sure that I make it really clear is that the science doesn't support that, for instance, social media causes ADHD in any way. In case anybody thinks that because there's a rise in ADHD diagnoses and also rise in use, that somehow There's a causal relationship. There's correlation, definitely studies of correlation between them. And especially for heavy users of social media, like problematic users, not just the regular run of the mill, everyday low to moderate users, there's definitely correlations between people who are really heavy, heavy users, in which it interferes with their daily functioning and adhd, and it doesn't mean that one causes the other. So I did want to just bring that up.
- [22:05]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Thank you, Linda. Thank you. Daniel Kish is completely blind, but he's found his own way to navigate the world. I lost my first eye at seven months, my second eye at 13 months. I was probably clicking by the age of 15 months. So I don't remember learning to click. I don't remember really learning to echolocate. By using echolocation. Yes, like what bats and dolphins do, he's managed to see what without sight. And his abilities have inspired groundbreaking research into the brain's incredible adaptability. Let me back up a bit here. When Daniel Kish was a baby, doctors removed his eyes due to eye cancer, making him totally blind. That prompted Daniel to teach himself echolocation. When he got older, he created his own method of vocal clicks. And the sound waves from those clicks bounce off whatever's around him, allowing him to distinguish his surroundings by listening to the change in the sounds. The process of echolocation in humans is.
- [23:11]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Very similar to the process in bats. We're talking about airborne sonar.
- [23:16]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
A bat can detect an object the size of a gnat from, you know.
- [23:19]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
So many meters away.
- [23:21]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
For me, the object has to be at least the size of a softball. Here's how it works. The animal makes a sound like a little chirp or click, and that sound travels through the air or water. When it hits something like a tree or a fish, it bounces back. The animal listens carefully to the echo or the sound that comes back. And since the sound has to travel all the way to that object and then back, the time it takes to hear the echo and how loud it is tells the animal how close or far away something is, what direction it's in, if it's moving, and even how big or small it is. Not only did Daniel teach himself echolocation, he inspired scientists to investigate how the brain adapts to this sense and explore ways to expand the skill for blind and sighted people alike. Now, to be clear, our world should be accessible. People shouldn't have to learn echolocation to get around, but it can certainly add a new layer of depth to perception. Plus teach us about how the brain processes Sensory inputs. Neuroscience researchers from Durham University in the UK conducted a study where they taught a group of blind people and a group of sighted people how to echolocate. Over a period of 10 weeks, the researchers showed the study participants how to produce clicks from their mouths and how to interpret the sounds that echo back. They wanted to see if by the end of 10 weeks, the subjects would get better at understanding their surroundings. Everyone improved at the tasks of judging the sizes and shapes of objects and navigating through the maze, which is incredible. I really thought this skill would have taken longer than 10 weeks to learn. Recently, they updated that study by examining the brain changes underlying these new abilities. They did this by looking at brain scans of the study participants. They found that both groups, whether blind or not, displayed responses in their visual cortices. That's the part of the brain that's used for vision. This shows that areas of the brain used for one sense, like vision, can be trained to pick up signals from other senses to do their job. Basically, the visual part of a person's brain lights up when they're trained to echolocate whether they're blind or not. Now, I thought this was really exciting for a couple of reasons. One, it tells us anyone really can learn to echolocate. Two, it shows us how interconnected our senses are. It's not just the eyes that help us form a map of the world. All of our senses and different parts of our brain can come together to help us perceive our surroundings. And three, it shows us how plastic our brains can be. Even a new skill, not just ones you've learned from birth, can change perception in the brain. It is never too late to learn something new. There needs to be more research done to investigate these findings, but overall, our guy, Daniel Kish, has helped scientists better understand how our brains perceive our environment and given others, including blind people, a new tool to navigate their surroundings. We learned a lot today, so here's what you can tell your friends about. It's never too late to learn a new skill. Neuroscience research on humans learning to echolocate is finding our brains can remodel how we sense our way through the world. We learned about the appeal and level of misinformation in mental health. Videos and new tech that fire scientists are exploring, including wearables for trees. Next week, it's all about puppies. Whether you whether you're a dog lover or just curious about what makes our furry friends so special, this episode has something for everyone. To tie in with Animal Planet's annual Puppy bowl, we'll dig into some of the most incredible things dogs can do, like sniffing out Covid or using button combos to talk. We'll also explore how dogs make life better for humans as emotional support animals and service companions. It's an episode full of fascinating science. And of course, there is the cute factor that you won't want to miss for Warner Bros. Discovery Curiosity Weekly is produced by the team at Wheelhouse DNA. The senior producer and editorial correspondent is Teresa Carey, our producer is Chiara Noni, our audio engineer is Nick Karisimi, and head of production for Wheelhouse DNA is Cassie Berman. I'm Dr. Samantha Amin. Thanks for listening. Come on down to Boost Mobile and turn your tax refund into six months of savings. Nope, all wrong.
- [27:53]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
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- [27:55]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
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- [28:00]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
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Dr. Linda Charmaraman
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- [28:07]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
Okay. Plus enter to win up to $10,000 and double your tax refund.
- [28:13]
Dr. Linda Charmaraman
Oh my.
- [28:14]
Dr. Samantha Yamin
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