A new model suggests that the universe did not undergo a Big Bang followed by inflation, as the prevailing model suggests, but a cycle of “bounces”. Though so very far from anything approaching confirmed, the authors believe it could help solve a few cosmic mysteries, including dark matter and the “flatness problem”. Advertisement You may […]
The Strangest Reason A Person Became Stranded In Space
Earlier this year, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore departed for the International Space Station (ISS) for what was meant to be an eight-day trip. Unfortunately, due to problems with the ship they rode in on – Boeing’s now infamous Starliner – they will now be stranded until they can be rescued by SpaceX’s Dragon […]
You Will Soon Get A Chance To See Saturn Without Its Glorious Rings
Saturn is one of the nicer objects to gawp at when you have access to a telescope or binoculars, being large enough to get a good look at, and having a pleasing ring structure around it. In early 2025, you will get a chance to have an even more unusual view: Saturn, without its rings […]
A Pig Just Had Surgery By A Team Operating 9,000 Kilometers Away
A pig in Hong Kong recently underwent an endoscopy with a twist – the person operating the endoscope was sitting in a lab 9,300 kilometers (5,779 miles) away in Zurich, Switzerland. Advertisement The collaborative project between researchers at ETH Zurich and The Chinese University of Hong Kong saw researchers peering into the stomach of the […]
Catastrophic Ancient Chain Of Events Possibly Caused Mass Extinction-Triggering Ocean Oxygen Loss
The ocean wasn’t a fun place to be during the Mesozoic era, which featured a string of periods during which its waters were extremely depleted of oxygen, causing multiple marine mass extinctions. Now, a new study appears to have found the trigger behind this catastrophic chain of events. Advertisement What the team was looking for […]
Prehistoric Slugs? 500-Million-Year-Old Spiny Slug Paints A Peculiar Picture
Do you ever find yourself wondering what prehistoric slugs would’ve looked like? Yeah, us too. It’s hard to place them on the ancient Earth and picture how they first appeared: Were they huge? Were there shells? Does a gooey slug even fossilize? Turns out the answer is no, no, yes, as demonstrated by an incredible […]
How And Why Pre-Columbian Peruvians Were Decked Out In Amazing Tats
Tattooing is one of the oldest and most widespread art forms in the world, and often the designs we decide to commit permanently to our skin are thick with meaning and cultural biases. Studying a tattoo from a certain time and place, therefore, can give us an idea of the cultural norms surrounding its design […]
Oldest Ever Record Of A Solar Eclipse Discovered Pretty Much In Front Of Our Faces
We live in an age where things like “the Earth orbits the sun” and “Kepler’s third law” are well known, and yet the majesty of a solar eclipse is still something that can make even the most powerful man in the world stop and stare. How much more awe-inspiring must this cosmological phenomenon have appeared, […]
Why Doesn’t Venus Have Its Own Moon?
Venus and our closest neighbor Mercury (here’s how that works) are lonely. While Jupiter hogs up at least 95 moons, neither of the innermost planets have a single moon to keep them company in their orbits of the Sun. Advertisement Mercury is likely too close to the Sun to hold onto a moon, with any […]
Japan Sees Spate Of Dolphin Attacks – What’s Going On?
There’s something lurking in the peaceful waters off the coast of Fukui Prefecture, Japan – but it’s not the kraken, or a whirlpool, or even a shark. In fact, experts believe that the culprit behind a spate of attacks on humans in the area, leading to 18 injuries this year alone, is a single Indo-Pacific […]
Watch This Mesmerizing Video Of Lava Flowing In Iceland
Iceland has been having something of a bumper year when it comes to volcanic activity, with lava flows causing all sorts of bother, even leading to evacuations. While the lava flows can be terrifyingly powerful, they are also all sorts of mesmerizing. Advertisement Videographer Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove captured incredible drone footage of the lava inside […]
Newly Discovered Brain Mechanism Helps Us Handle Surprises
New research is opening a window into the brain’s prediction machinery, showing how two brain regions work together when something unexpected happens. As well as offering a deeper insight into how our brains constantly work to fill in the gaps and guess what’s coming next, the findings could really help people experiencing difficulties with perception […]
The Chance Of Asteroid Apophis Hitting Earth May Be Slightly Higher Than We Thought
A new study looking at the potentially hazardous asteroid 99942 Apophis has suggested that the odds of an impact in 2029 or 2036 is ever so slightly higher than we thought. Advertisement When Apophis was first discovered in 2004, observations briefly placed it at level 4 on the Torino impact hazard scale, with a score […]
PSA: Please Don’t Touch The Hot Springs At Yellowstone
If you ever need evidence as to why you need to respect nature, look no further than US national parks – and none more so than Yellowstone, where a visitor was filmed appearing to dip their fingers into its most iconic hot spring (which is a really, really bad idea). The park’s Grand Prismatic Spring […]
A Giant Shark’s Satellite Tag Wound Up Inside Something Much Bigger
A scientific whodunnit recently kicked off in the waters off Cape Cod in Massachusetts where scientists studying porbeagle sharks made a grim discovery: a pregnant female had been eaten by a monstrous predator. The key culprits? The great white and shortfin mako whose reputations precede them, but the murder finvestigation marks the first documented predation […]
One Of The Biggest Impacts In The Solar System Changed Its Largest Moon Forever
Ganymede is not only the largest satellite of Jupiter and the biggest moon in the Solar System, but it is the only moon with its own magnetic field and is also tidally locked, meaning it always shows Jupiter the same face just like our Moon does to us. On the far side of Ganymede, there […]
Why Do Tropical Storms And Hurricanes Have Names?
Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto – they’re names you’ve probably heard a lot of over the last few months, the first storms in what’s expected to be a fairly busy 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. But why do these storms have names, and who decides what to name them? Advertisement Why do tropical storms and hurricanes […]
Betelgeuse May Not Be On The Edge Of Supernova. It Might Just Have A Buddy
When Betelgeuse finally collapses, the star – currently a red supergiant – will likely shine as brightly as the Moon in the sky for about two weeks, and be visible during the day time for 6-12 months after that. Advertisement It will be a spectacular event, but calculating when it will happen is a tricky […]
Egypt Is Building A Brand-New Capital City – And You Can See It Via Satellite
Cairo is perhaps one of the world’s most famous capital cities, with a rich history that spans over 1,000 years. Its chapter as capital, however, is soon to end – and going from recent satellite imagery, its megaproject replacement is finally taking shape. The plan to move the capital was first announced back in 2015, […]
Henry’s Pocket: Why Do Cat Ears Have An Extra Fold?
Never short of their quirks, from their flappy primordial pouches that put a swing in their step to the fishing wildcats that quack like ducks, it’s safe to say cats are pretty strange creatures. So, to unravel another kitty mystery, what are those weird folds on their ears and what are they for? Advertisement The […]
